**Hotel, 8th Floor, Room 808.**
"Zhang Tie might wake up any moment now. The guy watching him yesterday saw him move a bit."
Yu Shihao's face was grim as he stared indifferently at the mess on the bed.
"Shut up! If you cry again, I'll throw you out to feed the zombies!"
Director Wang wiped the sweat off his forehead and cursed at the crying woman in front of him.
Age was catching up to him, leaving him somewhat exhausted.
"Snap."
He leisurely lit a cigarette, the glow flickering in the dim room.
After a brief rest, he sat on the edge of the bed, panting.
"So, what do you suggest? If it weren't for your outburst that day, Zhang Tie and his group might not have made it up here."
"Scared now, are you?"
Yu Shihao sneered.
"It was just the first few days of the apocalypse. These people lacked the ruthlessness needed to survive."
"But you, you got caught by Wen Ya and ended up being blackmailed."
Wang Jianguo glared back coldly, displeased.
Damn, this little punk acting tough in front of me. If it weren't for the few decent suggestions from Yu Shihao, he wouldn't have agreed to their collaboration.
"So, what's your plan?"
Yu Shihao chuckled softly and pulled out a transparent bag from his pocket.
"I had your men cut back on water and food for the past two days."
He flicked the plastic bag, which contained a small amount of off-white powder.
"Add some 'good stuff' to their water and food. Then we'll take care of Lin An! As long as he's alive, I can't rest easy."
Lin An had to die, but Yu Shihao wanted to kill him personally. He needed those two pieces of equipment!
He had initially planned to interrogate Lin An about the secrets of the awakened before killing him, but Zhang Tie showing signs of waking up meant they couldn't wait any longer.
Wang Jianguo curiously took the bag and then kicked the two crying women on the bed.
"Shut up! Can't you see we're discussing something important?"
"Kill Lin An? What about Zhang Tie? Aren't you going to get rid of him?"
Yu Shihao frowned, staring intently at Wang Jianguo.
Kill Zhang Tie?
"If we kill Zhang Tie, what about the dangers afterward? That big oaf is easy to deceive."
Wang Jianguo glanced at him mockingly.
"Why are you pretending in front of me? You haven't been idle with women these past few days either."
"Do you think if Zhang Tie wakes up, he'll let you off? That guy is a brainless fool obsessed with justice!"
Yu Shihao remained silent.
He didn't care about what Wang Jianguo said. He deliberately acted as if he was at odds with Wang Jianguo in front of others.
If Zhang Tie woke up, he'd think Yu Shihao was one of the few who wanted to save Lin An.
Because of this, he hadn't touched any of the women in Zhang Tie's group.
Wang Jianguo guessed what he was thinking and sneered.
"I'm telling you, Zhang Tie has to die. If he wakes up, don't think you can clear your name!"
"And don't worry about safety. With my status, I guarantee that people from above will come to rescue us within a few days."
Yu Shihao stood up and left, tired of Wang Jianguo's constant bragging.
Someone coming to rescue them? He saw a series of explosions at the city center square due to a gas leak last night!
If there was still proper organizational work, such a thing wouldn't have been allowed to happen.
At the door, he turned and said:
"Stop talking about your status. This is the apocalypse!"
"If you want to kill Zhang Tie, fine. But Lin An must be dealt with by me personally!"
"And, Wen Ya is mine. I'll help you drug the others you want."
"Bang."
The door closed, and Yu Shihao put the powder back in his pocket.
The reason Wang Jianguo wanted to kill Zhang Tie was simple: he feared Zhang Tie would cause trouble for him, and he would lose his current status.
And the other reason, ha.
This greasy old man had long set his sights on Zhang Tie's sister, Zhang Youwei!
No matter, they each had their own goals.
In the darkness, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The tricks Wang Jianguo was playing in the room also ignited a fire in Yu Shihao's heart.
Hmm? What's so soft under my foot?
Weren't the bodies thrown out?
He subconsciously lifted his foot to check, but his eye caught the reflection on the doorplate.
802. The room he had booked with Wang Fang earlier.
Thinking of Wang Fang's resentful eyes before she died, he couldn't help but shiver.
Damn bad luck!
Quickening his pace, he felt like someone was watching him, and hurried downstairs.
"Plop."
In the darkness, a pale face slowly descended from the ceiling, landing in a pile of flesh on the ground.
..........
Late at night, second floor.
"Clank, clank."
Yu Shihao quickly unlocked the chains, cautiously whispering through the door gap:
"Wen Ya, Second Uncle. I stole some food for you, take it."
His eyes were sincere as he passed three bottles of water and some bread through the gap.
For three consecutive days, he had brought small amounts of food to gain their trust.
Second Uncle, his face full of joy, supported himself against the wall and quickly took the items.
"Oh, thank you so much. Zhang Tie just mumbled something about being thirsty!"
"You've really helped us a lot! You've worked hard these past few days."
Youwei, her nose red, stood behind him.
"Thank you, brother."
Her voice was sweet, full of gratitude.
"Youwei, here's the bread you like. Take it and eat."
Second Uncle gave most of the water and food to Wen Ya, then patted Youwei's head with a pained expression.
The little girl had been reluctant to eat these days, saying she wanted to save it for her brother and Lin An.
"Youwei is not hungry; Youwei is full."
Secretly swallowing, Youwei handed the bread back to Second Uncle.
Standing behind the door, Yu Shihao didn't leave and gently persuaded Youwei:
"Brother still has a lot of delicious food hidden away. Eat this first."
Hesitating for a moment, Zhang Youwei finally took the bread from Second Uncle and nodded obediently.
"Wen Ya, you should drink more water too. This bottle is unopened; it's new."
"And Second Uncle, don't worry about food. I checked the mini-fridge in my room, and there's still plenty to eat."
His smile was warm, his speech rehearsed several times before coming.
Seeing Youwei eating in small bites, the people in the room were overjoyed, showering him with gratitude.
Only Wen Ya remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
She took the bottled water, indeed unopened.
She looked back at Lin An, his lips cracked, face pale from lack of hydration.
In the end, Wen Ya had to let go of her guard.
Yu Shihao, seeing the food eaten, closed the door, the smile vanishing from his face.
..........
Third-floor corridor, several middle-aged men following Wang Jianguo leaned against the wall, smoking.
The flickering flames highlighted their pleased expressions.
"Hey, Yu. I contributed that water bottle and syringe. You'd better let me go second."
One of them, lewd and grinning, rubbed his hands.
"Why go one by one? That girl looks untouched. Let's all go at once and give her a good time."
Yu Shihao laughed lightly, indifferent, taking the offered cigarette.
"I go first, then do what you want. Once she's unconscious, have your way."
"But don't touch the little girl. She's for Brother Wang."
"Remember, kill her first before having fun."
"Lin An is mine; the rest are yours."
Stomping out his cigarette, Yu Shihao's eyes gleamed.
Thinking of the equipment on Lin An and Wen Ya made his heart race.
The smoker hesitated.
"Do we really have to kill? What if we get caught when we reach the safe zone?"
Yu Shihao sneered inside.
A bunch of cowards, afraid to kill and making excuses.
"No kill? You think Zhang Tie won't kill you when he wakes up?"
"I just heard Zhang Tie could talk!"
"Don't expect to enjoy yourselves if he wakes up. Look at you. Would those women bother with you if you weren't controlling the food?"
The middle-aged men looked conflicted, finally deciding.
Seeing their agreement, Yu Shihao nodded, arms crossed, walking to the window, his gaze cold.
Looking at the burning buildings in the distance and hearing the occasional unexplained explosions, he felt no fear or unease.
Twenty-nine minutes left.
Women within reach, desired power, order collapsing.
I love this apocalypse.