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Jill looks at Jack's expression and instantly knows what he's thinking. That familiar glint in his eyes — reckless, dangerous, and annoyingly confident — says it all. Jack definitely wants to use the bead's power. Jill frowns, her instincts screaming that this can't be good. "You're not thinking of eating that bead, are you?" she asks, half expecting some ridiculous answer.
"Eat it?" Jack tilts his head, the corner of his mouth curling into that irritatingly smug grin. "Perhaps that's a good idea. Naturally, if it's something good, Jill, it's something we should share. You're my partner, after all." His smile is cheap, teasing, and far too pleased with himself.
Jill makes a face, disgust curling in her stomach. "Ugh. I'm not eating that thing. I don't even know what kind of monster it'll turn me into." She waves her hand dismissively, refusing to even entertain the thought. The faint stench of blood and rot in the air doesn't help her nausea.
"Then I'll take it first." Jack's tone is casual, but his eyes are serious for a moment. A blue light flashes through the air, swirling around them like mist. Jill squints as it shimmers against the cracked concrete walls. In an instant, the corpse gem vanishes into Jack's hand, absorbed in a single pulse of blue energy.
Jill's eyes widen, reflecting the fading light. "The bead?" she mutters, her voice sharp with disbelief.
Jack smirks. "It's installed. If you want to know what it does, I can tell you," he says, raising one brow in that maddeningly calm way.
Jill exhales hard through her nose. "Fine. Perverted is perverted." She crosses her arms, half turning away. She's curious, yes, but she refuses to let him see it. It would only feed his ego, and that's the last thing this lunatic needs.
Jack laughs quietly. "All right then. I'll hug you now and take you back," he says, stretching out his hands toward her. His tone is light, but his movements are sure — the kind of confident recklessness that always makes Jill's pulse rise, equal parts fear and irritation.
Only then does Jill realize she's still suspended in the air, floating weightlessly. The ruined city below looks far, far away — rooftops scattered like bones, streets empty except for crawling shadows. "You can make me float like you, right? We can both fly back?" she asks, a flicker of hope in her voice.
"This is not good," Jack replies, shaking his head with mock regret.
Jill narrows her eyes. "And what exactly does that mean? Explain my situation, Jack."
Jack sighs, like he's tired of dealing with a child. "I can make you float in the air, Jill. But I can't make you fly on your own. I can only lead you. You just have to follow my lead."
Her hand twitches near her weapon. She inhales sharply, suppressing the sudden urge to shoot him right then and there. "So basically, another excuse," she mutters under her breath.
"This isn't an excuse — it's just how it works," Jack says, his grin never fading. Without warning, he pulls Jill into his arms.
"Bastard," Jill hisses, glaring at him. Her body stiffens, but her mind is already exhausted from arguing. Maybe it's better to just let him handle it — for now. "Feels like being bitten by a damn dog," she mutters, resigned.
Jack raises an eyebrow. "What did you say? Did you just compare me — this strong, graceful man — to a dog? I'm not a dog, Jill."
"You are," Jill shoots back instantly. "You're a dog — a lascivious dog." There's a flicker of amusement on her lips, a rare smile breaking through her irritation.
Jack smirks, his tone turning darker. "Since you said it like that, maybe I should live up to the name. You know, to keep things accurate."
Jill's face tightens. "What are you trying to do?" she demands, suspicion sharp in her eyes.
Jack leans closer until their faces almost touch. "What do you think? Naturally, I'd like to handle a few… joyful things."
Jill's patience snaps. She shoves his face away violently. "Bastard! If you touch me, I swear I'll kill you. Don't you dare come closer!"
But Jack doesn't back off. The air between them grows warm, the faint hum of the T-Virus energy crackling around his hands. Jill pushes harder, but it's useless — he's too strong. Jack chuckles softly, inhaling near her neck. "Jill, you're really quite fragrant. On you, even the smell of gunpowder seems sweet."
Her blood boils. "I'll kill you, I swear—!" she yells, wriggling against his hold. Her voice echoes faintly through the quiet, desolate ruins.
"Calm down, calm down," Jack murmurs, still smiling. "Calm your younger sister," he adds under his breath.
"Calm your—" she starts, but the words turn into a sharp scream as Jack's fingers pinch the side of her leg. "Jack, you dead perverted lunatic!"
Jack laughs, shaking his head as if she's the unreasonable one. "That's not calm, Jill. You scare my hands when you move like that."
"Get me down. Right now. I said take me back to the ground!" Jill yells, pointing furiously below them. The sky above is crimson, burning from the reflection of fires still raging across the city's ruins.
"Fine, fine. But I'll miss this feeling — it's not every day I get to hold something this soft," Jack sighs dramatically, pretending to lament his loss. His grin doesn't fade.
Jill's eye twitches. She instantly realizes what he means — about her leg, about his damned smirk — and she grits her teeth. This perverted idiot! She swears she'll throw him into a nest of Lickers one day.
Jack finally flies them both down. What should have been a five-minute descent takes nearly half an hour because of his deliberate laziness. Jill's fury simmers like a volcano the entire time. When they finally land, she wastes no time — she shoves him away with full force and steps back several meters.
"Stay away from me," she commands, pointing at him. "From now on, keep three meters away. Always. Got it?"
Jack raises his hands, pretending to surrender. "Jill, that's not very friendly," he says, taking one slow step toward her.
"Don't move!" she yells, drawing her gun. The sharp metallic click echoes in the air. She points it directly at his head. "One more step and I'll treat you like any other infected."
Jack chuckles, showing not an ounce of fear. "Relax, relax. Put the gun down. You know what happens when that thing goes off by accident."
Jill's jaw tightens. Her finger trembles on the trigger. She hates this — hates that this man can make her feel cornered and helpless. Normally, she's the one who intimidates, who commands. But with Jack, she feels her control slipping. Hateful man.
Jack lowers himself to the ground and sits cross-legged, completely relaxed. "See? I'm not a threat. Sit down, breathe a little. I'll even stay three meters away. Promise."
Jill watches him suspiciously before finally sitting down, keeping her weapon on her lap. "Before you… when you mentioned that corpse gem, how did you even find it? Why do mutated humans have them?"
Jack looks at her, the firelight flickering in his eyes. "Ordinary zombies are too weak. They don't have corpse gems — they lack the energy, the essence."
He pauses, picking up a small piece of debris, rolling it between his fingers. "But the stronger ones — the mutated beasts — they might. The corpse gem isn't just pure T-Virus, Jill. It's mixed with other materials. Think of it as a crystallized fusion — T-Virus combined with something else. For example, that mutated great white shark we fought? Its gem could be called a Water Corpse Gem. Perhaps…"
He stops mid-sentence, his gaze shifting downward.
Jill notices his silence and follows his eyes. Then she freezes. His stare is locked between her legs — the angle of her sitting position, the short skirt she'd forgotten about — black briefs visible under the faint light. Her heart skips, then bursts into fiery embarrassment.
"You— you're looking! You're actually looking!" she shouts, face flushing red as she yanks the skirt down.
Jack's grin widens. "I'm impolite," he says smoothly, and in a blink, his form flickers — appearing right beside her legs, crouched dangerously close. He actually has the nerve to peer between them.
Jill reacts instantly. She slams her legs together and grabs his collar with a grip so tight her knuckles whiten. "You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Pēng! Pēng! Pēng!
Her gun's butt strikes out repeatedly, hitting his shoulder, his chest, his arm — again and again. Jack doesn't fight back, just dodges with infuriating agility. Each strike rings out through the ruined city, echoing like drumbeats in the empty night.
"Hateful! Hateful! Hateful!" Jill screams, breath ragged, her rage spilling like wildfire. The smell of dust and oil fills the air around them, broken glass crunching under their boots. Jack just laughs softly, that same crooked grin never fading, even as she tries to beat him into the dirt.