Picking Up My Ex-Wife in the Apocalypse - Chapter 38

She fell silent, her hand gently patting Si Ruxu’s back in a futile attempt at comfort.

She didn’t know exactly what was happening to her, but it likely had to do with the apocalypse—perhaps it wasn’t just the lingering effects of absorbing the Commander’s energy. Fear often stems from the unknown; when you have no answers, it’s easy to lose your footing.

But fortunately, she had long since made peace with the idea of dying.

“Don’t cry. I’ll be fine.” The words were hollow, but they were all she could offer.

Si Ruxu continued to sob, a small, curled-up figure that reminded Si Qi of the stray cat she used to feed in high school. It had been just like this; obedient and gentle, coming over to lick the bruises on her arms.

Unfortunately, that cat was eventually killed by a group of boys from the neighboring primary school. They used stones.

By the time she reached it, the rain was washing over the kitten’s body, and its dried blood was beginning to flow again across the pavement. She held her umbrella over it one last time, cradling the stiff little body until she found a secluded spot to dig a small hole.

She didn’t dare leave a marker, terrified that someone would dig it up out of some sick sense of “fun.” She simply worked hard to flatten the small mound of earth until it looked undisturbed, even pouring extra soil around it to ensure it blended in perfectly.

She had held her umbrella tight, making sure she didn’t get wet. Perhaps it was because she knew medicine was expensive, or perhaps because she understood that she, like the kitten, had a “cheap life.” If she got sick or died, it was only her business,so she had to protect herself.

She was like that, and so was the kitten. But Si Ruxu wasn’t. Si Ruxu was an elite before the end of the world and remained one afterward.

The fact that she was associating Si Ruxu with that kitten made her let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes reflecting Si Ruxu’s tear-stained ones. After a long, long time, she let out a soft sigh. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you.”

She didn’t blame her for the cold, abrupt breakup. She didn’t blame her for two years of standing by during the apocalypse. She didn’t blame her for the manipulation after their reunion, nor for the multiple times she had nearly died because of her.

In truth, she didn’t blame Si Ruxu at all. She simply didn’t care anymore. That was why she avoided Si Ruxu’s belated warmth and felt irritated by the constant scrutiny.

Hearing those words, Si Ruxu’s body trembled with panic, unease, and a touch of despair. She gripped Si Qi’s sleeve tightly, her face ashen.

“Si Qi… take your revenge on me. Please.” Her voice was low, but every word was crystal clear.

She wasn’t afraid of Si Qi’s hate. she would rather endure any price, even a lifetime of entanglement as enemies, than be cast aside like a stranger.

Sensing the collapse of Si Ruxu’s emotions, Si Qi remained quiet for a moment. She hadn’t expected a single sentence to trigger such a breakdown.

“Look, isn’t our priority right now ending the apocalypse?” Si Qi said softly after a while. “When the world is fixed… we’ll talk properly. Okay?”

It was an evasion, not a promise, but Si Ruxu seized it like a lifeline. She nodded, her emotions gradually stabilizing.

Talk properly after the world ends… Both conditions were monumental tasks. To end the apocalypse, and for both of them to stay alive.

*****

The Siege in the Shadows:

The Great Heat continued. Si Qi’s sleeping hours were growing shorter, and she occasionally had energy during the day, though she still struggled to use her powers and insisted on wearing her coat.

The dampness from the Great Frost had long since been baked out of the cave. Every day, when Si Ruxu grew uncomfortably hot, she would hug Si Qi to cool down. Given the extreme circumstances and the lack of any ulterior motives, Si Qi let her.

It was nice, Si Ruxu thought. Almost like being a normal couple. If only the “pests” wouldn’t come to disturb them in the dead of night.

As Si Ruxu watched over the sleeping girl, her gaze turned icy. A second later, the earthen wall at the entrance collapsed. A group of familiar faces stepped in, their eyes filled with greed as they looked past Si Ruxu toward Si Qi.

“Si Ruxu, you were once a pillar of the Awakened community. You’ve done a lot for the base. Hand over Si Qi now, and the base can overlook your ‘betrayal.'”

Si Ruxu looked down, her eyes flashing with a freezing contempt. Overlook? These were nothing but filthy rats using the “future of humanity” as a banner for their own greed.

“You want Si Qi?” Si Ruxu’s lips curled into a smile that was anything but friendly. “Let’s see if you have the strength to take her.”

The night air was slightly better than the day, but it was still nearly 40°C. These people were truly insane to mount an ambush in this heat. They were all high-level Awakened, and despite knowing Si Ruxu’s legendary combat prowess, they felt bold in their numbers.

A Strength-type lunged forward, his heavy boot leaving a footprint in the broken wall. He drew a laser pistol—a short-range but devastating weapon.

Si Ruxu dodged the elemental strikes of the others while keeping her eye on that pistol. Just as it was about to fire, she pivoted backward, her lightning colliding with the laser beam.

In the roar of the explosion, Si Ruxu threw herself onto the bed, shielding the sleeping Si Qi. The shockwave made her arms ache.

The Strength-type didn’t even have time to scream before he was reduced to ash. Those closest to the blast were scattered in pieces. Half the attackers vanished in a heartbeat. Si Ruxu looked at the floor with disgust; in this heat, the remains would begin to rot and stench within minutes.

Her lightning flowed across the ground, incinerating every drop of blood and scrap of flesh until the air was clean again. Only then did she stop. She raised her cold gaze to the remaining, stunned attackers.

“Hand over every scrap of supplies you have, or you’ll end up the same way.” It was her first time playing the “bandit,” but she found she was quite a natural at it.

The Awakened exchanged wary glances. They had lost so many men that retreating now felt like a total loss, but Si Ruxu was simply too powerful. They were paralyzed by indecision.

Si Ruxu didn’t rush them. She checked on Si Qi, seeing she was still asleep, and waited patiently for their answer.

Most Awakened relied on the virus-induced mutations, a theft of natural elements or energy siphoned from zombie cores. That energy was impure, filled with “noise.” Even high-level ones struggled to break the Level 7 ceiling. But those gifted by Him possessed pure energy. That was why a Level 6 Si Qi could once take on multiple Level 7s.

Because Si Qi had funneled energy into her, He recognized Si Ruxu as part of Si Qi and granted her “permissions.”

Purple currents crackled in the air. The leader of the group sensed something was wrong and signaled a retreat. “Something’s not right. I’ve seen many Lightning-types, but I’ve never heard of one weaving currents through the air like this. Si Ruxu is different now. Fall back!”

As they scrambled away, the man in the rear let out a scream, a long, scorched wound appearing on his back.

“Your supplies or your lives. Choose.” Si Ruxu smiled gently, her tone an exact echo of Si Qi’s from months ago.

The group hesitated, unwilling to give up their precious resources. But Si Ruxu didn’t have to strike again; the men saw something over her shoulder and turned pale. They frantically dumped their crystals, rations, and water before fleeing into the night.

The horizon was beginning to pale. Soon, the world would be an oven again. Whether they could make it back to the base in time would depend on their own strength.

Si Ruxu scanned the loot. Mostly crystals, but enough food and water to last the two of them for half a month. With a flick of her mind, the items vanished into her space.

She turned to check on Si Qi.

She met a pair of dark, hollow eyes. In that blackness, she saw a reflection of her own startled helplessness.

“Oh… you’re awake. No wonder they ran so fast.” Si Ruxu’s voice lost all its lethality, softening into something tender.

Si Qi hadn’t been awake long. She had only seen Si Ruxu’s back—thin, but stronger than when they had reunited. The lightning in the air seemed to be intentionally guarding her, as if afraid the battle would wake her or cause her harm.

Then her gaze met the fleeing crowd. “Why did they run the moment they saw me?” Si Qi asked. “Am I that scary?”

She was bad with faces, but she didn’t sense any familiar energy. These weren’t the people who had hunted her before, so she hadn’t planned on retaliating.

“They wanted your core,” Si Ruxu said with a faint smile, though her eyes dimmed when they landed on Si Qi’s pale face.

She suspected those men thought they had found Si Qi’s corpse and wanted to claim the core for themselves. But a darker thought remained: Who told them we were here?

Si Ruxu gently coaxed the drowsy Si Qi back to sleep, her gaze turning toward the distant horizon, dark and unreadable.

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