Edge of the Apocalypse

Chapter 87: Chapter 82: Day Off

Zhao Youcai: "Dongzi, how did you convince Zhao Wenjie to do such a dangerous job for us? And Yang Yi... she didn’t pull any of her usual nonsense, did she?"

The question made Yu Dong a bit wistful.

"Because of love."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Yu Dong deliberately slowed his pace, falling back from the group in front of them, and stopped in the 24th-floor stairwell.

"Zhao Wenjie is deeply in love with Yang Yi. He’s willing to risk his life for her. If that’s not love, what is, Youcai?"

"Spell it out for me, Dongzi."

"Somehow, Zhao Wenjie got wind that after we cleared the outside, we were going to kick them out to Building Three to fend for themselves—no food, no water, nothing. So, the moment I went to him, he immediately said he’d do anything, as long as we gave the two of them a chance to live..."

A flicker of unease crossed Zhao Youcai’s face. He took out a pack of Yuhua Stones, pulled one out, and lit it.

SHHHHP... "So he just agreed to go capture those people in Building Two?"

"Yeah. I was upfront with him about the risks. I told him things could go wrong—I might have misjudged the situation, maybe there were more than two people, or maybe they were tough enough to withstand the taser. That part of the plan was definitely risky, but he did it anyway. He just had one condition."

"What condition?"

"That Yang Yi couldn’t be put in any danger. If he died... we had to take care of Yang Yi for him, let her share our food and water. He said as long as I agreed to that, he’d go immediately."

"He’s pretty naive," Zhao Youcai scoffed, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "If he died in there, it’s not like he could do anything if we decided not to look after Yang Yi."

"He said he trusted me," Yu Dong said calmly.

Zhao Youcai’s body stiffened slightly. Then he took a deep drag, the red ember of his cigarette glowing brightly in the darkness.

"PHEW... Dongzi, sometimes I think your methods are too merciful, too soft. You don’t fit my image of a perfect leader. But... if I had to entrust my life to someone, it would only be you."

"We’re brothers. That’s all there is to it."

"So what now? He took Building Two, came back a hero. Are you planning to let him rejoin the team?"

Yu Dong gave a bitter smile.

"Zhao Wenjie... he’s actually a good guy. There’s something you all don’t know."

"Oh? Tell me."

"After we formed our group at the start of the apocalypse, and you mentioned the pig feed, I remembered those five survivors... Do you know which one of them I wanted to bring into our team the most?"

"It couldn’t be Zhao Wenjie, could it?" Zhao Youcai chuckled.

"It was him. And he was my top choice by a long shot, far above the other four..."

"What’s so special about him that you’d value him that much? He’s a scrawny weakling with no stamina and no skills, and he’s dragging a burden along with him."

Zhao Youcai thought about it but couldn’t come up with a single reason why he’d be essential to save.

Now that he didn’t have to build the greenhouse himself and they had someone to grow vegetables, Zhao Youcai was even starting to think Wang Xiuying was the one who was essential. Never mind that the old bat had a foul mouth; she really had a knack for farming... He’d just glanced over, and the greenhouse was already lush and green.

He could accept anyone who had value.

Looking at it now, Zhao Youcai had to admit... his judgment wasn’t as good as Yu Dong’s. He’d always been curious—how had Yu Dong seen that the old woman was so skilled?

Now, listening to Yu Dong talk about Zhao Wenjie, he was just as curious about what exactly Yu Dong saw in him.

"In my past life, the zombified old security guard lunged at them, and they just ran... Then Yang Yi fell. She should have been a goner. Their building, Building Three, was just ahead. All Zhao Wenjie had to do was run a few more steps to get inside and hide. But... he turned back without a moment’s hesitation to fight the zombie bare-handed. Even as it tore chunks of flesh from his arm, he was still screaming for Yang Yi to run, to hurry up and get home..."

Hearing this, Zhao Youcai took a drag from his cigarette and said, "So, in the last life, he was just a simp."

"Call him a simp or call him devoted, I don’t get why Zhao Wenjie is so into Yang Yi. But... he’s the kind of person who would sacrifice his own life for someone he loves. Having someone like that as a teammate... I’d feel a lot safer."

Zhao Youcai took one last, long drag, pulling all the remaining smoke into his mouth.

"I get it, Dongzi... Zhao Wenjie really is a man’s man. But if you’re trying to convince me to give up Yang Yi, you can forget it. If she really loved him, she wouldn’t have been with me. And if she’s just a bitch from the start, then you could say I just helped Zhao Wenjie dodge a bullet."

Crushing the cigarette butt, Zhao Youcai started walking downstairs. Yu Dong’s voice followed from behind.

"They won’t be rejoining our group. But I promised to let them participate in the search of Building Three and take a share of the food, water, and other things they need. After that, we’ll go our separate ways."

Yu Dong would never accept Yang Yi back. Her sneakiness was one thing, but her twisted way of thinking was what was truly frightening.

And her way of thinking would influence Zhao Wenjie’s, so it was best to keep them separate.

He and Yang Yi could take a share of the supplies and go live their own lives. It would be a fair payment for his services.

...

「Day ten of the apocalypse.」

A torrential downpour had lasted the entire day, drowning the world in a violent curtain of rain.

Before this display of nature’s power, both zombies and humans seemed utterly insignificant.

Visibility outside was extremely low. After everyone had moved all sorts of containers to the rooftop to collect rainwater, today became an unexpected day of rest.

「Building One, Apartment 301.」

"Huh? Yu Dong, why are you taking my temperature again? Didn’t you just take it this morning?"

Liu Ye’ye looked at Yu Dong, puzzled. She didn’t understand why he insisted on checking her temperature every two hours.

"I’m worried you’ll get a fever."

"But I feel perfectly fine..."

"You don’t understand. Some illnesses get worse very quickly. Better safe than sorry! Here, tuck this under your arm."

Yu Dong handed the thermometer to Liu Ye’ye. Blushing, she turned away to tuck it under her arm. Her little bear pajamas gapped, revealing a generous amount of pale, supple skin that seemed ready to spill out. The sight made Yu Dong awkwardly look away.

Nearby, Shen Xinyi pouted.

"Captain, why don’t you ask about me? I don’t feel so good. My head feels so hot~~~"

Shen Xinyi clutched her head, feigning weakness.

"Go get an ice pack from the fridge and put it on your head yourself."

"Not fair! I wanna tuck it too!"

"That baby talk is disgusting."

Yu Dong ignored the dramatic Shen Xinyi, his attention focused solely on Liu Ye’ye.

On this day in his past life, Liu Ye’ye had suddenly become gravely ill, most likely due to the weather.

So, Yu Dong planned to stay in Apartment 301 all day today.

Seeing Yu Dong’s eyes constantly fixed on Liu Ye’ye, never once glancing her way, Shen Xinyi felt a surge of resentment.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind.

"Since we’re all free today, and the batteries for this room are fully charged, why don’t we watch a movie together on the TV? Let’s watch a horror movie! They’re my favorite!"

Yu Dong considered it for a moment.

"Good idea. I’ll go upstairs and get everyone. We’ll all watch a movie together today!"

Watching Yu Dong go upstairs to call the others, Shen Xinyi stomped her small, fair foot with a huff.

"He’s so cocky! Ye Ye, do you really like a guy that cocky?"

"I think he’s really cute," Liu Ye’ye said with a sweet smile.

When they heard Yu Dong was putting on a movie, everyone was unanimously on board!

Qiao Ping had Huang Zhiqiang help her downstairs. Even Wang Xiuying, who usually didn’t want to get involved in their affairs, came down, saying she needed to stretch her legs.

Zhao Wenjie and Yang Yi also came over.

Today, everyone gathered in Apartment 301 to watch the movie, enjoying a rare moment of togetherness.

Of course, Shen Xinyi didn’t get to watch her horror movie. Because... when there’s a big group, you can only watch family-friendly films.

Today, in all of Building One, only one person was unhappy.

The lone-wolf Master of Traps, Sun Shan, tied up on the first floor:

"Hey!? Where is everyone? What’s the plan here? Are you going to kill me or torture me or what?"

"Why did you just tie me up and not ask any questions?"

"What the hell is wrong with you people!"

"You bunch of home-invading robbers and murderers!!!"

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