Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the country, and is the largest economic center on the Gulf Coast, known for its energy, aviation industry and canals.

Once home to the Texas Medical Center and the world's largest and most important research and treatment facility, Houston was nicknamed "Space City" because it was home to the Johnson Aviation Center and the Mission Monitoring Center.

Houston's unique geography and the city's resources allowed Houston to quickly establish the largest research institute in the United States and even in the Americas after the disaster, and after the institutes in Tampa and New Orleans were destroyed by corpses, the research institute in Houston took in the remaining researchers from these two sister institutions, and the scientific research strength was further strengthened.

Dr. Mario and Dr. Martin's research team from the Tampa Research Institute began their first day in Houston to refocus on a research project that had been interrupted. In addition to professional soldiers like Jason, there were several surviving crew members and University of Miami students, all of whom have now found their place in the institute. After everyone came to a safer environment, their living conditions gradually returned to the situation before the disaster.

That evening, after a day's work, Kim and Hill went to the Buffalo River next to the base, where there is a scenic road for tourists to walk. Riverbend's promenade connects downtown Houston to the area of Riverside Park, as well as highways and bridges to the west.

The Houston Institute is adjacent to the park area of Buffalo Bay, and the zombies roaming around the neighborhood have long been cleared, and the park is the most frequented place for the people in the institute, because this is the only place to take a break from the busy work, and this paradise has the most pre-disaster peaceful taste.

The night came later than usual, and the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the river, covering the reflection of the figures on the water with a layer of gold. Hill and Kim waved at acquaintances they met nearby, happily greeting the other people who were walking.

"Kim, there's good news about me, would you like to hear it?" Hill said mysteriously, a happy smile on her face.

"Wait, let me guess first," Kim began to reminisce about her friend in her head, but combined with the smile she had just seen on Hill's face, she shook her head and dismissed several of her guesses. "It's not the recent thing that Dr. Mario has recruited us into his research team, and your birthday isn't now, well...... I can't guess."

"Haha," Hill couldn't help but laugh when she saw Kim's serious expression, her mood was particularly bright now, because ......

"Jason proposed to me!"

"What? Wow! Hearing Hill say the news himself, Kim couldn't help but be happy for her, "Honey, bless you. ”

"You told me before that there is an old saying in Huaguo, how do you say it?" Hill asked, "It means that two people who like each other have finally come together." ”

"Lovers will eventually become married."

"Yes, yes," Hill nodded excitedly, "The artistic conception of the Chinese characters is so beautiful. ”

"I think so too."

"I really want to meet the people of that eastern country, who are both mysterious and able to create kung fu and such allegorical words." When Hill suddenly thought of the poem describing love in that country just now, that artistic conception perfectly matched her feelings at the moment, and the girl was a little excited and a little fascinated.

"There will be a chance soon," Jin smiled, holding Hill's hand, "Houston is going to hold an international scientific research exchange conference next, and Huaguo is also one of the invited countries, I believe they will send their own delegation over, and then you can have a good exchange of oriental languages with their people." ”

"You don't say that I have forgotten about this, but we are just ordinary researchers at the moment, will we have the opportunity to attend at that time?" Hill thought that because he and Kim were not in the right major, after joining Dr. Mario's team, the pace of learning was relatively slow, so the level has not been greatly improved.

"I think so, let's go and ask Dr. Martin then."

"Good idea." Ciel nodded.

"Ciel, tell me about Jason's proposal to you, I'm not interested in anything else right now, I just want to know how he captured your heart." Women are more gossipy, especially in the affairs of these children's affections, and Kim is both happy for Hill and curious about the relationship between her and Jason.

Jason said that when he was at the military base in Cape Florida, he only had the idea of having fun, but then when he was in the Everglades, his thoughts gradually changed along the way. Hill talked about Jason's relationship with himself with a proud look on his face, "Two people went through the dangers of the journey together, and in the end they found that each other was the most important person to each other. ”

"Hardship sees the truth." Kim sighed unconsciously.

"The language and phrases of China are incisive." Hearing the sentence popping out of Kim's mouth, Hill couldn't help but praise again.

"I've been learning the Chinese language lately," Kim said, and then continued, "How did Jason propose to you?" ”

"He conspired with his soldiers to put on a play and tricked me so badly," Hill's face was beaming with happiness as he said this.

"Huh?" Kim became more and more curious.

"Sergeant Stephen came to me in a hurry that day and said that something had happened to Jason, and he took me to the soldiers' camp, and I saw Jason lying in the clearing, his clothes torn and bloody."

"Stephen said that Jason was bitten by a zombie while on a mission, and he was afraid that he wouldn't live long, so he brought me here to let me see Jason for the last time."

"Kim, you know what? How uncomfortable my heart was at that time. Jason was lying motionless, and the man who had been like a giant tree before was suddenly lifeless. The thought that he was about to turn into a hideous monster made me so sad that I almost suffocated. ”

"I ran over and hugged his body, I never imagined that he would leave me so suddenly, and at that moment I even wanted to leave this world with him. I hugged him so hard that I didn't want to let go, Stephen came over and pulled me, but I didn't want to be separated from Jason, and if he was going to be a zombie soon, let him bite me on the neck too. ”

"I had lost faith in life and just wanted to stay by Jason's side and accompany him through the last leg of his life. Who knew that the man in my arms, who was already dead, suddenly spoke up and said to me, 'Honey, you hugged me so much that I couldn't breathe'. ”

"Just when I was in shock, everyone around me burst out laughing, and Jason suddenly laughed again and said, 'Marry me, Hill,' you are my faith, a beacon in the vast sea, and the direction of my life."

"Stephen and they were heckling, and everyone was shouting, 'Promise him, promise him.'" At that time, I cried, not sad, but happy. ”

"Jason sat up from the ground and took me in his arms, and he said, 'The four seasons in Houston have all kinds of colors, and my four seasons, only the colors you love,' and I couldn't find a reason to refuse him, so I nodded and agreed."

"It's so romantic," said Kim, with stars in his eyes and envy.

"So, Kim, come and be my bridesmaid, I will pass the bouquet to you at the wedding, so that the good wishes of marriage will also be passed on to you." Ciel took Kim's hand and pleaded with his best friend.

"Of course I do, how can you have me without me in your bridesmaid group," Kim laughed as she covered her mouth, but her expression was a little lost then, "My boyfriend Paul's fate is unknown now, and the last video call with him was almost half a year ago. If you want to pass the bouquet to me now, it's not appropriate to pass it on to me, so let's give it to other bridesmaids who have boyfriends in the base. ”

Hill's mention of the bouquet brought back King's memories of Paul, six months ago, when the disaster first broke out. Kim was video-streaming with Paul in his dorm room, while Hill himself was trying on clothes for the evening party.

Thinking that Adams, who was trying to please Huaxin at that time, would spend his mind and time on pleasing him, and now that he has Jason, he looks back at himself at the beginning, and Hill feels that he would be so naïve at that time.

"Kim, life needs to look ahead," Hill hugged Kim and comforted her, "Paul is a thing of the past for you, you know what I mean?" ”

Seeing that Kim nodded, Hill continued, "We are luckier than many people to be in Houston, life will be a long road, and you need someone to walk with you. ”

"There are so many people in the base, don't you have a crush on any of them?" Hill asked.

Kim shook his head, "I don't seem to have that feeling of being able to fall in love." ”

"You, you just didn't put your mind to it," Hill told her, "there are young talents from the Houston Research Center and people transferred from the New Orleans Research Institute, and if I hadn't had Jason, I might have picked from those boys." ”

"By the way, there's a very good candidate," Hill seemed to have discovered a new continent suddenly, "Rick, he seems to be from the Secret Service, but his appearance and ability are very outstanding, and the most rare thing is that he has the face of an oriental man." ”

"Didn't you just say that you have been learning the Chinese language recently, could it be that you already have thoughts about him in this regard?" Hill took the opportunity to tease Kim, and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw her best friend's blushing face.

"Ciel, don't make fun of me anymore, Rick is very nice, but it's just ......," Kim said with some hesitation.

"Just what?"

"I'm telling you, you can't tell anyone," Kim said mysteriously.

"Well, I swear," Hill held up his index, middle, and ring fingers.

"Dr. Martin seems to be very close to Rick, and I've seen them both ...... a few times lately," King said and paused, and she looked around to see that the other walkers were far away, and then lowered her voice and continued to tell Ciel about the gossip she had seen.

"Ah, I really didn't expect that even an iceberg beauty like Dr. Martin would have a heartbeat day, it seems that Rick is quite attractive as a man." After listening to what Kim said, Hill couldn't help but sigh.