Get fed, and sleep with five men a day. Perhaps here, this was considered a favorable condition? Equivalent to getting a monthly salary of twenty to thirty thousand before the apocalypse, alongside the standard benefits, even with additional commercial health insurance?
Han Yanyan wasn't surprised at all. Before she inexplicably got into a car accident and inexplicably ended up in this inexplicably fast-changing world, she had been planning to write a post-apocalyptic story. The apocalyptic world she envisioned was quite similar to this one she found herself in.
In fact, it could be said it was very similar.
But Han Yanyan certainly did not plan to survive by sleeping with men. This time she had few character constraints and more freedom to express herself. Just a moment ago, she had already created a persona for herself and thought out her path ahead.
Just as Ding Yao finished speaking, she clutched a fruit knife and took a step back, warily eyeing the group of men in front of her. "I'm not doing this."
The round-faced man behind Ding Yao snickered, asking, "Then what do you plan to do? How will you survive?"
Han Yanyan pressed her lips together and said, "I can scavenge, join the search teams..."
The round-faced man "pooh-ed" with another mocking laugh, this time from deep in his nasal cavity, filled with obvious disdain. "You? With those skinny arms and legs, you'd be dead before you even meet a zombie, let alone survive alone among people."
Han Yanyan bit her lip, stubbornly raising her head. "Even so, I won't do it."
Ding Yao held a cigarette between two fingers. "Water and ice dual abilities?"
Han Yanyan nodded.
Ding Yao said, "Show me."
Han Yanyan understood, switching the fruit knife to her left hand to free up her right. After putting in a great deal of effort, a ball of ice appeared in her palm, larger than an apple but smaller than a pineapple.
"It'd be easier if there was water," Han Yanyan said softly. But she couldn't form water first and then freeze it because forming water was exhausting too. In a matter of seconds, she could only display one ability to Ding Yao. Between water and ice powers, the water one seemed even more useless.
In truth, Han Yanyan wasn't that weak. She could feel there was a good deal of power left in her body. But, having just learned to use her abilities in the past few minutes, she found them hard to wield, exhausting her greatly. In others' eyes, this made her appear exceedingly weak.
The little ice ball amused the men, and the round-faced man laughed out loud without holding back.
The Thunder Strike Squad gathered formidable fighters. Those who stayed around Ding Yao were all capable individuals. A man with a little mustache laughed so hard he staggered and snapped his fingers. A long, slender ice spike formed in front of him. In an instant, it weaved past several people and shot into Han Yanyan's palm.
The ice ball was shattered with a bang, and Han Yanyan's hand was injured, bleeding. Her once snow-like pale hand was now a striking crimson, like a red plum in snow.
"Old Zhang, take it easy!" the round-faced man was the first to object, turning his head to shout.
Old Zhang gave a playful yelp. "Slipped, slipped. Li Jun, heal her."
A bearded man grinningly stepped forward, placing his hand over Han Yanyan's injured one. Han Yanyan frowned but didn't pull back. Her palm up until then had hurt, but the wound quickly healed, leaving only traces of blood; the injury vanished completely.
Such astonishing healing abilities.
Han Yanyan timely expressed "shock" through her gaze and facial expression. The men found it enjoyable to see such an expression on a beautiful woman's face and felt content.
The little ice ball was indeed amusing, and even Ding Yao had a smile tugging at his lips. He exhaled a puff of smoke, asking, "How did you survive?"
Han Yanyan lowered her lashes. "I used to have companions..." As she spoke, her eyes turned red.
Han Yanyan had a knack that wasn't really a skill. She could easily immerse herself emotionally into her self-created storylines or characters. For instance, if she needed to write a heartbreaking scene, she might end up crying before she even started writing because she had already visualized it in her head. At this moment, turning her eyes red and appearing as though she was about to cry was second nature.
Her vague explanation gave the men ample space to fill in the blanks. They all displayed "I knew it" expressions, each likely filling in the gaps with their versions of "she survived by relying on men, now they're gone, and she's alone."
Ding Yao flicked the ash from his cigarette, offering more, "Three square meals a day, four men a day, medicine if you fall ill." After a pause, he added, "Whatever they give you is yours to keep."
Han Yanyan stayed silent for a few seconds, then looked up at him. "Thank you for saving me earlier. I..."
"If you don't come with me, once I've left, you'll be dragged away and won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Believe it?" Ding Yao interrupted her nonchalantly.
Han Yanyan turned pale.
Her skin was fair; Ding Yao had noticed her from across the street initially due to that.
This girl appeared suddenly, her aura entirely out of place with her surroundings. To men like them, honed in the apocalypse to be ever-aware and as alert as hunting dogs, she was impossible to miss the moment she showed up.
Close up now, even under the dim yellow streetlight, her delicate, flawless skin was visible. Her neck was slender, shoulders thin, her collarbones intricately defined. Her clothing was disheveled, revealing hints of spring, reminiscent of a naive girl but alluring in every aspect. Her demeanor bore none of the decay from suffering through the apocalypse.
Ding Yao observed her for several seconds, took a drag of his cigarette, and changed his mind.
"My search team is looking for people too," he said.
Han Yanyan looked up sharply, trying to maintain calm on her face, though the joy in her eyes was hard to hide. "I, I want to join the search team," she said with some urgency. "I'm really good at finding things. I can do other work too. I can, I can create water for you."
“Okay.” Ding Yao discarded his cigarette, crushing it underfoot, and nodded his head slightly. “Follow me.”
Then, as if he had just remembered something, he motioned with his hand and casually tossed her a t-shirt. "Put this on."
Han Yanyan's skirt was scorched and tattered, one shoulder burnt open, her front barely concealed by her hands. The t-shirt was loose and baggy, with a slight hip-hop style, but it fit just right.
In response to the mysteriously appearing clothes, Han Yanyan gave an appropriate look of awe, although she already knew from the predetermined information that Ding Yao had dual abilities of lightning and space. Similar to her own dual abilities, hers were weak in comparison; whereas, he was immensely powerful.
Han Yanyan threw the fruit knife aside and pulled the oversized t-shirt over her head. As her arms released from covering her chest, a flash of snow-white was visible in front of Ding Yao's eyes, promptly covered by the descending t-shirt. The t-shirt was so big it draped down to her thighs, nearly enough to wear like a dress, although a bit puffy over her skirt, it was better than being exposed.
With her outfit changed, Han Yanyan bent down to retrieve the fruit knife, waiting for Ding Yao to speak.
“What’s your name?” Ding Yao asked.
“Han Yanyan,” she replied.
Ding Yao nodded before turning around, and Han Yanyan followed behind him.
Originally surrounding Ding Yao, the men stepped back, creating space for Han Yanyan as they exchanged meaningful glances and mischievous smiles.
Only the round-faced man seemed somewhat dejected. Sharing the same ice power ability, Old Zhang kicked him with the side of his foot. "Know your place! The boss has taken a liking; can't you get a clue?"
The round-faced man murmured softly, "We were originally supposed to share with everyone..."
Old Zhang responded, "But then plans changed, didn’t they? If the boss isn't willing to share, you have a problem?"
The round-faced man didn't have many hobbies aside from an interest in pretty girls. Watching Han Yanyan's sunlit ankles as she walked ahead, he sighed, "So beautiful!"
"What's it to you!" Old Zhang chuckled, "No matter how beautiful, she's not yours!"
The round-faced man understood. From the moment Ding Yao had spun the conversation towards the search team, it was clear to everyone. The boss fancied this tender bloom and wasn’t planning to share, intending to savor it all on his own.
Ah well.
Gasoline was precious in the post-apocalyptic world; nobody drove around Nanling City. Therefore, Han Yanyan walked back with Ding Yao.
The Thunder Strike Squad's base was set in a garden-style hotel. Within Nanling City's old walled region, which was a tourist spot under government control and devoid of especially tall buildings, stood this hotel, comprising three towers, five stories each, accommodating the entire squad with room to spare.
The hotel originally had wrought iron fences, and after the Thunder Strike Squad took over, they reinforced it with barbed wire atop the fences to deter both humans and zombies effectively.
Ding Yao didn't explain anything, and Han Yanyan silently followed him all the way. Once they reached the main hall of the main building, Ding Yao finally stopped, giving her a brief glance before calling out, "Li Jun, arrange something for her."
The one referred to as "Li Jun" was precisely the bearded man with healing abilities. He responded and came over, saying, "Uh, put her on the third floor?"
Ding Yao replied, "As you see fit," then headed for the elevator upstairs.
Only one elevator was functioning. After Ding Yao and his men went up, Han Yanyan and Li Jun waited for the elevator to return.
On the third floor, Li Jun led her to room 317, knocking on the door, "Zhao Yuxuan, Zhao Yuxuan!"
The door quickly opened, revealing a pretty young woman who exclaimed, a bit surprised, "Brother Sun." Glancing at Han Yanyan, she asked, "Are you looking for me...?"
Sun Lijun said, "This is... uh, what's your name again?"
"Han Yanyan," she answered.
"Oh right, this is Han Yanyan, just arrived. All other rooms haven't been sorted and have no supplies; let her squeeze in with you for the night. I'll arrange something for her tomorrow," Sun Lijun explained.
Zhao Yuxuan made an "oh" sound. "Alright, come in then."
"You have a rest," Sun Lijun told Han Yanyan, "I’ll bring you things later."
Looking at the neat and youthful Zhao Yuxuan, Han Yanyan followed her inside and was startled by the mess within.
"Sit down first." Zhao Yuxuan bent to shove the scattered boxes away, making room for Han Yanyan.
It was a standard hotel room, two beds. One bed, clearly Zhao Yuxuan's, had bedding and pillows. The other was bare, with only a mattress, nothing else.
In the apocalypse, resources were tightly rationed, even the hotel's bedding counted as commodities, all taken away for management long ago. On the contrary, large and small boxes filled the room, each containing various odds and ends, haphazardly stashed.
Several boxes even topped the unoccupied bed.
"We didn't expect someone to move in, so everything's been thrown around like this," Zhao Yuxuan apologized, pushing some boxes back further, explaining, "Don't mind it, okay? We'll tighten it up in a sec. Come on, help me go through this clutter. It'll be useful someday, you know."
Gold and diamonds were useless now, everything bartered; food was a hard currency, anything essential for survival was in demand.
Feeling restless sitting idly by, Han Yanyan lent a hand with tidying. Just as they finished clearing the mess off the other bed, Sun Lijun arrived with another person, arms full of supplies.
“This is the bedding, clothes, the key to your room — 315, right across. Get settled tomorrow. Also, these are yours,” Sun Lijun handed over everything to Han Yanyan.
At the sight of one thing after another being handed over, Zhao Yuxuan could not hide her astonishment.
The man accompanying Sun Lijun, brought along to help, kept curiously sneaking glances at Han Yanyan's face. Sun Lijun nudged him with his foot. "Let's go, let's go," he scolded them, gesturing at Zhao Yuxuan, "Come over here, I need a word."
Zhao Yuxuan stepped out to talk.
Han Yanyan didn't rush to make her bed. Among the items Sun Lijun handed her was a lunchbox, containing a steamed bun and a portion of cooked meat about the size of a baby's fist. Though both were cold, they smelled delectable. Feeling her hunger emerge, she sat on the mattress and started to eat.
Before she finished, Zhao Yuxuan returned, regarding Han Yanyan with a slightly peculiar look. After hesitating a bit, she couldn't resist asking, "Did Boss Ding bring you here?"