The short-haired woman got stuck for a moment.
That… actually made some sense?
She instinctively looked toward Professor Zhao and Zhuang Licheng. In the past, the ones who used their brains and made decisions in the team had been He Xuan, Zhao Shansi, and Zhuang Licheng. Now one was absent, and the other two were silent, leaving the short-haired woman somewhat at a loss.
“Professor Zhao, what do you think?”
Professor Zhao shook her head at her. “I trust those two ability users, and I also trust He Xuan’s good luck. She won’t be abducted or tricked away so easily.”
“He Xuan is lucky, of course. If she gets taken away and given good food and drink, isn’t that also a kind of good luck…” a woman muttered.
This woman was the speed-type ability user, and she was in a relationship with the strength-type ability user who had spoken earlier.
Clearly, the couple shared the same thoughts. After being briefly moved by being fed and given water, they began distrusting both their companions and the people who had helped them.
“So what? Are you saying all this because you want to leave?” The sports student did not indulge them either. “Then leave. Those two big shots weren’t planning on taking you along anyway.”
Those impulsive words instantly stabbed several people in the sore spot.
Yes, those two big shots had indeed made it clear that they only wanted the two technical personnel and the sports student with the special ability. Everyone else was just an optional extra. But having the big shots say it and having a teammate say it were completely different things!
If you did not say it, everyone was still friends. Once you said it, that meant you saw yourself as superior and looked down on your companions who had travelled with you all this way!
So not only the couple, but the other two strength-type ability users also became angry.
“You’re just a sports student. You’ve been useless the whole way. If not for us protecting you, you would’ve died long ago! And now you’re here talking crap?”
“What’s wrong with being a sports student? My strength isn’t as great as yours, but isn’t my speed faster than yours? When we were surrounded and chased by zombies, wasn’t it my ability that broke the lock on a door so you could hide inside with us? We’re a team and help each other. Now, in your mouth, it becomes me owing you?”
“Of course you owe me! Professor Zhao, you owe us too! What do you say now?”
The group argued noisily, and the flames of conflict spread toward Zhao Shansi.
Professor Zhao had long been prepared for this. She did not get dragged into their logic and said unhurriedly, “I hope everyone can have a stable living environment. And following Miss Fu is currently the best choice.”
The strength-type ability user was dissatisfied. “Don’t dodge the question. I’m asking you: do you admit that you owe us?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the three strength-type ability users and the speed-type ability user all stared intensely at Professor Zhao, as if if she said one “no,” she would be trampling on their dignity, and accounts would have to be settled immediately.
Professor Zhao subconsciously pushed at her glasses frame, but her hand met empty air—the glasses had long since been lost somewhere in the apocalypse. She said calmly, “If I were an ordinary person, or if my technical level were not what it is now, would you still have helped me?”
“Don’t change the subject! Just say whether you admit that without us, you would be dead!” the man in the couple demanded sharply.
Professor Zhao smiled. “Without me, you would have been locked outside back then because the base’s electric gates didn’t open and close fast enough. Without me, He Xuan, Zhuang Licheng, and Pan Feizhou, you would now be like homeless dogs, still fleeing for your lives in the heavy rain, without even the qualification to sit here and think about whether or not to trust Miss Fu!”
Professor Zhao rarely spoke harshly. Or rather, with He Xuan, a clear-headed leader, present, there had simply been no room for conflict between Professor Zhao and these people.
The moment He Xuan noticed a problem, she would kill it in the cradle.
Anyone with brains knew that if their group wanted to join a new base and receive better treatment, bringing a comprehensive talent like Professor Zhao and a professional like Zhuang Licheng, who also had self-protection ability, would be a great contribution.
And after arriving at a base, Professor Zhao would become an important figure in the technical department and, to a certain extent, bring benefits to their ability-user team, which was definitely not bad but also not especially outstanding. The team’s benefits would therefore be continuous.
At the most fundamental level, the ability users protecting Professor Zhao was an exchange of interests. But saying that directly was too cold, so on the surface, everyone was a united, friendly team helping one another.
At least, when He Xuan was there, that was how it was. And those with relatively ordinary abilities like strength and speed could vaguely sense this meaning, but they were unconvinced. There was always a breath of resentment stuck in their hearts. They felt they were stronger than ordinary people like Professor Zhao, and if they were not polite, they would never support someone like her.
The contradiction had always existed, suppressed and forcibly dissolved by He Xuan for various reasons.
Now, He Xuan was not there, and Professor Zhao also intended to tear off the mask and drive away some unclear-headed people. She directly pierced through the window paper, and the four ability users immediately became furious.
Two of the strength-type ability users rushed over, wanting to teach Professor Zhao a lesson.
However, the strongest fighter here was the short-haired woman, followed by Zhuang Licheng, who was older but whose ability was not weak. The former was simple-minded and trusted He Xuan, so she instinctively wanted to prevent infighting for the sake of the team. The latter, being technical personnel, naturally stood on the same side as Professor Zhao.
The two strength-type ability users, who had originally thought they could easily occupy the absolute advantage, were instantly suppressed. Their bodies were numbed by electricity and blown into the corner wall, falling stiffly to the ground.
“Hubby!” Seeing her boyfriend being attacked, the speed-type ability user quickly rushed over to support him.
She was shocked. “You actually hit teammates who are also ability users for the sake of an ordinary person!”
Professor Zhao lowered her eyes. Everything was within her expectations, so there was no expression of surprise or pride. She remained as calm as ever, but there was now a deliberately piercing edge to her words.
“When you had no hostility toward me, our squad was one whole. After you became hostile toward me, our internal division is based on wisdom and trustworthiness, not on whether someone is an ability user.”
“Otherwise, why do you think ability users can fight one another so fiercely? Why do ordinary people scheme and fight among themselves too?”
“This is not a matter of group or race. It is a matter of people.”
“If you cannot understand that, it is the reason you are lying there now, while I am standing here.”
Professor Zhao’s words were almost directly saying, “You’re stupid, useless, and have no character.” The couple and the other strength-type ability user who had acted were so angry their mouths twisted, but they did not dare say anything.
The remaining ability user, who had been angry but had not acted, came back to his senses, recognised the situation, stopped expressing anger, and shrank into a corner without speaking.
After the two sides tore their faces apart, the speed-type ability user proposed taking two-thirds of the rations for her side to divide and eat.
The sports student asked her on what basis, and her reason was this: “Zhao Shansi isn’t an ability user. Her appetite is small, so she can basically be ignored when dividing food. That means our side has four people and your side has three. Besides, two of our companions were injured by you and need to eat more potatoes to recover. So us taking two-thirds isn’t excessive at all.”
The sports student was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but Professor Zhao stopped him.
“Let it go. She won’t be able to stir up trouble for many days anyway. Once we reach Miss Fu’s residential complex, we’ll either be technical department members or highly offensive ability users with low replaceability. We’ll definitely be valued. When the time comes, if these few want to make trouble, no one will bother with them.”
“Oh, right. Didn’t Miss Fu say our living conditions would be different from theirs? That’s perfect. In the future, we may not even see each other often.”
The speed-type ability user and the others were furious!
They could not win a fight, and they could not win an argument. In the end, they only received half the rations.
Hearing this, Fu Erdie was curious. “Did those of you who stayed finish that half?”
Professor Zhao shook her head. “It was deliberately allowed to be stolen. Consider it a farewell meal.”
It turned out that days with food and water were very relaxed. After the group stayed in the small courtyard until the sixth day, their external injuries were basically healed.
The speed-type ability user and the strength-type ability users hesitated. They felt that if they followed Miss Fu, their future life would be very secure. They would have food, drink, treatment—lacking nothing.
Although they had argued with these people and things were very unpleasant, so unpleasant they wanted to leave immediately, now that good days seemed to be coming, did they really want to go?
As reason returned, they no longer wanted to leave.
But Professor Zhao looked at the map and seemed to mention casually, “Two hundred kilometres ahead of us, there seems to be a base? I remember the leader of this base is very similar to the later leader of H City base. They both value ability users and don’t value technical personnel. Heh, I wonder how many days such a short-sighted base can survive.”
Over the past few days, Zhuang Licheng had already understood Zhao Shansi’s intention. He agreed that “it is better for the team to be united than numerous.” Only when a group was neat and unified could it accomplish major things. Otherwise, no matter how many people there were, they would just drag everyone down.
Before, their goal had been the same: everyone was fleeing for their lives, so their hearts were united. Now that they had escaped the most dangerous flood zone and were heading elsewhere to find a way out, these few people were clearly not walking the same path as them. Since that was the case, they should guide everyone to part ways.
Zhuang Licheng looked at the map and gave a small sound of surprise. “This place has good terrain and won’t be flooded. It also isn’t on an earthquake belt. It looks very safe. I just don’t know what will happen if they don’t value infrastructure technology.”
Professor Zhao said, “They have ability users who can finely control electricity, so the leader’s daily electricity usage is no problem. It’s just that in the telegram we received from their side, they said there are several healing ability users serving as the medical team.”
Professor Zhao disapprovingly shook her head. “Healing ability users, at most, can treat ability users. Ordinary people still need doctors when they get sick. The leader of this base truly lacks common sense. If he doesn’t care about ordinary people, yet still absorbs ordinary people to do hard labour, isn’t that purely using them as slaves?”
The two echoed each other, listing many faults of this base.
However, in the ears of the speed-type ability user and the strength-type ability users, all these faults were enormous advantages!
They did not value technical personnel? Great! They were ability users, and they also hated technical personnel!
They could not treat ordinary people? That was fine too! As long as they could cure the lesions that appeared on them from river water, that was enough!
And this base respected wolf-like culture? What a coincidence. They also believed that the apocalypse was about the weak being prey to the strong, that the law of the jungle should rule!
Useless people like Professor Zhao and the sports student should have died long ago!
Oh, and He Xuan’s strange luck ability? What even was that! She should just be taken as a mascot. What was this nonsense about letting her be the leader? She was so weak. Was she worthy?
The more they listened, the more tempted they became. The more they listened, the brighter the future seemed.
So after preparing for two days, on the eighth night, when it was the two strength-type ability users’ turn to keep watch, they waited until everyone had fallen asleep, woke the speed-type ability user who had been pretending to sleep, and quietly ran away with all the remaining rations.
They did not start the very noisy minibus. Instead, they ran a long way along the expressway and found a drivable vehicle themselves before leaving.
Fu Erdie looked toward the remaining strength-type ability user.
At this moment, his face was haggard and pale as he stood in the corner, as if he wanted to merge into the shadows.
Professor Zhao followed Fu Erdie’s gaze and said, “Those people probably disliked that he didn’t firmly take their side and didn’t help them when they attacked me, so they left him here. We anticipated their escape, so we hid just enough food in advance. But we didn’t expect this person to be left behind, so there was no food for him. He should be very hungry now.”
Fu Erdie nodded, took out another football-sized potato and a five-litre bottle of water. “This is enough for you to head to that base. Go.”
The strength-type ability user had thought he would get nothing. He had not expected to receive such generous gifts.
He regretted it.
He truly regretted it!
“Miss Fu, no, Boss Fu!” His emotions surged, and he actually fell to his knees with a thud. “I won’t leave. I-I want to follow you! Please give me one chance, Boss Fu!”
Fu Erdie stepped aside to avoid him. “Go to the base they went to. It should suit you better.”
The strength-type became anxious and wanted to say something else, but Fu Erdie said calmly, “Do you still not understand? From beginning to end, this matter isn’t about whether Professor Zhao pushed you out or whether the others looked down on you. It’s about the fact that you look down on technical personnel. When someone above you suppresses you, you’re willing to restrain your prejudice because of someone stronger. But once that person isn’t there, you’ll explode under all kinds of excuses.”
“Imagine coming to my residential complex. Professor Zhao and the others are on the upper floors, eating and drinking well every day, enjoying air conditioning and looking at computers. You’re on the lower floors, going up and down, doing all kinds of hard labour. When your strength is needed, you’ll be asked to move all kinds of supplies. Occasionally, when you pass by the floor where Professor Zhao is staying, you can feel cool air in the summer and warmth in the winter. But after passing by, you return to your ground floor, where it’s cold in winter, hot in summer, and the place you live is messy. Every day, there’s no new hope. Every day, you’re the only labourer in the entire residential complex.”
“Although you’d have food, drink, and treatment, could you really endure that kind of life?”
Leave a Reply