For the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up without someone trying to move into my house, threaten my couch, inspect my body, or convince me that civilization could be saved by people who apparently needed a flowchart to remember zombies didn’t drink water.

The sun was up, it was a beautiful morning, and the thing that made it perfect was the fact that the military were leaving.

I stood near the front window with a mug of coffee in my hands, watching soldiers tear down the last of the tents across the street. Trucks were already lined up along the road, engines rumbling while men and women moved between them carrying crates, boxes, weapons, equipment, and all the other little pieces people needed when they wanted to pretend a temporary base was something more permanent.

It was almost impressive how fast they were taking everything apart.

Almost.

Personally, I was more interested in what they didn’t know they were leaving behind.

Now that they were practically out the door, I didn’t have to worry about them asking questions I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t have to be so conservative about what I squirreled into my space.

The second that a truck’s door was locked full of supplies, I took them all. I didn’t care what was in it, what the purpose was, if they would miss it or not. The moment they were out of sight of the military, they were officially mine.

Let’s call it a.... cleaning fee.

Every solar panel that had been packed away vanished, leaving only a single one on the roof of one of the equipment truck.

After all, I was kind. I wouldn’t leave them completely without power.

All the satellite dishes that I had no idea how to work, how to set up, or even what they did disappeared next. Well... maybe not all. I did leave the one that was currently attached to yet another truck.

I figured they would notice if that was gone.

All their food quickly went into my space. Dried food I recognized from yesterday’s delivery and two boxes of coffee that looked significantly better than the bitter nonsense they had been sending over before. The snacks, the fresh meat and fruits, the cheeses, and the dairy products.

All into my space.

Of course I left the vegetables.

I was a survivor, not a martyr.

And I refused to eat anything green that wasn’t coated in sugar.

Behind me, Chenghai was cooking breakfast in the kitchen while Zhenlan sat at the dining table reviewing the security feeds like someone might try to stay behind with us instead of going with them.

Personally, I didn’t think anyone was that stupid. But I had been proven wrong in the past.

Yuche leaned against the wall beside the window, casually tossing one of his silver cores in his hand while watching the convoy gather outside.

He had not absorbed it yet. Probably waiting until he was sure he could get an hour or two of quiet first.

Lingyun wandered up behind me a few minutes later and wrapped both arms around my waist before resting his chin on my shoulder.

I tilted my head to the side to give him more room, but I didn’t say anything.

Mostly because he was warm and I liked being in his arms. I liked being in all their arms.

Huh. I wonder when that happened.

"Are you watching them leave or plotting to blow up something?" Lingyun murmured near my ear. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Yes."

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating against my back. "That sounds about right."

The funny thing was that I wasn’t even tense.

Not really.

Wei had listened.

General Sun had listened.

The scientists had been told not to put their mystery juice into the water supply, which meant at least one disaster had been delayed or avoided completely.

That deserved a moment of appreciation.

Maybe even a nap.

All the medical crates that had just been placed in the truck with the giant red cross disappeared. After thinking about it for a moment, I returned one. But only one.

Honestly, the military really should have kept a better eye on their things. I wasn’t the only one in this world with a space system. If nothing else, I was teaching them a very valuable lesson without even asking for a ’thank you’.

Yuche glanced sideways at me, his mouth curving slightly like he knew I was doing something even if he didn’t know what. Then he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before returning his attention to the silver core moving across his knuckles.

I blinked once even as Lingyun’s arms tightened slightly around my waist like he expected me to comment on head kisses.

If I was to comment, I would say that I wasn’t getting nearly enough. But at the same time, I liked the feeling of them taking control.

Yeah, I was weird like that.

I took another sip of coffee and watched an entire container of canned meat quietly become mine.

I had to admit, the military knew how to clean up after itself.

Too bad they were missing half their good supplies.

Well.

Not half.

Maybe ninety percent? Ninety-nine?

I wasn’t greedy.

Zhenlan looked up from the security feed. "They’re moving faster than expected."

"They want to leave before the zombies realize the buffet is changing locations," I replied.

Chenghai came out of the kitchen carrying a plate piled high with eggs, toast, and something that smelled suspiciously like fried potatoes. "Do you think they’ll be all right?"

I watched the convoy for another moment.

"Not a chance," I replied with a shrug. I was pretty sure that if I hadn’t gone out to get cores, all those zombies would have wound up on my front porch anyway. There were too many powers in one space not to attract a lot of the walking dead.

The room went quiet.

Oops.

I probably should have lied.

Then again, lying took effort, and I was having a nice morning.

"They’ll survive for a while," I said instead. "Wei isn’t completely useless, and General Sun knows how to command people who like being commanded."

Lingyun snorted softly against my shoulder. "That sounded almost like a compliment."

"It wasn’t."

"It really was."

"I can take it back."

"Don’t strain yourself."

Chenghai set the plate on the coffee table, then came closer to stand beside Yuche near the window. For a few minutes, all of us watched the last pieces of the military base disappear into trucks.

The baby vine crawled sleepily out of my shirt, wrapped itself around my wrist, and poked its little head toward the window. It watched the soldiers for about three seconds before deciding they were boring and sliding back up my sleeve.

Lazy thing.

Definitely mine.

One of the convoy trucks finally started moving.

Then another.

Then another.

The line of vehicles rolled slowly down the street, heavy tires grinding over cracked pavement while soldiers walked alongside them until the last possible second before climbing aboard. Wei Guang stood near the final transport, giving orders to the last group of men clearing the barricades.

He looked toward the house once.

I lifted my coffee mug in a lazy salute.

He stared for a second.

Then shook his head and turned away.

Goodbye, Colonel.

Try not to die doing paperwork.