“I don’t have a little brother as big as you. Though if it’s Chen Yi, I might consider it.” Shi Ran took a table out from her space and neatly set out the bowls and chopsticks one by one.
Seeing the place setting in front of him, Chen Yi froze slightly. “You guys…”
Xu Zimo slung an arm over his shoulder. “Little Yi-yi, come with your big brothers and sisters. We guarantee we’ll treat you well!” He looked completely unserious.
Tang Yao couldn’t bear to watch. “Stop scaring the kid. Besides, with those skinny arms and legs of yours, who exactly can you protect?”
Everyone burst into laughter, but Chen Yi looked seriously at Xu Zimo and said, “It’s fine. I’ll protect you.”
Xu Zimo immediately became smug again. “Hear that? Do you have this kind of charisma? What’s the use of being buff? Little Yi-yi just wants to protect me.”
After wiping the grease from his hands, Zhou Nuocheng twitched his lips. “Xu Zimo, calling you a dumbass is an insult to pencils. I still haven’t settled accounts with you yet. If you dare risk your life recklessly again, I’ll turn that childhood video of you wearing a blanket as a cape and high heels at my house, claiming you were the Magical Fairy Queen, into a QR code and print it on your tombstone.”
“PFFT—HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Ye Shuyao spat out a mouthful of water and laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten her back. Even Gu Ming’s lips curved slightly as he handed her tissues.
“Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. I just suddenly thought of something funny.” Ye Shuyao wiped her mouth.
“Boss, woohoo… didn’t we agree never to bring that up again? I was wrong!” Xu Zimo surrendered immediately.
Zhou Nuocheng let him off and turned to Chen Yi. “Would you like to come with us? You’re talented. Rather than ending up zombie food, why not brave this apocalypse with us? Throwing your life away for a scumbag just isn’t worth it.”
“Exactly! Your ability is amazing! A dual-element ability user too. If zombies get such a bargain, I’ll be heartbroken, okay?”
Shi Ran chimed in, elbowing Tang Yao beside her.
“Yeah! I’d be heartbroken too.” Tang Yao finally reacted.
Shi Ran covered her forehead. Such a straight guy.
No one wrapped their invitation in grand speeches about “kindness.” They bluntly told Chen Yi that he was strong and needed. Compared to pity, those words sounded far more sincere and moving.
And besides…
Chen Yi remembered the image of Xu Zimo throwing himself forward to push him away without hesitation. In the end, he finally made up his mind.
“Okay, I’m willing to join you all. My name is Chen Yi. Chen as in stars of the heavens, Yi as in shining brightly. I’m a dual wood-type and protective barrier ability user.”
The boy’s voice was no longer cold and distant. It carried the clarity of a forest stream—young and clean.
With Chen Yi officially joining, everyone finally began eating happily. It was practically a welcome banquet.
During the meal, Xu Zimo introduced everyone else’s abilities. After learning that three out of the six people were dual-element ability users, Chen Yi felt his throat tighten in lingering fear.
Thankfully, he hadn’t harbored any bad intentions back then. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have survived to today.
“Your strength is…” He clearly remembered that along the way here, there hadn’t been many ability users at all. He knew they were strong, but how were they this strong?
“Hehe, small scene, small scene.” Xu Zimo looked unbearably proud.
Zhou Nuocheng turned to look at Shi Ran. The girl was sipping soup politely, her cheeks slightly puffed out, looking unbelievably obedient.
Unable to resist, he leaned closer, his voice carrying a hint of temptation. “We’re really strong. Have you considered joining us?”
After these past few days together, Zhou Nuocheng had confirmed that Shi Ran was an exceptionally smart and capable girl. She had her own thoughts and principles, someone who would never let others lead her around. He truly hoped to have a teammate like her.
But somehow… it wasn’t only because of that. He couldn’t quite explain it.
Shi Ran wiped her mouth with a napkin and tilted her head to meet his eyes. “Nope. You guys are strong, but so are we. Our goals are different. If the paths differ, how can we walk together, Captain Zhou? Surely you understand something that simple.”
Zhou Nuocheng planned to return to the capital. Whether it was seizing political power or eventually leading the world’s ability-user forces, none of that was what Shi Ran wanted right now. Everything she was doing was simply so she could laze around comfortably in the future. She had no lofty ambitions.
And more importantly, once they departed from Cangsong Base, the protagonist group would officially enter hard mode. Even if she wanted to lie flat atop the pinnacle of power, she’d first need to survive long enough for that. She had zero confidence she could make it to the end.
She clearly remembered that one of the later teammates in the protagonist group died saving the heroine. Without protagonist plot armor, she had no intention of casually stepping into such a life-or-death gamble.
“You’re right.” Zhou Nuocheng hid the faint disappointment in his eyes.
Yeah. What right did he have to expect Shi Ran to change her goals for him? This path was dangerous to begin with, yet he’d foolishly wanted to drag her into it. That really was a terrible thing to do.
“Little Yi, do you know of any large shopping malls near Feng County?” Shi Ran asked.
“I do. There’s one not far from here, but it’s probably packed with zombies,” Chen Yi replied.
Small supermarkets could serve as shelters, but large malls were practically paradise for zombies. No one could really hide there.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Nuocheng asked, “How long can your barrier last?”
Chen Yi carefully sensed his energy before giving an estimate. “If all seven people split up, it’ll consume a lot of energy—probably less than twenty minutes. But if everyone stays together under one large barrier, it can last longer. Close to an hour.”
“It takes several minutes to drive there, and the mall itself is huge. If we can’t split up, it’ll be difficult to gather what we need and get out in time.”
Ye Shuyao did some quick calculations. It was risky. Running back and forth would waste time, and Chen Yi wouldn’t be able to handle the strain either.
Everyone fell silent in thought. No one wanted Chen Yi to exhaust himself, so they all began considering alternatives.
Looking at the supermarket’s glass doors, Shi Ran suddenly had an idea. “I have a thought. Not sure if I should say it.”
Zhou Nuocheng lightly patted her head. Her hair was fluffy and felt surprisingly nice. “Why do you always act like some wise old veteran at such a young age? Let’s hear it.”
Shi Ran smoothed her hair, still immersed in her thoughts, and didn’t bother arguing with him.
Beside them, Ye Shuyao increasingly felt something was off, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. Only Gu Ming let out a soft chuckle.
“Think about it. There aren’t any zombies in this supermarket we’re in now, so we can move freely without barriers. That means we can drive to the mall, lock all the entrances from the outside, then enter through the final door. After that, we close off the passage between the first and second floors and clear out the zombies on the first floor first. With the barrier, the clones, and Gu Ming’s mental detection, I think it’s doable.”
Zhou Nuocheng fell silent for a moment. Once again, his understanding of the little girl was refreshed. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold.
“You really aren’t afraid of death, huh?”
“Hehe, but aren’t you here?” Shi Ran blinked innocently at him.
Her expression practically said: Aren’t you super powerful?
The male lead was so strong—if she didn’t take advantage of that, it’d be a waste.
Zhou Nuocheng’s heart skipped a beat. “Cough… I think it’s feasible. As long as we avoid direct attacks, there are plenty of ways to outsmart them.”
Shi Ran’s eyes lit up. “Great! Then we’ll split everything fifty-fifty.”
Even between brothers, accounts should be kept clear.
“No need. You all helped us too.” Zhou Nuocheng’s expression cooled slightly.
Even so, Shi Ran wouldn’t truly let them suffer losses. A person still had to keep their moral bottom line.