25 – Recruitment
Finally able to have a warm homemade meal prepared by Aunt Chen, someone knocked at the door again.
Aunt Chen was about to answer it when Ye Jin stopped her.
“You all keep eating, I’ll go see who it is!”
Ye Jin stood up irritably, holding a knife. If it was someone coming to cause trouble again, she’d beat them up—even if the Base didn’t allow killing, she’d at least cripple them.
Opening the door and seeing Fu Yihao outside, Ye Jin frowned and sneered, “What? Are you here to cause trouble for me on Yu Ruanruan’s behalf?”
Yu Zhenguo had just left, and now Fu Yihao showed up. She knew Yu Ruanruan had been hiding in the back earlier.
No wonder Yu Ruanruan hadn’t made a scene before—she’d gone to find someone to help her.
“Let me tell you, drop these petty schemes. Don’t send Yu Zhenguo to bother me again!”
Fu Yihao was taken aback by Ye Jin’s tone. He had been busy outside these past few days and came as soon as he heard Ye Jin was at the Base.
“Xiao Jin, why would you think that of me?”
He explained, “I have no relationship with Yu Ruanruan. She begged me to bring her to find you because she’s your sister, I…”
“Whether you have a relationship or not, I don’t care!”
Fu Yihao called out solemnly, “Ye Jin!”
He didn’t understand why Ye Jin was being so distant with him.
Fu Yihao’s eyes dimmed slightly, “Xiao Jin, stop being difficult for now. I don’t know what misunderstanding lies between us—we can talk about it later. I have to leave soon. It’s dangerous everywhere in the apocalypse, and I want to take you to the capital.”
He stepped forward, wanting to take Ye Jin’s hand, but she directly avoided it. Fu Yihao’s outstretched hand paused in mid-air.
Ye Jin retreated two steps, “I won’t go with you. My friends and family are all here!”
Fu Yihao said urgently, “Xiao Jin! Don’t be willful. Do you even know how dangerous it is out there?” But then his tone softened gradually, “Your family and friends can come with me. I’ll take good care of them, alright?”
As he spoke, Fu Yihao’s eyes were actually filled with pleading.
This was the first time Ye Jin had seen Fu Yihao like this. She had always believed he had no heart.
If this were before, she would have been overjoyed, but she was no longer the Ye Jin from her past life.
Even if he wasn’t with Yu Ruanruan now, it would inevitably happen someday—her previous life was the best example. She would never make the same mistake twice.
“No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same—I won’t go with you!”
After saying this, she turned and decisively closed the door, unmoved no matter how Fu Yihao called out from outside.
“Ye Jin!”
Fu Yihao stepped forward and slammed his hand heavily against the door, “Xiao Jin! Let me in so we can talk properly!”
There was no response from inside.
Uncle Chen, who had been waiting beside Fu Yihao for a long time, couldn’t bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to persuade him, “Young master! We must leave quickly! Besides, Miss Ye is very safe in the Base. The journey to the capital is long—we might not be able to offer her better protection.”
Yes! In his current wretched state, how could he promise to ensure her family’s safety?
Fu Yihao looked haggard and dejected. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, “Let’s go.”
Inside, Zhang Yiyi and the others had also overheard the conversation outside.
During the meal, Zhang Yiyi glanced at Ye Jin and still asked, “Ye Jin, the Base is very safe now. If you…”
“None of your business! The journey to the capital is far, and dangers are everywhere. Whether we could even make it there is another matter entirely.”Ye Jin emphasized again, “Moreover, I don’t want to have any further involvement with him at all.”
Hearing Ye Jin say this, Zhang Yiyi felt much more relieved. She had been worried that Ye Jin refused Fu Yihao out of consideration for their safety.
Since they had all attended the same school before, she knew that Fu Yihao’s family had considerable connections in the capital.
“Alright! Don’t overthink it. During the time I was away, it seems you’ve all been slacking off in your training! Starting tomorrow, we continue!”
“Ah~ You’re a devil~”
Zhang Yiyi wailed. Over the past few days without Ye Jin around to supervise her, she had grown lazy from playing around.
“Only Yi Yi Jie has been slacking off. Brother Xia Li and I have been training every day!” Yu Zichen boasted to Ye Jin.
“Hmph! I only skipped two days of training, and you’re already tattling on me!” Zhang Yiyi snorted lightly.
“You should be ashamed! Little Chen is younger than you but much more diligent!”
Aunt Chen picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and put them in Zhang Yiyi’s bowl: “Look how chubby you’ve gotten. Be careful, or you won’t be able to run away when zombies chase you.”
“Hahaha!” Everyone laughed, even Xia Li joined in.
Zhang Yiyi glared at Xia Li: “When my mom scolds me, what are you laughing at! You quiet gourd!”
Xia Li, being glared at, didn’t say a word and just lowered his head to continue eating.
“Pfft!”
Ye Jin chuckled softly. Zhang Yiyi and Xia Li really had completely opposite personalities—one lively and active, the other silent as gold.
“Ye Jin! How could you laugh at me too!” Zhang Yiyi pouted, looking at Ye Jin indignantly.
Ye Jin quickly changed the subject: “Let’s eat! Let’s eat!”
After the meal, Ye Jin could finally carefully study the Wood-type Nucleus Crystal from that redwood tree.
She took it out and examined it closely. It was no different from the wood attribute Nucleus Crystals she had seen in her previous life.
Ye Jin placed it in her palm and absorbed it using the method from her past life. Soon, the Nucleus Crystal turned into powder.
She stretched out her hand and released her Wood Ability. The small sprout in her palm still looked sparse, with just two leaves on top.
Seriously? Ye Jin let out a long sigh. After absorbing a third-tier Nucleus Crystal, it only grew one more leaf?
Currently, her Water and Thunder abilities had already advanced to the second tier. Why was her Wood Ability seemingly stunted, showing no progress at all?
In her previous life, her Wood Ability had been her strongest. Could it be because she wasn’t running a fever now, so the Wood Ability hadn’t fully awakened yet?
It seemed she would have to find more Nucleus Crystals to feed it later.
…
The snow had been falling for over a month now. The base was taking the opportunity to gather supplies. Xu Tian’s side was actively recruiting Ability Users. As soon as they heard the base had produced a Dual-Ability User, they immediately sent trusted aides to negotiate terms.
Just as Zhu Yuan arrived in front of Ye Jin’s villa, he saw military vehicles parked at the gate.
Had the military personnel arrived so quickly?
As he was about to enter, he saw Su Heng coming out from inside.
“Well! Captain Zhu, such a busy man. What brings you here?”
“How we handle our affairs is none of the military’s business!” Zhu Yuan retorted and hurried inside.
He saw Ye Jin sitting leisurely in the living room, drinking tea at the coffee table. The teacup opposite her hadn’t been cleared yet.
Had they just finished negotiating?
Zhu Yuan carefully observed the villa. Whether it was the security or the interior decor, everything gave him a warm, pre-apocalyptic feeling. A glass bowl on the table was filled with various cookies and candies, and she could even afford to drink tea.Nowadays, many people in the base can’t even afford meals and have to rely on the base’s porridge assistance, yet their family lives no differently than before the apocalypse. It seems they’re doing quite well. It’s just a pity this Dual-Ability User is a woman—such a waste.
Although he still looked down on her inwardly, when Zhu Yuan approached Ye Jin, he politely greeted her: “Good day, Miss Ye!”
Ye Jin raised an eyebrow. This attitude was worlds apart from last time at the small hospital entrance.
“Captain Zhu, what brings you here?”
She asked perfunctorily, without inviting him to sit.
Zhu Yuan probably understood Ye Jin’s attitude by now and went straight to the point: “Miss Ye, our Secretary Xu greatly admires you and wishes to invite you to join our Ability Team.”
Ye Jin remained silent.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuan continued: “Secretary Xu holds all Ability Users in high esteem, and I’ve heard Miss Ye is a rare Dual-Ability User!”
After first praising her, he proceeded with enticements: “As long as Miss Ye is willing to join, you’ll definitely become the captain of our base’s Superpower Squad. You can set any conditions.”
Although he hadn’t witnessed Ye Jin’s capabilities firsthand, having the base’s only Dual-Ability User on their side—even if her abilities were lacking—would still enhance Secretary Xu’s prestige through the title alone.
“That sounds quite appealing, but as you just saw, you’re a step too late!”
Zhu Yuan frowned. So she had already finished negotiations with Su Heng. He never expected the military to beat them to it.
“Survival of the fittest—that’s not an issue. Whatever conditions the military offered you, we can triple them!”
Ye Jin glanced at Zhu Yuan: “Captain Zhu, your words truly tempt me. However, I’m someone who dislikes breaking promises. Since I’ve already agreed, going back on my word would likely destroy my credibility throughout the base.”
Zhu Yuan frowned. What was going on? Didn’t this woman understand what he was saying? Triple the conditions! What does a woman need credibility for?!
“Miss Ye, we can provide the best conditions for your family—50 pounds of rice monthly. To my knowledge, Ability Users in the military only receive five pounds per person per month…”
The conditions were indeed much better than the military’s, but with Xu Tian as his superior, Ye Jin would never agree.
She looked up at the wall clock and interrupted Zhu Yuan’s ongoing speech: “Captain Zhu! I just promised someone I’d go to the cotton mill, and I’m running short on time.”
Su Heng, waiting outside, appropriately entered and interjected: “Miss Ye, everything is ready!”
Ye Jin replied to the outside: “Good! We’ll depart immediately!”
Was this her way of dismissing him? Zhu Yuan, who had always worked closely with Xu Tian and managed most of the base’s Ability Users, was experiencing such treatment for the first time. His face flushed red with anger.
Just as he expected—women simply aren’t competent. Any clear-sighted person would know which choice was more advantageous. The military personnel are all dirt poor, yet she lacks even this basic discernment. What’s the use of being a Dual-Ability User if she can’t accomplish great things?
Since things had come to this, there was no need for pleasantries: “Since Miss Ye refuses to recognize what’s good for her, I hope you won’t regret today’s choice!”
Zhu Yuan snorted coldly, didn’t linger further, and turned to leave.
Turning hostile when things don’t go their way? Truly worthy of being Xu Tian’s subordinate—all cut from the same cloth. Superficially respectful, yet their eyes are filled with contempt. Unfortunately, threats were what Ye Jin feared least!She wasn’t foolish enough to choose either side. She didn’t lack food, and her most urgent matter now was to meet Xu Jiaguo and contact the Ye family.
In the Base, no Ability User could remain completely neutral. Rather than being coveted by both sides, it was better to make her own choice. At least with the military side, she could negotiate conditions herself – whether to help or not was entirely her decision. As for Xu Tian’s side, no matter how powerful you were, you were merely his pawn in the frontline.