Following a morning conversation with Lu Yu, Qiao Manli felt a surge of confidence. She understood that the aura surrounding a villain like Lu Yu was distinct from that of a protagonist, devoid of any harem-like qualities.
Despite Lu Yu's wealth and attractiveness making it common for him to be surrounded by women, the situation would be different if these women were the main characters.
Lu Yu, aware of this, assigned Qiao Manli a mission to persuade Yan Yun, thereby justifying his interactions with more attractive women.
Qiao Manli, being an intelligent woman, didn't mind Lu Yu's other relationships at this point.
She understood the importance of patience and chose a gradual approach rather than immediately attempting to influence Yan Yun.
"Why are you behaving this way?
I refuse to discuss this with you, I'll bring it up with Teacher Li instead!"
Yan Yun, realizing that her words were falling on deaf ears with Qiao Manli, swiftly shifted her focus.
"Miss Li," she began, "I was certain that Lu Yu wouldn't abandon you.
Speaking of which, what happened to the man you met on your blind date?"
The response she received was a somber one, "He…he's no longer alive."
Upon speaking the news of his death, Li Wanning's face fell, revealing a hint of sadness and discomfort.
Even though Li Wanning wasn't particularly fond of Shen Bin, they had known each other and could be considered friends after spending several days together.
However, when Lu Yu cleared the room of scattered monsters, Shen Bin and Chu Feng's bodies were nowhere to be found. The sight of the empty room, devoid of even a single trace of the bodies, filled Li Wanning's heart with sorrow.
Upon hearing Li Wanning's words, Qiao Manli glanced at Lu Yu but chose to remain silent.
Yan Yun, realizing her mistake, also fell into a somber mood.
"Ah?
My apologies, Teacher Li,
I…I wasn't aware…" Yan Yun stammered, taken aback by the unexpected revelation.
"Alright then…" came the resigned response.
"Shall we move this conversation indoors?
We could sit and discuss this more comfortably," Yan Yun suggested, hoping to ease the tension.
"Sounds good!" came the agreement.
Without wasting any more time, Yan Yun swiftly ushered Li Wanning into the dormitory, eager to continue their conversation in a more private setting.
Meanwhile, Lu Yu, after sending off Qiao Manli, paid no mind to the women's discussions. He busied himself with setting up defenses and planning the next escape route.
The back door was teeming with monsters, making it a dangerous and time-consuming task to eliminate them one by one. To save time, Lu Yu decided to take an alternate route through the main entrance.
"Detour?" came the surprised query.
"If only we had a couple of Gatlings now!" someone wished aloud.
Upon hearing Lu Yu's plan to detour, Wu Qiang, who was accompanied by a girl, couldn't help but voice his concerns. As the saying goes, fear stems from a lack of firepower.
No matter how formidable these monsters were, a pair of Gatlings spewing blue flames could easily wipe out more than half of them, providing a safer alternative to close combat.
"Gatling?
Can anyone here operate it?" someone asked.
"What's there to operate?
Just load the bullets and let it rip!" came the dismissive reply.
"Hehe, it's not that complicated. I bet Brother Jun is the only one here who can handle such a weapon," someone else chimed in.
"I think so too!" another agreed.
"Enough with the pointless chatter.
Why are we even discussing Gatlings?
Why not talk about tanks or fighter jets instead?" someone interjected.
"Exactly, let's hear what Lu Shao has to say!" another agreed.
"Young Master Lu! Don't tell me…" someone began.
In the midst of the discussion about weaponry, Wei Jianjun had a sudden realization
"We may not be able to find a Gatling, but perhaps other guns could be an option?"
"Oh?" Lu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're suggesting… the police station?"
"If we take the detour, we'll pass by the street next to the police station!"
Wei Jianjun explained cautiously.
"We could stop by and check it out. If it's deserted, great.
If not… we could try to procure some weapons."
"Well, if it's on the way, why not?" Lu Yu agreed.
Yancheng might not have a military district, but it did have a police station, which was likely to house some useful weapons. Acquiring these weapons could significantly boost the team's combat power.
Although procuring these weapons from others could pose certain risks, Lu Yu was confident in his ability to keep his subordinates in check.
After all, who said he couldn't keep all the weapons under his control?
With this in mind, Lu Yu nodded thoughtfully.
However, just as he was finalizing this route, he had a sudden sense of unease. It seemed like every apocalypse story involved a police station, usually occupied by a gang of criminals.
And didn't the protagonist usually end up at the police station, either to acquire equipment or to rescue a girl?
Is it possible that during this journey, he might encounter the main character?
…
Interestingly, Lu Yu's speculation hit the mark.
As he was planning his return to the city,
A unique battle was unfolding not far from the Rhine Hotel.
The combatant was a well-built, attractive young man dressed in a black T-shirt and black sweatpants.
He was engaged in a fierce fight with a high-level lizardman, wielding a bone-chopping knife.
Around him, the ground was littered with the lifeless bodies of several monsters.
The young man was brimming with vitality, but his movements were noticeably unpolished.
At a glance, he appeared to be a strengthener who lacked proficiency in close combat.
…
Behind him was a darkened minibus.
This minibus was unlike the typical ones.
Ordinary mini buses have windows on both sides for ventilation and to allow passengers to enjoy the view.
However, this minibus, apart from the front and rear windows, only had four windows on the sides for ventilation.
All windows were covered with a deep reflective film.
From the outside, it was impossible to see inside.
But from the inside, the outside view was crystal clear!
The rest of the minibus was encased in metallic black steel.
Even the doors were coated with black paint over the steel.
Upon entering, one would realize that this was not just a minibus, but a massive RV!
This RV was incredibly stable, equipped with bedrooms, toilets, and a kitchen!
It had a TV, washing machine, refrigerator, and all other necessary living appliances.
Considering the remaining space inside the minibus,
It could comfortably accommodate ten people for sleep.
At that moment, a window of the minibus opened.
A cute girl with twin ponytails leaned out of the window, waving her hands and cheering for the handsome young man.
"Go, big brother!"
"Awesome, big brother!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to draw the attention of the high-ranking lizardman and the handsome young man.
Hiss!
The lizardman hissed, then bypassed the young man and excitedly ran towards the pretty girl.
"Ahh!
Big brother, it's coming towards me!"
"Bastard, dare to threaten my sister?
Face your doom!"
Upon noticing the lizard creature attempting to bypass him to reach his sister,
The young man's fury was ignited.
Leveraging his enhanced physique, he seized the moment and vaulted into the air.
His knife cleaved through the skull of the high-ranking lizardman, splitting it in two!
The lizardman collapsed onto the ground.
Unsatisfied, he struck the creature twice more for good measure!
Once he confirmed that the monster had ceased moving, he exhaled in relief.
"Hooray, big brother is victorious!" the girl exclaimed in cheer.
Witnessing the girl's childlike innocence, Lin Chen couldn't help but smile.
"Xiao Xue, you're eighteen this year!
Can you act a bit more mature?" he chided.
"But isn't it because you're so cool, big brother?" she retorted.
Unfazed, Lin Xue's face lit up with a joyful smile.
"Oh, you…," Lin Chen sighed, walking over to Lin Xue.
He affectionately ruffled her hair, a fond look in his eyes
"Alright, let's get the others out to collect the crystal cores."
"Okay, okay!" Lin Xue responded promptly.
Upon hearing his words, she didn't dare to delay and quickly pressed her thumb against a sensor switch by the window.
[Beep, fingerprint verification successful!]
Following the end of the intelligent voice prompt, an LED screen emerged from the interior of the window frame.
[Please input the required number of core collectors.]
Lin Xue glanced at the number of corpses outside, then input '3' on the display.
A secret door, approximately 20 cm in length and width, immediately opened on the exterior of the vehicle corresponding to the window.
Subsequently, three silver-white, fist-sized mini-robots with a metallic texture flew out.
They resembled spiders, but were equipped with miniature drone propellers.
Upon their exit, they wasted no time.
They flew directly towards the pile of monsters and initiated scanning.
Upon detecting a crystal core, they would open a small hole in their body, from which a drill would extend, accurately penetrating the monster's head.
Once the hole was drilled,
They would use a tool resembling tweezers to extract the crystal core from the monster's head and deposit it into the robot's built-in bin.
Observing the robots' efficient work, Lin Chen couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Seeing Lin Xue's petite and adorable figure by his side, his smile grew even wider.
His name is Lin Chen.
Not only is he the owner of this black minibus,
But he's also a protective older brother.
A/n :- Dear readers, I welcome your suggestions and feedback in the comments section below. If you find the story engaging and enjoyable, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review for this novel.