Chapter 32: Secured

At the scene, everyone was stunned. Ye Nan had not only acted decisively but also killed with a single blow, instantly finishing off the scarred man. The remaining man was terrified; he dared not challenge Ye Nan and turned to flee.

"Do you think you can get away?" Ye Nan gave chase and blocked the man's path.

"Kid, are you human or a ghost?" The man turned pale, trembling uncontrollably. His speed was by no means slow, yet Ye Nan had moved like a teleportation, appearing before him in the blink of an eye. It was simply unbelievable.

Ye Nan grinned and asked, "What do you think?"

The man dropped to his knees and begged, "Spare me, I'll do anything you want."

"Anything, really?" Ye Nan stroked his chin and asked casually.

"Of course, I never lie." As soon as the words left his lips, the man pulled a dagger from his bag and lunged at Ye Nan.

He was certain this sudden, violent strike would catch Ye Nan off guard; in his mind, he could already picture Ye Nan stabbed to death. To his shock, however, Ye Nan seemed to anticipate his every move, raising his Thunder Sword to deflect the strike with ease. In the next heartbeat, Ye Nan thrust his sword forward, creating a bloody hole in the man's chest. Blood sprayed everywhere, and soon the man collapsed, his breathing silenced forever.

In just a short moment, Ye Nan had killed three men. He acted like a god of slaughter, finishing each one with a single strike—such power was truly invincible. Everyone present silently vowed never to provoke this killing machine, lest they meet a miserable end.

Ye Nan winked at Su Tao and smiled softly, "Call me 'Brother Nan' again, let me hear it."

Still in shock, Su Tao instinctively replied, "Brother Nan, Brother Nan..."

Nearby, the man in glasses glared in fury, but ultimately said nothing, fearing he would provoke Ye Nan.

"Good girl. I'll repeat what I said before: if you want food and water, come to my place. I'll make sure you're fed and satisfied." With that, Ye Nan turned and left.

Behind him, whispers erupted:
"Who is that guy? So arrogant, so overbearing."
"If only he were my boyfriend. With skills like that, no one would dare bully me again."
"Exactly. I'd even trade my body for food with him if I had to."
"So handsome."

Back at the safe house, the three women hurried to greet him. They had been worried because he had been out for so long.

"Don't worry, I'm a Level 2 Esper, what could happen to me?" Ye Nan said. "I have good news: we'll soon have a Doomsday Chariot..."

Ye Nan told the three women about the auto repair shop. They were thrilled, especially Li Siqi; with a Doomsday Chariot, she could finally head to Donghai University to rescue her sister. Donghai University was far away, on the other side of the city. Even in peaceful times, it would be a two-hour drive. In this apocalypse, with zombies swarming the streets, it would take at least five hours—assuming no accidents occurred. If things went wrong, it could take ten hours or more. Otherwise, Ye Nan wouldn't bother with a chariot; he would have just gone alone. While saving people was important, personal safety had to come first. That was his principle.

Ye Nan said mysteriously, "I have more good news: I've acquired a batch of weapons."

"What kind?" Gong Wanru asked. "More handguns and crossbows?"

"This time is different. See for yourselves." Ye Nan produced the weapons from within the Thunder Tower.

The three women were instantly stunned, their eyes lighting up. They had expected more pistols, but instead, the floor was covered in sniper rifles, grenades, bulletproof vests, ammunition, and assault rifles. It was a massive haul.

"My God, with these weapons, our safety is guaranteed," Gong Wanru exclaimed happily, picking up a sniper rifle and handling it with delight.

Yan Ruoliu added, "Let's cook a big meal tonight and celebrate."

***

"Sure," Ye Nan agreed.

"I've been learning to cook from Sister Gong and Sister Yan lately," Li Siqi said. "I'll show off my skills tonight and let you have a taste."

"Fine by me. I'll definitely have to eat plenty to keep my strength up—otherwise, how could I keep you three beauties satisfied?" Ye Nan’s hot gaze swept over the women.

His remark caused the three of them to blush deeply. With playful scolding, they retreated to the kitchen to prepare dinner. That evening, the four of them looked at the spread of food with great joy. While eating, Ye Nan was quite mischievous, using his lightning tentacles to tease the women, leaving them both embarrassed and annoyed, yet unable to speak out for fear of further awkwardness. Still, an occasional bit of flirtation seemed rather interesting.

Meanwhile, Su Tao and the man in glasses were arguing, their conflict stemming from the events of the day. Su Tao accused him of being a coward—standing by and doing nothing while others were about to bully his girlfriend. The man in glasses accused Su Tao of flirting with Ye Nan, certain that they had already hooked up behind his back.

This infuriated Su Tao, who threatened to break up with him.

"Damn it! You want to dump me so you can run off with that brat Ye Nan, don't you?" the man in glasses cursed viciously. "You slut, I knew it! You two have something going on!"

"That's right, we do! Why don't you go kill him then? You dare? You coward! You're afraid of zombies; what kind of future could you possibly have?" Su Tao, now just as angry, stopped trying to explain and began trading insults with him.

The man in glasses, pushed to the breaking point, grabbed a kitchen knife and looked at her with murder in his eyes.

Su Tao, seeing his expression, asked nervously, "What are you doing?"

The man said, "That brat lives in unit 2001, right? Go to him now and tell him you're willing to trade your body for food. I'll hide in the hallway. As soon as he opens the door, I'll ambush him and finish him off."

Su Tao was horrified. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy! We're almost out of food. If we take him out and seize his safe house, we won't have to struggle to scavenge for food anymore. Don't you want a better life?" the man demanded.

"You're walking to your death!" Su Tao said.

The man in glasses stepped closer with the knife, his voice cold. "If you don't do it, I'll kill you right now, so you don't run off with him later."

"Calm down," Su Tao pleaded.

"I can't calm down! I'm counting to three. If you don't agree, you die."

Looking at the twisted, unrecognizable face of the man in glasses, Su Tao felt a chill. With no other choice, she nodded.

"Fine," the man said. "Now, go to his place with me. Don't try any tricks, or you know what happens."

Under his coercion, Su Tao accompanied him to Ye Nan’s door. After climbing to the 20th floor, the man hid in the stairwell and signaled for Su Tao to ring the doorbell, hoping to catch Ye Nan off guard.

*Ding-dong!*

Hearing the bell, Ye Nan checked the monitor and saw Su Tao. "Heh, looks like I'm in for a treat tonight," he chuckled, feeling excellent. But his sharp eyes caught Su Tao giving him a subtle signal.

"The guy in glasses must be hiding in the stairwell, trying to ambush me," Ye Nan thought, his mind working quickly. "Sister Tao must be being forced into this."

Ye Nan sneered. A lowlife like the man in glasses trying to ambush him? He was dreaming. Ye Nan threw the door open and pulled Su Tao inside. The man in glasses tried to rush forward to attack, but the door slammed shut in his face.

"Damn it!" the man cursed, baffled by what had gone wrong.

Inside, Ye Nan looked Su Tao over. She was a beautiful woman, and in her yoga outfit, her curves were perfect. Ye Nan grinned. "Sister Tao, are you here to join me?"

"Yes. Are you welcoming?"

"Of course."

Su Tao whispered, "Actually, my boyfriend forced me. He's hiding in the stairwell with a knife. If you had been a second slower, he would have ambushed you."

"Good thing you signaled me. Tell me, how should I reward you?" Ye Nan inhaled the scent of her perfume, looking intoxicated.

Su Tao didn't resist his touch. Blushing, she said, "This is my first time. If you let me stay, I'll be your woman from now on."

Ye Nan pondered for a moment. "I don't trust you yet. What if this is a double-cross? What if you kill me in my sleep?"

Su Tao shook her head. "You're overthinking it."

"Sorry," Ye Nan said. "In this apocalypse, I have to be careful to avoid capsizing in the gutter."

Su Tao sighed, looking at him with bright eyes. "It's fine. Let's start with this transaction. Do it a few more times, and you'll believe me."

"Fine, let's begin." Ye Nan turned on the speaker on the door. It was one-way; sound could travel out, but not in. This meant that whatever they did, the man outside would hear every detail. Knowing the man in glasses was waiting outside made Ye Nan even more excited. Su Tao realized this too, and a strange sense of thrill washed over her.

Ye Nan kissed her and turned her around, pressing her against the door...

***

Afterward, Ye Nan felt thoroughly satisfied. Su Tao said with a hint of resentment, "You don't feel bad using someone else's girlfriend, do you? Could you be a little more gentle?"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be careful next time." Ye Nan carried Su Tao to the sofa. Nearby, Gong Wanru, Yan Ruoliu, and Li Siqi were staring at them. They had just watched a live broadcast, and their faces were still flushed.

Feeling their gaze, Su Tao felt a bit ashamed, but she quickly let it go. This was something she would have to get used to eventually. With a man as powerful as Ye Nan, what did it matter if he had other women or behaved a bit wildly? As long as he could protect her and keep her fed, what more could she ask for? With that thought, she felt at ease and greeted the three women, who smiled back.

After resting, Ye Nan brought out a feast from the kitchen.

"My God, boiled chicken, lobster, abalone, crab, sea cucumber... Most people are struggling just to eat, but you have so much, and it's all so high-quality. Even in peaceful times, I rarely ate like this," Su Tao said, her eyes shining. She was stunned, and her resolve to stay with Ye Nan only deepened.

"This is nothing. As long as you follow me, there will be plenty of food. Come, let's have a candlelight dinner."

Although he had already eaten, the physical exertion had made Ye Nan hungry again. He lit two candles and turned off the lights. The flickering candlelight created a dreamy, beautiful atmosphere. Su Tao was dazed; this was the apocalypse, yet here she was, having a candlelight dinner. She felt like she was dreaming. Following Ye Nan was definitely the right choice; a bright future was beckoning.

Su Tao stopped worrying about her image and ate ravenously, tears streaming down her face as she did. It was just too delicious. She thought about the life she had lived since the apocalypse began—never having enough to eat, being looked down upon by Mrs. Wang and Uncle Lin. She had tried so hard; even though her boyfriend should have been the one to provide, the weight had fallen on her shoulders. It would be a lie to say she wasn't exhausted. Only here did she feel a sense of relief.

After the meal, Ye Nan gave Su Tao five packs of instant noodles to take back. As soon as she stepped out, the man in glasses confronted her, cursing, "You slut! You seemed to be enjoying yourself! Do you even care about me anymore?!"

"It was your stupid idea! You can't blame me. If you had put in any effort to scavenge for food, we wouldn't be in this position. You have the nerve to blame me? Do you even deserve to?" Su Tao snapped back, no longer tolerating his attitude.

"You dare cheat on me? It looks like you've grown wings!" The man raised his hand to strike her.

"Hit me! Just kill me! You're so afraid of zombies that if I don't go out to get food, we'll all starve to death anyway," Su Tao retorted.

Seeing the five packs of noodles in her hand, the man fell silent. After a long while, he muttered, "Let's go back."

He turned and walked away, his back looking desolate. Su Tao followed him. She didn't regret anything; it was his cowardice that led to this. He deserved it.

The next morning, the man in glasses woke up early. Provoked by the events of the night, he decided to overcome his fear of zombies and start scavenging for food. He had given the five packs of noodles to Mrs. Wang and Uncle Lin, who were starving, and they had finished them off instantly. Now, with no food left, he had to rely on himself. With no breakfast, he endured the hunger, packed his things, and headed out, determined to find some food.