C21 First Kiss!

Willett's brain was besieged by an intense headache that nearly brought his thoughts to a standstill, leaving him oblivious to the outside world. Time lost meaning as the pain gradually subsided, replaced by a fierce, scorching airflow that clashed with the preexisting chill within him. Concurrently, Willett noticed the once faint coldness in his body had intensified, circulating with increased speed. The hot and cold currents spiraled through him, their collisions causing him excruciating pain, making his body tremble and soaking his clothes with sweat.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The relentless gunfire jolted Willett from his stupor. Barely opening his eyes, he glimpsed a petite, black-clad figure before him. As he struggled to focus, the internal battle between the cold and warm currents reached its climax.

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar filled Willett's head as the colliding forces, realizing they couldn't consume one another, began to dissolve and intertwine. They converged at his head, then dispersed, cycling through his body and swiftly healing his wounds.

As the pain receded, Willett's clarity returned. Amid the ongoing gunfire, he remembered the charming silhouette he had seen. Without a moment to ponder the transformation within, he opened his eyes wide and sat up.

Before him was a girl crouching, her back turned as she fired a black pistol relentlessly at the advancing zombies. It was none other than Janet.

Willett called out with a surge of relief, "Are you okay? For a moment, I feared the worst for you..."

He was about to rise and embrace the girl before him.

"Hey! I'm alright," Janet responded. "I managed to outrun that monster. Just as I reached the stairs, they collapsed behind me, and a falling stone knocked me out. When I came to, I saw you surrounded by zombies. I thought you were gone and was ready to seek vengeance on your behalf. But as I drew closer, I saw you were still alive. It seems disasters really do linger for ages..."

Although Janet was smiling, a hint of redness tinged her eyes as she spoke. "I was thinking, if you died, I wouldn't stand a chance of escaping on my own. Might as well make the most of the weapons I have and take down as many as I can. And if I can't finish them off, the last two bullets—one for you, one for me..."

Before she could finish, she was enveloped in a pair of strong arms. Her tender lips were suddenly silenced by a passionate kiss, leaving her speechless.

"Let go! Your beard is like sandpaper, and the zombies are closing in!"

After a moment, Janet pushed away the man who had been kissing her, annoyance flickering in her eyes. "Quit it with the macho act. This isn't the time..."

Willett responded with a mischievous grin. "So, if it's not the time now, does that mean there's a right time for this later?"

He stood up, stretched languidly, and faced the twenty zombies that had amassed in the hall with a smirk. "Then I guess I'll just have to create the right moment!"

With that, he strode over to the corpse of the T-shaped zombie, yanked his slightly bent long knife free, and charged into the horde.

The face-off with the T-shaped zombie had instilled a newfound confidence in him, a realization of his own strength. If such a formidable T-shaped zombie could fall to him, what chance did twenty ordinary zombies have?

Willett's agile figure danced among the undead. Each flash of his blade cleaved another zombie in two. In under three minutes, he had dispatched all twenty zombies.

"He's incredible..."

Janet's hand flew to her mouth in disbelief as she watched the man beside her effortlessly cut down the zombies. She knew Willett was formidable and capable of defeating the T-shaped zombies, but she never expected the usually cautious Willett to be so bold and fearless today, as if he had transformed into someone else. In the past, Willett would have avoided a group of twenty zombies at all costs, never diving into the fray as he did today.

Her thoughts sent a blush creeping across Janet's cheeks, and she chastised herself silently. She had harbored a soft spot for Willett since high school, but they had drifted apart after college. Especially in the two years following their last reunion, her fond memories of him had begun to fade. However, since Willett had rescued her from the sea of corpses days ago, the dormant feelings in her heart had reawakened. Particularly when he faced the T-shaped zombies alone and urged her to flee, Janet realized she had fallen for him and was ready to depend on him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fired her gun in a desperate attempt to save him from being cornered, nor would she have resolved to face death with him when zombies surrounded Willett. Now, watching the man she admired command the battlefield, her heart raced uncontrollably.

"Hehe! Cool, huh?"

Willett quickly dispatched the zombies and tossed his twisted weapon aside. He bounded up the stairs, shooting Janet a flirtatious wink, and said with a roguish grin, "All quiet now. Shall we carry on...?"

"No! Maybe when I'm in a better mood..."

Janet lifted her chin proudly. She wasn't about to let this man get too comfortable. Her mother had always said that things easily obtained are seldom valued. Best to keep him on his toes for now. A smile crept onto her lips as she pondered this.

"Ah... I have to wait? After all the times I've played the hero, you could at least reward me with a kiss..."

Willett's face fell into a mock frown as he complained.

Janet chuckled to herself at his exaggeratedly pitiful look, thinking, "Hmph, this kid's gotten so capable, who knows if he'll stay faithful in the future. I can't just give in to him; he needs to be kept in line."

She then retorted sharply, "Didn't that kiss just now count? You kissed me so long my lips swelled up. You do realize that was my first kiss!"

A charming blush warmed her cheeks as she spoke.

"Hehe, it was my first kiss too, so you're not losing out!"

Willett perked up at her words and cheerfully suggested, "If you're not happy, you can swell up my lips too. Come on..."

He even closed his eyes in anticipation.

"Forget it, you're so shameless!"

Janet was torn between irritation and amusement at his unbothered demeanor. Yet, seeing him disheveled and his clothes torn from the fight with the T-shaped zombies, she softened. She leaned in and gave Willett a quick peck on the lips before swiftly pulling away. "You should count yourself lucky!"

She then tugged at Willett, who was grinning cheekily, and said, "Enough, don't get greedy. I'll get mad if you keep this up. Dawn is breaking; we should find a safe place to eat. This building feels like it could collapse any minute, and it's making me nervous."

Willett glanced around at the destruction caused by the T-shaped zombies and nodded in agreement. The place was definitely not secure, and a collapse would be perilous. Even with his psionic power, Janet's safety was not guaranteed. Deciding it was best to leave at first light, he went to a corner of the room, retrieved the bag flung aside by the zombie, and led Janet towards the exit.

The electric car by the entrance had been trampled into a twisted wreck by the T-shaped zombies, rendering it undrivable. Basking in the warmth emanating from his lover's delicate hand, Willett smiled contentedly. No matter what comes our way, as long as we face it with determination, there's always a sliver of hope waiting to be seized, right?

Bathed in sunlight, Willett gripped his beloved Janet's hand firmly and stepped boldly forward.