Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

”Wow... that’s one impressive woman!”

Zheng Xinyu nodded in surprise and suddenly grinned, ”Luckily, she’s a lesbian and a bit of a romantic, or she’d definitely try to start something with you!”

Zhang Su looked at Zheng Xinyu with a peculiar gaze and said, ”Why do you women always have these trivial relationship dramas in your heads? I’m just thinking about one thing now, which is how to convince Ju Mumio to become our coach and teach us her strange skills!”

”That’s easy, didn’t you just say that Yi Xiaoling is on our side? Just have her blow some pillow talk, haha!”

Zheng Xinyu laughed mischievously.

”If it were that simple I’d be thrilled, but I fear principles might outweigh love, which could complicate things. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

A flash of inspiration crossed Zhang Su’s mind as he glanced at the remaining two Loyalty Brands. If things didn’t work out, he might have to use some force on the woman from Japan!

”Everything will go smoothly, Ju Mumio will surely come to her senses, don’t worry!”

Zheng Xinyu was optimistic in comforting Zhang Su, not wanting him to feel pressured.

Zhang Su’s lips curled up at Zheng Xinyu’s words, and he smiled, ”Alright, with your encouragement, I’m assured!”

”Just with my words?” Zheng Xinyu seemed curious, but she didn’t dwell on it, assuming her comfort was effective. She changed the subject, ”Did you encounter anything fun today?”

”Something fun? Yes!”

Zhang Su chuckled, pulling out two small silk pouches from his bag, ”We went to Kuanzhuang today, and these are what we found at Lei Youliang’s house!”

”Jewelry bags?”

Zheng Xinyu curiously accepted the exquisite little pouches. Opening one, she laughed, ”Haha, gold earrings?”

”Yes,” Zhang Su nodded and said, ”That guy Lei Youliang hoarded a lot of legitimate gold bars and high-end watches. There are quite a few gold jewelry pieces too, plus a pile of cash. He probably hoped to rise to fame with those fortunes if order was ever restored!”

”It’s a great idea, just a bit too idealistic, typical ’failed before it even began’... Honey, which pair of earrings is mine?”

Zheng Xinyu stood in front of the mirror trying on the earrings, knowing that one pair must belong to Zhong Xiaoshan.

”Xiaoshan is in the surveillance room, right? You choose first.”

Zhang Su shrugged nonchalantly.

”Since you say it like that...” Zheng Xinyu pouted as she turned around, ”I think I’ll wait to choose together with Xiaoshan during the shift change to avoid any disputes.”

”Wow, your sense of responsibility is high today. Alright, you’ll get a reward later!”

With that, Zhang Su stood up and headed to the bathroom.

”Blah blah blah, you’re so pretentious, hmph!”

Zheng Xinyu made a face at Zhang Su’s back. After a while, she resumed trying on the earrings against her ear. Before the disaster, she wasn’t enthusiastic about such things, but now she adored them, as if this dark world needed some sparkling adornments.

The act of gift-giving wasn’t limited to Zhang Su’s place. Chen Hanzhou had just slipped a ring on Pei Lan’s finger. The couple sat in the dark room, gazing through the window at the dark sky. The stars above listened to them dream about the future, and there was no room for pessimism—only visions of beauty.

Wang Xin and Zhang Ya moved faster. Before 8 p.m., they were already in bed studying software fortification engineering.

Lu Yubo felt a little down because when he went to ask Mo Qianlan out, Tan Huajun told him she had gone to Yu Qing’s place to study chemistry.

???

Lu Yubo was confused. In these times, isn’t hitting a punching bag more useful than studying? That’s what he thought.

”Goodbye, Teacher Yu! Goodbye, Uncle Zhuzi!”

Mo Qianlan exited Yu Qing’s house, politely bidding farewell to both, then closed the door and turned to see Lu Yubo waiting idly at the stairs.

”Finally finished, Lanlan. With all these zombies around, does studying really make any sense... Want me to draw you a fake Qingbei University diploma?”

Lu Yubo moved forward to take Mo Qianlan’s books.

”Studying is definitely useful.”

Mo Qianlan adjusted her hair and put on a hat, glanced back at Yu Qing’s door, then pointed at the staircase, ”Let’s talk downstairs.”

The two walked out, both were young and energetic, undeterred by the cold, and took seats on the swing in the courtyard.

”Teacher Yu didn’t teach me ordinary textbook knowledge. It’s all about practical applications of chemistry. And Teacher Yu mentioned that Grandpa Yu is planning to start a special learning program to get everyone involved!”

Mo Qianlan shared what she heard from Yu Qing with Lu Yubo.

”Learning program? Oh my god...” At the mention of studying, Lu Yubo slipped into his dialect!

Mo Qianlan found Lu Yubo’s annoyance amusing and pretended to say seriously, ”That’s why we need ideological education courses, for people like you with low awareness. So make sure you study well!”

After hearing this, Lu Yubo felt his brain cramp and waved his hand hopelessly, ”Enough, you’re killing me...”

”Hey, I heard you lost a fight today? Is that true?”

Mo Qianlan knew Lu Yubo disliked studying cultural subjects, something that was considered a flaw in the past but wasn’t a big deal now, so she changed the subject.

”Don’t bring it up. I did lose, but only by a little to that crazy woman.” Compared to studying, Lu Yubo was more into fighting, although today’s topic left him deflated. He quickly changed the subject, ”Enough about that, Lanlan, I have a gift for you today!”

”Oh?” Mo Qianlan’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at Lu Yubo with anticipation, she asked, ”What is it?”

”Close your eyes first!”

Lu Yubo imitated a scene from a movie, and once Mo Qianlan obediently closed her eyes, he hurriedly pulled out a necklace box from his pocket, took out the necklace, and walked behind her.

”Ah, so ticklish... Is this a necklace?”

Mo Qianlan felt him move, and before she knew it, there was a light touch around her neck that tickled, causing her to reach up and feel it.

”Yes, I got you a necklace. Not cold, right? I warmed it up in advance, hehe... Let’s go inside and have a look!”

Lu Yubo swiftly fastened the necklace, showing an unusual attention to detail for the girl. He led Mo Qianlan into the lodge’s reception hall and switched on the light with a snap.

”Wow, it’s so shiny. A gold necklace? It’s too valuable... I can’t accept it!”

Mo Qianlan placed the necklace over her thermal wear, the cartoon-shaped pendant was exquisite, and she held it feeling its weight.

”Oh please, with the way things are now, gold isn’t that valuable. We found a ton of it at Lei Youliang’s house in Kuanzhuang today, and Brother Su let us each pick something to give... to someone special.”

Lu Yubo felt uncharacteristically shy saying that, though his words seemed low on emotional intelligence. Even if you don’t make the process of obtaining the gold necklace sound thrilling, at least omit any diminishing aspects. This otherwise detracts from the value of the gift.

Luckily, Mo Qianlan understood Lu Yubo’s nature and at their young and tender age, didn’t care about such details, smiling contentedly as she admired the necklace.

”I love it, it’s beautiful, thank you, Brother Bo.”

Mo Qianlan, delighted, wrapped her arm around Lu Yubo’s and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Lu Yubo felt like he was floating on air, all the daytime frustrations forgotten. He wrapped an arm around Mo Qianlan’s shoulder and said, ”If I find anything fun in the future, I’ll bring it back for you, okay?”

”Just don’t take things randomly, Uncle Zhang has been very good to us. You don’t want to cause any trouble for him, okay?”

Mo Qianlan was a few years younger than Lu Yubo but more meticulous and less concerned with resources, thinking about the bigger picture instead.

”Got it, got it, I’ll listen to orders.”

Lu Yubo agreed quickly without arguing.

”Good, so, my mom’s at home. How about we take a walk in the mountains, are you cold?”

”Me? Not at all, not one bit.”

So the two of them went hand in hand towards the mountain stream. While the dream of achieving software fortification engineering seemed far-fetched, the chilly night wind was formidable, but it didn’t deter the love-struck young couple.

As night fell, with the activation of the Satellite Village, almost everyone from United Village, West Camp, and Kuanzhuang had moved from Celestial Horse Island, restoring its tranquility once more.