12: Thank you for letting me in.

The cold was isolated outside; inside the RV, it was as warm as spring.

The moment their skin touched, both took a deep breath of Qi.

That was an intimacy they had never experienced before.

"Qin Lin..."

Su Yuran couldn't help but call his name.

"I'm here."

"It hurts..."

"Pain is normal; it won't hurt soon."

Su Yuran's hands tightly gripped Qin Lin's back, her nails sinking into his skin.

Her voice could not be suppressed, leaking out from between her lips and teeth.

Panting, moaning, the bed frame shaking slightly.

The world shrank down to this six-meter-long RV cabin.

Shrank to this narrow bed.

Shrank to the space between their two tightly connected bodies.

Outside the window was an icy Hell.

Inside the window was human warmth.

After an unknown amount of time... Su Yuran buried her head in his chest, sobbing softly.

"Crying from the pain?" Qin Lin asked.

"No..." She shook her head, "It's just... I just want to cry."

Qin Lin didn't speak, just held her tightly.

After a while, Su Yuran lifted her head, her eyes red but carrying a smile.

"Qin Lin."

"Hmm?"

"We really... did it."

"Yeah."

"Then now, I'm really yours."

"You always were." Qin Lin kissed her forehead.

"From the day you stepped into the RV."

Su Yuran sighed contentedly and snuggled back into his arms.

Just then—

[System Notification]

[Hidden Quest 'Forming a Bond' Completed]

[Issuing rewards...]

[Unlocking new module: 'Supplies Supermarket']

[Module loading...]

The RV's body suddenly vibrated slightly.

Su Yuran was startled: "What happened now?"

"A good thing." Qin Lin sat up.

"Get dressed, I'll take you to see."

The two quickly got dressed.

Qin Lin pulled Su Yuran to the innermost part of the living area.

Originally, that was the wall of the bathroom.

But now, a door had appeared on the wall.

A door that wasn't there before.

The bathroom had also moved to the side.

Qin Lin pushed open the door.

Behind the door was a space of about ten square meters.

The four sides were shelf-like walls, with two rows of shelves in the middle, like a small convenience store.

Various items were placed on the shelves:

Canned food, Instant Noodles, biscuits, mineral water, tissues, toothpaste, soap... Although only about one-tenth of the shelves were filled, the variety was complete.

[Supplies Supermarket]

[Current Fill Rate: 10% (Reward)]

[Item List:

Various Canned Foods × 50

Instant Noodles × 30 packs

Compressed Biscuits × 20 packs

Mineral Water × 24 bottles

Tissues × 10 rolls

Toothpaste × 5 tubes

Soap × 5 bars

Sanitary Pads × 10 packs

Batteries (AA) × 20 units

Lighters × 10 units

...]

[Module Description: Automatically replenishes 10% of consumed items every day at midnight (cannot exceed the initial fill rate limit; the limit needs to be rewarded and unlocked through hidden quests)]

Su Yuran was dumbfounded.

She walked into this suddenly appeared space, her fingers trembling as she touched the canned food on the shelves.

Real, cold, and labeled.

"This... where did this come from?"

"A reward from the RV," Qin Lin said, "because you and I... are together."

Su Yuran turned around and looked at him with a complex expression.

"So you did that... for this?"

Qin Lin walked over and cupped her face with both hands.

"Listen," he said seriously, "I wanted this reward, that's true. But I wanted you, that's also true. These two things don't conflict."

He paused: "In the Apocalypse, survival and feelings are bound together. I want you to live well—is there anything wrong with that?"

Su Yuran looked at him for a long time.

Then she smiled, but tears fell.

"No problem," she hugged him, "not a problem at all."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

This kiss carried salty tears and a sweet sense of security.

After parting, Su Yuran wiped her tears and began to excitedly check the shelves.

"There's canned meat! Canned fish! And even canned fruit! Qin Lin, we don't have to eat Instant Noodles every day!"

"Yeah."

"And Sanitary Pads... oh my god, this is so important..."

"Yeah."

"Batteries! Lighters! These can be used for a long time!"

She was like a child entering a candy store for the first time, lingering in front of every shelf.

Qin Lin leaned against the door watching her, a strange sense of satisfaction welling up in his heart.

In the past, she used to look down on these things.

In his previous life, Qin Lin died early and hadn't experienced what it felt like to have a System reward.

Now he knew—it was hope.

A light in the darkness.

"Qin Lin!"

Su Yuran ran over holding a can of yellow peaches, her eyes sparkling.

"Can we eat this for lunch?"

"Okay."

"And this!"

She picked up a bag of Beef Jerky.

"We can cook noodles and add meat tonight!"

"Whatever you say."

Su Yuran threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Qin Lin, I feel... I feel like we can really survive now."

"We will," Qin Lin held her, "I promise."

At noon, they really opened that can of yellow peaches.

Yellow peaches in syrup, cloyingly sweet.

But in a world with only Compressed Biscuits and Instant Noodles, this was a supreme delicacy.

They shared the can bite by bite, drinking every last drop of the syrup.

"Delicious."

Su Yuran licked her lips contentedly.

"I haven't eaten anything sweet in so long."

Qin Lin looked at her and suddenly said:

"When we find more crystal stones and the RV is upgraded, maybe we can have a refrigerator and other things. Then we can store more delicious food."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I want ice cream," Su Yuran said, "strawberry flavored."

"Okay, strawberry flavored."

In the afternoon, Qin Lin began to plan the next step.

With the Supplies Supermarket, food wouldn't be a problem in the short term.

But fuel, crystal stones, and a long-term base—these still needed to be resolved.

He decided to explore further tomorrow.

Target: The Science and Technology Park in the south of Su City.

In his previous life, he heard that strange lights appeared there; maybe it was related to crystal stones.

If that was the case, then this disaster didn't come so abruptly.

It was just that no one had predicted it in advance.

"I'm going too," Su Yuran said.

"It's dangerous outside."

"You've already taken me to more dangerous places," Su Yuran insisted, "and now... I'm yours. I want to face it with you."

Qin Lin looked at her determined eyes and finally nodded.

"Okay. But you must follow my orders."

"Yes, sir!"

Su Yuran gave a playful salute.