Chapter 14: A Fire in the Veins

The morning came slow, dragging the weight of exhaustion along with it. I sat against the cold, crumbling wall of the abandoned train station, staring at the faint glow of my system interface.

Zhao Yue was still unconscious. Her face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Every so often, she'd shiver despite the thick jacket I had thrown over her.

Tch. Just my luck.

She hadn't been feeling well since yesterday, and now it had turned into a full-blown fever. At first, I thought it was just exhaustion, but something about it felt... off. Her body was burning up, but her breathing was steady, her pulse strong. The system hadn't warned of an infection, so at the very least, it wasn't the zombie virus.

Still, seeing her like this left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Damn idiot. Always acting tough."

I sighed, shifting my weight so I could sit beside her. My body ached from the battle the night before, the fresh wounds on my arms pulsing with a dull pain. We had fought wave after wave of mutated zombies, and Zhao had been just as relentless as me—until she collapsed.

Now here we were. Trapped in a half-broken station, waiting for her fever to pass.

Ning Xue sat across from me, resting against a rusted metal bench. She watched Zhao Yue with a deep frown, arms crossed.

"She's never been sick before," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Not even once since the world fell apart."

I grunted in response. "It's not normal, but nothing is normal anymore."

She exhaled, running a hand through her tangled hair. "She's strong. She'll get through it."

I didn't doubt that. But as the hours passed and the fever only seemed to get worse, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening inside her. Something beyond just a sickness.

By nightfall, Zhao Yue stirred.

Her fingers twitched first, then her breathing grew heavier. I leaned closer, ready for whatever was coming.

Then her eyes shot open.

They weren't the same deep brown I had grown used to. A faint glow pulsed within them—like embers hidden beneath the ashes.

She sat up with a sharp inhale, gripping the fabric of my sleeve before she even seemed to realize she was awake.

I caught her wrist. "You okay?"

She blinked, as if adjusting to her own body. Then she nodded. "I… I think so."

Ning Xue hurried to her side, placing a hand against her forehead. "Your fever's gone."

Zhao Yue flexed her fingers, staring at her hands like they were unfamiliar. Then, she turned her gaze to the far side of the station, where a pile of discarded tin cans sat near the entrance.

Without warning, she raised her hand—and a sharp force exploded from her fingertips.

Bang!

The cans were sent flying, a direct hit striking one dead center. The sound of impact rang through the empty station.

I tensed, eyes narrowing.

That wasn't a normal shot.

Zhao Yue stared at her own palm, eyes wide. "I…" She swallowed. "What was that?"

Ning Xue, just as stunned, breathed out. "You awakened an ability."

I exhaled, rubbing my temple. "Took you long enough."

Zhao scowled. "Excuse me?"

I stood, stretching out my sore limbs. "It means your body's finally caught up. The system doesn't just hand out abilities—you have to push past your limits. And you did."

Zhao Yue looked down at her hands again, slowly curling them into fists. "So, I can shoot without a gun?"

"Looks like it," Ning Xue muttered. "Figures you'd get something related to shooting."

I turned to my system interface and checked for updates.

[New Ability Acquired: Ember Shot] [Description: Condensed energy forms into a high-speed projectile, capable of piercing through targets with extreme accuracy. Strength increases with user's intent and focus.]

Tch. So that's what it was.

Zhao Yue had always been a sharpshooter, but this took things to another level. It wasn't just skill anymore—it was something beyond human.

The next few days were… different.

Zhao Yue was back on her feet, but something had shifted between us. Maybe it was because I had stayed up watching over her, making sure she didn't burn to death in her sleep. Maybe it was because she had reached for me first when she woke up, her fingers gripping my sleeve like a lifeline.

We didn't talk about it.

But everyone else seemed to notice.

Ning Xue especially.

She was acting strange—more irritated than usual. She snapped at me more than before, got frustrated over small things. But she also hovered around Zhao Yue, watching her with a conflicted look in her eyes.

I caught her staring once when Zhao was practicing her ability. The flickering light of the ember shot reflected in her eyes, her lips slightly parted like she wanted to say something but didn't know what.

"Something on your mind?" I asked, leaning against a rusted pole.

She flinched, immediately scowling at me. "None of your business."

I shrugged. "Sure."

She hesitated, then muttered, "She's different now."

I glanced at Zhao Yue. She stood a few meters away, lining up another shot, her entire focus on the target. The glow in her eyes flickered again before she fired, the bullet of condensed energy striking true.

"She's still Zhao," I said. "Just… stronger."

Ning Xue didn't reply. But I saw the way her fingers curled slightly, like she was holding onto something she didn't quite understand.

Jealousy? Concern? I wasn't sure. Maybe both.

That night, Zhao Yue and I were on watch duty together. We sat in silence near the train station's broken entrance, the cold wind cutting through the gaps in the walls.

She shifted beside me, rubbing her hands together. "You know… you didn't have to take care of me."

I raised a brow. "So I should've just let you die?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

I smirked. "Then what did you mean?"

She was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed, staring up at the ruined sky. "I don't know. Just… thanks."

For some reason, hearing that made my chest feel tight.

I looked away. "Don't mention it."

We sat in silence again, but this time, it wasn't uncomfortable. Just… there.

Ning Xue was right. Something was different.

Maybe we just hadn't realized it yet.