Chapter 62: Roasted

"Zzzzip!"

The zipper slid all the way shut on its own, completely sealing them inside.

Ray suddenly found his arms empty. He grabbed nothing but air. When he looked down, there was now a giant pink cocoon on the floor, with both Mitch and May trapped inside.

"Mitch! Get your ass out of there!" Ray’s expression turned black with fury. He pulled out his bayonet and moved toward the sleeping bag.

[System warning—external broadcast: The thermal sleeping bag has entered constant-temperature synchronization mode. Any physical damage inflicted upon the host will trigger a high-yield explosion with a force equivalent to three grenades. Everyone inside will perish together.]

The emotionless electronic announcement echoed through the passage.

The other men exchanged bewildered looks.

What was that voice? Could this be another one of the strange abilities the woman had displayed before?

What the hell was going on in this apocalypse? There were so many things that simply couldn’t be explained.

Could someone else’s soul actually be inside the woman’s body? What exactly were they supposed to make of all this?

Ray’s bayonet stopped in midair, hovering barely an inch from the sleeping bag.

He froze.

Theo adjusted his glasses and casually spoke from the side.

"Ray, think carefully. That thing might actually explode. If you stab it, Sister-in-law could end up as nothing more than a pile of minced meat."

Ace kept both hands in his pockets as he stared at the enormous pink sleeping bag. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Well, this worked out nicely. Mitch just got himself a huge advantage."

-Inside the sleeping bag-

The space was so cramped that even turning over was nearly impossible.

Mitch’s entire body had gone rigid. May was pressed against him, the two of them separated only by their clothes.

"What the hell is this thing?" Mitch kept his voice low, but it was trembling.

The temperature inside the sleeping bag climbed rapidly. There was nowhere for the heat to escape, leaving the warmth trapped between them.

May began to feel overheated. She shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position.

That tiny movement caused her knee to brush against Mitch’s thigh.

Mitch sucked in a sharp breath. Both his arms hovered awkwardly in the air. He wanted to move them but didn’t dare touch her, so he finally pressed both hands firmly against the inner walls of the sleeping bag.

"Stop moving!"

He clenched his teeth, his ears turning bright red. His breathing had completely lost its rhythm.

"I’m not doing it on purpose! This stupid thing is way too tight. My leg is cramping."

May complained softly as she placed her palms against Mitch’s chest, trying to create a little more space between them.

Her hand pressed against the hard muscle beneath his clothes. It was surprisingly warm.

Mitch’s Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly.

He could feel every shift of the woman pressed against him, and the unfamiliar closeness was doing serious damage to his self-control.

And Ray was standing right outside. How was he supposed to explain this?

"Mitch, if your hands go anywhere they shouldn’t, I’ll cut them off when you get out."

Ray’s furious voice came through the sleeping bag.

Mitch’s face turned crimson.

"I’m not doing anything! My hands are practically glued to my sides!"

Outside, Jack paced around the pink sleeping bag in a panic.

"How long are they gonna be stuck in there? What if Mitch suffocates?"

"Suffocation is unlikely." Alex leaned against the wall, his expression dark. "But overheating? That’s an actual possibility."

Inside the sleeping bag, the temperature continued climbing. Mitch felt as though he were about to explode.

It wasn’t only the heat––every time May breathed, her breath brushed against his chin, carrying a faint, sweet scent.

"May..." Mitch’s voice had gone rough.

"Hmm?" May tilted her face upward, her eyelashes brushing against his collarbone.

"How much longer?"

Mitch closed his eyes. His entire body was already tense, stretched to the limit. He was so uncomfortable that he could almost hear his own heartbeat louder than the wind outside.

He was terrified she would hear it too.

May glanced at the countdown displayed by the system.

"Ten more minutes... Are you really that hot?"

"Obviously! I’m practically being roasted alive!"

Mitch refused to open his eyes. He certainly wasn’t going to look down. Because if he did, he was almost guaranteed to see something he had no business looking at.

For a full half hour, Mitch felt as though someone had left him roasting over an open fire.

He couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t move. All he could do was endure the unbearable closeness and fight against every instinct telling him otherwise.

At last, the countdown reached zero.

With a sharp zip, the pink sleeping bag opened automatically. The strange object dissolved into a flash of light and disappeared.

Mitch stood with his back to everyone.

Ray immediately pulled the weak-kneed May back into his arms, wrapping the oversized military coat tightly around her once more.

He looked her over from head to toe, making absolutely certain that Mitch hadn’t so much as ruffled a strand of her hair.

Only then did he raise his eyes and fix them on the back of Mitch’s head.

"Had enough?" Ray’s voice came through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I did. So what?" Mitch spun around, his neck stiff with defiance, his eyes bloodshot as he shouted back. "You get to do whatever the hell you want in there, but I can’t even hold her for a second out here?"

"What did you just say?"

"I said—"

"That’s enough." Theo had somehow appeared between them. He simply stood there, calm and composed.

But instead of looking at Ray or Mitch, he turned toward May, who was safely tucked inside Ray’s arms.

Under everyone’s stunned gaze, the man who normally carried himself with such arrogance actually lowered himself slightly.

A strange softness appeared in his eyes. Looking directly at May, he spoke in a deep, steady voice.

"Sister-in-law."

The simple words floated through the narrow passage. Then they exploded like a bomb.

The fury on Mitch’s face disappeared.

Jack was still holding a chunk of stone, his mouth hanging open wide enough to swallow an egg.

The smile at the corners of Ace’s lips disappeared for a moment before returning as something far more meaningful.

Even Alex, who had been happily watching the spectacle, straightened up. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

But no one was more pleased than Ray.