Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

"You are more than welcome to fuck off. We can ensure the safety of our woman," growled Liu Yu Zeng as he came up behind the poor guy and patted him on the shoulder. I would have to give it to the guy; he didn't flinch too badly.

"Everything okay?" asked Liu Wei coming over to the three of us.

"Except for this guy offering to swim with our woman if she is nervous? Everything is peachy keen," said Liu Yu Zeng with a smile on his face that was definitely not a smile.

"How kind of you," said Liu Wei as he turned to the guy from the Sea Dragons. I had completely forgotten his name, but the poor bastard was now stuck between the two Liu brothers with identical smiles on their faces. "But Guo De Lun, we have our woman. And as much as she might not like water, it doesn't make her nervous; it makes her smart."

Guo De Lun. That was his name. Maybe one of the commander's men might actually make it back to the surface. Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?

"Get the boat ready! We are leaving in five," called out the commander, and the three members of his team started to scramble around the boat with the rest of them. I watched them completely unimpressed before turning my attention back to Beta.

Only the top of his head and eyes peered over the waves, but it was enough. 'You good to go?' I asked him, testing out our bond.

'Yes, my Lord,' his voice hissed back in my mind. The bond between us was as strong as ever. I nodded and watched him disappear beneath the surface.

"Is he there?" asked Chen Zi Han as he came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Yup," I replied with a nod. I quickly checked on the link between me and Wang Chao, needing the reassurance that he was still okay, even if he wasn't beside me. I felt a brush against my flame from him and allowed my shoulders to relax.

I had more than enough on my plate to deal with War. As long as Wang Chao was doing okay, then that was enough for me.

"Everything is all good to go. But I make no promises about the commander's men," I said, still staring out at the horizon. There was something so calming about the water. The sound of the waves lapping against the hull of the boat, the seagulls screaming in the distance. We were still attached to the deck, and yet it seemed like we were in a completely different world.

"You don't need to care about the commander's men," growled Liu Yu Zeng turning around to look at me. "Especially not that dipshit," he continued, tilting his head towards Guo De Lun.

I chuckled at the pouting look on his face. 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

Our time was interrupted by Commander Huang Nian Zu approaching us. "Are you all set?" he asked, looking us up and down. He sneered when he saw that we had nothing in our hands and only the oxygen tanks that he had provided us.

"Yup," I answered with a nod. If he was stupid enough to forget that I had a space, then that was his own fault. "Will you be providing us with weapons to bring down with us?"

He looked at me for a second and then raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even bring weapons with you?"

"Just our guns, but I was under the impression that normal guns wouldn't work under the water," I said, shrugging my shoulders like it was no big deal. I wanted him to feel as safe and confident as he possibly could that there was no way we could hurt his men.

That way, he couldn't blame it on us when they didn't come up. I mean, there are zombies and sharks down there!

"No, you are right," he said with a nod. "Normal guns will not work underwater. But you won't need to worry about anything like that. My men will be going down with you and will offer your protection against the zombies."

"Thank you so much, commander," I said with a smile and brought out a mug of coffee from my space. "I knew that Wang Chao's belief in you wasn't misplaced. You really are a good man."

Okay, so I might be laying it on a bit thick, but I was having fun, and I wasn't about to stop myself on his account.

Raising my mug to hide my smile, I looked at him over the top of the rim and smiled when he read it. It was a very inconspicuous mug compared to most of mine—plain white with some black writing on it. There were no blood splatters or skulls or demons. Just your typical cup. Something that you can find in any average person's cupboard.

Of course, the writing might set it aside just a smidge. On it was, 'I'm sorry I called you an asshole. I thought you knew.' Yeah, it was perfect.

I watched as the commander's face went from white to pink and finally red. I thought he was going to blow a gasket. Ah, I loved it when I could be a passive-aggressive bitch like that.

"You do know that I can't guarantee the safety of you and your men down there, right?" asked the commander once he managed to get himself back under control.

Once again, I smiled at him and took a sip of my coffee. "I completely understand. God only knows what will happen beneath the waves. I mean, you almost died by being dragged under by a zombie. How could the rest of us stand a chance? But this mission is for the good of our country and the world as a whole, so we need to do our best. Even if I have no idea why I need to be one of the ones getting the device. But you are the smart one; you are the commander. We will just follow your orders."

Yeah, I was a bitch. But what could you do about it?