8.3 – Perhaps, the era that belonged to their boss was just about to begin
translator: xiin
editors: alamerysl & BlueBug
Yanshan base was originally a small third-tier city, and the infrastructure was lacking. Many roads had been repaired, but most of them were still disorganized, and there was no fundamental planning. Only a few of the local residents of the city remained, and all normal people were already dead. The ability users with some strength had all gone to larger bases for security. After all, this place was connected to a lot of other locations, but had no oversight, causing the environment here to be rather messy.
Before the apocalypse, Chu Han was the president of an internet company. He did not have many people under his command, and very few of them had abilities and were able to live until now. So, other than him and He Yan, there were only five people left in his team.
He Yan did not agree with Xue Ling"s and everyone else"s decision to each go their own way, but it was useless. There was no one who could prevent Xue Ling from doing what he wanted to do. Besides, no one on the team had a good relationship with He Yan. It was already bad enough that n.o.body spoke to him; the few of them simply crossed their arms over their chests as though watching a joke.
He Yan flushed red, and his face was full of grievance. "Brother Han, do you really have the heart to leave me alone? Didn’t uncle and aunt tell you to take good care of me?
Xue Ling looked at him with his lips curved. Although the corners of his point pointed upwards slightly, there was no amus.e.m.e.nt on his face at all. "First crying, then kicking up a fuss, and finally trying to hang yourself no longer works, so you"re using my parents to pressure me?" There was a lazy flavour to his words, and adding on the way he carelessly half-leaned against the car, no matter how one looked at him, it was obvious he had no patience for He Yan. "If I remember correctly, my parents died in order to protect you. I had not quibbled with you about it back then, but that does not mean I"m willing to watch you harm the people around me to death one after another. You"d better go while I still have the patience to talk to you about these things."
He Yan’s eyes reddened.
He was born good-looking, his lips red, and teeth white, his face a little round, and everyone who saw him praised him for being cute. In the past, Chu Han would not speak to him so severely even when he disliked him. This time, he opened his mouth to say these words, wanting to drive him away from the team, and it seemed that his heart was particularly firm. "Big brother Han, why? You"ve never said things like this to me before… What did I do wrong? Can"t you just tell me so that I can change it?"
Xue Ling was really too lazy to go on with him like this. It was getting dark. How much longer would they have to stay here discussing whether or not he should leave?
“You guys get in the car.” Xue Ling motioned for the others to get in the car, and opened the door to the driver"s compartment himself. “There"s nothing more to say. We no longer have any relationship to each other from today onwards. If you still need a proper declaration, I can give it to you tomorrow. From now on, you’re no longer part of our team.”
He Yan watched him get into the car and drive off without waiting for him. His heart was filled with all kinds of grievances and mixed feelings, and tears unconsciously started to run down his face.
He stood foolishly in the middle of the road, not understanding how things could become like this. It was totally different from his plan. He only did these things in order to save the world - why couldn"t Chu Han understand him even a little? He had been determined to take the same path as the zombies in the last life, and this life he was the same. He hadn"t even hesitated before throwing him away!
What he threw away was the hope of mankind! Didn"t he understand?!
Anger and unprecedented grievance made He Yan crouch on the roadside thinking about life. His system had been comforting him non-stop, telling him that it was Chu Han who was ignorant, and as long as he could make him clearly understand how grand an undertaking it was, Chu Han would definitely support them.
With that, He Yan finally gathered back his emotions and stood up, thinking about how to get back to Yanshan base.
This road went in all directions, and people could get to the base via this road regardless of where they"d come from. Before, he had driven one of the team"s cars back to get help, and then returned in the rescuers" car. Now, other than walking back on his own, his only other option was to flag down a car.
It was already getting dark. Not only was dangerous to be out and about at night, He Yan was also not strong at all.
His system could provide him with convenience, and it could also help him rank up, but today was the first day of his return to this timeframe; his wood ability was still very weak, his offensive power terrible.
If he did not want to die in the mouth of a zombie, he had to quickly find a car willing to pick him up.
Just then, a black off-road vehicle came into sight. He smiled excitedly, wiped his face, and jumped into the middle of the road, waving his hand at the car that was still a little distance away.
Very soon, the car stopped in front of him, and the driver rolled down the window, revealing a cold, distant face.
The man was wearing sungla.s.ses, his long hair tied into a high ponytail. He wore a black dress shirt under a white trench coat. Even during the end of the world, he was wearing a watch on his hand, and sat there looking graceful and dignified. His ident.i.ty and status was bound to be high.
However, He Yan’s heart was frozen.
For no other reason than because he recognized this man.
Before turning back time, Yanshan Base and the zombies had come together to discuss cooperation. At that time, with the idea that he might as well start over since things had already reached that point, he wanted to destroy that meeting and use it to recharge the system so that it could turn back time. It was during that time that he met the zombie faction"s leader.
He was a very dreadful man. He only glanced at him, but the gaze the man sent over had the ability to kill him on the spot. Even the system on his body was terrified of this man. It was because he existed that He Yan must cultivate Chu Han and make him achieve SSS-level. This was the only way to resolve such a big hidden danger.
Looking at the cold, distant person in front of him, He Yan"s trembled, and even his teeth chattered a little. He was very afraid of such a living weapon, but he also knew very clearly that there was nothing he could do about it. No matter how many more ability users there were, they would still be unable to do anything to him. It was because of this that he could not expose him. He forced himself to calm down and asked, “Are you going to Yanshan base? Can you give me a lift?
The man’s gaze swept back and forth over his body, seemingly stripping him bare to look at all of him. That kind of gaze made He Yan feel uncomfortable all over. "I… I"m not a bad person. Only, something happened and I was left here…"
The man raised his eyebrows and finally opened his mouth to ask, "Do you know anything about Yanshan base?”
Although his memories were vague, He Yan still nodded his head and said, “Yes.” Having such a big killer want to go to Yanshan base made He Yan a bit anxious. As a savior of the world, he subconsciously felt responsible for the safety of Yanshan base, so if he was able to keep an eye on this person, then he absolutely had to do it. He had a system by his side, and the man would not be able to kill him so easily. “If you want to learn about the base, I can give you an introduction.”
The man nodded and said, “Come up, pa.s.senger seat.”
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to open the car door.
If he had not seen the zombie emperor before, he definitely would have thought that the person in front of him was an ability user and not a zombie.
Because they were all a new variety of human caused by radiation, the difference between ability users and zombies was not very big. There was basically no difference at all between the high-level zombies and ability users. They could breathe, and eat, and their every move and action was nothing like that of a zombie. As long as they wanted, one would never be able to catch on to any hint otherwise. Fortunately, zombies like those did not often venture out, preferring to stay near their emperor in zombie territory. Most of them would not voluntarily go and visit the ability users" bases.
Low-level zombies had limited thinking ability. They could only group together in order to have a sense of security. And this was also the reason why it was extremely dangerous for low-level ability users to encounter a single low-level zombie as it often meant that they would be followed by a group of low-level zombies. The places where they gathered frequently turned into places where the ability users frequently cleared them up, similar to the outskirts of the city where Chu Han had been just now.
The ability users were much better. At least they were alive and breathing, and had normal body temperatures unlike those zombies. Even if they were weak and small, as long as they chose correctly, they could still thrive in this new world, and would not face the danger of being exterminated from time to time.
Zombie corpses held crystal nuclei, which was where they stored their energy. Obtaining one of those things would help people improve their strength. Similarly, the energy nucleus in ability users" bodies also had the same function. In the early days after the apocalypse, zombies and ability users mutually fought and hunted each other because the nuclei were so attractive, but now, it was no longer the same as back then. Many had people calmed down and would no longer kill recklessly.
Now, most people would choose to hunt a third group of beings other than zombies and ability users in order to enhance their abilities. Those were the "zombie beasts". These were radiation-affected animals, and differed in that they were truly dead, but most of the animals still had abilities. They had no IQ and could only rely on instinct, and that made them terrifying.
The fact that zombie beasts were more terrible than zombies had already been universally acknowledged after the apocalypse, which was why those whose abilities were not strong enough did not wander outside at night.
The car drove towards Yanshan base. He Yan had originally thought that the zombie emperor would ask him some things, but the man never opened his mouth during the entire journey. He just drove quietly, and the closer he got to Yanshan base, the gentler his aura became. The cold and b.l.o.o.d.y aura disappeared, and his camouflage became virtually perfect.
He Yan’s heart had constantly been beating very fast. He was now very nervous, afraid that the other side would open his mouth to speak, and yet also afraid that he would not.
Soon, the entrance to Yanshan base appeared in front of them. After the apocalypse, human beings all built high walls around their bases. The entire city only had one entry point in front, and one exit point in the back. Security was very important, and they were very strict about guarding and registering people who came in and out.
He Yan did not understand why the man had let him into the car until the man opened the window and asked the inspector at the gate to register him as a new resident of the base.
Yanshan base could only accommodate a certain number of people, and as early as three months ago, it had begun to strictly regulate the comings and goings of the population. Normally, becoming a resident of the city required the recommendation of someone who had already been living there for more than half a year. He Yan had been in Yanshan base ever since the apocalypse, which was perfect for this situation.
He Yan broke out into a shocked, cold sweat. He did not know how the man knew that he had lived in Yanshan base for three years, let alone why the man wanted to register to live in Yanshan base.
A terrible guess hovered in his mind, and he opened his eyes a little incredulously.
After problems occurred with Chu Han, were there also problems with the zombie emperor?! Did he come to find Chu Han?
Xue Ling was unaware that the protagonist shou had ultimately been taken advantage of by a certain man. He and his team had already returned to the team"s residence in Yanshan base and were having a meeting.
“It’s about our future development, so I want to hear everyone"s opinions.” Those who were still here were all people that Chu Han had brought with him. They had been together for nearly a year, and could be trusted. If possible, Xue Ling did not want them to leave, either. "You guys should also know that since I already have a second ability, it means that I will not continue to be mediocre from now on."
The fatty"s eyes were bright, and it seemed as though there were stars in his eyes, his entire person began to take on the appearance of a female fan. "Has boss finally decided to deal with them? I"ve long found those wastes in the base annoying."
Deng Sini had a notebook in her hand. She smacked him when she heard his words. "Can you not speak properly? Have you lost all semblance of civilization?"
“If the boss wants to expand, then he should go ahead and do it. Although our ability is limited, we won"t hesitate to help where we can." Mister bodyguard"s expression was indifferent, but his words and tone were particularly serious.
“You hear that? That"s called speaking properly." Deng Sini patted the fatty on the shoulder and spoke her piece. "Boss, you don"t need to use this tone to speak with us. Back then, we didn"t expand the team because of various considerations. Now that boss has this kind of idea, we naturally follow you.” At this point, she pursed her lips, then said, "But, there’s one thing I want to emphasize to you. That He Yan is a disaster. Today, boss left him behind. In the future, don"t let him attach himself to you again."
Xue Ling really liked the way this group of people spoke. He nodded. “Rest a.s.sured, I"ve never regretted my decisions. I never did before, nor will I in the future. If you meet him again, you don"t need to be polite."
"With boss" words, we can also relax!" The fatty laughed and said, “Let’s find more people tomorrow, then!”
“Wait a few days.” Xue Ling propped his cheek against his hand, “Let the news of my strength improving get thoroughly spread out. Since we are going to do this, let"s make it big."
The three of them looked at each other, then laughed one after another.
Perhaps, the era that belonged to their boss was just about to begin.
any guesses on who the ML is? (no prizes for getting it right…) ![:blobrofl:]()