Ye Chen did not stop but continued forward. Ye Zhu glanced at him, noticing his cold expression and the slight movement of his eyes as he constantly scanned the surroundings, alert for any zombies that might suddenly appear. He had no intention of slowing down, which prompted her to glance back at the young man with black hair, who was quickly catching up.
Ye Zhu silently withdrew her gaze and quietly followed beside Ye Chen.
"Hey, don't go so fast!" the young man caught up and blocked their path, his eyes sweeping over Ye Zhu's delicate and adorable face before turning to Ye Chen. He wore a smile and chuckled, "Bro, no, brother, wait, boss! You're so wise and heroic, charming and suave, admired by countless young women, adored by millions of ladies, leaving all other men in awe..."
Ye Chen frowned slightly and waved to interrupt the flattery. "Do you want me to take you in?"
The young man was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, "As expected of a handsome, dashing, peerless man who captivates millions... You're so sharp and insightful, you see right through people. You're practically the savior of this apocalyptic world, the role model for all men..."
Ye Chen cleared his throat and said, "Sorry, although I know that without someone to look after you, you'll likely die, like just now, if you hadn't met us, you would have been torn apart. But we don't want any dead weight. Sorry!"
The young man's eyes filled with tears as he inwardly wailed, "You don't have to be so heartless about it..."
Ye Zhu, with a softer heart, saw the young man's pitiful look and tugged at Ye Chen's sleeve, saying, "Brother, let's take him in. It's rare to see another living person."
"Yeah, yeah!" The young man nodded eagerly, finding Ye Zhu adorable and kind, almost like a living Bodhisattva. He quickly said to Ye Chen, "I'm not useless; I know a lot of things."
"Oh?" Ye Chen looked at him indifferently, "Let's hear it."
The young man thought for a moment, counting on his fingers, "I majored in the humanities in college, I'm really good with languages, and I know a bit about computers. I've been a team leader in a state-owned enterprise, and I've also..."
Ye Chen turned to his sister Ye Zhu and said, "Let's fry some potatoes for dinner."
"Okay!" Ye Zhu nodded obediently.
"Add some chili, it'll be appetizing," Ye Chen advised.
"Okay!"
The young man beside them was dumbfounded, his face streaming with tears. Did they have to ignore him so completely...?
Ye Chen led Ye Zhu around the young man and continued walking forward, as if he hadn't seen him. The young man stood in the corridor, his head bowed, fingers digging into his palms. After a moment, he suddenly raised his head, turned to look at Ye Chen, and shouted, "If you take me in, I'll do anything you ask!"
He had no other choice...
Having witnessed Ye Chen's formidable strength, he knew that in a world overrun by zombies, he would eventually die at the hands of the undead, even if he stayed holed up in a room. Starvation would claim him eventually.
Thus, he could only seek refuge with a strong individual, hoping to avoid disaster under their protection.
And Ye Chen was undoubtedly a great choice, at least for now, his only choice.
Hearing this almost desperate shout, Ye Chen paused. Ye Zhu stood next to him, tilting her head to look but seeing no emotion on the man's face.
After a moment, Ye Chen walked to a nearby room, took out a kitchen knife, and tossed it to the young man before turning to leave.
The young man stared blankly at the knife in his hand, looking bewildered. At that moment, he heard Ye Zhu's cheerful voice, "Hurry up, or the zombies behind might catch up!"
Zombies were undoubtedly a nightmare, and the young man quickly snapped out of his daze, overjoyed, and hurriedly followed, trailing behind Ye Chen. He glanced at the towering figure of the man, feeling as if an icy wall separated them. A man known for his eloquence, he suddenly didn't know how to greet this man.
Ye Zhu seemed to sense his dilemma and smiled, saying, "Don't mind him; my brother is just like that."
The young man smiled wryly.
Ye Zhu's lively eyes blinked as she looked at him curiously, "What's your name?"
The young man seemed to recover from the blow, his face lighting up with a smile, "My surname is Bai, given name Long, but people call me Little White Dragon! I'm the modern-day version of the charismatic Little White Dragon, as known in Qingda University. Um, this isn't the right place for a signature, maybe next time, hey, don't walk so fast, wait for me..."
Ye Chen glanced at the man, a gleam in his eyes.
In such an environment post-apocalypse, someone who could still smile so brightly—what kind of world did he carry within him?
Ye Chen saw something in Bai Long that made him decide to take him in.
...
As they rounded a corner, Ye Chen suddenly stopped, making a hand signal to indicate silence.
Ye Zhu obediently closed her mouth because she knew Ye Chen only commanded others when facing trouble; otherwise, he wouldn't deliberately restrict her.
Bai Long, a bit clueless, walked over, "What's going on?"
Ye Chen frowned.
Startled, Bai Long quickly shut his mouth, not knowing why he felt a natural fear of this man before him, perhaps due to the display of strength earlier or the cold, ruthless refusal...
Ye Chen glanced at Bai Long, who tensed, thinking his behavior had displeased Ye Chen and that he would be abandoned. He looked at him pitifully, pleading with his eyes.
Ye Chen rolled his eyes and whispered, "You two wait here. I'll go check. If we encounter zombies, Bai Long, make sure to protect my sister!"
Relieved, Bai Long nodded confidently, "Of course! Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to your sister!"
Ye Chen nodded, giving Ye Zhu a "be careful" look, then gripped his fire axe and moved forward. The corridor was stained with blood, and a door hung ajar. Inside, it was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Ye Chen took a deep breath, kicked the door open, and saw the room's scene: a creature as large as a lion, covered in dark fur, on all fours, with sharp claws.
"As expected, a mutant dog!" Ye Chen's eyes grew serious. The air was thick with a pungent smell, a scent unique to mutant animals, indicating the presence of a mutant dog nearby.
"Roar!" The mutant dog sensed Ye Chen's presence, turning its head to glare at him, its fangs menacing, bits of flesh and innards still clinging to its teeth.
Ye Chen frowned, wondering who had brought their pet dog, which had transformed into a ferocious giant dog during the apocalypse, with strength equal to twenty men!
The dog's strength lay in its nose!
After the virus-induced evolution, its sense of smell became even sharper, but its strength was far less than that of an ant. In fact, in the late stages of the apocalypse, finding a creature stronger than an ant was rare worldwide...
A fight between a lion and an ant of the same size would undoubtedly result in the lion's death!
Thus, this mutant dog wasn't as terrifying as a mutant ant, but it was still a formidable foe for Ye Chen. Though their strengths were similar, the differences were significant!
Because the dog's speed and reflexes far surpassed those of any other animal, including humans!
Moreover, the dog's teeth and claws were lethal weapons. Even with equal strength, humans would find it challenging to defeat a dog!
Ye Chen had no other choice.
At this moment, the mutant dog charged, reaching Ye Chen in a blink of an eye. Its speed was about 100 meters per 2 seconds, far surpassing Ye Chen's two seconds!
What does it mean to run a hundred meters in two seconds?
In the blink of an eye, it would "zoom" by.
Sweat beaded on Ye Chen's forehead as he gripped the fire axe tightly. As the mutant dog closed in, he swung the axe, producing a "whoosh" in the air.
Whoosh!
The mutant dog swerved, dodging the attack, and was behind Ye Chen in a flash, clawing at him.