The system orb couldn’t help but ask its host why she had chosen that name.
Wen Chi’s answer was simple:
“Sounds good~”
In truth, Wen Chi was thinking: For the survival of humanity, that is the highest law.
In the end, everyone agreed on the name “The Flame Keeper.”
After tidying up, it was already past three in the afternoon without them realizing it.
Exhausted from the day, Wen Chi prepared to clean up and go back to her room for a rest.
As she rose from the sofa, she saw the injured Jiang Jiming reach for the glass of water on the table.
Even though his arm was incredibly long, it still fell short of the cup.
Seeing him struggling, Wen Chi reached out and handed the glass to him.
“Thank you, Wenwen.”
Jiang Jiming gave her a gentle smile. Wen Chi was about to rise again and leave for bed when he spoke:
“Wenwen, could I trouble you for something?”
“What is it?”
Wen Chi looked over.
“I want to go to my room and sleep, but walking is a little difficult. Could you help me?”
Without hesitation, Wen Chi agreed and reached out to support Jiang Jiming’s arm.
His arm, wrapped in a black jacket, looked slim, but when she lifted it, she realized her two hands couldn’t fully encompass it.
Indeed, he was the main antagonist—truly terrifying.
So this is what they mean by “slim in clothes, muscular when bare?”
Wen Chi wondered what Jiang Jiming’s bare arm might look like.
【Host, are you really just looking at his arm?】
【Of course! What else would I want?!】
【If you wanted to see more, with your current affection points, I think the main antagonist would show you immediately.】
【Affection points?】
Wen Chi walked him to the room, supporting his weight while listening to the system.
Jiang Jiming leaned completely against her, greedily inhaling the girl’s scent, but he didn’t let her bear his full weight.
【I forgot to tell you before—once the main antagonist’s affection points toward you reach 100%, you can follow the plot and be killed by the male lead.】
Wen Chi frowned as she listened.
【How much is it now?】
【It’s 80%, no, 88% now. Host, you’re amazing—you’re almost there without effort.】
Wen Chi looked at Jiang Jiming in surprise. I didn’t do anything… why are the affection points so high?
Big brother, you’re too effective.
Jiang Jiming noticed her gaze and slightly curved his lips.
The hallway felt unusually long to Wen Chi, but she finally got him to the bed.
“I’ll go now, bye-bye.”
Wen Chi said goodbye, but he grabbed her sleeve.
Feeling something in her palm, Wen Chi opened her hand to find the candies Dou Dou had shared earlier.
“Why are you giving these to me?”
Wen Chi asked, still a little unaccustomed to Jiang Jiming’s gaze, even knowing his affection points.
“These are rewards for helpful little friends.”
Jiang Jiming smiled at the girl staring blankly at the candies in her hand.
Then he produced a crystal bracelet. With Wen Chi’s discerning eye, it was clearly expensive.
“This is something else. It has space inside—it can store items. Almost everyone in our squad has one. Jiang Yi and Dou Dou will get theirs from Chi Ye.”
Wen Chi didn’t hesitate and accepted the bracelet—it was extremely useful!
Jiang Jiming looked at the girl fiddling with it, his gaze revealing complete obsession and possessiveness, then instantly returned to the composed, gentle demeanor when she looked up.
“Thank you, Captain. I’ll go back now. Bye-bye.”
Wen Chi left the room.
After she left, all gentleness vanished, replaced by unbridled madness.
Jiang Jiming’s gaze lingered on the door, as if he could still see her retreating figure.
Not long after, three figures arrived at Jiang Jiming’s room.
A-Lou looked at Jiang Jiming lying in bed—completely different from his appearance at the dining table.
This was their true Leader. Gentle and refined? Those who licked blood from the knife’s edge daily couldn’t believe he was a perfect person.
The previous gentleness was a disguise for his beloved.
Although Sister-in-law probably had an inkling of his true self.
“Leader, we found the base Xu Qiaofeng mentioned—it’s called the Beijing Base.”
“It’s the fastest-developing base in the post-apocalypse world. In manpower and resources, it’s top-tier.”
“There are many Ability Users there, and they even formed an Ability User army.”
“They host an Ability User squad competition nationwide. The winning squad gets the title of Platinum Colonel of the Beijing Base, commanding the entire Ability User army, and gains access to the core council of the base.”
“The core council gathers many influential people.”
“Xu Changjian is the base’s top leader, essentially the number one. Former military chief Shen Qinghua is the second-in-command. Both founded the base and are core council members.”
“The base also has numerous military personnel and veterans, probably recruited by Shen Qinghua.”
Chi Ye suddenly reacted upon hearing Xu Changjian’s name:
“Xu Changjian! The pre-apocalypse Chamber of Commerce president? Isn’t he Leader’s enemy?”
“How is he still alive?! Didn’t we already kill him?!”
“Resurrected?!”
Feng Tu looked at Chi Ye and said: “Before the apocalypse, I checked—Xu’s family didn’t hold a funeral, but he did die. We saw him stop breathing ourselves.”
“And this Xu Changjian definitely exists.”
They had grown up with Jiang Jiming in the orphanage. Jiang Jiming was quiet, rarely playing with others, a unique presence.
Unfortunately, the orphanage had a disgusting director who traded the children with influential figures—called an orphanage but actually a front for trafficking.
Every night, Feng Tu saw children who had been adopted return the next day to their original beds.
All either dead or broken.
Jiang Jiming arrived at the orphanage at eight years old, the most striking-looking child there.
One time, a reckless old man took notice of the quiet yet handsome Jiang Jiming, and Jiang Jiming left with him.
The next day, Jiang Jiming returned unharmed, and the police arrested the director shortly after.
Other children were either sent to different orphanages or adopted on the spot.
Only the three of them went nowhere—they just wanted to follow him.
Because they knew he had saved them. Following him was safer than going anywhere else.
Jiang Jiming took them out of the orphanage, taught them to earn money and fight, and later founded the X Organization with them.
Gradually, they learned of the deep blood feud Jiang Jiming bore.
Before the apocalypse, someone issued a mission to kill the Xu family head. Xu Changjian was the murderer of Jiang Jiming’s parents.
Jiang Jiming had gone alone to the Xu mansion, killing Xu Changjian while he slept. By the time the three arrived, Xu was already dead.
It was the first time the three saw their Leader so relaxed, as if something heavy had left him.