Feeling Lin Mao’s icy gaze fall upon her like a blade, Song Leyi shuddered violently. A bone-chilling fear shot from the soles of her feet straight to her head.
She no longer dared to stay another second.
Turning around, she tried to flee deeper into the cave, desperately searching for even the slightest chance of survival.
But just as she lifted her foot, an invisible force suddenly seized the back of her collar. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free as the overwhelming power dragged her toward Lin Mao.
The terror of being lifted off the ground, combined with the suffocating pressure radiating from Lin Mao, caused Song Leyi’s body to go limp instantly.
She crashed heavily onto the cold ground with a muffled thud, her knees slamming painfully against the stone, though she could barely feel it anymore.
Crawling frantically toward Lin Mao, she tightly grabbed onto his pant leg and repeatedly slammed her forehead against the floor.
Tears and mucus streamed down her face as she begged hysterically.
“Lin Mao! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Back then, I was blinded by greed and stupidity. I listened to others and drove you out of the shelter. Please, just give me one more chance! I swear I’ll obey you from now on. I’ll do anything you want! I’ll serve you like a slave if I have to!”
Lin Mao’s expression remained cold and unmoved.
Seeing no reaction from him, Song Leyi assumed her plea was not sincere enough.
A vicious glint flashed through her eyes.
Without hesitation, she began tearing at her clothes, exposing her shoulders and chest while deliberately striking seductive poses.
“Lin Mao… as long as you spare me, I’ll belong to you from now on. You can do whatever you want with me. I’ll be more obedient than Wen Rou and the others…”
Seeing her utterly shameless display, disgust overflowed in Lin Mao’s eyes.
He slowly crouched down before her and spoke in a voice colder than ice.
“Someone like you disgusts me.”
Those words pierced through Song Leyi’s final shred of dignity like poisoned daggers.
Her face twisted instantly with hatred.
The pleading in her eyes vanished, replaced entirely by venomous resentment.
“Lin Mao! You bastard! You won’t die a—”
Before she could finish the word “death,” Lin Mao casually clenched his hand.
An invisible force instantly wrapped around Song Leyi’s throat.
Crack!
With a sharp snapping sound, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Her scream stopped abruptly.
Her body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Watching Song Leyi die at Lin Mao’s hands, Wan Yuyan felt no sympathy whatsoever.
Instead, a deep sense of satisfaction rose within her heart.
If it were not for Song Leyi’s selfishness and manipulation, their classmates would never have ended up being treated like merchandise and sold off to others.
Everything that happened was her own fault.
Meanwhile, Song Leyi’s loyal followers—those who had always sided with her—were already trembling in fear among the crowd of girls.
They slowly backed away, hoping to quietly escape during the chaos.
But Lin Mao remembered very clearly how they had once joined Song Leyi in bullying and humiliating him.
There was no way he would let them escape so easily.
With a slight flick of his finger, several thin arcs of lightning shot through the air like deadly serpents.
The lightning bolts struck the fleeing girls with terrifying precision.
Several shrill screams echoed through the cave.
In the next instant, the girls were reduced to blackened corpses, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air.
The remaining girls trembled in fear.
After eliminating Song Leyi and her followers, Lin Mao slowly stood up and dusted off his hands as if nothing had happened.
His cold gaze swept across the terrified girls curled up in the corner.
There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
At that moment, Wan Yuyan hurried over to the tied-up girls and began untying their ropes, softly comforting them.
Noticing Lin Mao looking toward the crowd, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Lin Mao… thank you for saving everyone.”
One girl nervously bit her dry lips before gathering the courage to approach him.
She lowered her head, too afraid to meet his eyes.
“Lin Mao… before… We listened to Song Leyi’s lies and drove you away. We know we were wrong now. Since Song Leyi is dead, could you please give us another chance?”
Another girl quickly chimed in.
“That’s right! Please forgive us! Come back and join us. Now that Song Leyi is gone, you can become our leader. We’ll all listen to you!”
As soon as the first two spoke, the other girls hurriedly joined in, apologizing and pleading one after another.
Their eyes were filled with hope.
Wan Yuyan stood silently nearby, listening to their desperate pleas.
She bit her lip lightly but ultimately said nothing.
The noisy cave soon became filled with endless begging.
Lin Mao frowned impatiently.
Then he slowly raised his hand.
Without saying a single word, an overwhelming pressure spread through the cave instantly.
The once-chaotic cave fell deathly silent.
Every girl shut her mouth immediately, staring nervously at Lin Mao, barely daring to breathe.
Only then did Lin Mao finally speak.
“If you want to follow me, fine.”
“But understand this clearly.”
“It’s not me joining you.”
“It’s all of you joining me.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of printed contracts from his system storage and casually tossed them toward the girls standing in front.
The girls quickly grabbed the contracts and began reading them.
However, the more they read, the uglier their expressions became.
The terms written on the contract were far harsher than the ones Wen Rou and Li Ruyue had signed before.
Just as everyone hesitated uncertainly, Wan Yuyan suddenly stepped forward.
She picked up one of the contracts and calmly scanned through its contents.
Without even a moment of hesitation, she said firmly:
“I’ll sign it.”
Her words instantly shocked everyone present.
All eyes turned toward her in disbelief.
Wan Yuyan’s decision was simple.
First, she had already promised Lin Mao that if he came to save everyone, she would offer him her loyalty and obey his commands.
Second, she understood one thing very clearly:
In this apocalypse, strength was everything.
Following someone as powerful as Lin Mao gave them a far better chance of survival than struggling alone, only to end up devoured by zombies or abused by ruthless survivors.
Picking up a pen, Wan Yuyan signed her name decisively at the bottom of the contract.
The moment she finished signing, a faint smile finally appeared on Lin Mao’s face.
At the same time, the system notification rang out in his mind.
【Congratulations, Host, for successfully recruiting the third Goddess-level member!】
【Rewards are being distributed.】
【S-Rank Talent: Enhanced Physique】
【Supplies Rewarded: 1,000 boxes of military canned food; 50 outdoor tents】
【Special Notice: All supplies have been stored in the system space and may be retrieved at any time.】
After signing the contract, Wan Yuyan looked toward the still-hesitant girls and spoke calmly.
“Honestly, these terms aren’t that harsh.”
“At the very least, if we follow Lin Mao, we’ll have food, shelter, and a chance to survive.”
“That’s still better than being captured, abused, and treated like disposable toys, isn’t it?”
Her words were like cold water splashed over their heads, instantly waking them from their hesitation.
The girls exchanged glances.
Determination slowly appeared in their eyes.
A few girls finally stepped forward and signed their names first.
Once someone took the lead, more and more girls followed one after another.
Some looked resigned.
Others carried a faint hope for survival.
In the end, fourteen girls chose to join Lin Mao’s shelter—roughly thirty percent of the class.
As for the rest, some still foolishly believed they could survive on their own, while others simply could not accept the contract’s harsh conditions.
Lin Mao merely glanced at those who refused to follow him.
His expression remained completely indifferent.
After casually saying, “Let’s go,” he turned and left the shelter with the others.