Gu Ning hesitated for a moment, then pulled Vine’s top on over her own long-sleeved shirt.
She was just rolling up the overly long cuffs when the driver’s-side door was pulled open.
Gu Ning froze when she saw the Beastman who got in.
’Why him?’
Philinos silently checked the dashboard, his expression slightly tense.
The car smelled of wolf and dog, but neither could mask the scent of the young female. That, at least, made things a little more bearable for him.
He wanted to open a window to air out the other Beastmen’s scents, but after a glance at the young female curled up in the passenger seat, he decided against it.
The vehicle started up again, and Gu Ning received a message from Andrew:
[I’ve had Philinos switch in for you. Still recognize him?]
’Of course I recognize him,’ Gu Ning thought. ’He nearly arrested me, thinking I was a Mimic Mixed Species.’
[If you don’t think he’ll work either, you have another option,] Andrew messaged again. [Look out your window.]
Gu Ning looked out the window. On both her left and right, other vehicles were driving alongside hers.
The window of the SUV to her right was wide open, and she could clearly see the Beastman at the wheel, driving one-handed while cheerfully humming a song.
It was that annoying dog.
Gu Ning pulled her gaze back, glanced at Philinos, and closed her eyes.
’Forget it. I’ll just have to bear it!’
At least Philinos hadn’t said a single word since getting in the car. That was good.
The vehicle swayed as it drove on. Gu Ning checked on Barto’s situation, then thought about logging into ClawTap to watch some videos.
The familiar tail spun on the screen.
After leaving the supply station, the signal grew weak. It took Gu Ning a long time to log into her ClawTap account, but the signal was too poor to watch any videos.
She had no choice but to give up and pull a book she had prepared from the backpack at her feet.
She only read a few pages before drowsiness washed over her, and she groggily drifted off to sleep.
Once he was sure she was sound asleep, Philinos wiped the sweat from his forehead, undid the metal clasp at his collar, and pulled the zipper of his combat suit down a little.
A moment later, he pulled the zipper down a bit more.
After another moment, he undid his belt, took off his jacket entirely, and let out a heavy breath.
Andrew had said driving for her wouldn’t be an easy job and told him to be on high alert. So this was what he had meant.
Just moments ago, he’d found the dog smell in the car foul, but now, her scent had already overpowered it.
This was harder to endure than any high-temperature training.
He glanced at the temperature display on the dashboard: 82°F.
It wasn’t a particularly high temperature, but in such a confined space, it was like being sealed in an unventilated tin can with her. Her scent was infinitely amplified inside it.
Philinos frequently glanced over at the young female. Her breathing was even, and the warm air had brought a rosy flush to her cheeks. She looked comfortable, completely adapted to the temperature.
He expressionlessly wiped his sweaty forehead and focused on driving.
Gu Ning woke up about two hours later.
Her vision was filled with a vast expanse of white; the vehicle was still driving through the wilderness.
She stretched and sat up straighter, and the jacket covering her slipped off.
’Hm?’
Gu Ning lowered her gaze, staring for a moment at the blue and white combat suit covering her. Then she turned to look at the Beastman driving beside her.
Philinos was now wearing just a form-fitting, short-sleeved shirt, and beads of sweat rolled down his exposed skin.
Gu Ning watched as a drop of sweat traced his jawline, slid to his chin, and fell before he could wipe it away.
"..."
’Is it really that hot?!’
Gu Ning was instantly wide awake.
Philinos glanced at her, then picked up a tissue from nearby and wiped the sweat from his face.
Seeing how hot he was, Gu Ning took the initiative to speak. "You should open a window."
She was genuinely afraid he would get heatstroke and keel over in the car.
Philinos’s expression faltered. "Why?"
"Open it a little." Gu Ning searched for the right word. "For some air."
Philinos tilted his head to look at her. "Are you not feeling well?"
’I’m worried you’re going to die of heatstroke.’
"Yeah," she nodded. "It’s stuffy."
Philinos’s gaze swept over the window controls. His finger paused over them for a second before he opened the window a crack.
A few seconds after the window was opened, Vine’s voice came through his earpiece. "What are you doing? Close the window! Her scent is going to drift for miles. If you can’t handle it, I’ll take over."
The car had a ventilation system, but concerned that her scent would spread and be tracked, Alex had turned it off when she got in, leaving only the air filtration system on.
Not long after getting in, Philinos had realized something was wrong. Without the ventilation system, her scent would only grow stronger, but now it was too late to turn it on.
He closed the window and said to Gu Ning, "We can’t open the window right now. If you’re really uncomfortable, I’ll pull over."
Only by putting significant distance between them and the other vehicles could they possibly prevent the Beastmen in the other cars from detecting her scent.
But unless it was absolutely necessary, they were better off not doing that.
They had already left the protected range of Zone 19, and Mutant Species could appear here at any time. Falling behind alone was not a wise move.
’Can’t open the window?’ Gu Ning was confused.
"Why?" she asked.
Philinos recalled the mission requirements and Andrew’s instructions. "We just can’t," he said.
Seeing his icy expression, Gu Ning didn’t press the matter.
’Fine, then don’t open it.’
The car was a bit stuffy, but it was still within her range of tolerance.
’If this Birdman can stand it, let him.’
The car fell silent.
With nothing else to do, Gu Ning opened her terminal to try and contact Barto and the others. Seeing the signal was almost nonexistent, she had to close it and instead took out the white camera that had suddenly appeared in her pocket to fiddle with.
She aimed the lens at the white wasteland outside and the convoy following them, taking photos from various angles before turning the camera on Philinos.
Through the lens, Philinos was wiping away sweat.
This was the umpteenth time she had seen him wipe away sweat. The stoic Birdman looked like he was about to die from the heat.
Gu Ning put down the camera. She couldn’t resist leaning over to the dashboard to find the heater controls.
"What are you looking for?" Philinos asked.
Gu Ning ignored him, fumbled with the system, and lowered the temperature to 61°F.
Then, she turned her back to him and went back to her book.
Philinos felt the temperature in the car drop noticeably. His expression faltered as he asked the young female, "Aren’t you cold?"
With her back to him, Gu Ning retorted, "Aren’t you hot?"
Philinos didn’t say anything, just nudged the temperature back up.
Feeling the temperature rise again, Gu Ning shot him an exasperated look over her shoulder.
She adjusted the temperature back down. "I’m hot. ’There. Happy now?’"
"You’re not hot," Philinos stated. "You’re not showing any signs of it, and your body temperature isn’t elevated."
As he spoke, he changed the temperature back again.
Gu Ning was left speechless. ’What is with this Birdman?’
She flopped back in her seat, turning away from him. "If you like it, then keep it on."
’Fine, let him boil for all I care.’
Philinos said, "Only the Snake Clan would like this temperature."
He had held back from speaking to her for half the journey, but now that she was talking to him, he couldn’t help but let his true nature show and engage with her.
Hearing the mocking tone in his voice, Gu Ning found the Birdman utterly unreasonable.
"Then you... enjoy the heat!" she said.
Hearing the young female’s rather halting words, Philinos asked, "What does that mean? Say it again."
"..."