Yang Ao had never stopped thinking logically.
From following his big brother through the early days of the apocalypse, to being trapped in the cave and trying to unravel the truth of the apocalypse, to recognizing the situation and choosing to stay—
Every step had been filled with thoughts about life and hopes for the future.
This time, he began to wonder again: why had Shen Jin, who had not seemed very interested before, suddenly brought up searching for the gene optimization serum?
He must have run into some kind of trouble that made him urgently need to improve his personal strength!
Even such a powerful Earth-based Ability user was working so hard. As an ordinary person, what reason did he have not to work hard?
"Brother Jin, let me dig for a while."
Huff, huff~
"Forget it, forget it. Without an ability, you can't dig through this dirt at all! It's harder than stone, isn't it?"
The two of them moved through the tunnel. Every so often, Shen Jin built support pillars and ventilation shafts.
It was a little slow, but this was not a road they would only travel once.
Shen Jin had thought about it: once he had explored enough routes, he would build an underground kingdom beneath Q City that stretched in every direction!
Then he could lay railway tracks and restore transportation throughout the city!
Shen Jin dug for an entire day before reaching the target location at night.
Beneath a farm.
"Clang~"
He had hit something hard!
Yang Ao stared at the map, gestured for a long while, and finally squeezed out a sentence:
"Where the fuck are we?"
In the pitch-black underground, it was extremely difficult to determine one's bearings.
Fortunately, Shen Jin had the map that came with the system, which could accurately mark his current longitude, latitude, and height above ground.
It could also remember the terrain of places he had passed through.
"That's right, we should be here. Future Human Pharmaceuticals' laboratory is buried underground?"
"Yes. It's a secret laboratory. The outside world doesn't know about it. It's fully sealed, and even the researchers don't know where they are. In this world, only my father and I know."
Shen Jin nodded. It seemed this trip would not be wasted.
"Get ready to fight. I'm breaking through the wall!"
Shen Jin took the precious Diamond Pickaxe (defective) from his inventory and felt that his eyes should have flashed sharply just then.
Yang Ao pulled out an Iron Sword from behind his back, gripped it tightly with both hands, and watched expectantly. He felt that his eyes should have been glinting with a sinister light.
"Hehe~"
"Hmph hmph~"
"Open up!"
Shen Jin swung the Diamond Pickaxe down. Several scratches appeared on the alloy shell, though he had no idea what material it was made of.
"Clang clang clang!"
There were more scratches, but not the slightest sign of the telltale cracks that appeared before something was blockified.
Feeling Yang Ao staring at him, Shen Jin coughed dryly. "Ahem. It's a little hard. I'll try another angle."
Yang Ao suddenly had a bad feeling.
After a while—
Shen Jin slammed the Iron Pickaxe to the ground. "Is there something wrong with your dad? This place is already so well hidden underground, yet he still used such tough materials! It's practically an alloy turtle shell!"
Yang Ao wiped away his sweat, feeling that his father had indeed been a little too cautious.
"So... you can't open it? Your ability isn't enough?"
Shen Jin's face gradually darkened.
Yang Ao continued, "Or... you don't have enough energy points? Your mana bar's empty? The quest item can't be destroyed?"
What the fuck did any of that have to do with anything!?
Shen Jin was speechless. Yang Ao's train of thought really was not normal. "We're going back. No dinner for you tonight."
Yang Ao: (°ー°〃)
"Brother Jin, I was just being cheeky. There's no need for that, really! I promise I'll only be cheeky this once. I definitely won't be cheeky tens of thousands of times."
"Good lord, if you were cheeky tens of thousands of times, would I have to compensate you with a Li Xiaolu?"
"Hahaha~ Brother Jin, you get my meme! Good brothers are easy to find, but kindred spirits are hard to come by! From now on, we're brothers from different fathers and mothers!"
Yang Ao laughed happily and grabbed Shen Jin's hand, about to throw an arm around his shoulders.
Shen Jin shuddered in disgust, then suddenly remembered something.
"Wait... Have you not changed clothes since you fell into that cave?"
Yang Ao looked completely justified. "Of course not. I didn't bring any clothes when I came out. Is there a problem?"
Shen Jin took two steps back and looked at the large yellow stain on Yang Ao's butt. It was dried stiff.
"..."
He took out a folding electric bike from his backpack and unfolded it right in front of Yang Ao.
"Brother Jin, so you've been carrying that thing on your back all this time? This is great! Let's head back... Huh? Hey! Hey!!!"
The same time, the same underground, the same pitch-black tunnel.
Shen Jin once again rode away on the electric bike in style.
This time, Yang Ao was left behind, running after him at full speed.
"No! A fast-paced life doesn't suit me! I've decided to enjoy life and indulge myself!"
At dinner, the more Shen Jin thought about it, the more something felt off. Ever since his little niece had arrived, it was as though he had suddenly become diligent, constantly finding things for himself to do.
He was practically like a male peacock showing off in front of the opposite sex!
The key was, he did not need to work this hard to live comfortably and freely!
Before, he would just find a few remote warehouses with plenty of space, empty them out, and head home.
He would satisfy his hoarding urges, play some offline games, watch anime and movies, and work out his Qilin Arm. That was it.
Now he was exhausting himself outside and even facing enormous danger. Was it worth it?
Shen Jin's sudden outburst startled Li Moxiao and Shang Qian for a moment.
Indulge himself? Oh my god! He doesn't want to eat me, does he? But... I'm still underage!
What if he threatens me with food? Will it hurt? The novels say it seems pretty enjoyable too.
Wait! If he wants to eat someone, Shen Jin, that big pervert, will definitely eat Shang Qian.
Pah! Shameless!
Li Moxiao's thoughts ran wild, her head full of censored images.
Shang Qian remained outwardly calm. Shen Jin did not seem like the type to force himself on someone.
After dinner, Shen Jin tossed a set of warm cashmere thermal underwear and a trendy jacket to Yang Ao, who had just run back.
"Go take a shower in room 'Yellow' No. 2, then come upstairs and play with us for a while."
Yang Ao held the clothes in his hands. His goofy expression faded slightly, and rare seriousness appeared on his weathered face, its skin roughened by years of sun and wind.
"Mm, okay!"
He knew Shen Jin had always lived upstairs and even had women there.
But he never asked or mentioned it. He merely returned quietly to that dark, cramped, damp little room in the basement.
Every day, he stayed cheerful and never complained.
Wearing clothes reeking of sweat and stench, he still worked hard to kill Zombies. He never even asked why Shen Jin, with such powerful abilities, needed his help to chop Zombies until they could no longer move before finishing them off.
Whether it was a test or because Shen Jin had a use for him—
As long as he did his job well, that was enough.
For a big boy like him, one who could think, reason, and loved adventure, everything had been for this moment.
To be acknowledged!
Yang Ao's nose suddenly stung.
He had once been the eldest young master of Future Human Pharmaceuticals. Whenever he went out, people surrounded him, and female internet celebrities wanting a one-night stand with him had lined up endlessly.
He might not have squandered money like dirt, but he had still lived freely and extravagantly.
But in the apocalypse, he was nothing. Even Zhao Laoda, that musclebound brute, could shit on his head.
Fortunately, he had endured three months of the apocalypse.
At the same time, he was grateful for all the places he had traveled over the years, and for the teachers who had taught him fighting, survival, medicine... and lockpicking.
At this moment, Yang Ao shed his mud-caked, foul-smelling clothes.
He stood beneath a showerhead that sprayed clean water.
The temperature was just right, and mist curled through the air.
This time, Yang Ao showered for an especially long time.
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