96: Chapter 96: Preparing new clothes, stockings, and high heels for the six women...

Chen Chen swallowed the last sip of wine and set the bottom of the glass down on the bar counter.

“Blood Rose, the deputy leader of Wild Sand Camp. Double S-rank talent: Succubus Poison Body.”

As the words fell, Jiang Yanxue's footsteps stopped.

Her posture leaning against the doorframe didn't change, but her dark red pupils suddenly constricted, and the Shadow Instant-Kill Blade resting across her shoulders pressed down two inches.

“Blood Rose?”

Jiang Yanxue's tone was drawn out, carrying a very obvious displeasure.

“You picked up this viper too?”

Behind the booth, Blood Rose stood up slowly.

Wine-red curls draped over her bare shoulders, a lace camisole paired with a high-slit leather skirt, and a pair of lace-up boots stepped firmly on the floor.

She looked at Jiang Yanxue, her red lips curving slightly.

“Sister Yanxue, long time no see.”

“Don't call me Sister Yanxue.”

Jiang Yanxue lowered the blade from her shoulder, the tip pointing toward the ground, and walked a few steps until she was standing face-to-face with Blood Rose.

The two women locked eyes.

Their auras were completely different—Jiang Yanxue was a cold, hard blade edge, while Blood Rose was arsenic coated in honey.

But standing together, they both carried that sharpness forged from slaughtering their way through the wasteland.

“You two know each other?” Shen Wanxing leaned in and asked in a low voice.

“We do.” Jiang Yanxue didn't look back, her eyes fixed on Blood Rose.

“Before the transmigration, her people hijacked a shipment of mine and killed two of my subordinates.”

“That shipment was originally high-seas supplies, first come first served.”

Blood Rose tilted her head, her tone excessively innocent. “You only have your own slow subordinates to blame.”

Jiang Yanxue's fingers tightened on the hilt of her blade.

Chen Chen spoke up: “Enough.”

Just two words, not heavy, but Jiang Yanxue's fingers immediately relaxed.

“She is one of my people now. Past debts are wiped clean.”

Jiang Yanxue turned her head to look at Chen Chen, clutching her blade, her lips pressed into a line.

After holding it in for two seconds, she blurted out: “You slept with her too?”

The tavern went silent for a moment.

Shen Wanxing's face flushed bright red instantly.

Su Xiaoqi looked up, still chewing on half an energy bar, a look of bewilderment on her face.

Qin Hongye pretended to look at the scenery by the door.

The proprietress squatted behind the bar, only showing two upright red ears.

Chen Chen leaned against the bar, looking at Jiang Yanxue.

“I did.”

Jiang Yanxue took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Several conflicting emotions swirled in the depths of her dark red pupils, but in the end, she said nothing, merely giving Blood Rose a fierce glare.

“Are you aware of this woman's reputation in the wasteland?”

Jiang Yanxue lowered her voice and leaned close to Chen Chen's ear. “She's a slut who specializes in seducing men to drain their essence—”

“What she drains is blood,” Chen Chen interrupted her.

Jiang Yanxue was stunned.

“I've tested the mechanics of the Succubus Poison Body. Her saliva contains a mutated lust poison that is injected by biting through the skin, targeting the nervous system and hormones.”

“It's not what you think. The poison's onset depends on the victim's constitution—the higher it is, the more intense it gets. That 'other' aspect is just an incidental outlet for venting.”

He paused.

“I didn't lose a single drop of blood. On the contrary, she—”

Chen Chen glanced at Blood Rose in the corner.

Blood Rose's mouth twitched, her two long legs unconsciously pressing together. Those purple finger marks beneath her skirt were exceptionally conspicuous under the lights.

“...She was the one who got drained dry.”

Jiang Yanxue opened her mouth in surprise.

She turned to re-examine Blood Rose, scanning her from top to bottom—noticing the choke marks on her neck, the bite marks on her collarbone, and the large bruises on her upper thighs that the high-slit skirt couldn't hide.

“...Fine then.”

Jiang Yanxue withdrew her gaze, walked over to the sofa area with her blade, and sat down without saying more.

Shen Wanxing remained standing where she was, her hands twisting the sequined edges of her skirt.

She was counting heads.

Sister Shen Wanbing, one.

Herself, two.

Jiang Yanxue, three.

Su Xiaoqi, four.

Qin Hongye, five.

Blood Rose, six.

Plus that silver-haired one from just now...

Seven.

Shen Wanxing's lips pressed together even tighter.

A thin layer of mist covered her light amber pupils. She turned her face toward the window, pretending to look at the morning light outside.

Chen Chen stood up, walked around the bar, and came to her.

Shen Wanxing didn't look up.

“I'm not unhappy,” she said in a muffled voice.

Chen Chen bent down, one hand sliding under the crook of her knees and the other supporting her back.

Shen Wanxing was lifted into the air.

“Whoa—!”

She instinctively wrapped her arms around Chen Chen's neck, the hem of her silver sequined evening gown swaying in the air.

Her waist-length hair cascaded down, the soft ends brushing against Chen Chen's forearm.

A textbook princess carry.

“Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden—” Shen Wanxing's voice broke into several pieces.

“If you're unhappy, just say so. Why bottle it up?”

Shen Wanxing buried her face in the crook of his neck, the tips of her ears burning hot.

In this posture, the backless design of the silver evening gown completely exposed her snowy, delicate back to the tavern lights, her shoulder blades rising and falling slightly with her breath.

“Pu-put me down, so many people are watching...”

Chen Chen didn't let go.

Carrying Shen Wanxing, he walked to the bar and tilted his chin toward the proprietress.

“I need some casual everyday clothes, women's wear. Six sets in different styles, sized according to the people I point to.”

The proprietress emerged from behind the bar, her two ears standing straight up and her tail wagging three times.

“Six sets? Sir, are you planning to open a clothing store?”

“How much?”

“D-rank everyday equipment, six sets as a bundle—” The proprietress calculated on her fingers and quoted a price.

Chen Chen didn't haggle.

The proprietress dove into the warehouse, and the sound of her rummaging through boxes echoed out.

Chen Chen sat down by the bar with Shen Wanxing, letting her sit sideways on his lap.

Shen Wanxing struggled twice but found she couldn't break free. She eventually gave up and went still, her face pressed against his chest, her heart thumping loudly.

“You've been wearing that evening gown for almost ten days now, haven't you?”

Shen Wanxing's eyelashes fluttered: “...Yes.”

“It's time to change.”

The proprietress came out carrying a large pile of clothes, sorted into several stacks according to body type.

Chen Chen pointed them out one by one—one set of daily wear for Jiang Yanxue, Qin Hongye, and Blood Rose each.

When he pointed to Shen Wanbing, he paused for a moment.

“Do you have black silk stockings? The high-elasticity kind.”

Shen Wanbing was currently holding a cup and drinking water.

Her hand paused for a beat.

The rim of the cup stayed against her lips; she didn't put it down, but she didn't drink either.

Her ink-black long curls obscured half of her expression, only revealing the pink flush rapidly spreading across the tip of her ear.

The proprietress pulled out several pairs of different specifications and thicknesses from under the counter and spread them out on the bar.

“This one is the thinnest, this one has slight compression for shaping, this one—”

“Two pairs of each.”

Shen Wanbing set the cup down.

The blue light of the concentration ice heart necklace flashed twice. She said nothing, reaching out to gather the pairs of black stockings, folding them neatly, and stuffing them into her personal storage bag.

Her movements were very fast, as if she were afraid someone might take a second look.

Chen Chen couldn't help it; the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Next was Shen Wanxing.

“Pick a few more for her.” Chen Chen looked down at the person in his arms. “Also—do you have shoes? High heels.”

The proprietress rummaged through her inventory and brought out four pairs of women's high heels in different styles.

There were pointed-toe stilettos, lace-up block heels, and a pair of suede nude-pink ones with a heel exactly seven centimeters high.

Chen Chen chose the nude-pink ones and added a pair of black patent leather pointed-toe stilettos.

Shen Wanxing lifted her head from his shoulder, her light amber pupils falling on those two pairs of high heels.

“I... I'm not very good at wearing those.” Her voice was almost inaudible.

“I know.”

Shen Wanxing's face turned even redder.

She indeed didn't like wearing high heels.

Back when she was an idol before the apocalypse, she was forced by stylists to wear ten-centimeter 'sky-high' heels for every event, getting blisters on her heels and kicking them off the moment she stepped off stage.

But Chen Chen liked them.

Last time on the second floor of the RV, when he had placed her feet on his knees and slowly pressed his thumb along her arch, he had said, “You look good in high heels.”

Shen Wanxing buried her face back into his chest, her fingers clutching the collar of his tactical long-sleeved shirt, her voice muffled:

“Then you help me put them on.”

“Alright.”

Everything was ready.

The proprietress clattered away on her abacus, deducting everything from Chen Chen's previous transaction balance until it was empty, and even threw in a bottle of free hot water.

“Sir, thank you for your patronage. Remember to bring Cores next time.”

Chen Chen stood up while holding Shen Wanxing and nodded to the proprietress.

“Let's go. The car is outside.”