Eat It or Leave It

"A ruler?"

Chen Ming and the others looked at his "wise" eyes and felt that this ruler was a little crooked...

"It really has been a long time."

Cheng Luoyi jumped down from the roof, a rare hint of emotion in her eyes. She had never expected that in this cruel apocalypse, she would run into Lin Dong by chance. What a coincidence.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by."

Lin Dong answered casually.

Sun Xiaoqiang was thrilled and said with a grin,

"This is the Five-Star Zombie Nest. A lot of zombies showed up just now, so it's extremely dangerous. It wasn't easy for you to survive!"

Lin Dong looked at Sun Xiaoqiang. Seeing those distinctive eyes, he realized that after all these years, Sun Xiaoqiang really had not changed at all.

"What are you doing here?"

"Someone stole our supplies and hid in this area. We're here to find them!"

Sun Xiaoqiang explained.

"Oh?"

Lin Dong raised a brow. He had heard about the shelter's supplies being stolen, but he had never expected the robbers to sneak into his territory...

When had that happened?

How had he not known?

"I'm very familiar with this area. Maybe I can help you look for them."

"Really? That's great!"

Sun Xiaoqiang did not think too much about it. He only felt that running into his childhood friend and having him join their team was a good thing.

But Chen Ming and the others behind him sucked in a cold breath.

They had concluded that Lin Dong was most likely that strange Zombie King, the source of all the danger. Yet Sun Xiaoqiang was inviting him into their team!

This world was too crazy... They were like mice serving as bridesmaids for a cat!

Cheng Luoyi also nodded in agreement and continued,

"Yes. Once we find the supplies, we can take you to the shelter. It's very safe there."

"Pfft!"

Chen Ming and the others nearly coughed up blood.

They had thought Sun Xiaoqiang was outrageous enough, but Cheng Luoyi was even worse. She actually wanted to bring him to the shelter!

They felt that whether the shelter was safe or not might well be up to him.

Lin Dong thought about it but did not refuse outright.

"We'll talk about it then."

"Mm."

Cheng Luoyi responded, then turned to the four people behind her.

"Come over here. Why are you still hiding on the roof?"

"Uh... okay."

Chen Ming and the others sounded hesitant and looked worried, but they still jumped down onto the street and cautiously walked over.

As they got closer and closer to Lin Dong, they did not know whether it was just in their minds or something else, but they kept feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

They also noticed that Lin Dong's gaze was filled with indifference, completely devoid of emotion. When he looked at them, it was as though he were looking at livestock.

Only when he spoke with Cheng Luoyi and Sun Xiaoqiang did a fleeting spark of liveliness flash through his eyes.

"Let me introduce you. These four are all Awakened from the shelter: Chen Ming, Xu Tianhao..." Cheng Luoyi introduced them one by one.

"Mm."

Lin Dong merely responded. He did not even glance at the four of them, acting as though they did not exist.

Chen Ming forced himself to smile.

"Ah ha... ha... Hello, hello!"

The four were extremely nervous, but for now, it seemed that the other party had no intention of killing them. Otherwise, that horde of zombies earlier would have been enough to take their lives.

Thus,

the four of them did not expose the truth and continued playing dumb, treating Lin Dong as an ordinary human.

But Sun Xiaoqiang really was foolish, and he was very generous too.

"Lin Dong, once we find the supplies, I'll treat you to a big meal. We'll eat and drink well, just like a reunion dinner!"

"Sure."

Lin Dong agreed.

But at that moment, Sun Xiaoqiang's stomach started growling again. The intense hunger made him dizzy and weak in the limbs, and he nearly fainted.

Lin Dong immediately saw what condition he was in. You're starving like this... and you're still thinking about treating me to a meal?

"How about I treat you first?"

"Huh? You have food already?"

Sun Xiaoqiang widened his intelligent eyes.

"A little. Not much..."

With a wave of his hand, Lin Dong took out bread, sausages, and a packet of spicy strips for humans from his storage space.

He had taken them from the warehouse last time. There were plenty of those supplies worth hundreds of millions in his storage space, and they were useless to him anyway.

Sun Xiaoqiang stared at the food, completely stunned.

It felt incredibly magical, as though Lin Dong had conjured it out of thin air.

Tears of weakness could not help flowing from the corner of his mouth... There were even spicy strips inside. Those were his favorite snack!

"Thank you. Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Sun Xiaoqiang took them, tore open the packaging haphazardly, and began stuffing the food into his mouth.

The oil from the spicy strips spread across his taste buds, numbingly spicy and fragrant.

"It smells so good!"

Hunger was the best chef. In Sun Xiaoqiang's current state, spicy strips were a delicacy beyond compare!

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Dong could not help recalling their childhood. Back at the orphanage, Sun Xiaoqiang had loved spicy strips too.

He had been afraid the other children would steal them, so he hid them in his bedding while he slept. As expected... the spicy strips were crushed, leaving oil all over the bed, and the director scolded him fiercely on the spot.

Gulp!

Seeing Sun Xiaoqiang eat so happily, Cheng Luoyi unconsciously began salivating and swallowed. Waves of hunger also rose in her stomach.

Lin Dong glanced at her without saying much.

He took out bread, sausages, and spicy strips as well. He even added a bottle of Nutrient Express, more than Sun Xiaoqiang had received, and handed them to her.

"I'm not hungry."

Cheng Luoyi shook her head and refused.

Lin Dong sized her up. She was still the same as when they were children—soft all over, except for her mouth!

"It's fine. Eat."

"Oh..."

Cheng Luoyi slowly accepted them, though she still hesitated inwardly. Food was simply too precious in the apocalypse.

Lin Dong had just said he did not have much either, so she thought he should keep it for himself.

"What's wrong with you now?"

Seeing her hesitate and her expression constantly shift, as though she had no idea what she was thinking, Lin Dong casually asked.

Cheng Luoyi stared blankly at him, picked up the bread, and said,

"It's expired."

"..." Lin Dong was speechless. "Eat it or leave it!"

Although the date on the bread had passed, it had been stored in the storage space and was perfectly edible.

Cheng Luoyi stopped struggling with herself, thinking that she could repay him later.

So she opened the package and began eating.

Chen Ming and the other four behind them stared fixedly at the food. Their stomachs churned and growled as well, and they watched with great envy.

But they did not dare ask Lin Dong for any.

The way he had produced food from thin air showed just how strange his ability was!

If things went wrong, they might become food themselves...

The four simply turned their heads away.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Before long, Cheng Luoyi was full, and she looked much more energetic.

"I'll repay you for this food, or exchange Brain Cores and Crystal Cores for it."

At the shelter, one Brain Core could be exchanged for a bag of instant noodles, while one Soul Crystal could be exchanged for a whole case.

They were already used to this kind of exchange in value, so they felt embarrassed to eat Lin Dong's food for free.

"Right, right, right!"

Sun Xiaoqiang, his mouth dripping with oil, voiced his agreement.

"An exchange. I'm not eating for free either!"