Of the nine people in the cold storage room, everyone except Ma Yu, the cook, could be considered part of society's elite.
None of them were fools. They all understood the situation in the cold storage room: unless they reduced their numbers, there simply wouldn't be enough supplies.
With one less person, the space would feel less cramped, too.
The first to agree was naturally the superstar Lin Yier, who had just clashed with Ma Yu.
Surprisingly, the second was the hotel manager.
"Ma Yu, you can see for yourself that there isn't enough room here. For the greater good, we'll have to ask you to make a sacrifice. Try escaping somewhere else."
Escape?
There were zombies right outside. After days without proper food or water, Ma Yu was terribly weak. Her legs had gone numb from squatting for so long, and she couldn't run at all.
Going outside meant certain death.
No one objected. Their own survival was at stake, and one less person meant a better chance of staying alive.
Even though Ma Yu had saved them, forcing her out now seemed to be what everyone wanted.
Ma Yu stared at them in disbelief, a line surfacing in her mind.
Others fan themselves in June's sweltering heat, yet my heart is cold.
Ma Yu's heart turned to ice. If she had known, she would never have opened the door. She should have let the zombies bite them to death. Wouldn't she have been better off hiding in the cold storage room alone?
You're blatantly sending me to my death.
Fine. If I die, none of you get to live either.
Ma Yu planned to hold the door open when they opened it, drawing the zombies over so they could all die together.
The other eight weren't idiots, and they weren't about to trust her that much. They waited until the wandering zombies had moved away from the doorway, then cracked the door open just enough to let Ma Yu out.
Lin Yier kicked Ma Yu hard in the backside, knocking her down outside the door.
"That's what you get for crossing me," was all Lin Yier said before the cold storage door slammed shut.
Ma Yu wanted to cry, but forced herself to hold it in. They could see outside from inside the cold storage room. If she cried now, wouldn't she just be giving them something to laugh at?
She was furious. At that moment, Ma Yu wasn't even afraid anymore. She was seething with anger.
She would pay any price for someone to kill those people.
But it seemed she would never get the chance.
Two zombies caught Ma Yu's scent, immediately abandoning their aimless wandering and charging at her with snarls.
Ma Yu's mind went blank, leaving only one thought.
What a joke. I saved a bunch of people, and then they got me killed.
Facing the charging zombies, Ma Yu knew she had no chance of escaping. She closed her eyes and waited for death.
Led by Liu Wenbo, who knew the hotel's layout, Chen Luo and Su Dazhu reached the fourth floor by a staircase.
That staircase happened to be a short distance from the cold storage room.
Chen Luo heard Lin Yier's voice and came over to investigate, just in time to see two zombies lunging at Ma Yu.
Chen Luo wasn't immediately sure it was Ma Yu, but the long braid down her back made him think it might be her.
Dharma King, however, was certain. He had seen Ma Yu plenty of times and knew that finding her was the purpose of this trip.
He knew Ma Yu's scent.
Dharma King sprang into action, covering more than ten meters in a single second.
Rocket Headbutt.
Dharma King slammed his head into the zombies with all his strength.
As his level increased, Dharma King's physical abilities kept growing stronger, too.
The two zombies were standing close together, and Dharma King knocked both of them to the floor in one hit. Su Dazhu arrived right after him and finished them off.
Chen Luo looked at Ma Yu in delight.
The cook's alive. I'm finally going to eat well.
Five days. Do you have any idea how I've survived these past five days?
There was a scene in The God of Cookery featuring an incredibly ugly chef with amazing culinary skills, but Stephen Chow lost his appetite just looking at him.
Bad review.
A chef who was both highly skilled and easy on the eyes was a rare find.
Otherwise, just looking at food made by some rough-looking guy would make Chen Luo knock eighty points off his score.
Ma Yu stared at Dharma King in astonishment. She knew him, too, and his missing left ear made him especially easy to recognize.
Chen Luo walked over and smiled. "Ma Yu, it's me, Chen Luo. I came here specifically to save you."
I braved all this danger to come here. Tell me, aren't you touched?
Be my cook and stay loyal to me forever.
Once her astonishment passed, Ma Yu was indeed moved. "Chen Luo, thank you," she said excitedly.
Su Dazhu was about to help Ma Yu up when several nearby zombies, along with those in the large conference hall, heard the commotion and began heading over.
There was no time to catch up with Ma Yu. Chen Luo and Su Dazhu guarded the doorway, one on either side, with Dharma King between them, slaughtering the zombies that came rushing to their deaths.
The zombies delivered themselves to their deaths in wave after wave.
If over a hundred zombies had gathered and come at him all at once, Chen Luo really wouldn't have dared to stand his ground.
Before long, not a single living zombie remained.
Meanwhile, the people in the cold storage room had watched everything through a window in the door, though they hadn't heard Chen Luo and the others talking.
Lin Yier covered her mouth in excitement, tears glistening in her eyes. They were saved.
After holding out for five days, they had finally been saved.
Even the business tycoon Li Lin's leg stopped hurting.
But the people in the cold storage room still weren't taking any chances. They waited until all the zombies were gone before opening the door.
Li Lin beamed. "Thank you, heroes, for saving us."
Lin Yier removed her mask and smiled, presenting a demure, innocent image. "Hello, I'm Lin Yier. It's a pleasure to meet you."
If she didn't take off her mask, how would Chen Luo know she was Lin Yier?
She was one of the biggest A-list stars, only a step away from becoming a true megastar.
Perhaps these two were her die-hard fans and would take even better care of her than they would of Li Lin.
Chen Luo glanced at her. Heh. You're celebrating too soon.
Chen Luo asked Ma Yu, "What happened? Whatever it is, I'll stand up for you."
Everyone else had been safely hiding inside the cold storage room, while Ma Yu alone had been outside and nearly eaten by zombies.
It wasn't hard for Chen Luo to guess that something vile had happened.
For some reason, hearing Chen Luo say that brought all of Ma Yu's pent-up hurt surging out. Choking back sobs, she told him what had happened.
Chen Luo sneered as he listened. This was why being a good person didn't pay.
Chen Luo had come to save Ma Yu because she had value. If you're worthless, why should I care whether you live or die?
Li Lin and the others exchanged glances. It seemed this man knew Ma Yu.
Hmph. There's nothing in this world that money can't settle.
Li Lin smiled. "Young man, could I trouble you to take me home? Once this crisis is over, come work for my company. I'll pay you two hundred thousand a month."
Two hundred thousand was no small sum. That was over two million a year. How many salaried workers could earn that much?
Work for a few years, and he'd be worth ten million.
Someone took out a checkbook and held it out to Chen Luo. "Just get me somewhere safe. Fill in whatever amount you like."
Whatever I like? I wonder if I can write in a hundred million times a hundred million.
This was the proverbial empty promise.
Well, damn, Chen Luo thought. You're even better than me at getting something for nothing.
Ma Yu wanted to laugh at the sight. She didn't know Chen Luo's net worth, but she knew his villa alone was worth several hundred million. Of everyone present, Li Lin was probably the only one richer than Chen Luo.
Before you continue