Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

Zhang Su and Pang Dakun walked into the dining room, looking around, but did not find Ju Mumio. However, they saw Yi Xiaoling sitting alone in a corner, eating, so they grabbed some food and walked over to her.

”Why are you alone? Did Ju Mumio finish eating?”

Zhang Su put down his tray and plopped into the seat opposite Yi Xiaoling.

Zhong Xiaoshan had deliberately saved a spot for Zhang Su, but seeing him go to Yi Xiaoling, she didn’t find it inappropriate. She knew Zhang Su had far more things to handle than she did.

Yi Xiaoling smiled and nodded at Zhang Su, saying, ”Good morning, Brother Zhang. Xiaoju doesn’t eat breakfast.”

”She has such a quirk? Could it be related to her martial arts training?”

Zhang Su joked while gnawing on a big steamed bun.

”Yes, you’re right.”

”Huh?” Zhang Su looked at Yi Xiaoling with some surprise.

”Xiaoju...” Yi Xiaoling lowered her voice slightly, her eyes not too big but quite perceptive, scanned the surroundings. Seeing no one watching, she said, ”Xiaoju practices energy in the morning, doesn’t eat, only drinks alcohol.”

Zhang Su stuffed a mouthful of salted vegetables into his mouth, a strange expression appearing on his face, ”Drinking to practice energy? A unique method... So she drinks alcohol for martial arts training?”

Yi Xiaoling smiled and nodded, saying, ”It seems so. Every time before she practices energy and martial arts, she drinks some. At first, I thought she was warming herself up, but later I found out it was to improve training efficiency.”

”So that’s how it is.”

Zhang Su nodded thoughtfully, realizing that alcohol and Ju Mumio’s martial arts were intertwined. A thought flashed through his mind, and he looked at Yi Xiaoling with a mysterious smile, ”Xiaoling, I guess what you just told me were Ju Mumio’s secrets, right? Telling me so easily, aren’t you afraid she’ll get upset with you?”

Yi Xiaoling pursed her lips and shrugged. After scooping up some porridge with salted vegetables and finishing it, she said, ”Brother Zhang, to be honest, I actually had a bit of a spat with Xiaoju yesterday.”

”Oh? What happened? Is there something here you find uncomfortable?” Zhang Su followed up.

”No, no, everything here is great. It’s mainly... Xiaoju is used to being alone. She told me she had almost no friends when she was in Japan, only interacting with a few mentors and her father. To put it bluntly, she’s a bit reclusive and socially awkward, so she seems quite out of place, and some of her thoughts are quite different from normal people. So about what happened yesterday, I hope you don’t mind.”

Yi Xiaoling was mainly apologizing to Zhang Su on behalf of Ju Mumio.

”Not at all!” Zhang Su waved his hand holding the steamed bun, saying, ”I’m not an unreasonable tyrant. It’s normal for everyone to have their own thoughts and principles. I just hope she can understand our intentions. I can’t guarantee all decisions are correct, but the starting point is definitely for the camp’s development and future.”

”Yes, yes!” Yi Xiaoling nodded earnestly, saying, ”I think so too, and I’ve talked a lot with Xiaoju. She seems to understand some things, Brother Zhang. I hope you can give her a little more time, she’ll figure it out.”

”Haha, if everyone could be as understanding as you, Xiaoling, our camp’s development would be much smoother. Rest assured, I understand Ju Mumio’s situation, and will give her time to think. I just hope the process isn’t too long. You know, in this world, everyone wants to grow stronger, only by continuously strengthening oneself can one live better!”

Deep down, Zhang Su didn’t really like Yi Xiaoling’s opportunistic nature. Logically, she should be aligned with Ju Mumio, but now she directly sat on Celestial Horse Island’s side. Although she tried to conceal it, it still revealed some self-serving characteristics!

But from a standpoint perspective, this matter looked different. It could completely be seen as Yi Xiaoling seeing the light and choosing the right path, avoiding shooting herself in the foot...

Yi Xiaoling seemed unaware of what Zhang Su was thinking, confidently nodding her head, saying, ”Don’t worry, Brother Zhang, Xiaoju just wasn’t used to interacting with people in the past. I will convey your goodwill to her, she will definitely support you.”

Zhang Su looked at the smile on Yi Xiaoling’s face, feeling a bit emotional inside. Everyone was trying hard to get the resources to survive, he smiled and said, ”That’s wonderful, eat quickly, it’s getting cold.”

Today, Zhang Su hadn’t scheduled any outside tasks. The search team had been consistently successful, and needed to balance work and rest, taking breaks when necessary.

In the morning, he first went to Village No.1 to inspect the situation. With guidance from core members, and everyone’s active cooperation, every task was progressing very smoothly.

Ma Changshou was left on Celestial Horse Island, while Village No.1 was now overseen by Wang Longzhong from United Village. Standing with Zhang Su on the rooftop of a small two-story building used as a guard post, they faced the cold wind. From this vantage point, they could view the entire residential area of Village No.1, see the highway in the distance, and Village No.2 to the south.

”Old Wang, I’ve already arranged the compensation method from West Camp Village for you. In the future, the resources you receive will always exceed those received by them a bit, but tell your people to keep a low profile, no boasting or competing. We’ll all be one family in the future, and if there’s any conflict, I’ll hold you accountable!”

Zhang Su leaned against the chimney on the roof, looking towards the entrance of the village. Some bricks were piled by the roadside, likely for some planned projects.

”Thank you, Boss Zhang, for your concern. We all owe our survival to you, whatever you say goes, we will definitely abide by the rules!”

Wang Longzhong sincerely cupped his hands. Although there was a need to rebuild, the safety factor had increased significantly since before, giving everyone more confidence, at least at night they could sleep without being constantly awakened by nightmares.

”The enthusiasm is still strong, but Old Wang, the fuel reserves in the village are clearly insufficient. I’ll have someone deliver a cart of zombie corpses to you soon, but after that, you’ll have to manage on your own!”

Zhang Su recalled the conditions he had seen in various yards before, making a reminder. Celestial Horse Island would provide Satellite Village with safety protection, and also some material assistance, mainly food, but other supplies they would have to find themselves.

Wang Longzhong quickly nodded, ”Yes, yes, we haven’t been able to get everything done yet. We’ve already started preparing to search for zombie corpses nearby, you really are thoughtful.”

Village development wasn’t something that happened overnight. After a few words with Wang Longzhong, Zhang Su rode his small electric bike towards Village No.2.

”Uncle!”

As soon as Zhang Su rode into Village No.2, he saw Pang Dakun, using a wheelbarrow to push two frozen stiff zombie corpses toward a small yard.

”Where are you taking them?” Seeing Pang Dakun spreading warmth, Zhang Su stopped the bike in the road.

”Hehe... sending them to Xiaoya.”

Pang Dakun parked the wheelbarrow by the roadside, scratching his head a bit sheepishly, while his breath formed happy shapes in the cold air.

”Damn, what does she think of you that you rush around doing all this for her?”

Zhang Su grinned, wondering why all the brothers around him behaved like this!

Lu Yubo showed distinct signs of being a sycophant, Zhao Dezhu wasn’t exactly the same, but was indeed a wife protector, Wang Xin was slightly better at handling it, but Pang Dakun was unsurprisingly obliged, while Chen Hanzhou remained rational when dealing with romantic affairs.

”What does it matter what someone thinks, if there’s work to do, I do it. Using actions to move someone, that’s the most effective way to woo a girl, hehe!”

Pang Dakun lacked any semblance of a key member of Celestial Horse Island, talking about flirting with women excitedly, even offering Zhang Su tips on courting girls, overly self-assured in his approach.

”Before...uh, Brother Su, what brings you here?”

Just then, Su Xiaoya emerged from a yard gate not far away, casting a peculiar glance at Pang Dakun’s beaming face.

”There’s no outside mission today, I just came from Village No.1 to see how things are here.”

Zhang Su set the electric bike down on its stand, noticing two more women coming out from the yard and greeting him warmly. He asked, ”How many of you live in one house?”

”Thank you, Brother Zhang, for checking up on us. We have four people in one yard. Don’t worry, we will surely take good care of Xiaoya, not letting her do any hard or tiring work.”

”Aunt Liu, what are you saying? I can do all kinds of work, there’s no need for special treatment!”

Su Xiaoya’s face turned pale, hastily defending upon hearing the middle-aged woman’s words.

”Yes, yes, we know. Xiaoya is very capable. Brother Zhang, we’re off to stuff the quilts. Don’t worry, we won’t delay the Reserve Team’s training.”

”Goodbye now.”

With that said, the two women left, carrying cloth and cotton toward the yard opposite them.

Once the women had left, an awkward silence fell over the scene.

”Uh... I’ll go get the corpses inside!”

Seeing Zhang Su’s somewhat peculiar expression, Pang Dakun hastily made a run for it, pushing the wheelbarrow away as if his feet were greased.