Chapter 1147
Misato: Why is everyone staring at my man!
Cui Ming's eyes remained closed, his breathing steady, clearly still in a deep sleep. This series of movements was all unconscious, instinctive restraint, his only desire to keep the "nearby threat" firmly within his range. Misato, locked in place and unable to move, gritted her teeth in anger and was about to complain in a low voice when Ritsuko beside her suddenly paused, tilted her head slightly, and leaned closer.
"Hmm," Ritsuko sniffed lightly, the scent of Choi Myung lingering around her nose—not the smell of gunpowder, nor the stench of dust, but a faint fragrance of soapberry mixed with the warmth of sunshine and a hint of lingering warmth from the food, clean and reassuring. She turned to look at Misato beside her, whose face was full of frustration, and said with a hint of teasing, "Miri, you ate quite well." The implication was clear: she envied Misato for being able to be close to such a clean and reassuring scent every day.
"Don't smell it! This is my man!" Misato instantly bristled, lowering her voice to growl as she reached out to push Ritsuko's head. Her eyes were full of possessiveness, but fearing that the noise would disturb Choi Myeong again, she could only suppress her anger, her movements restrained. She glared fiercely at Ritsuko, as if declaring her ownership, refusing to yield an inch.
Ritsuko deftly avoided her hand, a sly smile playing on her lips. Instead of backing away, she deliberately moved closer, her tone provocative: "There's no rule that only you can smell it." Her warm breath brushed against Choi Myung's shoulder. The sleeping Choi Myung seemed to sense it, his brows furrowing slightly as he tightened his arms around her, locking them together even more firmly. This only added a touch of helpless intimacy to their bickering.
Misato's cheeks puffed out in anger, but she couldn't break free. She could only glare fiercely at Ritsuko, secretly vowing to settle scores with Choi Myung when he woke up—scores for Choi Myung's unintentional locking of her and for Ritsuko's deliberate provocation. Ritsuko leaned against Choi Myung, feeling his steady heartbeat and clean breath. The indifferent figure from last night's dream gradually overlapped with the warmth of this moment, and the emotions in her heart quietly deepened.
He slept soundly through the night without any dreams, and only slowly opened his eyes when the morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains and filled the bedside. He moved his arms and felt the warm bodies pressed tightly against his sides. Looking down, he saw Misato and Ritsuko on either side of him, their breathing still shallow, clearly having just woken up.
Cui Ming showed no surprise, as if he were already used to such unexpected situations. Only a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes as he calmly said, "It's a good thing you were with Misato, otherwise..."
Although the second half of the sentence was left unsaid, the unspoken meaning was all too clear—if Misato hadn't been there, Ritsuko might not have been able to stay awake until morning last night, and his instinctive defenses might have led to an even worse situation. Upon hearing this, Misato immediately sat up in bed, rubbing her arm that had gone numb from being pressed down, and glanced at Ritsuko, who had just opened her eyes, with annoyance. Following up on Choi Myeong's words, she said, "Yeah... it's good that I was there." The resentment in her tone was entirely directed at Ritsuko.
Ritsuko was fully awake by now. She propped herself up, her hair still a little messy, her face showing the languor of someone who had just woken up. Recalling the terrifying night before—being held at knifepoint and forcibly locked in bed—she had initially been terrified, but once she was next to Choi Myung, that fear gradually dissipated. To be honest, although it was quite frightening at first, Choi Myung gave her a strong sense of security, almost like he could ward off evil spirits!
It really does ward off evil! Ritsuko was secretly certain. It was as if just being by his side could keep out all the lurking anxieties and eerie nightmares. But most importantly, it gave her peace of mind, a sense of security that allowed her to completely let down her guard and get a good night's sleep. Why was that? Ritsuko frowned, her heart filled with doubt. It was truly amazing.
This intense sense of security, ironically, gave rise to a mischievous thought: How could anyone not get a good night's sleep? Probably not. She suddenly recalled her dream from last night and secretly grumbled to herself—in Cui Ming's spiritual world, even the evil spirits from urban legends would be treated as outcasts by his battle-hardened ferocity and violently dealt with, right? After all, it was a battlefield where even the souls of the defeated were merely "ingredients," so mere evil spirits were no match for him.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Misato saw Ritsuko sitting still, looking lost in thought, and poked her arm, her tone still carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. "Get up now, stop lazing around on Choi Myung's bed!" Choi Myung, however, had already gotten up briskly, straightening his robes as he said casually, "Go wash up, breakfast will be ready soon." It was as if the awkwardness of the three of them sharing a bed earlier, and the instinctive restraint of last night, were just ordinary trivial matters.
Ritsuko nodded and stood up, the clean, herbal scent of Choi Myung still lingering in her nostrils. That sense of peace remained, making her even more curious about this man—how many storms had he weathered to cultivate such an aura that could shield him from all unease, capable of both fighting bloody battles and preparing a hot meal in the morning? Contradictory yet captivating.
After washing up, the three of them ate a hot breakfast prepared by Cui Ming with Qi Bolin, and then headed to the university together. Cui Ming was still acting as the driver, with Misato and Ritsuko in the back seat. The car was quiet for a while, with only the slight hum of the engine. After the car left the residential area and drove towards the university for a while, Misato suddenly turned to look at Cui Ming in the driver's seat, her tone losing its usual coquettishness and becoming more serious: "Cui, be careful."
"Yes, you yourselves are about to descend into chaos." Cui Ming nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty, as if he had already foreseen the impending changes. His expression remained composed, but the fingertips gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly, revealing a subtle hint of vigilance.
Ritsuko, sitting in the back seat, felt a chill run down her spine. She keenly noticed the unusual nature of their conversation and, considering the recent strange fluctuations in the world, subconsciously asked, "Apostles?" The apostles she was referring to were bizarre creatures unique to this world. Their origins were unknown, their power was immense, and they seemed to be born with the mission of destroying the world, causing headaches for various factions in recent days.
But Cui Ming shook his head, denying her guess: "Not an apostle, but a more troublesome creature." As he spoke, he glanced at the sky outside the car window—the sky seemed clear and sunny at the moment, but it was as if shrouded in an invisible haze, exuding a sense of oppressive stillness.
He withdrew his gaze and refocused on the road, his tone becoming increasingly solemn as he instructed, "Please be careful and avoid going to deserted areas. Try to stay in populated or well-defended areas." This meticulous instruction was far more unsettling than the previous reminder.
Ritsuko's brows furrowed tightly, her doubts and unease growing stronger. She pressed on, "Is something wrong? What exactly is coming?" Cui Ming's reaction was by no means an overreaction. Something that he called "more troublesome than an apostle" must have unimaginable destructive power.
“Yes.” Cui Ming responded simply, lightly pressing the accelerator, and the car smoothly drove through an intersection. He was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a strange sense of oppression to the two people in the back seat: “A creature capable of easily tearing apart an apostle is coming.” (End of Chapter)