A Life Wasted

It wasn't just Lin Yu. Many of the sharper people in the group had realized that Option A offered a genuine benefit.

McSpicy Chicken Burgers!

Not just delicious!

Filling, too!

Who wouldn't want to wolf down some McSpicy Chicken Burgers in the apocalypse?

Whether they could finish all ten was secondary. Even if they couldn't, they'd still enjoy themselves.

Soon, people in the crowd began getting excited.

"Captain Shen, can we take part in the [Choice] now?"

"McSpicy Chicken Burgers... man... it's been ages since I had a burger. Just imagine how good they'll taste!"

"Yeah, I can't wait! I want to take part in the [Choice], too!"

"The [Choice] finally decided to treat us like human beings! Boohoo, I'm so touched!"

"I'm going to eat ten burgers!"

The survivors were brimming with anticipation. Cockroach juice was a bit of a bizarre novelty, but burgers were pure deliciousness!

Shen Sui looked up at the screen of light in the air and nodded.

"You can choose now. Since this choice poses no danger, it won't count toward your participation total."

If a purely rewarding [Choice] like this counted toward their totals, it would be unfair to the survivors who took part in dangerous [Choices].

The moment he finished speaking,

all the survivors grew excited.

"I choose A."

"I choose A, too."

"Me, too!"

Soon,

every survivor present, without exception, had chosen A.

Some hadn't understood at first, but after hearing the explanations from those around them, realization immediately dawned.

So this was basically an all-you-can-eat burger buffet they could enjoy without worrying!

Finish them, and they'd get cola as a reward.

Fail to finish them, and they'd still have a great meal!

Only an idiot wouldn't choose it!

Naturally, Lin Yu immediately chose A as well.

Yellow Hair raised his hand.

"Zhai Guang wants to choose B. He wants to find out what cockroach juice tastes like~."

Zhai Guang frowned, his eyes vicious, and swore.

"That's fucking bullshit. You're the one who wants B."

Yellow Hair's eyes widened.

"Whoa, aren't you supposed to be hardcore? Shouldn't a badass like you pick B and show us how it's done?"

Zhai Guang said coldly,

"Fuck off!"

Soon,

Zhai Guang chose A as well. Everyone had taken part in this choice.

As the countdown on the screen of light reached zero,

everyone vanished, entering the [Choice].

Light flashed before his eyes,

and Lin Yu found himself in a burger restaurant almost identical to the ones from before the apocalypse.

There was an ordering counter, along with clean, tidy tables and chairs.

Beyond the glass windows lay an ordinary street, bustling with pedestrians.

For a moment,

Lin Yu felt dazed, almost as though he had returned to the time before the apocalypse.

But when he looked closer...

he noticed that the pedestrians outside had blank expressions and stiff movements. They resembled robots carrying out preset routines, rather than real humans.

A table stood before Lin Yu, with ten McSpicy Chicken Burgers arranged on a tray, giving off an enticing aroma.

Grrr...

Lin Yu's stomach couldn't help growling.

I want them...

God, I want them!

Ever since the apocalypse began, he had forgotten what burgers tasted like!

Lin Yu sat down and, without the slightest hesitation, picked up a burger and took a huge bite!

One bite!

The chicken burst with juices!

The rich, wheaty aroma of the bun mingled with the intense savory fragrance of fried chicken, and an almost perfect flavor bloomed across his tongue.

Perhaps it was because he had gone hungry for so long.

Lin Yu felt that this McSpicy Chicken Burger was the best burger he had ever eaten in his life.

An expression of pleasure spread across his face before he knew it.

This...

This is what living is all about...

In just a few bites, he finished a McSpicy Chicken Burger.

Lin Yu started on the next one, eating them one after another.

Before long,

all ten McSpicy Chicken Burgers were gone. His stomach felt a little bloated, but he still wanted more!

Please give me more [Choices] like this!

Go ahead and stuff me to death!

[Choice completed. Reward: one case of cola.]

Just then,

a case of six cans of ice-cold cola appeared on the table.

Having just finished his burgers, Lin Yu was feeling thirsty. He immediately opened a can and poured it eagerly into his mouth!

The icy liquid slid down his throat, carbonation bursting wildly across his tongue.

It was utterly satisfying, leaving his whole body refreshed!

So good!

The [Choice] ended.

Carrying his cola, Lin Yu left the choice.

In the clearing, everyone rubbed their swollen stomachs, their faces filled with delight. Some even had reddened eyes and began to cry.

Clearly,

everyone had thoroughly enjoyed their meal.

Burgers, something they could casually eat before the apocalypse, had become an unimaginable luxury.

"Boohoo... the old me would never have imagined that one day I'd eat burgers and end up crying."

"How can McSpicy Chicken Burgers taste this amazing? They're so good!"

"My life was worth it! It really was!"

"Even if I suddenly dropped dead right now, I'd die happy. At least I'd be a well-fed ghost!"

The survivors were blissfully happy.

Unsurprisingly, Shen Sui, Yellow Hair, Ye Qing, Zhai Guang, and Cheng Yuening all emerged carrying a case of cola. As Transcendents, eating ten burgers wasn't particularly difficult for them.

What surprised Lin Yu, however, was that several ordinary people had managed it as well.

Looking around, he saw five or six of them carrying cola!

They weren't Transcendents, nor had they received Gene Enhancement Fluid injections.

After going hungry for so long in the apocalypse, their stomachs should have shrunk by now.

Yet they'd eaten ten burgers in one sitting...

Impressive!

Yellow Hair opened a can of cola, took a huge gulp, and said,

"Now this is fucking living!"

"Before the apocalypse, I never had the money to eat ten burgers in one go. Who'd have thought I'd actually fucking manage it afterward!"

Ye Qing took out a tissue and elegantly wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, a faintly wistful note in her voice. "Tsk, I never ate this sort of junk food before the apocalypse. Now that I've tried it, it's actually pretty delicious..."

Yellow Hair immediately grinned and scoffed.

"Fuck, I told you rich people don't know how to enjoy life. You didn't even eat burgers! What a wasted life!"

Ye Qing nodded, a touch of quiet emotion in her voice.

"Yes... what a wasted life."

Shen Sui had also fallen somewhat silent. Before the apocalypse, he and Ye Qing had been much the same: he almost never ate this kind of fast food. Even when he occasionally ate burgers, Uncle Zhao made them by hand, starting with the buns.

He had never realized burgers like these could taste so good.

It really was just as Yellow Hair had said...

What a wasted life...

Just then,

the screen of light in the air shifted, and the second [Choice] appeared.

[If you were offered three sets of tailor-made clothing in exchange for completing a challenge, you would choose...]

[A. Defeat one zombie dog infected with the zombie virus. The zombie dog's model is: DZ-093.]

[B. Kill ten thousand hornets within ten seconds.]

Everyone frowned thoughtfully.

So, just as they'd suspected...

now that they'd eaten and drunk their fill, was it time to make them fight?

One option was a special-model zombie dog.

The other was ten thousand hornets.

Which should they choose?

Or...

should they give up?