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The two returned to the Presidential Suite. Chen Yafei went next door and came back with Liu Chengjun's punishment for that thug—no food for one day!

Chen Yafei was furious, and An Yang was deeply shaken as well.

Faced with justice and survival, Liu Chengjun had chosen survival. Faced with balance and power, he had chosen power.

Chen Yafei thought for a moment before saying, "I doubt their team will last much longer. The divide between the two groups is growing wider, especially with those bastards. Liu Chengjun definitely won't be able to keep them under control. Sigh, I'm really worried about those pretty girls."

An Yang shot him a glance. "There's nothing Liu Chengjun can do. When the cost of committing crimes drops, the restraints will weaken as well. Something like this shouldn't have been allowed to begin in the first place."

Chen Yafei's mood inexplicably grew heavy. "The women over there are all on edge now, terrified that someone will lose control and do something to them. I went to take a look, and the way those bastards looked at them had already changed."

An Yang patted him on the shoulder. "When successful, help the world; when poor, preserve yourself. We can't take care of that many people. In this apocalypse, simply staying alive is already good enough. What are you planning to do?"

Chen Yafei glanced at him. "I'd like to return to Pingnan City to see my parents, but there's no way I could make it there. And it's not just me—even Liu Chengjun and the others couldn't get there. I'm already following Brother An now. Wherever you go, I'll go. As long as you can spare me a meal, I'll follow Brother An and conquer the world."

"Conquer the world? You brat..." An Yang chuckled, but his expression soon turned serious again. "The place I'm going is even farther than Pingnan City. Following me won't be safe."

"Who says it won't be safe? The two of us are a much smaller target than they are, and we don't have so much baggage. The zombie hordes in the streets are gone now. As long as we don't get surrounded by zombies, we can get away no matter what. Brother An, you don't seem to be from Xuechuan. Tell me where you want to go. Maybe I can even show you the way."

An Yang thought for a moment, then asked, "Can you find Huaibei City?"

"Huaibei City? You mean Huaibei County? I've only heard of Huaibei County."

"Then Huaibei County it is. I only know it's called Huaibei. I'm not sure whether it's a city or a county."

"Then that's it. I've been to Huaibei County once. It's very far from here, but that place seems to be an autonomous region of an ethnic minority. There should be fewer people there, and therefore fewer zombies. Wait, that's not right. Brother An, you don't even know what the situation there is like. What are you going there for?"

An Yang fell silent for a moment before saying, "I have something to do there. I need to retrieve something."

Chen Yafei nodded and wisely asked no further questions. Whatever could make An Yang cross several hundred kilometers through the apocalypse to retrieve it was certainly extraordinary.

"Huaibei County is far away, but there's a highway. As long as we can reach the highway entrance, we'll be safe."

An Yang nodded. He had studied the map many times, and he had also gained a certain understanding of Chen Yafei.

In truth, Chen Yafei wasn't timid. It was simply that the apocalypse and the zombies were terrifying. Moreover, Chen Yafei had never failed him at a crucial moment. Although he loved looking at the pretty girls in Liu Chengjun's team, he had never entertained any improper ideas. On the contrary, he had a strong sense of justice. Overall, he was quite trustworthy.

Bringing him along wouldn't be a burden. On the contrary, he would be a great help. Besides, crossing more than seven hundred kilometers alone was simply too difficult.

Just then, a rapid knock suddenly sounded at the door, startling them both.

An Yang instinctively gripped his battle saber. Chen Yafei also opened his folding knife and walked toward the door in perfect understanding without needing to be told. He first looked outside through the peephole. When he turned back, his expression was somewhat astonished. "Brother An, it's Yang Zi and that female college student."

An Yang froze. "What are they doing here? Could they want to join us? Open the door and see."

The door clicked open, revealing two extraordinarily beautiful women. One was fashionable and poised, while the other was youthful and fresh-faced. Their clothes, however, were dirty from not having been changed in a long time.

Chen Yafei didn't put away the folding knife in his hand, much less let the little star and college student's beauty distract him. He remained highly wary as he looked at them. "What are you here for?"

The two women stood nervously outside, looking left and right. When their eyes fell on the folding knife in his hand, they hurriedly flinched and said cautiously, "We... we don't have any weapons. Can we come in? It'll be awful if they see us."

Chen Yafei turned to An Yang. Only after An Yang nodded did he step aside and let them in.

The two women entered the room in fear. When they saw the pile of food on the sofa, they swallowed. They first introduced themselves, as if they had arranged it beforehand.

"My name is Yang Zi. You may know me. I'm a singer."

"My name is Liu Qing. I'm a student at Southern Normal College."

An Yang nodded, leaned the battle saber against the wall, and asked, "Get to the point. Why are you here?"

Yang Zi recovered from her lingering shock and gathered her long hair.

This mildly famous singer had first been terrified out of her wits by the apocalypse and the zombies, and then had nearly been assaulted by survivors whose humanity had twisted in the apocalypse. The poise she had once possessed was long gone.

"Well... I came to Jianghai City to attend a charity gala. I didn't expect to become trapped in the hotel. My manager went out and hasn't returned. He's probably in grave danger by now. I hope you can help me."

An Yang gave a light laugh. "If you need help, go find the police. Why come to me?"

Yang Zi took a deep breath. "You saw it today as well. They can't be relied on. I promise that if you can take me to Pingnan City, I'll reward you handsomely."

An Yang's gaze suddenly turned cold. Looking at her, he said, "Big-breasted and empty-headed. Are you insulting my intelligence?"

Yang Zi froze. The courage she had painstakingly mustered collapsed at once. Her face filled with helplessness, bitterness, and a trace of resignation.

"I'm sorry. I had no other choice. You saw it yourself. If I remain in Liu Chengjun's group, my ending will definitely be tragic. It's not just me—all the women will suffer the same fate. But we can't leave the group. Please, help us!"

"Temptation didn't work, so now you're trying the pity card?"

Liu Qing's face was also filled with sorrow.

"Brother An Yang, I... I heard your name is An Yang. Please save us. I can tell what they're thinking. It's not only those men—even my classmates are the same. A male classmate tried to molest me today, and Officer Liu couldn't do anything. I don't dare stay in the group anymore. As long as you can protect us, you... you can make us do anything."

A trace of pity flashed through An Yang's eyes. This was a beautiful girl no older than Xiao Xueer by much, still in the prime of her youth. In the real world, she would have been a campus beauty admired by countless people. Perhaps she had once been like that, but after the Great Calamity, her fate would be unimaginably tragic.

But what could he do? Although he was a time traveler, he currently lacked the ability to build a shelter in this chaotic world. Nor could he accept two burdens simply out of kindness. He had no choice but to harden his heart.

"I think you came to the wrong person. I'm going to Huaibei County, more than seven hundred kilometers away. I definitely can't take you with me, and I don't have the ability to protect you either. You should think of another way."

Yang Zi froze, then hurriedly said, "No, I'm not a burden. I've studied dance since I was little, so I can run very fast. I can also cook and sew, and I can sing to help pass the time. As long as you take me to Pingnan City, I... I can do anything for you!"

Liu Qing immediately burst into tears. "Brother An Yang, please! I'm only a sophomore, and I've never even dated anyone. If I go back to the team, I'm finished."

An Yang was silent for a moment before saying, "I already told you, I'm not going to Pingnan City. And if I bring you along, I won't even be able to reach Huaibei County, so..."

Despair filled Yang Zi's eyes. She murmured, "Then what am I supposed to do...?"

Liu Qing crouched on the floor and began to cry. Although she had never entered society, her psychology major made her even more capable of sensing the evil thoughts that would erupt in a repressed, lawless world.

In the end, An Yang gave them some food as a form of consolation.

Chen Yafei escorted them out. As soon as he opened the door, he found two young men with dyed hair and tattoos standing outside, about to knock. One of them was carrying a steel pipe. He immediately drew the folding knife from behind him and looked at them with disgust.

"What are you here for?"

The young men ignored him and looked toward Yang Zi and Liu Qing. After a moment, they noticed the food in their hands, and cold smiles appeared on their faces.

"You two whores! I was wondering why I hadn't seen you. So you ran here. What, I asked you to accompany me and you refused, but you came to offer yourselves for a little food?"

Yang Zi's face reddened. She snapped, "Don't slander us!"

"Heh, what right do you have to act tough with me? You're just a little star who rose through her body. Since you're a whore, don't pretend to be virtuous. Come back and serve us properly, or I'll throw you into the zombie horde and no one will ever know!"

Yang Zi said, "You... do you have any law at all?"

The young man sneered. "You go back and wait first. I'm here to find An Yang."

Chen Yafei quietly opened the folding knife. The series of skull-splittings that morning had already shown him just how sharp the blade was, and dealing with zombies all the time had left him unafraid of these two thugs.

"What exactly are you here for? You'd better explain yourselves first. And put down the weapons in your hands!"

The young man fell silent for a moment. His tattoos looked particularly frightening in the darkness. "Liu Chengjun punished me by forbidding me from eating for a day. Those women refused to give me any food no matter what. Damn it, I was already barely eating enough, and now they want me to starve too. I was so hungry I had no choice but to come see whether you had any extra food here."

Chen Yafei already detested them, and these two had even come carrying sharpened steel pipes. How could he obediently give them food? Food and water were the lifeblood of the apocalypse.

"No. We don't even have enough for ourselves."

The tattooed young man's expression immediately darkened.

"Don't think I don't know. There are only two of you, yet you cleared out enough food for three floors. How could it not be enough? Besides, I came for An Yang. Can a lackey like you make decisions?"

Chen Yafei's gaze turned cold, and a faint viciousness rose from him as he stared directly at the young man. "I said we have none, so we have none. You're not my son. What gives you the right to come reaching out and demand food?"

The young man narrowed his eyes. He was about to lash out, but restrained himself. "I said, I'm here to find An Yang!"

Chen Yafei gripped the folding knife and refused to give an inch.