After Miya and Riya finished the first set of movements, her face was slightly flushed, not from exhaustion but from feeling Nick's intense gaze.
"How...how was it? Was it okay?" Miya and Riya tried to suppress her embarrassment.
"Not bad. Your basic movements are almost there, but there are some subtle differences and gaps," Nick approached and asked Miya and Riya to demonstrate the first movement.
"For example, here, while bending, you need to take a deep breath, adjust your center of gravity, and focus on engaging your thigh muscles," Nick gently adjusted Miya and Riya's thighs with his hands and pointed out the muscles that should be engaged.
Miya and Riya's faces turned even redder. But seeing Nick's serious expression, she bit her lip and made the corrections as he instructed.
"Mm, very good!" Nick stood aside, observing the corrected movements, and instinctively rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was like peeling a boiled egg...
"The key to previous movements is to focus on breathing and coordinate with the leg strength. Now, let's move on to transitioning to the second movement!"
Nick instructed Miya and Riya to continue, and whenever she made a mistake, he immediately stepped in to correct her and point out the proper breathing technique.
After completing all eight movements, Miya and Riya were slightly sweaty. Nick glanced outside; the sun had disappeared, and the sky was starting to darken.
"Alright, let's stop here for today. It's getting dark outside.
You can practice this first set of movements for the next couple of days until you've mastered them, and then I'll teach you the rest.
Now, let's go cook dinner; otherwise, we won't be able to see you soon!" Miya and Riya weren't physically tired, but she felt hungry, so she went to the kitchen to cook.
While she cooked, Nick stretched his body. Feeling optimistic, he practiced the movements two more times.
"Not bad. The body strengthening is progressing quickly. At this rate, maybe the day after tomorrow I can go out, or at least clean the corridor and create some tools and store food and for is journey..." Nick thought to himself.
Though he felt he could go out tomorrow, for safety's sake, he decided to practice another day.
For dinner, Miya and Riya made braised pork with potatoes.
Knowing Nick wouldn't be able to resist the meat, she decided to stew it all together, letting him enjoy it to the fullest.
Miya and Riya, too, uncommonly ate two small bowls. Usually, she eats very little carbohydrates for dinner to maintain her figure.
By the time they finished dinner, it was completely dark outside.
Without the colorful neon lights and light pollution, the surroundings seemed particularly dark.
"I remember there's a candle in the TV cabinet. Let me light it up. While there's still water, you can go wash up," Nick said.
He rummaged through the TV cabinet in the dark.
Fortunately, the change in lighting wasn't abrupt, and his eyes had already adapted to the darkness, allowing him to see the rough outlines.
Soon, a small flame flickered in the living room, illuminating the room.
"I'll wash the dishes first!"
Miya and Riya remembered Nick mentioning that there might be a water stoppage at night, so she washed the dishes first before returning to her room to freshen up.
Nick glanced outside; the sounds of the zombies had increased significantly. Compared to the daytime, the night was the zombies' playground, and they became more restless.
The human cries and wails were also more frequent.
"We need to hurry with the training!"
Nick felt a sense of urgency and clenched his fists, continuing his training in the darkness!
Miya and Riya finished freshening up quickly.
Seeing Nick so focused on training, she didn't disturb him.
She placed the candle in the living room and slowly returned to her room.
The candlelight illuminated Nick, casting a long shadow. Time passed, and at some point, the candle was extinguished.
Nick lost track of how many times he had practiced; all he knew was that his body was sore and weak, unable to exert any more strength, so he had to stop.
Checking the time, it was almost 11 o'clock, and with his exhausted body, he made his way into the bathroom.
After a night of practice, not only was his body sore and weak, but he was also covered in sweat.
While there was still water, he needed to wash up quickly.
Supporting himself, Nick finished washing, changed his clothes, dried his hair, and finally crawled into bed, exhausted, quickly falling asleep.
He slept soundly that night, not even dreaming for a second, a luxury in the past year of the apocalypse.
When Nick woke up again, the daylight was already bright.
Glancing at the time, it was just past seven o'clock.
Feeling refreshed, Nick stretched lazily, hearing a cacophony of cracking joints.
His muscles were no longer sore, but instead, he felt an indescribable lightness. It was as if there was endless strength within his body.
Reaching out to the bedside table, Nick effortlessly lifted the weight of the cluttered cabinet, which weighed nearly fifty or sixty pounds.
This lifted his spirits immensely! Before, he couldn't say he was weak, but he was only at the level of an average person.
But now, he felt that his strength rivaled that of a weightlifter or boxing champion.
Nick's current physical fitness was almost at the limit achievable by normal humans. Continuing to train would push him into the realm of non-human strength, enhanced by the virus.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..." Suddenly, his stomach rumbled like a drumbeat.
Nick's mood immediately soured as every cell in his body roared with hunger.
Getting stronger comes with a price... But it was a price he was willing to pay.
Walking into the living room, Miya and Riya's door was still closed, indicating she hadn't woken up yet.
Nick had to make breakfast himself, so he went into the kitchen and heated up two packs of instant noodles.
As for why he didn't cook... If things hadn't changed in the future, there would already be a water and gas shortage by now!
After a simple breakfast, Nick resumed his training.
Today, he was determined to push beyond human limits! But as he started warming up, he saw a pale figure run into the kitchen.
He couldn't help but stop his training, sighing inwardly as he watched.
This woman... she's getting bolder and bolder.
Does she really think I'm not a man?
Miya and Riya didn't sleep well last night. Fear and confusion about the future kept her tossing and turning, with the occasional roar of zombies and the screams of humans in the darkness causing her to have continuous nightmares, often waking her up.
It wasn't until early morning that she fell into a daze and slept again.
When she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.
It was quiet all around.
If it weren't for the emptiness and the red bloodstains on the glass of the opposite building, she would have thought that everything from yesterday was just a nightmare.
"I almost forgot, last night I closed the windows to block out the noise from outside. No wonder it's so hot!"
Miya and Riya gradually woke up, feeling uncomfortable with the sweaty dampness on her body due to the stuffy environment inside.
She struggled to get up and opened the window, feeling the warm air rush in.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but the neighborhood was empty, devoid of any signs of life.
There were no more loud car horns, no bustling square dancing, no sounds of children playing... Everything seemed so harmonious and quiet.
Miya and Riya suddenly had a feeling as if she were the only one left in this world.
Fear and panic surged in her heart...
Fortunately, at that moment, there was a sudden "ding" from the neighboring living room.
Miya and Riya instantly thought of one name—Nick!
A sense of joy surged in her heart, like a traveler in the desert finding an oasis. He was exercising!
Miya and Riya felt a little relieved. She walked into the bathroom to prepare for a shower. But the next moment, she froze in place.
"The... water's stopped?"
She suddenly remembered what Nick had said.
"I don't know when there will be a rescue... With the power outage now, I guess the water and gas will soon be gone too..."
Miya and Riya immediately rushed to the kitchen, turned on the gas stove, but heard only the constant clicking of the ignition, with no gas coming out.
"The gas... has stopped too!"
A sharp question popped up involuntarily in her mind: Is there really no rescue coming in the apocalypse world? She thinks her decision was right to defend a strong man in the apocalypse world !!
"What's wrong?"
Nick stopped his workout and stared straight at Miya and Riya, unable to help but mutter inwardly, "This woman is getting bolder and bolder. Does she really think I'm not a man?"