Chapter 24 He's a sucker
“We can’t stay here any longer.” Jiang Ye crunched on an apple he’d somehow gotten his hands on. Leaning against the suite door, he said to the three of them, “We need to find somewhere else.”
"Where to? Are you going to another city? Do you have a destination?" Bai Chenzhu packed his backpack and checked his supplies. Besides the majority of the supplies in Jiang Ye's car, he was used to carrying some dry food with him, just in case.
I never expected them to leave after only a few days.
However, the corpses downstairs were definitely not a safe place for them to linger. The stench of blood and decay would breed fear and resentment if they stayed too long. And the bloodstains on the walls and floor could easily infect Zhou Zhuohua, who had only recently recovered.
As if knowing what he was thinking, Jiang Ye gave him a half-smile and said, "Don't worry, we're just changing hotels. There's a chain hotel near People's Park. I've checked it out; it's a standalone building, so there are relatively fewer zombies there."
"Are there any living people left there?" Zhou Zhuohua asked worriedly. "If not, how are we supposed to get up there without our room cards?"
"It's all up to human effort." Jiang Ye rubbed his fingers together, and as if by magic, two room cards appeared at his fingertips.
"Where did you come from?" Bai Chenzhu asked in surprise, as Jiang Ye had clearly been with him the whole time.
Jiang Ye shrugged. "I went for a morning run after waking up and even did a good deed. Let's not delay any longer, let's go now."
“But there’s another patient here.” Zhou Zhuohua turned to look at the large bed.
Inside the room, Bai Tao, wrapped in a blanket and leaning against the headboard, sneezed. She couldn't even open her eyes, and when she got out of bed, she wobbled, missed a step, and fell into a soft embrace.
Zhou Zhuohua helped her up and felt her forehead. "Are you alright?"
"Ugh, ugh, I, I'm fine." Bai Tao bravely opened her eyes, her face flushed, her body temperature very high, and she looked like she was unconscious from a high fever.
"Sister, I feel so bad." She held her forehead, her watery eyes looking helplessly at Zhou Zhuohua, which immediately reminded Zhou Zhuohua of her own spoiled younger sister.
The next moment, Bai Tao collapsed into Zhou Zhuohua's arms and fell into a deep sleep.
Jiang Ye, who was oblivious to everything, smiled and nudged Bai Chenzhu with his elbow, "Look, exactly the same as you before."
Bai Chenzhu looked at Bai Tao's weak appearance, and worry appeared between his brows.
He looked at Jiang Ye, subtly moved closer, his eyes fixed on the dazed Bai Tao, and whispered to Jiang Ye, "Does this happen every time you use your powers?"
"Um."
"Will she remain this weak forever?" Bai Chenzhu asked.
Jiang Ye chuckled, seemingly knowing what he wanted to ask, "Logically speaking, no."
"Then why haven't I fully recovered yet?" Bai Chenzhu's confusion was so intense it was almost overflowing.
“Oh, my friend.” Jiang Ye looked at him with a smile, bending his elbow and pressing it on his shoulder. “Is it possible that you haven’t learned to retract your spiritual power since you awakened?”
Even now, Jiang Ye could still sense the faint spiritual wisps drifting in the air, which was already the result of Bai Chenzhu's efforts to suppress them.
When mental power exceeds the body's capacity, it inevitably comes at the cost of backlash. Bai Chenzhu was always so weak precisely because he couldn't control his powerful mental power.
Perhaps, only when he fully masters his own power will he be able to act freely.
What a strange person. Jiang Ye thought to himself, he had never seen anyone suffer from such persistent troubles due to excessive mental power.
After Jiang Ye explained it this way, Bai Chenzhu finally understood.
That night, he transmigrated into his own body, perfectly healthy—healthy enough to give Jiang Ye a good beating. Unfortunately, he was too arrogant and ended up being infected by zombies.
Along with the high fever came a persistent, inexplicable weakness. Thinking about it this way, he must have awakened his supernatural abilities the day he was bitten, which explains his subsequent weakness and exhaustion.
"Stop chatting!" Zhou Zhuohua struggled to help Bai Tao sit down on the edge of the bed, her voice full of resentment. "You two have been chattering away for ages, why don't you come and help!"
“Men and women shouldn’t touch each other. We only agreed to bring her to the hotel, not to take her on the road.” Jiang Ye changed to a cold expression. He beckoned the others to get out, then swung his car keys and left.
"Jiang Ye!" Zhou Zhuohua was a little angry that Jiang Ye had left. She turned to Bai Chenzhu with a troubled expression, "Is that what you think too?"
That's what Bai Chenzhu was thinking. He couldn't even take care of himself, so how could he be so kind as to take care of patients?
But he had an extra consideration compared to Jiang Ye: he wanted to use Bai Tao as a guinea pig to observe how the other party would conceal his spiritual power.
So he remained calm and reached out to Bai Tao, "Sister, I'll help you take her downstairs."
Zhou Zhuohua pushed up his glasses with one hand, relaxed, and let out a sigh of relief. "You're still the best."
Bai Chenzhu smiled but remained silent.
It wasn't until they drove to the chain hotel Jiang Ye had mentioned that they learned what good deeds Jiang Ye had done every day.
He arrested all of the security chief's henchmen from yesterday, tied them to a tree trunk in front of the chain hotel with rough hemp rope, and let them continue to exert their potential as security guards.
They then took a perverse pleasure and tied the few zombies they had 'cleaned out' of the hotel to the tree opposite the henchmen with thin ropes.
The zombies hissed, their eyes gleaming with lust as they looked at the humans opposite them, struggling to reach out their hands, the ropes nearly snapped. The minions screamed in terror, crying and begging for mercy, the faint smell of urine lingering in the air.
"These bastards sneaked over at night to try and smash my car." Jiang Ye said casually, pausing when he saw Zhou Zhuohua and Bai Chenzhu half-supporting, half-carrying Bai Tao as they approached.
Zhou Zhuohua said, "What if the zombies break free and bite them?"
"What can we do?" Jiang Ye said, echoing the security guards' words, "Once bitten, you're no longer human, you're a zombie. Why should we concern ourselves with conflicts between zombies?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Chenzhu's gaze swept over the people who were tied up. He silently counted the number of people, and in his mind, he roughly had a sense of Jiang Ye's fighting strength.
Jiang Ye led the three upstairs, gave Bai Tao and Zhou Zhuohua a room card, and he shared a room with Bai Chenzhu.
“Sister, Aunt Liang passed away suddenly. I know you feel guilty, so you couldn’t help but take care of Bai Tao more.” Jiang Ye noticed that Zhou Zhuohua was giving too much attention to Bai Tao. Of course, he wouldn’t blame Zhou Zhuohua, but he would dislike the person who had bewitched her.
"But Bai Tao isn't your responsibility. Besides, she's more powerful than you. Do you think it's appropriate for someone without superpowers to worry about the life or death of someone with superpowers?"
Bai Chenzhu absentmindedly surveyed the room's layout. Jiang Ye must have come to 'clean' it beforehand; the hotel was quite quiet.
There was a slight movement in the arm that was supporting her. Bai Chenzhu looked down sharply at the 'unconscious' Bai Tao and raised an eyebrow with interest.
Zhou Zhuohua explained earnestly, "Don't worry, I don't plan to keep her with me forever. It's just that she's unconscious right now. What if she encounters bad guys or monsters? After all, it's a human life. Moving her to a safe place is just a matter of convenience."
"Just doing it?" Jiang Ye scoffed, tearing away the facade of harmony. "Why don't you guess why she's been unconscious?"
What does that mean? Zhou Zhuohua was stunned, then immediately looked down at Bai Tao, who had her eyes closed and did not react.
Zhou Zhuohua naturally trusted Jiang Ye. Her gaze became subtle, lingering on Bai Tao with a probing look, but she couldn't discern anything.
She looked at Bai Chenzhu again, and Bai Chenzhu raised the corner of his lips, his expression meaningful.
"Sister, kindness is often taken advantage of. Even a little girl can manipulate you." Jiang Ye looked at her leisurely.
Zhou Zhuohua, who had just been 'helpful', suddenly changed his expression and let go of Bai Chenzhu's hand indifferently, leaving all the weight on Bai Chenzhu.
Bai Chenzhu clicked his tongue, showing absolutely no mercy, and decisively let go, allowing Bai Tao to fall to the ground.
But Bai Tao didn't fall. Her body swayed, and she managed to stay upright. She slowly stood up, no longer pretending to be in a vegetative state.
Bai Chenzhu was not surprised to see this.
“Brother Jiang, you made me sound a bit scary.” Bai Tao opened her eyes and looked straight at Jiang Ye. She was weak and her lips were pale. She coughed and gasped for breath after saying a few words, but her spirit was still strong. “I heard what you were saying just now. I am a superhuman.”
Bai Tao glanced at Zhou Zhuohua and Bai Chenzhu, "With two people with you, it's hard to protect them all. Why don't you let me join you? At least I can protect Sister Zhuohua."
Zhou Zhuohua felt resentful because her kindness had been taken advantage of. She adjusted her glasses, frowned at the frail-looking Bai Tao, and said disapprovingly, "I don't need your protection. Don't use me as an excuse."
Bai Tao coughed twice, covering her mouth. "Don't be angry, Sister Zhuohua. Here, I have to prove my worth, don't I?"
Jiang Ye scrutinized the girl in front of him and began to consider what she had said.
Bai Tao slowly tied her crooked ponytail and straightened her clothes. Her round face looked innocent and pitiful, but her words were not like that at all. They were sharp and to the point: "If Brother Jiang is going to leave me here to die, I will go to hell and no one will be spared. I will take you all down with me before I die, just like that day."
"Oh, what a big mouth you have." Jiang Ye stood with his arms crossed, meeting her gaze with displeasure. "You can't even stand up right now, and you dare to tell me you can protect people?"
"I heard what you just said to him," Bai Tao analyzed rationally, confidently stating, "This is only temporary; I will be alright."
Jiang Ye was starting to get impatient; the more he looked at Bai Tao, the more displeased he became. The thought of Bai Chenzhu believing and spreading rumors that they were a couple...
Bai Chenzhu was inexplicably glared at by Jiang Ye, wondering why he hadn't said or done anything. He asked Jiang Ye, "What she said makes a lot of sense. What are your plans next?"
"Then prove your skills to me." Jiang Ye raised his chin and said arrogantly to Bai Tao, "I'm going out with him next. Sister Hua isn't fully recovered and needs to rest. And you, just like you said, are responsible for protecting Zhou Zhuohua and guarding this place during this time."
"This is the sincerity you should show to join us."
Bai Chenzhu glanced at the two facing off, then turned and pulled Zhou Zhuohua into the room. Zhou Zhuohua was afraid that Jiang Ye and Bai Tao might do something if they disagreed, so she was initially reluctant and kept turning back to look at the two of them.
But in the end, he followed Bai Chenzhu's lead and left.
Actually, Bai Chenzhu didn't have much to say; he simply handed Zhou Zhuohua a folding knife.
"Thank you." Zhou Zhuohua accepted it without hesitation, her expression complex. "Be careful when you go out. Don't worry about me. At least I have the ability to protect myself now."
Knowing that she wasn't fully recovered and that Bai Tao was still with her, she didn't intend to insist on going out with the two of them, but she couldn't help but worry.
Bai Chenzhu glanced outside the door. He knew that Jiang Ye and Bai Tao were still talking, and Bai Tao's mental power was blocked outside the door by him. Speaking of this, Bai Chenzhu once felt that he had been corrupted by Jiang Ye and had only learned how to make a 'shield'.
Jiang Ye is training his psychic ability users according to his preferences, just as a sufficiently sharp spear is forging a shield for itself.
Bai Chenzhu knew this.
But so what? While others are still figuring things out, Jiang Ye is more than just a shortcut. Bai Chenzhu chose to follow Jiang Ye because he wanted to obtain information that would help him become stronger.
Bai Chenzhu said calmly, "Those with superpowers, especially those like Bai Tao, are far more likely to be noticed by zombies than ordinary people."
He paused, recalling Jiang Ye's earlier analogy, and a smile played on his lips as he mimicked Jiang Ye's words: "She's like roast chicken, and you're like white rice. If you encounter a mutant you can't defeat..."
Having said all that, Zhou Zhuohua understood. She gripped the small knife in her hand tightly. "Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think. I pity Bai Tao, but I wouldn't risk my life for her. Xiao Bai, you should be careful. Jiang Ye is a wild man, and sometimes he does things on a whim. When you go out, don't let him make all the decisions, or you might suffer."
It's no wonder Zhou Zhuohua had such concerns; in her view, Jiang Ye had the upper hand in his relationship with Bai Chenzhu. And Bai Chenzhu was far too obedient.
Bai Chenzhu was unaware of Zhou Zhuohua's evaluation of him; otherwise, he would probably be laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight.
Recalling how someone had suddenly pulled him to jump out of the window, Bai Chenzhu wholeheartedly agreed. He shook his head, "It's useless. Jiang Ye never listens to me, but he listens to Sister Hua."
“Then let me tell you a secret: Jiang Ye responds better to gentleness than force.” Zhou Zhuohua smiled, a hint of slyness in his eyes, as he said this. “Even though you’re a boy, you can show weakness sometimes.”
Jiang Ye actually fell for this. Bai Chenzhu pondered for a moment, then stroked his chin. "Wasn't I 'weak' enough before?"
“Sigh, this weakness is not the same as that weakness. Before, you were like a red cloth used for bullfighting, while Jiang Ye became stronger with each battle.” Zhou Zhuohua raised the knife in his hand. “Consider it a thank-you gift. Figure it out yourself.”
Bai Chenzhu really couldn't figure it out, but when he thought back to when they first met, there was a group of underlings surrounding Jiang Ye. Did Jiang Ye really like that kind of thing? Was it too late to curry favor with him now?
Bai Chenzhu began to think about her position by the male lead's side. Should she try her best to become his number one follower?
When he and Zhou Zhuohua went out, they had already reached an agreement.
Bai Chenzhu twitched his nose, faintly catching a whiff of blood. He frowned, looking at the two of them, but couldn't discern the source of the blood.
Bai Tao yawned, looking drowsy, as if she wanted to see the guests off. Jiang Ye, however, was quite awake, his face grim. He gave Zhou Zhuohua a few instructions and then led Bai Chenzhu away.
The carpet in the hotel corridor is very thick, and it makes almost no noise when you step on it.
Jiang Ye and Bai Chenzhu walked one after the other. Bai Chenzhu slowed down, listened carefully, and suddenly asked, "Jiang Ye, did you hear a dog barking?"
Jiang Ye stopped and listened carefully to what he was saying, then shook his head. "What's wrong?"
"Ever since I came to this area, I've been hearing faint barking from dogs." Bai Chenzhu pinched the bridge of his nose, looking quite troubled. "It's probably just my imagination, don't worry about it."
After packing their things, Bai Chenzhu carried his backpack, while Jiang Ye took a simple baseball bat.
This guy is really wicked. He traveled light with only two pockets in his pockets, but along the way he tried countless times to stuff his things into Bai Chenzhu's backpack.
As a result, everything was thrown out, and Bai Chenzhu looked so fierce that he wanted to bury him alive on the spot.
If Jiang Ye knew that Zhou Zhuohua thought he had the upper hand, he would probably feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
If one knew what Bai Chenzhu was thinking just now, one would say something like: What kind of younger brother are you? You're even fiercer than your older brother.
The moment Jiang Ye stepped out of the hotel, he couldn't contain his curiosity and looked at Bai Chenzhu, who had been unusually quiet all day. "Hey! Why don't you ask me why I went to People's Park? Aren't you afraid I'll sell you off?"
Jiang Ye had been trying hard to hold back, waiting for Bai Chenzhu to ask, but this time Bai Chenzhu didn't play by the rules.
Bai Chenzhu rolled up his sleeves, trying to smooth out the wrinkles, and replied indifferently, "I don't know why you want to go, but you won't sell me out."
Jiang Ye scoffed at his naiveté, "You think I wouldn't dare?"
“No, of course you dare.” Bai Chenzhu tilted her head slightly, her phoenix eyes sparkling, looking at him with confidence and arrogance. “But you won’t, because you need me.”
Jiang Ye was stunned.
"Can't speak?" Bai Chenzhu laughed, his voice full of certainty. "You won't let me die easily, so this time you deliberately brought me, this 'burden,' out with you just like last time, so you want me to practice my abilities more."
"You really are..." Jiang Ye ground his back teeth, "You guessed what I was thinking, and you're quite pleased with yourself."
She was quite pleased with herself. Bai Chenzhu looked at Jiang Ye in front of her and inexplicably thought of Zhou Zhuohua's words: "Jiang Ye responds better to gentleness than force."
Since we're going out soon, why not give it a try first? After thinking it over, Bai Chenzhu brazenly and earnestly asked Jiang Ye, "Don't you think I'm right, brother?"
Big Brother? Jiang Ye was startled and turned his head suspiciously, squinting at him as he looked him up and down as if he were a complete stranger or someone with ill intentions.
Bai Chenzhu kept chattering: "Brother Jiang? Big Brother Jiang? Boss Jiang?"
Jiang Ye was getting annoyed by his nagging, and seeing the mockery in the man's eyes, he snapped, "Shut up!"
"They actually fall for that." Bai Chenzhu suddenly realized that although his identity in this world was a year older than Jiang Ye's body, in terms of soul age, Jiang Ye was four years older than him, so calling him "brother" was perfectly reasonable.
It seems that calling someone "brother" works not only between opposite sexes but also between same sexes; in essence, it expresses admiration for strength and submission.
However, Bai Chenzhu calling him "brother" was clearly a calculated move.
Bai Chenzhu took advantage of the situation and feigned weakness, his eyes filled with sincerity: "Actually, I'm quite afraid of pain, and I'm also afraid of heights. Brother, you'll protect me and won't let me suffer, right?"
Please don't jump out of the window like you did last time.
"I'll protect you, you bastard!" Jiang Ye was infuriated by his hypocritical actions. "You talk as if I've ever made you suffer. Should I just put you in a glass jar and display it on the shelf as a treasure?"
Upon hearing the word 'treasured collection,' Bai Chenzhu's eyes lit up, and she smiled wryly, saying in a leisurely tone, "Is there really such a good thing?"
Jiang Ye:......
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