There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The girl knew this well. She desperately wanted to refuse the gift from the man in front of her, but she couldn’t. No one was fearless in the face of death, especially not when staring at delicious food while in a state of extreme starvation. She just couldn’t say no.
If this man was giving her food, he definitely wanted something in return. Why else would he give it to her for no reason? Was it because she was pretty? That had to be it. He definitely had his eyes on her looks. What else could it be? Money? Money was completely useless now; it was too rough even for wiping one’s ass.
She was just a seventeen-year-old girl. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was completely frail and defenseless. No one would want to drag around a piece of dead weight like her in the apocalypse. Unless he was after her looks, after her body. What else could it be? She racked her brain but couldn’t come up with another reason.
If she lost her life, what would be the point of clinging to so-called chastity and principles? Once you died, everything was gone.
While eating, she glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door and instantly made a decision. She still remembered her father’s words right before he turned into a zombie five days ago, urging her to survive no matter what.
Rather than making the man fly into a rage out of humiliation, it would be better for her to be generous about it. Since she was completely powerless to fight back, she might as well relax and try to enjoy it. She had heard that it felt really good, though it might hurt a little. Her face grew hot at the thought. At least, even if she died later, she wouldn’t have any regrets. As a woman, she should experience the pleasure of being a woman at least once, shouldn’t she?
Hearing the implication in the girl’s words, Luffy felt a wave of bitterness. Before the apocalypse, he definitely would have been overjoyed. He would have told her to wash up, and then... heh. Most men in the world wouldn’t turn down such an offer. But alas!
The girl looked up and saw the man shaking his head. He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of making a move on her. Confused, a look of bewilderment flashed in her eyes as she asked, "Then what do you want?"
Her face burned even hotter as she muttered, "Don’t tell me you want me to take the initiative?"
Though her voice was quiet, Luffy, whose hearing was incredibly sensitive, caught it clearly. He was left a bit speechless, though he could understand where she was coming from. In the face of survival, everything else meant nothing. It made sense why a girl would think this way. Even he himself would turn into a beast if he could.
But since he couldn’t be a beast right now, he figured he might as well be a gentleman. Luffy shook his head again, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and opened the messaging app. He squatted down beside the girl, typed out a few words, and held the screen out to her.
"Don’t think so dirty of me. I only saved you because I need you to do me a favor!"
"You can’t speak?" the girl asked. From the very beginning until now, the man hadn’t uttered a single word. Luffy nodded in confirmation.
"What favor?" the girl asked, puzzled. Shrugging, she continued, "I don’t think I have the ability to help you! As you can see, in a day or two, I’ll be so hungry I won’t even be able to walk. I don’t dare go out to find food either, because I know going out is a death sentence." She pointed out the window and added, "It’s better just to die and be done with it. If it weren’t for you earlier, I’d probably be freed from all this by now!" Having just eaten, her energy had immediately improved, and she spoke with a bit more strength.
Luffy typed again, "As you already know, I can’t speak, so I want you to pass a message to my parents!"
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that simple?"
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. If it were, he wouldn’t have spent the entire morning lying on the roof.
Luffy typed again, "The message involves some secrets I don’t want others to know just yet. So, you have two choices. First, we can find a way to communicate the message without revealing the secret to you. The food in my backpack will serve as your payment. After it’s done, I’ll leave, and we’ll be completely even!
"Second, you can choose to follow me. To be honest, in your current state, you absolutely won’t survive for more than a week once I leave. Of course, you could try joining other survivors, but I guarantee you it won’t be nearly as easy as staying with me. However, if you choose to rely on me, you must pledge absolute loyalty. If you ever betray me, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and kill you!"
The girl watched intently as Luffy typed out the message. Once he finished, she said, "Actually, there’s another way. Once you’re done using me, you could just kill me to silence me!"
"That is indeed a good method, but I don’t want to use it!" Pausing for a moment, Luffy typed further, "I’m sure you’ve already experienced the taste of loneliness. It’s not pleasant, is it?"
The girl fell silent. Ever since her father turned into a zombie, she had spent every night in endless agony. After just five nights, she was already showing signs of a mental breakdown. It wasn’t just the hunger; the overwhelming loneliness and helplessness were crushing her too.
"Why choose me?" the girl asked.
Luffy shrugged and typed, "You’re easy on the eyes! Every man likes beautiful young women, and I’m certainly no exception."
"Then why did you refuse?" the girl asked, her head bowed. She didn’t understand. She had already accepted her fate, so why was he indifferent? Was he playing hard to get?
Luffy naturally wasn’t going to admit that he was a zombie and couldn’t control that area at all. Even if he wanted to, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.
So he wrote, "A gentleman doesn’t take advantage of others in distress! Which do you choose?"
The girl looked up at Luffy. She didn’t know what kind of expression the man wore beneath his mask, but in that moment, she believed him. She was very confident in her looks. Even if she was a bit disheveled right now, she was absolutely still beautiful enough to drive men crazy. After all, it was the apocalypse. Whether morality had crumbled might vary from person to person, but the law was completely useless now. Without the constraints of the law, people could do whatever they pleased. Yet he...
She thought to herself, "Maybe he really is a gentleman!"
Feeling a hint of fondness blossoming in her heart, she looked up and said, "Just as you said, without this meal, I would have died! Do I even have a choice? Besides, you saved my life. Following you is my best option!"
Luffy nodded and extended his gloved hand. The girl froze for a moment before reaching out her slender hand, and the two shook.
After letting go, her gaze drifted back to the canned food in Luffy’s hands. Truth be told, she wasn’t full yet.
Luffy shook his head and typed, "You’ve been starving for too long. It’s not good to eat too much at once. Your stomach won’t be able to handle it! It might even be fatal!" Since the girl had chosen to follow him, he figured he should show some proper concern.
She realized that he wasn’t using the food to blackmail her; rather, he was afraid she would overeat. He was doing it for her own good! Her fondness for him instantly grew a few degrees more.