Zhou Wangye’s usually steady voice carried a rare hint of excitement.
“Uncle, why did you come personally?”
Uncle?
The male lead called this man uncle?
Lin Ran felt her heart skip a beat, as if something inside her had shattered with a crisp crack.
That was the sound of heartbreak.
This man—so handsome it was practically a crime—was actually Zhou Wangye’s mysterious uncle!
Did that mean… she also had to call him uncle?
In a flash, she suddenly remembered—
Wasn’t this the supporting character who had left a deep impression on her in the original novel—Xie Peijin?
In the novel’s setting, he was one of the four major base leaders, standing on equal footing with the male lead Zhou Wangye.
His strength was unfathomable. He was truly someone standing at the peak of power in the apocalypse.
Someone like that was definitely not someone to offend.
Lin Ran quickly composed herself. Following Zhou Wangye’s example, she lowered her head obediently and said,
“Uncle, you’ve arrived.”
Xie Peijin’s gaze swept over her lightly. His face remained expressionless; he merely nodded slightly in response.
Even with such indifference, his deep black eyes and the oppressive aura of someone accustomed to power made Lin Ran feel as if the surrounding air had cooled by several degrees.
This uncle from the Xie family was undeniably handsome—
but his coldness was a little frightening.
Lin Ran casually sighed to herself and walked toward the sofa.
Xie Jilan waved her over and patted the seat beside her, signaling for her to sit.
But Lin Ran made a playful face and shook her head.
That seat had Aunt Lan on the right—but the male lead on the left. She absolutely refused.
So she pulled Zhou Yi’an with her and sat in the seat farthest from the male lead.
She had calculated it.
It was definitely more than two meters away.
Xie Jilan shot her son a reproachful glance, certain that he had annoyed Ranran again, which was why she refused to sit nearby.
Meanwhile, Secretary Wang and the others consciously stood behind Zhou Wangye.
Once everything settled, Xie Peijin finally spoke.
“Your grandfather was worried about your mother, so he asked me to come personally.”
He was answering Zhou Wangye’s earlier question.
Zhou Wangye nodded. His grandfather cared most about his mother, so that made sense.
He asked again, “Weren’t you overseas before? When did you return? Haven’t international flights already stopped operating?”
Xie Peijin looked at him and replied with only a few calm words.
“Six hours ago.”
Clearly, he had no intention of explaining further.
Zhou Wangye immediately understood—there must be details that couldn’t be spoken openly.
Ever since the apocalypse arrived without warning, the Earth’s magnetic field had fallen into chaos.
Satellites in orbit lost connection one after another. Communications were intermittent, and all civilian aviation had long been suspended.
If circumstances hadn’t forced it, Zhou Wangye wouldn’t have specifically requested a military helicopter from Beijing to pick them up.
And yet this uncle had been in Wall Street across the ocean before the apocalypse.
How had he broken through the chaos, crossed the already disordered Pacific Ocean, and landed precisely in Beijing?
Unless—
his grandfather had used certain hidden forces.
At a time when communication was nearly cut off and the world had descended into isolated survival, bringing someone safely back from the chaos of Wall Street must have required an unimaginable cost.
Zhou Wangye was normally proud and confident, but in front of Xie Peijin he seemed unusually… lively.
He even became more talkative.
“Uncle, I’ve awakened dual abilities—Level 3 lightning and Level 1 water.”
“Mm.”
“I’ve led my men to collect a lot of supplies. They’re all stored in Secretary Gu’s and Lin Ran’s spatial abilities.”
“Mm.”
Lin Ran yawned and half-lay on the sofa.
She was sleepy.
She just wanted to go back to her room and sleep.
Listening to the men’s low voices beside her, she stared at Xie Peijin’s unfairly handsome face, her head slowly nodding.
Suddenly, someone nudged her gently.
“Ran-jie, uncle is talking to you,” Zhou Yi’an called helplessly.
Lin Ran yawned again.
“Uncle, what did you say?”
Xie Peijin’s face remained indifferent, but he was still patient enough to repeat himself.
“Wangye said you also awakened dual abilities. Is that correct?”
Lin Ran answered honestly.
“Spatial ability and water ability.”
When mentioning the water ability, she shot Zhou Wangye a glare and snorted coldly at him.
Clearly still holding a grudge.
Zhou Wangye’s brows tightened. He subtly signaled Lin Ran with his eyes, telling her not to act so recklessly in front of Xie Peijin.
He knew this uncle’s temperament too well.
If she truly angered him, Lin Ran would absolutely face terrible consequences.
In the circles of Beijing, everyone knew that Xie Peijin was someone forged in blood and fire.
He was nothing like those privileged heirs who simply followed the expected path or studied abroad for a diploma.
At twenty-seven he retired from the frontline, crossed the ocean, and entered an Ivy League university to study finance. Within three years he had stirred massive storms on Wall Street.
If others left three parts mercy in their iron-handed methods, Xie Peijin was a true “Living King of Hell.”
When he acted, people actually died.
And now that the world had descended into the lawless apocalypse—
his methods would only become more ruthless.
Zhou Wangye also noticed that although Xie Peijin had clearly changed clothes after arriving in Beijing, the faint scent of blood around him still lingered.
It wasn’t strong, but it had seeped deeply into the fabric, almost merging with his very presence.
Zhou Wangye felt a chill.
He didn’t dare imagine how many zombies—or perhaps how many people—his uncle had killed on the journey back across the oceans and fallen continents.
Zhou Wangye knew better than anyone that there were only a handful of people Xie Peijin truly cared about.
Aside from his mother and grandfather, almost no one else could move him.
Even Zhou Wangye himself couldn’t claim much favor from him—let alone Lin Ran, a foster daughter of the Zhou family with no blood relation.
Yet Lin Ran seemed completely oblivious to his warning glance.
Instead, she lifted her chin and looked straight at Xie Peijin.
“Uncle, what ability did you awaken?”
Xie Peijin was slightly surprised.
It had been a long time since anyone dared to question him so directly.
In the Xie family—and in the entire Beijing circle—aside from Old Master Xie, no one would dare inquire about his abilities so bluntly.
But when he lowered his gaze to meet Lin Ran’s eyes, he saw only pure curiosity in them.
It was so genuine that he felt no offense.
In fact, a faint hint of warmth flickered at the corner of his lips.
Just as he was about to speak—
Zhou Wangye suddenly stood up.
“Uncle, Ranran is young and doesn’t understand proper manners. She offended you. I apologize on her behalf.”
Xie Peijin glanced at him with interest.
Although he had been overseas for the past three years, he had never stopped receiving information from home.
According to the reports, Zhou Wangye supposedly disliked this adopted sister and always kept his distance.
But the scene before him showed nothing of that sort.
The tension in Zhou Wangye’s tone, the protective stance he had taken—
it was clearly instinctive possessiveness.
Interesting.
Even more interesting was Lin Ran’s reaction.
Not only did she fail to appreciate his defense, she even frowned slightly and subtly moved half an inch backward.
As if eager to distance herself from Zhou Wangye.
It was completely different from the girl described in the reports—someone who used to cling obsessively to him.
Xie Peijin’s eyes flashed with amusement.
In his long, monotonous life, it had been a long time since he encountered something this entertaining.
The apocalypse was one such event.
And now there was another.
Returning to China had indeed been the right decision.
A trace of mischievous interest rose in his mind.
He waved his hand casually and said in a calm tone,
“It’s not a secret. The ability I awakened is a control-type ability.”