Chapter 179


    Having tidied the room, the two, apanied by their dog, sat down to lunch in their humble abode


    in Arcadia. Rosie, however, was still fast asleep in the room.


    Knowing that time in Arcadia was precious, Jasper didn''t rest. Instead, he helped Ste harvest the


    green beans in The Garden.


    The beans were not yet mature, still in the green bean phase. The leaves and beans bore a vibrant


    green hue.


    Given the long days ahead, Ste decided to turn them all into pickled beans. She figured it would


    be a good pastime to munch on them alongside some jerky.


    Cooper, the dog, was not one to be outdone. He bit into the bean sprouts and pulled them out at a


    remarkable speed, albeit with ack of precision.


    He was reallypetitive!


    Harvesting the beans, washing them, adding pickling spices, and cooking them was their routine.


    After teaching Jasper the process, Ste returned to her room for a nap. Waking around five, she


    was about to roll over when she felt a hand resting on her waist.


    Jasper was spooning her, fast asleep. Had she been that sound asleep? She hadn''t even heard him


    enter the room. Was she too rxed, or was he just that stealthy?


    Ste nudged him, "Quit pretending, I know you''re awake."


    Jasper opened his eyes, only to pull her closer. With their bodies close and eyes locked, she could


    feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. Ste felt her mind go nk, her gaze involuntarily


    shifted away.


    Suddenly, Jasper leaned in for a kiss. Ste froze for a moment, feeling her body betray her. She


    didn''t push him away. And so, they foundfort in each other''s presence.


    He didn''t push things further. He held her for a long while before his breathing steadied, "Ste, do


    you think the marriage office is still open?"


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Ste considered, "Probably not."


    "Once this disaster is over, we''ll go and get our marriage certificate."


    Ste threw a pillow at him, "I never said anything about marrying you."


    Jasper gazed at her, "But I want to take care of you. Aren''t you going to give me a chance?"


    "Bark, bark, bark!"


    Outside, Cooper was causing amotion, calling for his trainer to start their practice. Jasper felt


    exasperated as his confession was interrupted.


    Steid on the bed,ughing so hard it hurt, "Go on, Cooper is calling you."


    Jasper was incredibly patient with Cooper, starting their workout with a warm-up run, followed by


    twists, jumps, and crawls. In the end, Cooper copsed on the grass, panting and unable to get up.


    Jasper crouched down to encourage him, "Good boy, we''ll continue tomorrow."


    After dinner around seven, Jasper initiated, "Ste, shall we go out and take a look?"


    Ste had been wanting to say that. Time was precious, and she didn''t want to waste it. At this time,


    it was already dark outside, which meant they were less likely to be spotted.


    Rosie was strapped back into her safety harness. Ste caressed her cheek, "Sorry, kiddo. All for


    the sake of peace and friendship."


    Once ready, they quickly left Arcadia.


    The escape pod had been pushed about ten meters out by the waves when it was retracted back


    into Arcadia. Thankfully, it hadnded on a t area rather than the vi''s rooftop. Otherwise, it


    would have rolled all the way down from the hilltop.


    The good news was that the tsunami had receded. However, the roar of the waves could still be


    heard in the distance. It seemed like the sea was still restless.


    Ste took out her night-vision binocrs, but the tsunami had destroyed everything. The sea was


    pitch dark, devoid of any light.


    It was too far away, beyond their field of vision. Presumably, the sea hadn''t receded to a safe


    distance yet.


    After retracting the escape pod back into Arcadia, Ste was about to return to the vi with her


    shlight when Cooper suddenly tensed up, growling softly.


    Jasper furrowed his brows, "Someone''s in the vi."


    That wasn''t surprising. Given the number of people on the beach, it was likely that some had


    survived. As for what kind of people they were, that was another story.


    Jasper wanted to investigate. He handed Rosie over to Cooper, "Stay here with Rosie, and wait for


    us toe back."


    Cooper took on the task, staying close to Rosie.


    The two changed into bulletproof vests and quietly approached the vi. Faintly, they could see the


    flicker of firelight. Having lived there for a month, Ste knew her way around. She saw that the


    vi''s front door was wide open. On the ground was a fire pit for light, and there were about almost


    twenty people, either sitting or standing. Their clothes were ragged, and their faces were dirty. Their


    eyes were all fixed on a man lying unconscious on the ground.


    Judging by their appearances, they were the lowest ss of refugees.


    The unconscious man on the ground was dressed in a camouge uniform, appearing to be a


    soldier. Ste took a closer look and found him vaguely familiar. It seemed like she had seen him


    somewhere.


    She had rarely interacted with soldiers since they arrived at the beach a month ago. The only time


    was...


    He was actually the soldier who had distributed relief supplies.


    He was seriously injured, his uniform stained with blood. His thigh was particrly bloody because


    of a tourniquet. His face was pale, indicating significant blood loss. Being injured to this extent in a


    tsunami was tantamount to a death sentence.


    Apparently, the people surrounding him realized this. Their expressions wereplex and


    conflicted.


    Having survived three years in a post-apocalyptic world, Ste knew exactly what those looks


    meant. Simultaneously, she noticed something off about Jasper. She gently held his hand, sensing


    his icy stiffness and the barely concealed murderous intent. He waspletely different from his


    usual self.


    "I''ll go first."


    A raspy voice sounded. A man pulled out a rusty knife from his pocket, "One stab each. No


    exceptions."


    A child next to him looked scared and stuttered, "But, that man saved... saved us."


    The man smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Kid, are you hungry?"


    The child shrunk back, retreating into the crowd without uttering another word. The others remained


    silent as well.


    The man gripped his knife and stepped forward. The fire pit flickered, casting eerie shadows on the


    man''s face, making him appear devilish.


    Ste stepped forward with her assault rifle, "Well, what a lively gathering."


    Everyone was startled and turned to look at her.


    She was beautiful, clean, and rosy-skinned. They couldn''t remember thest time they had seen


    such a beautiful woman.


    The man''s eyes nearly popped out of his head, but seeing the assault rifle in her hands, he was


    soon ovee with fear. Just as he was about to speak, a tall, stern man walked in, also holding a


    gun.


    Watching the two stand side by side, the man quickly hid his knife and put on a pitiful smile, "Sir,


    ma''am, our belongings were washed away by the tsunami. The hero who saved us is injured. Do


    you have any food or medicine?"


    Ste didn''t bother to waste her breath on them, "I''ll give you two options. One, get as far away from


    here as you can. Two, I''ll ughter all of you."


    "But, ma''am..."


    Jasper fired a shot without warning, urately piercing the man''s ear. The man wailed, clutching


    his bleeding ear.


    Ste nced at everyone present, "I have a temper, and I don''t like to repeat myself."


    The crowd felt a sense of reluctance, yet noticing the murderous intent in the eyes of the two, their


    fear of death prevailed. They had no choice but to disperse.


    "Wait, we can''t just abandon a hero!" A cunning one suddenly said.


    A few turned back, rushing to help the unconscious soldier lying on the ground.


    Ste pointed her assault rifle at his head, "Or, I could just put you out of your misery and let them


    take you."


    The man was trembling with fear, eradicating hisst shred of courage and scattered like a


    frightened bird.


    Ste stepped forward, only to find the soldier unconscious with high fever and multiple stab and


    sh wounds on his body. She stared at him for a while. After a moment of hesitation and struggle,


    she took out water, antibiotics, and medical supplies for treating wounds from Arcadia.


    If it were anyone else, Ste might not have reached out to help. But looking at the unconscious


    man, she couldn''t help but think of Jasper in hisst life.