A bead of cold sweat trickled down Jiang Chen's forehead as he swallowed hard, staring at the deadly weapon in front of him.
At least it's a 36D...
Beneath her finely arched brows, there were eyes that radiated a fierce aura, with a tall nose and cherry-red lips that, if it weren't for the hostile expression on her face, could easily make her a beauty. The black gun in her hand and the chillingly dangerous whip... If this place were surrounded by more suggestive decor, any man would likely fantasize about what was happening here...
Forget the fantasies!
At this moment, Jiang Chen felt nothing but regret and fear—there was not even a hint of physical excitement. Wait, why do my pants feel a bit tight? It must be an illusion. No way I'm a masochist!
First off, let it be clear: Jiang Chen absolutely didn't have any particular tastes. The only reason he was tied to a chair by this woman holding a whip was pure accident...
"Name?" The woman in a black leather jacket and faded, worn-out jeans flicked her messy hair and casually stepped her foot on the armrest of the chair.
"Jiang Chen..." Jiang Chen obediently gave his name after swallowing again. As a civilized person, he had never encountered such a brutal beauty before.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Why's your name so effeminate?"
Why don't you go ask my mom, damn it! Of course, these words stayed in his head—he feared that if he said them out loud, a bullet from the gun in her hand might put a hole in his skull.
Yes, this crazy woman had a gun in her hand! The atmosphere immediately grew less pleasant.
"...I was born in the morning," Jiang Chen mumbled. To be honest, his name wasn't that feminine, but his delicate appearance made even a strong name seem out of place on him.
"Stop stalling," the woman cracked the whip against the nearby leather sofa with a loud snap that made Jiang Chen instinctively shrink back. "I'm not interested in your mother."
Damn, it's you who asked! Jiang Chen cursed silently, his face turning pale.
"Come to think of it, you've got potential as a kept man." The woman laughed lightly, suddenly leaning in and tapping Jiang Chen's cheek with the whip. "From now on, you'll answer every question I ask. If you lie, I won't hesitate to mark your face with some unpleasant scars."
Jiang Chen's face turned purple with anger.
Damn, I feel like I'm about to be... assaulted by a woman.
"Where are you from?" the woman narrowed her eyes, her voice dark and threatening.
"I'm from the North," Jiang Chen quickly lied. He certainly didn't believe this woman could see through his secrets. Wanghai City? Are we even still in Wanghai City? This rundown place?
"Where did you get this... Co—la?" The woman's pronunciation was awkward, as if she had never heard of cola before.
Jiang Chen noticed the urgency in her voice, the tone growing more desperate... Was that greed he heard?
"Cola... it's a carbonated drink."
"Obviously! I know it's a carbonated drink, but where did you get it?" The woman arrogantly gulped down the cola, letting out a satisfied sigh before tossing the empty can aside and whipping the sofa again.
Jiang Chen's gaze locked on the odd-looking gun that was now pressed to his forehead.
A cold sweat trickled down again. He took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
"I can't explain."
"You want to die?"
"Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?" Jiang Chen, not knowing where the courage came from, suddenly found himself daring to retort.
...
The woman fell silent for a moment. After some time, she sighed, holstered the gun, and tossed the whip aside.
"Alright... maybe I overdid it," she said, though her words didn't immediately suggest she would untie him.
She had been hitting the sofa earlier, so Jiang Chen figured maybe she wasn't a bad person after all. He bravely speculated.
"Believe me, I'm acting with good intentions," Jiang Chen said, unsure how long her hesitation would last. He resorted to throwing out a lie to buy some time.
"Good intentions?"
"Like saving you from starving to death. If I say anything now, I'm afraid life will get hard for both of us," Jiang Chen continued, adding a touch of mystery to his tone, giving her plenty of room for interpretation.
"Heh." The woman scoffed, but the hesitation in her eyes was unmistakable.
"Maybe we can work together. I just arrived here, and well... everything's a mess. I need a guide... In exchange, I can pay you handsomely." Jiang Chen controlled his pace, throwing out the proverbial carrot.
"Oh? You're from the Northern United Zone?" The woman raised an eyebrow.
In this wasteland, if there was any semblance of order, it likely came from the Northern United Zone. That's where there was minimal nuclear damage, and the infection hadn't spread, so some kind of stable system emerged.
But "stable" was relative—slavery, exploitation, and constant battles were the reality. The North produced slightly more food, but that's about it. It was no better than the lawless Wanghai City.
"No, I'm from a fairly wealthy place... I'm here gathering some things for someone. By the way, selling off some excess goods... like that can of soda you just drank, and those three cans you polished off." Jiang Chen wasn't foolish enough to claim he was from the United Zone. He had never been there, and if he said the wrong thing, he might blow his cover.
He figured the best approach was to claim he was from a unique place—one no one had been to—where he could make up any story he wanted.
Hearing "polished off," the woman's face immediately flushed, and she realized how unrefined her eating habits had been. She shot Jiang Chen a sharp glare. Jiang Chen smiled in return, signaling that he didn't mind. It was clear the negotiation was going smoothly.
"I don't know what's worth scheming over here. The entire supermarket, food warehouse, and even fridges in the homes have been emptied. You won't even find a loaf of bread..."
"Beautiful lady, what's your name?" Jiang Chen shook his head, smiling, and asked.
"Sun Jiao," the woman raised an eyebrow, giving him a meaningful smile. "But let me make it clear, if this 'cooperation' involves any... less-than-normal services, I might just put a bullet in your head."
"You're overthinking it, Miss Sun Jiao," Jiang Chen sighed. There was no way he was going to sleep with a woman who could snap his manhood off at any moment. "All I need is a guide... And do you think I'm short on food?"
"Then what are you after? Slaves?" Sun Jiao's expression darkened instantly, her gaze turning hostile.
If he wasn't short on food, it had to mean he was after farms or plantations. Sun Jiao's first reaction was that he might be a human trafficker. Slaves were valuable labor in the wasteland. Trafficking people wasn't unusual here, but Sun Jiao despised it, especially since her sister had likely been sold off to some place. If she ended up in a factory, fine, but if she was sold to a brothel or cannibal tribe... it would be a nightmare.
"No, no, you've misunderstood." Jiang Chen quickly explained, "I don't need slaves... I need technology."
"Technology?" Sun Jiao blinked.
"Yes, like that laser gun you have, and the computer on your arm? We have these things, but we can't produce them ourselves, so we came to this abandoned city to find old world technology."
"Those things?" Sun Jiao seemed puzzled, then cast him a suspicious look. "Isn't that hard to make? I've seen people in Liuding Town assemble them."
Damn. Jiang Chen cursed inwardly, though his face remained calm.
"I was just giving an example. Our tech is advanced in food production and logistics, but when it comes to general technology... uh, we're lacking. That's why I came here," Jiang Chen continued, lying through his teeth with the ease of a seasoned actor.
He had noticed by now that this world had once been advanced, but civilization had collapsed after the nuclear war and the zombie virus. Humanity had survived by a miracle.
The best way to describe the wasteland was: uneven.
You could still see high-tech hovercars alongside old internal combustion engine cars on the streets.
"Suit yourself," Sun Jiao gave up on probing further, her tone shifting as she stared at Jiang Chen for a while, then spoke up again. "Now, shall we talk about my payment?"
"What would you prefer for payment?" After a brief pause, Jiang Chen asked. He had no idea what the currency in this world was.
"C-type batteries, food, or Yajing. But personally, I prefer food," Sun Jiao licked her red lips lightly, then paused before continuing. "By the way, do you have any more... curry chicken can?"
"They're all gone," Jiang Chen sighed, pretending to feel sorry. Battery and Yajing? He had never seen those before. Food as payment was the only option.
"Sorry about that," Sun Jiao scratched her head awkwardly, but quickly regained her tough demeanor. She placed her hands on her hips, and with a mocking look, added, "How's that for a deal?"
Jiang Chen smiled inwardly.
Deal.
This lady might have her own quirks, but she was tough. And that could be useful.
Ruthless? Just a Shield of Self-Defense
"I'll be responsible for your safety." Sun Jiao coughed lightly, a hint of guilt in her voice as she added this assurance.
Well, no kidding. If I die, who's going to pay you? Jiang Chen thought bitterly, suppressing his frustration. Sure, the cost wasn't a big deal to him, but it still amounted to a few hundred bucks' worth of resources.
"So, my beautiful bodyguard, would you mind untying me now?" Now that the immediate crisis was over, Jiang Chen let out a sigh of relief. His limbs had been bound so tightly they were on the verge of going numb.
With practiced ease, Sun Jiao reached to her waist and pulled out a sharp dagger. With two swift strokes, she cut through the ropes that had restrained Jiang Chen.
As his circulation slowly returned, Jiang Chen flexed his arms and legs, wincing slightly. He cast a faintly resentful glance at Sun Jiao before retrieving his thoroughly rummaged backpack.
Sun Jiao, sensing his irritation, chuckled awkwardly. Her face reddened slightly as she shrugged it off with a whistle, clearly eager to move on.
"What's next? Are we leaving this place?"
"Leaving? Why would we? For now, this is our base of operations," Sun Jiao replied nonchalantly.
Outside the window, the sprawling cityscape of steel and concrete stood as a graveyard of its former glory. The once-bustling streets were now devoid of life, replaced instead by an unending sea of zombies. Occasionally, grotesque mutant creatures could be seen gnawing on lifeless corpses, their bloodcurdling howls echoing like the cries of territorial overlords.
In the distance, faint bursts of gunfire could be heard—a grim reminder of the endless battles playing out in this city of death. Humans versus monsters. Humans versus humans.
Through the grime-streaked glass, Jiang Chen's gaze swept over the scene. He saw danger. He saw death.
And he saw endless opportunities—like gold scattered across the ground, just waiting to be claimed.