A rollback after death? Then let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 81 Keeping Warm

The hotel door was ajar. The two slipped inside, closed the door behind them, and used an iron bar they found to hold it shut.

Almost the instant the door closed, a series of sharp, teeth-grinding scraping and banging sounds came from outside.

The shadows were frantically attacking the hotel.

Strangely, the hotel seemed to possess a peculiar power; the shadows only roared and charged outside the door, unable to actually break in.

The interior of the hotel looked slightly better than the exterior; although it was also covered in dust, the furniture was mostly intact.

The first floor is the lobby and counter, and the second floor should be the guest rooms.

The light of the blood moon shone through the broken window, turning everything into an eerie dark red.

The frantic banging outside contrasted sharply with the deathly silence inside.

But what's even more troublesome is the pollution of the mind.

The frantic sounds that flooded my mind did not diminish upon entering the building; on the contrary, they became even clearer due to the relative quiet of the environment!

The kestrel was already kneeling on the ground, its hands tightly covering its ears, its face pale, and veins bulging on its forehead, clearly enduring immense pain.

Lin Yu also felt his temples throbbing, and countless malicious whispers echoed in his mind, trying to tear his reason apart.

We must find a way to combat this kind of spiritual pollution.

Lin Yu recalled fragments of the young woman's voice he had overheard outside the hotel:

"...a table full of love can combat loneliness..."

He thought it was absurd at the time, but now...

"Red Falcon! Look at me!" Lin Yu shouted in a low voice.

The kestrel struggled to raise its head, its eyes filled with pain and despair.

Lin Yu didn't explain, and kissed her directly.

The kestrel stiffened, its pupils contracting.

But the next second, she was surprised to find that the frantic whispers actually subsided the moment their lips touched.

It didn't completely disappear, but it was suppressed and diluted by some more direct and intense sensory stimulation.

So... what that fragment of sound said was true?

In such an environment of extreme mental pollution, the intense physiological and psychological stimulation brought about by close contact can distract attention.

Temporarily shield or counteract some of the pollution!

Under Lin Yu's guidance, the kestrel gradually relaxed from its initial shock and stiffness, and even began to respond clumsily.

She had never had such an experience before.

In the Ash Wasteland, survival is the only rule; emotions and desires are luxuries, and even weaknesses.

She has seen too many people lose their lives because of momentary weakness or impulsiveness.

She honed herself into a knife, cold and sharp, solely to achieve her goal.

But at this moment, on this eerie and bloody night, in this dilapidated hotel, in the arms of a man she had known for less than a day.

She felt a strange, chilling yet captivating warmth.

It's time to sharpen this knife.

The frantic whispers faded away, replaced by the sounds of their rapid breathing and heartbeats.

When their lips parted, the falcon's breath was a little disordered, and his cheeks flushed slightly.

His eyes were no longer so sharp, but rather somewhat unfocused.

"...It worked," she whispered, her voice a little hoarse.

Lin Yu nodded and released her.

But the spiritual pollution has only lessened, not disappeared. Once separated, those voices will return with renewed force.

The two were forced to maintain a close but distant relationship.

Holding hands, hugging, and the occasional kiss.

Knead, suck, press hard.

They found a relatively clean corner on the first floor of the hotel, sat down, leaned against the wall, and snuggled together.

Outside, shadows howled and crashed; inside, there was dark red light and the warmth of each other's bodies.

Time passed slowly in the eerie atmosphere.

The kestrel gradually relaxed and even gently rested its head on Lin Yu's shoulder.

"...I've never felt like this before," she suddenly whispered, as if talking to herself.

"In the wilderness, getting close means danger, and trust equals death."

Lin Yu didn't say anything, he just squeezed her hand.

"Your flames... are very special," Red Falcon added. "Unlike ordinary sequence abilities, they're at least sequence six."

"You guessed half right, but you don't seem like an ordinary wasteland survivor," Lin Yu replied.

The kestrel remained silent for a moment.

"My father was once the leader of a small settlement in the wasteland. Then... he died."

My mother led me to escape, but died on the way.

"I survived because I promised her I would live to see the light." Her voice was calm, but Lin Yu could sense the suppressed undercurrent beneath.

"So you need to enter the protected area to obtain resources and intelligence."

"Um."

Another silence followed.

"And you?" the red falcon asked, "Why did you come for the trial?"

"Become stronger, climb higher, and see the view from a higher vantage point." Lin Yu's answer was simple.

The kestrel nodded, a slight smile playing on its lips: "Very practical."

Just then, the whispers came again, and the kestrel's body instinctively tensed up, pressing against the only source of heat.

Lin Yu didn't stand on ceremony, pulling her closer into his arms and holding her even more securely.

The whispering is getting worse; it seems we need to do more...

"Absolutely not." The kestrel gritted its teeth.

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled faintly:

"Don't worry, I meant your strange object is a knife, right?"

You need to take better care of this knife; the deep rust will affect its sharpness when it's drawn.

The kestrel paused for a moment, initially not understanding the abrupt metaphor.

Until Lin Yu's hand, which was holding her, slowly moved down along the curve of her lower back, and his two fingers came together to stop the blade.

"Relax." Lin Yu's breath brushed against the tip of the red falcon's ear:

"Let me sharpen this knife for you."

The kestrel bit its lower lip, its cheeks flushed, and its ears turned bright red.

She tried to break free, but the cold, numbing sensation from the whispers contrasted sharply with the warmth emanating from the solid chest behind her.

Her struggles were pitifully weak.

Lin Yu didn't give her any more time to think, maintaining the position of hugging her from behind.

The other hand reached over as well, and the thumbs of both hands found the taut leather straps at the entrance of the scabbard, and began to clean and loosen them slowly.

"There's too much moisture and grime here, it needs to be cleaned." Lin Yu's fingertips brushed against the blade and pressed gently.

The kestrel grunted and arched its back.

Lin Yu himself is a knife enthusiast, so he naturally has experience in maintaining knives.

His movements resembled those of a meticulous craftsman maintaining his beloved toy.

With fingers bent, mimicking the motion of wiping the blade, the blade is ground and polished inch by inch along the texture of the inner wall of the scabbard.

Occasionally, I would use my fingertips to scrape away the imaginary rust, applying varying pressure to precisely locate every point of resistance.

The kestrel bit its lower lip and buried its face even deeper into Lin Yu's shoulder.

The unfamiliar sensation of the knife being forcibly sharpened, mixed with the slight relief after the whispers were cut off, sent shivers down her spine.

Sweat soaked her hair and also the fabric of Lin Yu's clothes.

"Relax." Lin Yu's voice remained steady, even carrying a hint of assessment:

"The first deep cleaning will feel a little...uncomfortable. Look, it's rusted too badly, but Miss Red Falcon's knife is in very good condition."

"Shut up! Hmm..." The red falcon crossed its arms and turned its head to the side, looking both resigned and satisfied.

Lin Yu's maintenance lasted for quite some time, until Red Falcon felt that the stinging pain that had been binding his consciousness had dissipated considerably.

Under Lin Yu's care, the taut scabbard gradually became soft and moist, and the blade still had some maintenance oil residue.

When Lin Yu finally stopped and withdrew his hand, Red Falcon leaned against him, almost exhausted, panting heavily, his eyes glazed over.

It felt both empty and strangely expansive, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

Lin Yu raised his hand and looked at his fingers, which were covered in moisturizing oil. The liquid shimmered faintly in the dim light.

He casually wiped his hands on the hem of the red falcon's coat. "Alright, Miss Red Falcon, you shouldn't feel bad anymore, right?"

"Hmm~"

"Well... it's your turn to maintain my weapons..."

...

That night, in a corner of a dilapidated hotel, two trainees from different unplanned areas, carrying different pasts, met.

They supported each other in a peculiar way, enduring a long and dangerous time.

They talked occasionally, but mostly kept each other company in silence.

"Hey, what's going on? You've suddenly become so strange. Is something wrong?" Red Falcon looked up, her face flushed.

"Miss Red Falcon, now you need to hold it in your mouth, be good, we've already come this far anyway."

"No, don't..."

Before Red Falcon could finish speaking, Lin Yu pressed down on her shoulder.

The kestrel widened its eyes: "Mmm...coo..."

A minute later, Lin Yu covered her mouth and said, "Don't waste it, and we'd better not leave anything here."

The kestrel gritted its teeth, swallowed hard, and said, "That's all!"

...

Until the dark red sky outside the window gradually faded, the blood moon disappeared, and the sky turned back to leaden gray.

The sounds of impact and roars outside gradually subsided, and the shadow tide receded.

The mental pollution has finally decreased to a tolerable level.

The two separated and stretched their stiff bodies.

After this night, an invisible bond has been formed.

It wasn't love, but rather a trust and tacit understanding forged in dire circumstances, based on survival and strength.

"It's dawn." Lin Yu looked out the window. "I should go find the pocket watch."

The kestrel nodded, retied its ponytail, checked the dagger, and its eyes regained their sharpness.

"According to the map, the mayor's residence is in the west of the town, near the river. 'The place where the singing stopped'...it might be the old mill or waterwheel by the river, where singing used to be common," Red Falcon analyzed.

"Let's go check out the mayor's residence first."

The two left the Red Romance Hotel.