Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Liang Xiaoyan really enjoyed the meal. After dinner, she sat with everyone in the living room chatting and opened up about herself while slyly fishing for info about Li Shuhui and Jiang Nian.

When she learned that Jiang Nian was part of a Superpowered team specially recruited by the base, her envy was plain to see. She asked how ordinary Superpowered teams could earn such special recruitment.

After all, the situation in the country was different from that of foreign nations:

Other countries had shattered post-apocalypse, fighting both zombies and civil wars, splitting into multiple separate but recognized regimes, all ruled by Superpowered individuals.

But domestically, despite the chaos, the government still called the shots, with most large-scale rescue operations led by official bodies.

The most powerful military weapons were still held by the national army—no Superpower stood a chance against that firepower.

Superpowered individuals could establish private shelters, but they should never oppose the government. The fallout, whether immediate or delayed, would wreck you.

Given the nation’s military and resource reserves, a few heavy strikes could wipe out the zombies.

However, using such destructive weapons would further worsen ecological damage and pollution. Unless pushed to the brink, it was better to avoid deploying them.

Moreover, they had to keep some aces up their sleeve for the post-apocalyptic chaos once the zombie crisis ended.

Supernatural disasters would cause human civilization to regress, but at any time, whether for individuals or nations, weakness meant getting stomped on.

Anyone with half a brain understood these principles, so logically, most would want to suck up to the government—herself included.

"..."

Jiang Nian couldn’t be bothered to answer Liang Xiaoyan’s questions, simply stating that he wasn’t the team leader, had no Superpower, and relied entirely on his partner and friends.

Their recruitment criteria wouldn’t help her anyway:

Since the apocalypse began, they had used their positions in Qingyun City to advise the government, pitching in to rescue survivors for free while their own supplies were abundant.

They had also taken on tasks like overseeing Xiao Ya—both a perpetrator and victim in Case 1805—dealing with messy baggage and serving as scapegoats at the request of settlement administrators.

These were circumstances other teams couldn’t replicate.

"Alright, must be nice having a sugar daddy, huh?" Liang Xiaoyan teased with a laugh, though inwardly she felt resentful. She couldn’t help but think Jiang Nian, a grown man, was mooching off others without shame despite his tall, capable appearance.

Her earlier favorable impression of him, based on his looks, faded.

If only she could meet such suckers—people willing to carry deadweight in the apocalypse were rare.

Before the apocalypse, she despised do-gooders. Now, she wished everyone she met was a saint, especially when she had to debase herself just for a bite to eat.

Jiang Nian pretended not to notice the sarcasm in her words and played along with a grin:

"I think so too. With a dependable partner and strong teammates, I can coast through life doing jack-all. That’s why I’ve never bothered with salty, backstabbing haters."

Who couldn’t play dumb and talk shit?

Having lived two lifetimes, he wouldn’t claim to be a master at reading people, but Liang Xiaoyan’s transparent act was obvious.

If she weren’t a girl and Li Shuhui’s friend, he would’ve outright told her, "Not your circus, not your monkeys."

What a waste of that chicken, sigh.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang naturally chimed in:

"Exactly. No matter the era or social order, there will always be disparities between the rich and the poor. But it’s just a matter of each person playing to their strengths. I think instead of envying others for living well, it’s better to work hard to make changes or simply learn to accept being ordinary."

"Uh... yeah... right, just focus on yourself..."

Liang Xiaoyan let out a strained laugh, feeling like the two were ganging up on her with veiled jabs. Yet Jiang Nian and Li Liang’s expressions were so earnest, as if they were discussing life philosophies.

She glanced at Li Kaiyun and Li Shuhui—both father and daughter nodded in agreement.

This made her simmering resentment feel even more shameful.

Hah. People who say such things only do so because they’re living comfortably, preaching from their moral high ground. If the roles were reversed, she could do the same.

The air grew thick with tension. Liang Xiaoyan laughed again and steered the conversation toward Li Shuhui, chattering about anything but the obvious.

Upon learning that Li Shuhui’s family had also received help from Jiang Nian’s team, it clicked why Li Kaiyun was so warm toward Jiang Nian.

"I’ll go clean up the dishes. I’ll walk you out later."

Li Shuhui stood up and headed to the dining table. As she turned away, her brows furrowed:

She was wrong. She shouldn’t have impulsively brought Liang Xiaoyan back! Her old friend might as well have been a stranger.

Jiang Nian and the Li family could tell Liang Xiaoyan weren’t cut from the same cloth, but they didn’t want to make things awkward. Instead, they redirected the conversation, shutting down her prying.

In peaceful times, Liang Xiaoyan’s little games might’ve come off as endearing. But now, nobody had time to humor her.

Besides, being too nosy either backfired or spelled trouble—take your pick. Foolish and malicious people were everywhere.

...

After nightfall, Liang Xiaoyan finally left. She had driven here, so Li Shuhui only escorted her to an exit in the inner district. Watching her car vanish past the checkpoint, Li Shuhui sighed helplessly.

The Liang Xiaoyan from before wasn’t like this. They’d been tight, always having each other’s backs.

Thanks to Jiang Nian and his team’s kindness, she and her father and brother had made it here safely. So when she ran into her old friend, she’d wanted to do right by her.

She hadn’t seen this coming.

Returning home, Li Shuhui slumped onto the couch, staring at the floor.

Li Kaiyun, who had been warm and friendly earlier, now his face hardened as he spoke bluntly to his daughter:

"Don’t bring her here again. You can go meet her if you want, but don’t drag strangers home again. We can offer them some help, but there’s no need to get too close."

"No matter how close you and Liang Xiaoyan were before, keep your distance from now on and keep your guard up. Don’t go asking for trouble."

Li Liang piled on:

"You should’ve messaged us before bringing someone back today. Times have changed—so do people."

"I know... I won’t do it again."

Li Shuhui nodded, then turned to Jiang Nian and apologized:

"Sorry, Brother Jiang Nian... I wasn’t using my head."

"It's fine. If she wants to ask, let her ask. If I want to answer, I'll answer. Treat polite people politely, and steer clear of rude ones. Besides, I'm in business—you never know when our paths might cross again," Jiang Nian reassured her. After a pause, he added kindly,

"But with the world in chaos now and people’s motives hard to gauge, it’s good to be cautious. Even family and close friends can turn against each other, let alone someone who was just a classmate. After all this time in the apocalypse, those college friendships and naive ideals fell apart long ago."

He didn’t blame Li Shuhui because he had been the same in his past life—always believing that kindness outweighed malice in human nature, showing extra leniency toward acquaintances and those around him.

Yet the truth proved that human nature can’t really stand up to scrutiny.