Any one of the women from the secretarial department was better looking than Xia Yao.
Seeing that Yu Dong was fine, Jiang Zhuoyu said a quick word and headed for the elevator.
As he passed Xia Yao, she grabbed his hand. Looking up at him pitifully, she asked:
"Brother Jiang, can you take me in? I’ll be good."
Jiang Zhuoyu froze for a moment, then calmly pulled his hand free.
"Xia Yao, this place is very safe. You don’t have to rely on anyone; you can make it on your own... Stay strong. You can do it."
Jiang Zhuoyu gave her an encouraging look, then left.
Xia Yao sat for a moment. Her gaze fell on Yu Dong, who was still outside talking with Lin Mo. After watching him for a little while... she left.
Yu Dong gave Lin Mo a key.
"Lin Mo, you’ll be on the 7th floor too. Take... Shen Xinyi with you..."
"Was she your woman in your past life?"
Lin Mo’s blunt question made Yu Dong choke.
"I wasn’t finished... And Cao Zihan..."
"Her too?"
"No! Don’t interrupt. And Xia Yao! I’m saying it would be more convenient for the core female members of our team to live together. They’ll be safe with you looking after them, and you can give them tasks if you need anything... What’s on your mind? I’m not that kind of guy."
"Then what about Liu Ye’ye?"
"She’s staying with me."
"Nice."
Lin Mo thought Yu Dong was going to play the righteous gentleman, but he dropped the act in less than a second.
But hearing Yu Dong so casually admit he was going to live with another woman, Lin Mo couldn’t help but think he was... frivolous.
"I’m going to get some rest."
Lin Mo turned and walked away.
Left alone, Yu Dong glanced at his phone. Liu Ye’ye was still upstairs waiting to talk with him. It had been too hectic earlier, and they hadn’t had a chance to chat.
’What a hectic day... I’m only just getting some personal space now that it’s late.’
Yu Dong stepped into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a large hand shot out and stopped them.
"Commander, wait."
Lv Sheng, the special-grade sniper, stepped inside, a large pack on his back. He stood beside Yu Dong, his posture immaculate.
Yu Dong was bewildered.
"Lv Sheng, when did you get here?"
"Reporting, Commander! I was sitting behind you the entire time!"
"What? You were listening to our conversation the whole time?"
"Yes, Commander! I heard your entire conversation with Lin Mo!"
Yu Dong was stunned. He hadn’t noticed anyone was there at all, a testament to just how stealthy Lv Sheng was.
"Wait, what? Why were you loitering behind us late at night instead of going to your room?"
"My mission is to ensure the Commander’s safety at all times! I am to remain with you while you rest."
"What???"
Yu Dong was dumbfounded.
"How about we start tomorrow? I have to meet someone tonight..."
"I can stand guard at the door. I will maintain full confidentiality regarding the Commander’s personal affairs! People are on edge tonight; things might not be safe. I urge the Commander to be cautious."
"..."
’He had a point,’ Yu Dong thought. ’There are too many strangers around...’
"From now on, don’t call me Commander. It feels strange. Just call me Brother Dong."
"Yes, Commander!"
Lv Sheng was a formidable special-grade sniper. Qiao Yunliang had been generous to part with him, and Yu Dong’s decision to bring him along in this life was clearly paying off.
With Lv Sheng as his personal bodyguard, Yu Dong felt much more secure.
Yu Dong had arranged to meet Liu Ye’ye in a suite on the 7th floor. Lv Sheng stood guard outside the door, perfectly still and professional.
The two of them chatted for a while, catching up on the events of the past few days.
With red-rimmed eyes, Liu Ye’ye said, "It was so dangerous. I’m so glad you’re okay... Otherwise... I wouldn’t have... have anyone I love anymore. My father... he didn’t make it... SOB SOB SOB..."
Liu Ye’ye buried her face in Yu Dong’s shoulder and wept.
Her father died again.
Suddenly, a strange feeling came over Yu Dong.
’Something’s not right...’
’I don’t think I’ve ever met Liu Ye’ye’s father.’
’In every life, he’d promised himself he would finally meet her father and talk to him about her, because he always had a feeling Liu Ye’ye was hiding something from him.’
But in this life, he had missed the chance because he was busy laying a trap for Yin Shuangyang.
To this day, what Liu Ye’ye’s father looked like remained a complete mystery to Yu Dong.
There was no image of the man in his memory palace.
"Ye Ye, there’s something I need to discuss with you."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It’s a long story. Why don’t you stay here tonight, and we can take our time talking it over..."
"Huh?"
...
「Day 2 of the Apocalypse. Early Morning.」
A diesel locomotive pulled a train out of Huangyang Port, heading for Zunshou Station to rendezvous with the Wilderness Battle Corps.
Yu Dong, who had ended up sleeping alone for the night, finally got a call from Lin Zhixue. Her voice was hoarse as she asked:
"Do you like dogs?"
"You just have to help us clear out a few zombies... and I can give you lots of dogs."
"They’re purebreds!"
"And you can get eggs for killing more zombies."