Yu Jin’s breathing grew increasingly heavy, his bloodshot eyes tinged with an eerie pink, his gaze becoming dazed and unfocused.
She could tell he was already experiencing hallucinations, and the arm wrapped around her waist was tightening more and more.
Hua Wuyan didn’t hesitate, reaching out to stuff a pill into his mouth.
The breath against her face continued to draw closer, but within just three seconds, Yu Jin’s breathing had lost its heaviness. Yet his face didn’t stop approaching.
It wasn’t until his lips barely brushed against hers that Yu Jin sprang back in shock, his forehead and the skin around his temples flushed crimson.
“Sorry! I…” This was the first time in his life he had lost control.
[Ding! Yu Jin’s Favorability Rating +10, now at 60%. Reward Host 200 Opportunity Points.
Host, I have a feeling that this Yu Jin will be much easier to win over than Ouyang Huiye.]
“Is that so?” She didn’t think so.
Hua Wuyan licked the salty traces of blood at the corner of her lips. Yu Jin must be feeling guilty right now—she could try to win him over in one go.
So she spoke up, “If you feel sorry, how about becoming my dog?”
Yu Jin was stunned for a long moment, thinking he must have misheard. “What did you say?”
Hua Wuyan held his gaze for a while, and seeing that his eyes held neither the excitement Ouyang Huiye had shown, nor anger, but rather confusion and doubt.
Well then, a personality like Ouyang the little dog’s was indeed rare.
The System said Yu Jin would be easier to win over, but Yu Jin had a steadfast heart and stable emotions, never revealing his feelings on his face.
Logically speaking, after being afflicted with the Aphrodisiac Poison, both his body and mind should have been swayed by his actions.
But clearly, Yu Jin’s willpower was extremely tenacious. Within the ten minutes after he regained his senses, despite his obvious attraction to her, he maintained only his initial Favorability Rating toward her.
This showed that Yu Jin was not the type to increase or decrease his favorability toward someone based on desire.
People who aren’t swayed by desire are the most troublesome.
To increase Yu Jin’s Favorability Rating, she would likely need a deeper understanding of him.
Just then, the sound of powerful, rhythmic footsteps came from the south. Hua Wuyan’s entire body tensed as she gripped her long blade warily, assuming a defensive stance facing south.
Yu Jin pulled her behind him and smiled lightly in explanation.
“Don’t be nervous, it’s my people coming to find me.”
Hua Wuyan thought it over—zombie footsteps were always chaotic and uneven. These footsteps were so orderly and forceful that they must indeed be human.
And moreover, well-trained humans.
Yu Jin swept his gaze darkly across the surroundings, then slowly approached the mutated tree.
A massive flame rose from his palm and shot toward the tree’s canopy.
The mutated tree swayed wildly as Yu Jin conjured another flame—one became two, two became ten—then suspended the small orbs of fire in the air.
The pink flower fragments were burned to ashes on contact with the flames.
Within minutes, all the pink mist in the air vanished, and the entire northern section of the botanical garden returned to normal.
A squad of uniformly dressed warriors, clearly well-trained at a glance, arrived shortly after.
“Captain, did you find the Supply Crate?”
Yu Jin shook his head. “Split into teams of three and search separately. Don’t spread out too far. The northern area isn’t large—regroup here in fifteen minutes.”
“Captain, do we need to search the other areas? We haven’t checked the east, west, or south yet. What if the Airdrop was dropped in a different location?”
“If it’s not in the northern area, we retreat back to the base. Something’s off here—we shouldn’t linger!”
As the soldiers split up to search for the airdrop supply crate, Hua Wuyan was quietly smug about having already stashed the crate away early on. Yu Jin approached her again.
“I’m Yu Jin, leader of Linjiang City’s base. What’s your name?”
“Hua Wuyan.”
“Can I call you A-Wu or Yanyan?”
Hua Wuyan pressed her lips together and answered with utter seriousness.
“I’d prefer it if you called me… Master.”
Yu Jin let out a hearty chuckle. “Looks like Yanyan really likes keeping dogs.”
“That’s right. So, would you consider my earlier offer?”
Yu Jin’s eyes curved into a smile, a hint of inexplicable fondness rising in his expression. “I’m really sorry about today. But personally, I’m not too keen on being anyone’s dog.”
“If you like dogs, I can get you a top-tier guard dog, train it up, and send it to you. It’ll keep you safe from now on.”
[Pfft! Yu Jin’s too straight-laced. If he knew you already have an obedient little dog like Ouyang, I wonder if he’d still be buttering you up so gently.]
“Tsk, so what if he knew? I’m the grand ancestor of the Wind-Moon Sect. What’s having eight or ten cultivation cauldrons and male concubines under my skirt? It’s their fortune! To earn my favor, they should be grateful.”
[Host, you should know that in this world, mortals practice monogamy. If someone tries to snatch another’s spouse, the scene would rival a bloody battlefield.]
“Relax, I know what I’m doing.”
The System had told her that once a target’s favorability rating toward her hit one hundred percent, they would never betray her.
As long as they didn’t betray her, nothing else mattered.
[Oh right, Host. Yu Jin is the owner of the Defense Shelter. He definitely knows where that S-class airdrop box is. Once you get that S-class airdrop box, you’ll earn a hundred thousand Opportunity Points.]
[Then you can exchange for a sanctuary or upgrade the system—whatever you want.]
“Yanyan, are you listening?”
Hua Wuyan had been too caught up talking with the System to hear Yu Jin, so she blinked and played innocent.
“Captain Yu, what did you just say?”
“I said, do you want to come back to the base with me? It’s too dangerous for a girl like you to wander out here alone. Even if you’ve got some fighting skills, people in the apocalypse are unpredictable. And if you run into a zombie horde, how could you handle it alone?”
In the scorching summer, the sun rose especially early, and the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Hua Wuyan looked up at the rising sun and shook her head.
“I still have a companion waiting for me at Lin University. I have to go find her first.” Xu Qingtian was crucial to whether she could complete her mission.
Yu Jin’s expression faltered, a flicker of disappointment passing through his eyes. Could this girl still be going back to those two companions who’d done her so wrong?
Jiang Nanying? Xu Qingtian? The scumbag and the green tea bitch?
Did she actually like that Jiang Nanying? Even after being treated like that, she still wanted to go back to them?
He clenched his fists quietly. “Lin University isn’t far from here. I’ll go with you. Then you can bring your companions back to the base with you.”
Hua Wuyan quickly shook her head.
Xu Qingtian was the female lead. If the upright and kind-hearted Yu Jin met her now, it could spell trouble.
If Xu Qingtian started spouting nonsense and sought Captain Yu’s protection, how could she ever complete her mission?
No, she absolutely could not let these two meet anytime soon.
“Captain Yu, there’s no need. I can go by myself. Once I reunite with my companions, we’ll head to The Base together. Thank you for saving me today.”
Captain Yu pressed his lips together slightly. “Didn’t you save me too? Tell you what—once you reach The Base, if you run into any trouble, feel free to come find me anytime.”
Wuyan agreed readily, and before Captain Yu could regroup with his men, she slipped away from the botanical garden.
A soldier was summoned before Captain Yu. “Captain, what do you need?”
“Take a few men and follow that girl right now.”
“Captain, that pile of bodies over there doesn’t look like your handiwork. Is there something off about that girl?”
“No, I want you to follow her to keep her safe.”
“Captain, are you sweet on her or something?”