He knew well the image he held in Xu Nuo's eyes and sighed before addressing him. "You should stop testing me. I absolutely won't give food to them. Even if I were foolish, I understand that once you start, we'd have no lunch left for ourselves.
With the little supplies we have, there wouldn't be enough for all those people. Giving to one is like giving to a crowd. I know when to be kind and when to be ruthless."
Xu Nuo was pleased with Park Su's response, realizing he had perhaps underestimated him. He then acted swiftly, throwing the leader of the beggars several meters away.
Seeing the man struggle to stand, Xu Nuo coldly addressed the group, "Get lost. If you come back, it won't just be a beating. My patience isn't great, and in this world, killing zombies or people makes little difference to me. I wouldn't mind adding a few more lives to my count!"
Most of them, seeing Xu Nuo's treatment of their leader and hearing his chilling words, were genuinely intimidated and hurried to help their leader up and leave.
However, others cursed Xu Nuo, accusing ability users of being heartless, only caring for their own survival, and even contemplating murder, labeling it as barbaric and selfish.
Park Su, while cooking, thought Xu Nuo's decisive actions were incredibly cool. He mused that if he had been as decisive, perhaps he wouldn't have faced such dire circumstances in his past life.
Moreover, to Park Su, these people's moral high ground was hypocritical. If they couldn't work or kill zombies for food, why should ability users be morally obligated to give it away?
In the early days of the apocalypse, this behavior might garner some food, but as resources dwindled, it could lead to severe beatings or worse. Later on, ordinary people would be even more cautious about offending ability users, the relationship becoming akin to that of feudal lords and serfs.
Their lives would be valued no more than labor, and to gain favor with ability users, their lives might be easily disregarded.
Later, the benefits of wood-type abilities would become apparent, though relying solely on them for food would still be insufficient. Ordinary people would then be recruited for cheap labor, ensuring survival, albeit with hardship.
Park Su had little patience for their naive remarks, knowing reality would soon slap them in the face. Their words, however, irked him, but Xu Nuo, as always, dealt with such matters more harshly than he would.
Sure enough, Xu Nuo quickly acted, throwing out those who were gossiping about him, their injuries far worse than their leader's. With a raised eyebrow and a cold expression, Xu Nuo remarked, "You chose the hard way."
This harsh lesson made most of them much more subdued, fleeing the area in fear of further wrath.
Just when Park Su thought he could finish cooking in peace, he heard a timid, yet familiar voice from the crowd, "Park Su?"
Park Su had been focusing on cooking, not paying attention to the faces of the ragged group, believing Xu Nuo's handling was more effective than his own would have been. He knew he'd drive them away, but not with such severity.
But hearing his name called out by a voice he could never forget, his hand paused abruptly, and the spatula fell to the ground with a clatter.
Xu Nuo, hearing someone call Park Su's name, instinctively turned to look at him, noticing the strange expression on his face.
Park Su seemed shocked, yet more restrained, with a hint of panic—a look Xu Nuo had never seen on him before. He hadn't even looked up to see who it was, just heard his name called, but it was as if he already knew who it was.
This made Xu Nuo feel slightly uncomfortable, and out of curiosity, he turned to look at the person, noticing his disheveled state.
The man's face was dusty, his hair messy, not as wretched as the beggars but certainly not in good shape. Despite this, one could still discern that he had handsome features, different from Park Su's cute type, more of a clear, handsome look.
What annoyed Xu Nuo more was the way this man looked at Park Su, like spotting long-awaited prey. In an instant, Xu Nuo understood this man was coveting Park Su.
Having just confirmed his own feelings for Park Su and sensing Park Su wasn't entirely indifferent to him, Xu Nuo was thinking of nurturing their relationship and planning a romantic confession to solidify their bond. Now, this unexpected figure appeared, and it was natural for Xu Nuo's expression to sour.
The man didn't even notice Xu Nuo; his eyes were fixed on Park Su. Seeing Park Su look up after his call, the man's voice carried a hint of joy as he called out again, this time with more certainty.
Park Su took a deep breath, trying to appear calm, reminding himself that this Sun Muyang was not the one who had pushed him into a horde of zombies in his past life. This Sun Muyang had done nothing to him, and he had done nothing for him; their relationship had ended before the apocalypse.
If there was anything, it was for Sun Muyang to see clearly what kind of person he was, or to understand why he had once pushed him into the zombie crowd. What mindset had he harbored towards someone who had supported and protected him for six years?
At least, Park Su needed to clarify this to decide how to handle this person. Perhaps this encounter could be the best way to resolve his inner demons.
With these thoughts, Park Su finally put down what he was holding and looked at Sun Muyang, noting how he no longer looked as polished as he remembered.
Indeed, without him, Sun Muyang hadn't fared as well as he might have expected. Park Su tried to smile but couldn't, so he gave up, his voice cold as he said, "It's me. What do you want?"
Sun Muyang was certain Park Su recognized him, but he never anticipated the man who once chased after him would treat him with such coldness.
Although in the month before the apocalypse, Park Su had barely contacted him, Sun Muyang hadn't thought much of it at the time. He didn't like men, and with his salary and looks, he had plenty of women interested in him; he had no intention of choosing Park Su as a partner.
If not for Park Su's utility—willing to buy things he wanted but was reluctant to purchase himself, his unique talents helping with work issues, and his obedience—Sun Muyang wouldn't have bothered with him. From university until now, he had enjoyed all of Park Su's efforts without any reciprocation, giving him a sense of achievement. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered with him at all.
However, he believed he had kept his manipulations discreet. While he despised Park Su, he maintained a seemingly good relationship with him. Using someone's affection for you to get them to do things for you was always Sun Muyang's forte.
He didn't think Park Su had realized he was being used; after all, he always saw Park Su as somewhat foolish. Otherwise, why would Park Su remain so steadfastly devoted to him when so many others had drifted away?
No matter how badly he treated Park Su, a little coaxing and deception always seemed to resolve any dissatisfaction Park Su might feel.
Over the years, Sun Muyang extracted considerable value from Park Su, understanding him as someone soft-hearted, easily fooled, and swayed by sweet words.
To Sun Muyang, Park Su was the epitome of a gullible rich fool. When Park Su initially stopped responding, Sun Muyang felt a bit out of sorts. But after several unanswered calls, he lost patience, thinking perhaps his harsh words had hurt Park Su's feelings.
In the past, similar situations had occurred; he'd ignore Park Su for a few weeks, and Park Su would come back, unable to bear the separation. Then, with a little incentive, Park Su would be loyal again.
But this time, after weeks of silence, Sun Muyang didn't receive the expected call or apology from Park Su; instead, the apocalypse arrived first.