Life and Death Decision

Yang Tian looked down at Kelly with interest, a cold sneer on his face. "Huh? Still pretending to be tough? You're really not afraid of dying?"

Kelly snorted disdainfully, meeting his gaze fearlessly. "If you're alive, you have to stick to something! I'm a mercenary."

Yang Tian raised an eyebrow, studying the determined woman before him, his expression softening slightly. After a brief pause, he spoke gravely. "I won't force you, but remember this—you owe me your life. We're enemies, but today, not killing you is saving you."

Kelly's expression shifted subtly. She hadn't expected him to spare her. After a long moment of hesitation, she finally nodded in acknowledgment of his realistic assessment.

Yang Tian calmly took away her weapons, then said flatly, "Go back and tell Crazy Python that her Barrett is quite useful."

Just as he turned to leave, he paused and spoke in a low voice. "By the way, during the fight, I licked the wound on your face. I can't say whether you'll get infected."

Kelly's eyes widened in shock. Her hand instinctively touched her face as she remembered the blood on her skin during the battle.

Yang Tian waved his hand, turning to walk away. "Good luck, beautiful. If you end up like me and no one takes you in, remember to come find me."

As Kelly stood there watching his figure disappear into the mist, she breathed a sigh of relief, but the question lingered in her mind—would she really get infected?

At that moment, a chilling voice echoed through the fog: "The condition for your survival is that you hide this matter. Does your so-called persistence contradict this condition?"

Kelly lowered her head in silence, feeling a sharp pain as a swift hand struck the back of her neck. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Yang Tian stood over her, aware that his true journey of escape had just begun. He sighed softly before disappearing into the mist.

Not far away, a soldier held his breath, crouching under a wooden bench, barely hearing the sounds of what had just transpired.

Daphne looked at Yang Tian, who suddenly appeared beside her. "Where did you go?"

Yang Tian answered calmly, "Had a conversation with her."

Daphne sniffed in disapproval. "Oh really? Don't tell me you were taking advantage of her. She's got a nice figure."

Yang Tian scratched his head, smiling wryly. "Why do you sound so possessive all of a sudden?"

Daphne realized she'd gone too far and quickly changed the subject. "Where are we going?"

"Los Angeles," Yang Tian replied.

"Really?" Daphne asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Of course. But first, we need to find a vehicle," he said, keeping it brief.

Night fell, the sky full of stars. Yang Tian quietly asked Daphne, "Are you scared?"

Daphne gazed at the sky, a nostalgic look in her eyes. "This city used to be full of lights, but now… the stars shine so clearly."

Yang Tian took out a map from his bag, pondering silently. "Southward. It's going to be a tough journey."

Daphne suddenly spoke, her voice trembling. "What were you doing before this world turned into hell?"

Yang Tian was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Those memories are meaningless. They'll only make you suffer. You need to learn how to use the weapons you have now."

Daphne didn't reply, lost in her own thoughts. "Back then, I used to party with my friends or stay home, drinking hot milk, lying on a soft bed. But now... everything's changed."

Yang Tian sighed and moved closer. "Be strong. Remember, you're on your way home."

Daphne shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "You don't understand. You don't know anything! You've been living in war every day, but I… I've never been through this. I want to go back, to that peaceful world."

Yang Tian took a deep breath, gripping his MP7 submachine gun tightly, his eyes lost in the starry sky. "You think I live in war? I used to have a life like yours, but fate didn't care."

He looked up at the vast, starry sky, feeling an overwhelming sense of desolation.

Daphne also looked up, her eyes wet with tears, staring at the same stars.

Beneath that same sky, two lonely souls struggled silently, caught in the same unspoken battle.