Chapter 16 The Apocalypse 15
Not far away, Luo Mingchuan found the scene incredibly jarring. He abruptly looked away, his chest heaving violently. The entire figure was shrouded in a cold, eerie mist, making it impossible for anyone to approach.
Fools, a bunch of idiots. They've all been fooled by him.
Only Luo Mingchuan knew that Lu Xuejin's seemingly aggrieved and submissive behavior was all a deliberate performance. Lu Xuejin had clearly developed a strong interest in this hunting team leader, to the point that she went to great lengths to deceive him and even temporarily forgot his existence.
The hunting party advanced toward the city center in the afternoon.
The zombies here have clearly evolved, no longer limited by stiff knee joints. They move incredibly fast and are extremely aggressive, but under the powerful superpower attacks of the hunting team members, they quickly turn to ashes like moths to a flame, leaving behind a ground full of crystal cores of various sizes.
Throughout the entire process, Lu Xuejin stayed close to the shepherd boy, watching him unleash raging flames with a wave of his hand, the violent tongues of fire engulfing everything. The intense heat distorted the air, and the scorching waves even reddened Lu Xuejin's cheek, making him look even more pitiful. But he kept his lips tightly pressed together, never uttering a sound of pain, nor losing control of his emotions with a scream or fleeing in a disheveled state.
Much better than the idiots I've encountered before.
The shepherd boy remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was quite satisfied. After the cleanup was finished, he unusually took the initiative to lead Lu Xuejin to get water to wash her face.
Clean water is extremely precious. Fortunately, the hunting team has a water-type ability user who can provide a fixed amount of clean water for washing and drinking each day. The shepherd boy is a good captain, unlike other hunting captains who hoard large amounts of resources and only leave a small amount for the angry but dare not speak out team members. However, even though the daily water production seems considerable, once divided among the twenty-odd team members, the share each person receives is still extremely limited.
The shepherd boy gave all his share to Lu Xuejin, his little face covered in ashes, looking pitiful and unpleasant to look at.
Even though the flames had dissipated, the residual heat still made the water warm to the touch.
Knowing that water was precious, Lu Xuejin carefully divided the water into two portions using a stainless steel basin. She glanced at the shepherd boy's face and, seeing that he did not object, carefully dipped her fingers in the water and gently wiped away the ash from her face and neck.
Ripples danced gently in his downcast eyes.
If they hadn't encountered the hunting party, he and Luo Mingchuan could have easily gone into any house and thoroughly washed themselves with the remaining, still-warm water. Now, all they could do was wash their hands and faces.
But this baby-faced captain is quite interesting.
With her back to the shepherd boy, Lu Xuejin's eyes curved into crescents, and a mischievous dimple appeared at the corner of her lips.
"What are your plans once you get to the base? Have you decided what kind of work you want to do?" The shepherd boy's voice came from behind.
Although the person in front of him was timid, he was obedient and sensible. The shepherd boy found Lu Xuejin more and more pleasing to the eye, and he was thinking that he should recruit Lu Xuejin into his team, lest this rabbit be devoured and kept by someone else as soon as she entered the base.
That's what I thought, and that's what I said.
“Even if you don’t test positive for superpowers, you can still come and work in my logistics department. With me here, no one will dare to bully you.” He said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, “Otherwise, if you bring your brother along, you’ll either be deceived or forced. The base isn’t as bright as you think—we all know that human nature can’t withstand the test, especially when order has collapsed and people are living hand to mouth.”
"The base uses superpowers and power to forcibly mix all sorts of people together to live and work. Those above only demand superficial stability and don't care how filthy and dark it is underneath. There's even an area in the base specifically for people with good looks like you. They don't have to work and seem to live an easy life, but at least half of them didn't willingly end up here." The shepherd stopped there, extending another semi-commanding invitation. He was unusually patient.
Lu Xuejin turned around and looked up at him, meeting his eyes calmly and without any hesitation or fear for the first time.
The shepherd boy was taken aback, then blurted out, "Your eyes are quite pretty."
Pure and clear like the cleanest glass.
When he was a child, he collected a whole drawer full of similar glass beads, and he would take them out to admire them every day. Unfortunately, they were later touched by a relative's naughty child and shattered into pieces.
He beat the brat until he cried loudly, but those beautiful, unique beads could never be brought back.
Lu Xuejin hesitated for a moment, then whispered her request: "My younger brother too, he has to come with me."
The shepherd boy raised an eyebrow. "Okay."
Although I don't like that adopted younger brother, he's tall and strong, so he could be a porter.
Lu Xuejin asked softly, "Is it really true that no one can bully me?"
The shepherd boy's smile deepened. "Of course. Except for me."
He thought Lu Xuejin would be stubborn for a while, but he didn't expect her to give in so quickly, which made him very happy.
He pushed the bowl in front of him to Lu Xuejin and said leisurely, "Drink up. Look at you, you look so pitiful, your lips are so dry they're peeling."
Once he's in a good mood, everything is negotiable.
Lu Xuejin picked up the basin of water and carefully watched the shepherd boy's smiling eyes, afraid that his expression would change at any moment. However, he didn't make a sound as he sipped the water, swallowing small sips until he had drunk about half a bowl.
The shepherd boy stared intently at the young man's Adam's apple, which bobbed up and down as he swallowed, like a sliding glass bead. A slight itch rose in his fingers, so he bent down and plucked a weed from the flowerbed at his feet, twirling it between his fingertips.
Seeing Lu Xuejin blink in surprise, the shepherd boy said with a half-smile, "What, you want it?"
Lu Xuejin obediently shook her head and said, "I just wanted to say... Captain Mu, thank you. If it weren't for your kindness in taking us in, I don't know what would have happened to Mingchuan and me..."
"Kind-hearted..." The shepherd boy almost couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you're right, I told you I'm a good person. Don't think I'm bullying you, I'm just doing this for the sake of the team. See, now that I've confirmed you and your brother are harmless, aren't I being nicer to you?"
Lu Xuejin smiled but didn't reply, turning her gaze away. Mu Tong thought she was shy.
But he didn't know that after Lu Xuejin looked away, her gaze passed over him and landed on Luo Mingchuan, who had been standing silently not far away.
This timid and weak young man, who had never dared to look people in the eye, now had a bright, arrogant, almost malicious smile in his eyes, which he openly and honestly directed at the other person.
They're playing tricks on people again.
Luo Mingchuan calmly looked back at him, his dark pupils like a bottomless, cold pool, dull and without light.
He knew the shepherd boy wasn't very bright.
His brother seemed to enjoy seducing others into liking him, using his harmless appearance to bewitch them. Ironically, these shrewd people, who thought they had everything under control, were utterly foolish, unknowingly stepping into the trap Lu Xuejin had meticulously woven.
That's why he resisted going to the base and resisted contact with humans.
They were already alien beings, detached from human society. Lu Xuejin's teasing of the shepherd boy was tantamount to dancing with fire; the outcome would either be burning her hands and body, or being extinguished by the raging flames.
The hunting team was having an internal meeting, and Lu Xuejin didn't want to stay there, so she slowly strolled over to Luo Mingchuan's side.
He sat down next to Luo Mingchuan, his thighs squeezing in to gently press against the other's. At such close range, they could even exchange breaths intimately.
Luo Mingchuan felt his heart skip a beat. Suddenly, the person next to him leaned in, and soft, slightly cool lips brushed against his earlobe, bringing a slight shiver.
“What a despicable guy, look at his arrogant attitude,” Lu Xuejin lowered her voice to a whisper, her tone carrying a dangerous, seductive undertone. “What do you think… what if we push them into the zombie horde when they’re not looking?”
Luo Mingchuan lowered his eyes, and the young man smiled softly and weakly in his eyes.
His eyes were cold and devoid of warmth, yet his tone was as sweet as honey, as if the most intimate lover were whispering in his ear, or as if a devil was tempting him, trying to turn her into his accomplice.
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