I've Never Liked Owing Money

A certain residential complex.

At the dining table.

"Brother, is he alright?" Ren Jiali asked while eating.

The table before them was set with a meal that wasn't exactly lavish, but decent enough.

Stir-fried tomato and eggs.

Vegetable soup.

Shredded pork with green peppers.

And the dining table staple, Lao Gan Ma; even without other dishes, one could polish off a bowl of rice with just that.

"He's fine. It's always like that the first time. He's actually not bad—fat guys have their own perks, while skinny ones just howl, but he... hehehe..."

Ren Yan laughed, looking refreshed. After days of emptiness, he had finally found a satisfying release. He was naturally indifferent to women and had no interest in them whatsoever.

Ren Jiali knew her brother's methods. Having watched the parade of "tender young meat" that followed him home, she could only say: who would have imagined that those who looked so refined and wore glasses were the ones who liked her brother's type?

There was one young man her brother had dumped.

The guy had actually thought about jumping off the building.

With just one glare from her brother, he had obediently climbed back down, cowering like a chick. After her brother slapped him twice, leaving him seeing stars, he had scolded, "You think you're something, trying to jump off a building on my watch? Get the hell back inside!"

She hadn't seen hatred in that young man's eyes, but rather a look of deep, submissive adoration. She couldn't understand it; she could only call it perverted.

"Brother, we can't keep hiding here forever. We need to find a way to move somewhere else."

Ren Jiali had already rationed the supplies in the house; they would last ten days or half a month at most. The water was drinkable—her brother drank it straight from the tap, proving it was safe—but she didn't have that kind of nerve.

"Hmm. You keep watch from the balcony for now. If you see anyone driving by, find a way to lure them up. Now that the apocalypse is here, anyone capable of driving and moving about outside has some means of survival. When it comes to staying alive, women and supplies are their top priorities. Don't underestimate the apocalypse; morality has collapsed, and people do whatever they want. In times of tension and repression, women are the best outlet for those guys," Ren Yan said while eating.

"Brother, that's very disrespectful to women," Ren Jiali said.

"Heh, it's not about disrespect, it's just that most of them are like that. Those who manage to stay alive are all ruthless."

Inside the room.

Autumn Blade Slashes Fish, He Mingxuan, was tied up, his face haggard, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

A voice kept echoing in his mind.

How did I end up like this?

Why did this happen?

He had considered that in the apocalypse, people couldn't be trusted, but he was confident in his physique. Even if the other party had ulterior motives, he was sure he could control them.

But who could have imagined... that someone even stronger would appear?

He had even been prepared to submit and become the other man's lackey in this apocalypse, charging into battle and doing those wicked deeds for him.

But who could have imagined that this guy would... would...

Wuwuwu...

He didn't want to say it; it was just too shameful. Even now, his backside still ached, and he felt nothing but disgust.

He struggled, but the knots were too tight; it was truly difficult to break free. Thinking of the brute's atrocities against him made him shudder.

Pinching him, slapping him, insulting him, and even spitting water on him.

If he didn't find a way to leave, he would definitely end up in a miserable state. Now that the hospitals were closed, there weren't even any doctors, let alone a proctologist.

Just then.

Ren Yan walked in from outside, holding a bowl of rice. He approached Autumn Blade Slashes Fish, He Mingxuan, removed the cloth from his mouth, and began to feed him.

"Little treasure, don't think about leaving. It's so nice here—you have food, you have fun, and someone to take care of you. You be a good boy and listen; if you don't, don't blame me for throwing you outside. Those zombies won't be nearly as friendly to you."

"Come on, eat up."

For He Mingxuan, refusing food was just plain stupid, so he swallowed it in big gulps.

Seeing him eat with such gusto, Ren Yan wore a satisfied smile.

"Eat more, build up your strength. I'll cherish you again in a little while."

He Mingxuan: ???

You're still coming for more? Are you a dog?

Water Treatment Plant.

Wang Kai and Field Dog were eating dog food; he was already on the verge of vomiting.

There was no other choice; besides the dog food, there was nothing left to eat.

At night, listening to the roars of the zombies, he felt exhausted, his mind under immense strain. If not for the company of Field Dog, he feared he would have gone insane.

The water plant required patrols and equipment checks; this was the key to maintaining the city's water supply.

After his reconnaissance, he had already pinpointed the locations of the zombies at the Water Treatment Plant. Some were standing in place, swaying back and forth as if in hibernation; without external noise to disturb them, they wouldn't move much.

Of course, the biggest credit went to the Field Dog accompanying him.

He had a mobile phone with him.

He would strap the phone to the dog, set an alarm, and when he went to inspect the water plant, he would let the dog run out to lure the zombies away, buying himself time.

Achieving this level of coordination wasn't just his own doing; the dog had to be cooperative and capable of understanding human speech.

It was time for patrol again.

"Doggy, it's all up to you. Once the ringing stops, sneak your way back."

Wang Kai stroked the dog's head before opening the door. He watched as the dog bolted outside. Not long after, a piercing alarm rang out, and the zombies in the water plant, hearing the commotion, rushed toward the source of the sound like madmen.

Wang Kai took the opportunity to slip away and inspect the equipment.

Sunshine Residential Complex.

Security booth.

Lin Fan looked at himself carefully in the mirror inside the security booth. It was a security uniform, brand new, kept as a spare by the complex's former guard.

He looked at his reflection.

"I am a security guard now. I must maintain the safety of this complex," Lin Fan muttered to himself.

Of course, the work of a security guard could be complex or simple. When people were around, he needed to register them; when no one was around, he could do his own thing.

He could look at his phone or hum a tune.

He wasn't the type to just idle away his time, so he thought that while working as a guard, he could also clean up the surrounding environment.

He walked around the complex, observing the surroundings to prevent any thieves from climbing over the walls, and checked the ground for trash. If he saw any, he would pick it up and throw it into the trash can.

The patrol was finished, and no petty thieves were found.

The complex was very safe.

He hopped over the iron gate and looked at the state of the street.

"Sigh, it's too dirty."

He really couldn't stand it anymore; the once decent street had become such a mess.

He looked at the shop he had cleaned so thoroughly.

To be honest, the two formed a stark contrast.

"The storefront I meticulously cleaned is much cleaner. A hundred-dollar cleaning fee is truly worth it."

Now that he had an infant to raise, the pressure had doubled, and he needed to work hard.

He didn't go far.

Xinfeng Agency.

"Boss, your shop is so dirty. Let me tidy it up for you. Since there's a lot of broken glass on the floor, the work is a bit dangerous, and there are flyers everywhere, so it's quite difficult and the workload is particularly high."

"Hmm... let's just count the agency fee I previously owed you as payment for the cleaning."

He didn't like owing the boss money.

Even though the boss of Xinfeng Agency, Gu Wen, was handsome, generous, and friendly.

If he told the boss, "I'm having a bit of a hard time lately," the reasonable boss would surely wave his hand and say, "It's fine, it's just a small amount, you don't have to pay."

But he certainly wouldn't do that.

He wanted to pay off this debt with his sweat and labor.

He got straight to work.

He began cleaning. The hardest things to deal with in the shop were the scattered flyers. He didn't move as slowly as before, but picked up his pace—though, of course, he remained very thorough.

After cleaning the shop until it was spotless, he dragged over a trash can. Looking at the boss he had previously cut into two halves, he felt a bit helpless; he should have been gentler back then. He grabbed one of the boss's legs with one hand and stuffed Gu Wen directly into the trash can.

Finally, he looked at the brand-new Xinfeng Agency with satisfaction.

"Boss, if you could see this, you would definitely be very satisfied," Lin Fan said confidently.

He felt he had cleaned it very well.

He looked at the sky; it was still early, not yet time to get off work.

He returned to the security booth and sat there obediently, watching the locked iron gate. This was the only entrance to the complex and the key symbol of its safety.

He would not slack off.

He had to watch with total focus.

PS: By the way, you can check out the manga of my old book, The Strong One Who Walked Out of the Mental Hospital. It's on Tencent Comics and the Qidian app, and it's quite good.

Thanks to: Lin Fan is a Crossdresser, A Lifetime Facing the Sun, Book Friend 20201204140027766, Wang Wenke, Ai Ai's Family Big Cutie Sisi, and other book friends for their tips. Thank you.