Danielle didn't understand. "Why can't I do it?"
Zachary shook his head. "Neither of us can. Without a bracelet, we can't go through the teleportation array—it would tear us apart."
Tear them apart?
That sounded terrifying!
Danielle's face turned very pale.
"But they…"
"They're fine. Your space is special, like another world. They're actually safer than you."
After Zachary explained, Danielle understood.
"Alright, I'll take it off once we reach the waste zone."
Then, with Zachary's quick hands, Leng's team's bracelets were removed.
One of them moved his arm and said curiously, "Strange, it still feels weird even after it's gone."
Zachary smiled. "Just hang in there. Once we reach the Fallen City, they sell similar things there."
Fallen City?
That was a new term.
Seeing they didn't know, Zachary gave a simple explanation.
It was a place built by those who were exiled at the very beginning. Over time, it turned into a city.
Compared to the peaceful Pure Land, the environment there was rough, but it was full of freedom.
But Zachary made one thing clear:
"Even though it's free there, power rules everything. Fights can break out on the streets at any time. So if we don't need anything, try to stay away from the Fallen City."
Danielle and the others were already prepared to suffer hardships. They didn't say a word, just listened carefully to Zachary's instructions.
Once everything was ready, Zachary checked the time.
"Alright, let's rest for now. When it gets light, we'll find a way to sneak into the teleportation array."
Once they reached the lower zone, things would be easier. They just had to break through the defense barrier to enter the waste zone.
At that point, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. If someone tried to find them, it would be nearly impossible.
Danielle held Rain in her arms, and Zachary held her. The three of them sat beside the garden to rest.
The little one was sleeping soundly, even drooling in his sleep.
Maybe in his heart, as long as he was with his mom and dad, that was happiness.
Danielle gently wiped his drool and leaned lazily into Zachary's arms.
"Can you tell me how you lived in the past few years?"
Danielle only knew it had been hard for Zachary, raising a child that small in the waste zone.
It wasn't just dangerous—he must have been under a lot of pressure too.
Before, Danielle had never dared to ask for details, but today she didn't know why—she just wanted to know.
Zachary's body stiffened. His strong arms pulled the two in his arms even closer.
"It's all in the past."
"Tell me. I want to hear it."
"Alright. Just think of it as small talk."
Zachary's eyes started to look distant.
"I left the orphanage when I was sixteen. The first two years were alright. My sister and I, along with a few friends, survived in the waste zone together.
Later, my sister was gone. Those friends… they didn't dare take me with them anymore, so I went alone.
One time, I was surrounded by a few low-level beasts. I was young and inexperienced—almost died. Then some exiled people saved me."
Zachary didn't know what he was thinking of—he laughed a little.
"They even took me to stay in the Fallen City for a few days. After I recovered, I came back.
…
Later, I met you, had Rain, took half a year off, then started again with Rain.
He was just this big back then…"
Zachary raised his hand to show the size. "He was that small, but he was really easy to care for.
Just lay quietly in the back basket, never cried or fussed. Even when he was hungry or dirty, he'd just make a soft sound, and wait for me to come back and take care of him…"
A tear fell on Zachary's hand. He gave a helpless smile.
He hugged Danielle tighter and buried his face deep in her neck.
"It's all in the past. I'm really happy now. It's so good you're here."
Danielle was too emotional to notice he said "you're here" instead of "you're back."
She turned to Zachary and kissed him. The two of them, as if starved of affection for ages, kissed deeply and passionately.
Soon, it was morning.
Danielle gently placed the still-sleeping Rain into Leng's team's arms.
Though they looked a bit worried, they didn't say anything more.
"Take care."
Then, seeing what Zachary was wearing, their worried look turned into barely suppressed laughter.
They bit their lip hard. "Hey, Zachary… not gonna lie, that outfit kinda suits you."
Zachary had purple hair, was wearing a leather jacket and pants, and had heavy makeup on his face. He looked like a rebellious teenager glowing in the dark.
Luckily, someone from Leng's team was tall and the clothes were loose, so Zachary just managed to squeeze into them.
Frowning and feeling uncomfortable, he moved a little. "Why do these clothes feel so weird?"
They chuckled, "These are for disguises. Just bear with it."
Then they looked over at Danielle, who had just changed clothes and come out. Their eyes lit up, and their cheeks turned red.
Zachary turned around in confusion, and what he saw made his expression change immediately.
He rushed over and threw a coat over Danielle's shoulders, veins popping on his forehead.
"What are these clothes supposed to be?"
Danielle's face turned completely red, making her look even more delicate and adorable.
"This is already the most covered one."
She actually wanted to wear something like Zachary's, but there was only one set.
The rest were things like bunny costumes, leopard print outfits, and really short skirts.
The student uniform Danielle picked was already the most conservative—others didn't just show off legs.
She pouted and looked at Zachary's dark expression. "Want to trade? You wear the skirt, and I wear what you've got."
She even rolled her eyes. No way he'd wear something that girly.
But the next second, Zachary's low voice answered, "Okay. Let's switch."
Huh?
Not only was Danielle stunned.
Even Leng's team looked like they misheard.
Someone even spit out the water in their mouth.
Danielle's mouth twitched. "Never mind, you…"
Before she could finish, Zachary scooped her up with one arm, perfectly covering her short skirt.
Once inside the small hut near the vegetable garden, Zachary couldn't hold himself back and kissed her again.
Danielle struggled a bit. "Come on, people are outside! And we've got serious things to do!"
Zachary didn't listen. He held her tight, and in the next second, Danielle's leg was lifted over his shoulder.
She gasped sharply and bit down on his ear.
"You're seriously thinking about this now? Do you even realize what's going on?"
Zachary froze, then turned around, facing away, taking deep breaths.
Seeing his ears turn red, Danielle shook her head slightly.
Turns out, men always liked this kind of thing, no matter when.
Whatever. He's her man. She had to spoil him.
She hugged him gently from behind and whispered something in his ear.
Zachary suddenly turned back. "You said that?"
Danielle, though shy, felt that a bit of romance between husband and wife was just right.
"Yeah… once we're safely out of the Wasteland."
"Okay."
Zachary nodded firmly, his eyes looking at her like he wanted to devour her.