156: Black silk nightgown! Gu Zhixia's desperate charge!

“You… go take a shower first.”

Her voice was very soft.

So soft that it seemed to carry a hint of an almost imperceptible hoarseness, born of nervousness.

Lin Mo looked at her slightly stiff back and the tips of her ears, which were quietly reddening in the dim light, and his last trace of doubt vanished.

He didn’t ask any more questions; he simply nodded and walked into the en-suite bathroom.

The sound of running water started.

Through the frosted glass door, the sound of water seemed like a dividing line, completely breaking the last bit of silence in the room.

Gu Zhixia listened to the water, and it was as if all her strength had been drained from her; she suddenly relaxed.

She let out a long breath.

The breath carried a tremor that even she hadn’t noticed.

What was she doing?

Had she gone mad?

She had actually invited a man, late at night, into her room, and even asked him to… sleep with her?

This was a scenario she had never imagined in her twenty-plus years of life, one so crazy it was almost absurd.

A burning sense of shame surged through her heart like a tide.

Her cheeks were so hot she wished she could find a hole to crawl into right now.

But then, another, even stronger emotion, forcefully overwhelmed this shame.

It was… determination.

She looked up at the cold weapon workbench in the corner.

On it were the spare parts for “Thunder Dragon” and several of her favorite Gauss sniper rifles.

They were the companions she had relied on for survival, the source of her pride.

But now she knew very clearly that merely relying on these was not enough.

In front of Lin Mo’s god-like “Zhurong” and “Yan Luo,” everything she was proud of seemed so small and fragile.

She didn’t want to be just an onlooker who could only marvel at him and worry about him from behind.

She didn’t want to be the “sister of his younger sister” who needed him to be distracted to protect her.

She wanted to stand by his side.

She wanted to become the sharpest blade in his plan.

And to achieve this, she had to open herself up to him completely, without reservation.

Not just her tactics and abilities, but also the deepest, most genuine trust and reliance she had buried in her heart.

Tonight’s invitation was her declaration, and also her vow.

She took a deep breath, and all the shyness and awkwardness in her phoenix eyes faded, replaced by a resolute determination, as if she had burned her bridges.

She stood up, walked to her wardrobe, and opened it.

Inside the wardrobe, it was uniformly filled with black, white, and gray combat uniforms and sportswear, cold and austere.

But in the farthest corner, there hung a long-forgotten… silk camisole nightgown that was completely out of place with the rest of the wardrobe’s style.

It was black.

It was a birthday gift her younger sister had forced upon her a long time ago, saying that a girl shouldn’t always dress like a soldier going to war.

She had grumbled about it at the time but still kept it.

Tonight, perhaps, was the only time it could be put to use… When Lin Mo finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom, he froze at the sight before him.

In the room, the dim bedside lamp was still on.

And Gu Zhixia had already changed out of her active casual wear.

She stood by the bed, her back to him.

She was wearing only that black silk nightgown, like moonlight flowing in the dark night.

The smooth fabric clung tightly to her curvaceous figure, perfectly outlining her slender physique, which was full of explosive power from years of training yet still retained feminine grace.

Two straight, long, snow-white legs were subtly visible beneath the hem of the skirt, extending down to her delicate ankles, which rested on the soft carpet.

Her slightly damp silver hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

A few playful strands clung to her smooth neck and delicate collarbone, adding a touch of languid charm and allure rarely seen in her daily demeanor.

She seemed to sense Lin Mo’s gaze, and her body instinctively tensed.

She didn’t turn around, but spoke in a cool voice that was almost a command, yet carried a slight tremor:

“Turn off the light.”

Lin Mo silently walked over and pressed the switch on the bedside lamp.

Click.

The room instantly plunged into absolute darkness.

The only light source was the cool light of the twin moons, cast through the porthole.

Under the cover of darkness, that subtle tension seemed to dissipate.

Lin Mo could clearly hear her slightly hurried breathing.

And his own heartbeat.

He walked to the other side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down.

The bed wasn’t very big.

The distance between them was close enough to feel each other’s body heat.

In the air, her unique, cool body scent became more intense, like an invisible net enveloping him.

Both of them, by unspoken agreement, maintained a supine position, neither moving.

Time, at this moment, seemed to stretch indefinitely.

After an unknown period, Gu Zhixia’s voice, with an almost imperceptible tremor, broke the silence in the darkness.

“I…”

She said only one word, then stopped.

Lin Mo didn’t rush her, just listened quietly.

“I will definitely get the ‘thunderstorm core’.”

She finally finished the second half of the sentence, as if assuring him, and also as if cheering herself on.

“I know.”

Lin Mo’s voice sounded exceptionally gentle in the night.

Another silence.

Suddenly, Lin Mo felt the girl beside him stir.

She seemed to have turned over, facing him.

Immediately after, a slightly cool, trembling small hand fumbled in the darkness, gently grasping the corner of his clothes.

The movement was cautious.

Like a frightened cub, yet summoning all its courage, seeking shelter from him.

Lin Mo’s heart completely melted into a puddle.

He didn’t speak; he simply reached back and, in the darkness, accurately grasped her slightly cool small hand.

Her hand was small, with slender finger bones, but her palm had a thin callus from years of holding weapons.

The moment he held it, she instinctively tried to pull it back.

But in the end, she gave up resisting.

Allowing his broad, warm palm to completely envelop her hand.

That reassuring warmth flowed slowly through her entire body, spreading from their touching skin.

As if all her unease and hesitation had found a harbor to rest in with that single grasp… Outside the window, the twin moons slowly glided across the sky.

When the first ray of artificial dawn light streamed into the room through a crack in the porthole, Lin Mo opened his eyes.

The girl beside him had, at some point, curled up, like a cat seeking warmth, and was deeply asleep.

Her pretty face, which always carried a cool arrogance, was now serene and tranquil.

Long eyelashes cast a small, fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyelids.

And her hand was still tightly held in his palm.