There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 466

Chapter 466: Chapter 459. Lullaby

"Emergency point, huh?"

Zein looked around as they stopped just outside the tunnel. Bassena used the chance where they might not be disturbed to stick himself to the guide; with hands circling Zein’s waist and chin on the guide’s shoulder.

"It does kind of look like a bunker," Zein muttered. Of course, a normal bunker would not have all of this abundant nature, but the enclosed, secure nature was the same. "Did you say something about farming?"

"Uhh...well..." Bassena laughed awkwardly in embarrassment. "I just thought it would be good if the place became sustainable for living. Maybe a few fruit trees and vegetable plants? Of course, that’s only if we really can use this place as an emergency retreat..."

Zein smiled; it was always interesting when Bassena shifted from his commander mode to this soft-spoken negotiator. Of course, that was only the case when talking to him. That being said, Zein saw value in the esper’s idea.

Indeed, the place was a safe haven inside the dark and dreary Deathzone. Even Zein would want to go back here from time to time just to relax after a hard time in the frontline. The place wasn’t big enough to accommodate the whole Operation’s troops, since most of the land was occupied by water, but...

It should be enough for emergencies; for the squads that had to run away from danger, and for the people who received too many injuries even the healer couldn’t completely take care of--both physically and mentally. There would probably be a case where the fight was so bad the guides couldn’t handle all of the corrosion at once. In that case, this place would be perfect to offset some of the corrosion, due to the shard’s nature. For guides too, it would be a good place to treat burnout.

And in case they might get trapped here by another siege, having stuff to eat inside was indeed a good thing. If they brought seeds and boosters from outside...it would be expensive, but Radia Mallarc is Radia Mallarc.

Still...

"I’ll try and talk to the core," Zein said. "It all depends on the gatekeeper."

Bassena laughed and kissed the guide’s cheek, rubbing his unshaven face on Zein’s neck. He was sure the core would come to it if Zein persuaded it. They were kind of like Zein’s ’kids’ after all, since Zein was a full fragment instead of shards.

"Alright, let’s get back," Zein patted the platinum hair tickling the side of his face. "I don’t hear their voice anymore."

Indeed, when they emerged from the river path, the lower lake had been vacated. The voices were now moved to the upper floor, which had a more spacious open dryland where they would make their camp for the night.

Although they would not experience ’night’ here, with the perpetual light from the double shards.

Surprisingly, however, they didn’t see any camp being set. There was a mini kitchen on the side, on the border between the grass meadow and the woods, next to a line of wet clothes getting aired. Further, rather hidden between the trees, there was a bath chamber. But that was it. There was no tent being set.

Instead, they saw the squad members spread blankets on the soft grass and pile up pillows they brought themselves or took out the compressed tents there.

"What are you doing?" Zein stopped at the edge of one of the blankets and looked at them in fascination.

"Making our bedding?" Zhan grinned while putting more blankets on top of a blanket to make his extra fluffy. There was no trace of someone who groaned about dying a few hours ago. "It’s such a nice place here, not to mention safe. Isn’t it a waste to stay inside a tent?"

"Huh..."

Well, Zein still liked a soft mattress more, but it was also true that the scenery and air felt like heaven compared to what they had for the past few days.

"Captain! Captain! Here--I save a spot for you!" from a side, Zein heard Dheera calling for him.

Beneath a single tree closest to the lake, the guides had piled up several layers of blanket and made what was essentially a throne of pillow. She patted the middle of the blanket excitedly with a bright face, and Leehan waved his arms to get Zein to walk over.

"Saving spot...what is this, real estate?" Bassena scoffed, but Zein laughed and dragged him to the tree.

"This is a nice place," Zein smiled as he glanced at the foliage of the trees. It made the light of the core almost feel like sunlight. "Feels like home."

"Home?" Dheera tilted her head, since for all she knew, Zein lived with Bassena in a penthouse in Althrea.

"My lakehouse," Zein replied while taking a seat on the blanket. "It’s in Area-10."

Dheera clasped her cheeks and took a deep breath. "You have a lakehouse?"

"My family does," Zein said. It was an inheritance, after all, not something he built from scratch.

"Wanna see pictures?" Bassena activated his commlink and pulled out a folder filled with pictures of the lakehouse, including those taken with the proper camera during events. Even Zein hadn’t seen those pictures.

He flicked the screen off to hover in front of the two guides, who looked at it with widened, admiring eyes. "Oh, it’s beautiful!"

"Whoaa...that looks fun! Is there a boat too, Captain?"

"We haven’t built a boathouse yet," Zein said. "But I think someone brought a boat or something before...?"

"Canoe," Bassena replied while lying down on the blanket and putting his head on the guide’s lap. "It’s tied beneath the deck."

Dark cloud, red grass

Dry land, black stones