Days in the Infinite

Kiri was undoubtedly a lively and enthusiastic woman. Other than today, Li Ke had rarely seen her looking unhappy. It was only during moments like these—where everything felt overwhelmingly hopeless—that she showed a more serious expression.

But now, as Li Ke lit his lighter to brighten their surroundings, he noticed that Kiri's smile had returned.

Seeing the pained look on his face, Kiri laughed and pulled him down to sit beside Tsunade, placing a cup of alcohol next to her. She smiled and waved at Li Ke.

"Hey, there's no need to be so down, right? After all, in this situation, there's nothing we can do."

Li Ke felt a bit disoriented. If he remembered correctly, this was something he'd said to Erina before, but now Kiri was saying it to him. It gave him a strange feeling that left him unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah, you're right. We can't change it. Might as well make friends with despair."

Li Ke smiled. His life had been one of survival, a series of lucky breaks. Whether it was the infection, the first Blood Moon, or the constant struggle when he was still weak, his life had always dangled by a thread. If the iron fortress was breached and he died here, it wouldn't be surprising. There was no need to stress over it.

If there was a chance to fight back, he would take it. If not, he'd laugh through the remaining days. The outcome couldn't be changed anyway.

"Cheers!"

Kiri raised her glass with enthusiasm, and Li Ke smiled as he clinked his glass against hers. Only Tsunade, still trembling, didn't join in. She continued to hold her head, shaking as if Li Ke and Kiri were just figments of her imagination.

Li Ke and Kiri drank several rounds, downing most of the beer they had left amidst the relentless howling and scratching from the zombies outside. In their current situation, no one could blame them for indulging.

The zombies kept screaming, and the iron walls around them echoed with bangs, but soon the scratching noise began to fade, leaving only the roars of the zombies and occasional sounds of gnawing and shifting.

Their last bit of light vanished with it.

Both Kiri and Li Ke knew this didn't mean the zombies had stopped attacking. Rather, the house was now entirely surrounded by them. The ones closest to the building had been crushed by the weight of the zombies behind them, unable to move. All they could do was feebly scratch and gnash their teeth, producing nothing but faint, chaotic sounds.

But soon, even those noises stopped, leaving only the distant howls. Li Ke felt himself relax a little. Exhausted, he leaned against the door—where a breach was most likely to occur—so that he could react to any movement instantly.

The two of them made idle conversation, talking about the differences between their hometowns and discussing some local foods. They chatted about a lot of things, but nothing particularly significant.

Tsunade, seemingly calmed by the diminishing zombie sounds, eventually picked up her glass and slowly sipped it, sitting closer to Li Ke and Kiri. She didn't speak, just quietly listened to their conversation while tasting the beer from this world.

Li Ke had to admit, the beer in this world of 7 Days to Die wasn't bad. Aside from being a bit strong, there wasn't much to criticize. If he were someone who enjoyed drinking, he wouldn't have hesitated to indulge.

As the dark and tense atmosphere continued, the zombie noises grew quieter and quieter. At first, Li Ke thought he was just dozing off. He splashed some cold water on his face, but soon realized it wasn't his imagination—the zombie sounds really were fading.

Glancing at the time, he saw that it was already 4 a.m. He leaned his head against the iron wall, listening intently. Aside from the occasional distant howl, there was nothing left.

But he didn't try to leave. He remained by the door, continuing to wait for dawn.

Kiri did the same, sitting next to him, guarding the door that was most likely to be breached.

But as the darkness deepened and the silence stretched on, Li Ke felt his consciousness grow heavy. Even though he and Kiri kept chatting sporadically, he hadn't eaten much, and fatigue started to overcome him.

"Damn it..."

He splashed water from his inventory onto his face again and rubbed his temples to clear his mind. But just as he was about to change his position, he realized Tsunade had fallen asleep in his arms.

As he shifted slightly, he immediately felt the softness against him. Tsunade's shorter height and her full figure pressed against him in a way that was hard to describe.

What could he say?

It was an overwhelming sensation. Just by leaning against him, he felt like something was about to burst.

In fact, something was about to burst.

Earlier, he'd been too dazed to notice, but now that he was awake, he could definitely feel her overwhelming softness.

And naturally, this led to another reaction—one that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

Although his mind was exhausted, his body wasn't one to hold back. It was as if his "brother" had been granted five times the strength and ten times the stamina.

"..."

He sighed in resignation as he lit his lighter again, glancing at Tsunade's tear-streaked, frightened sleeping face. With another sigh, he gently pulled her closer to let her sleep more comfortably and continued sitting by the door, waiting for daylight.

But he didn't forget to check on Kiri.

At that moment, Kiri was fiddling with her revolver. When she noticed Li Ke looking over, a playful smile tugged at her lips.

"What? One's not enough for you?"

"...I meant, would you like to rest for a bit? I've already slept some."

Li Ke was telling the truth. He had dozed off earlier, and now he was fully awake. Seeing the tired look on Kiri's face, he offered the invitation.

Kiri gave him a mischievous grin, and the next moment, the tall beauty effortlessly hopped over the barricade by the door and landed gracefully beside Li Ke.

"Well, I won't say no. Sometimes, even someone like me wants to lean on others for a bit."

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