Chapter 88: Stay Away from Brother Chu
“Niu Niu is thirsty, isn’t she?” Li Yu asked, gently touching the child’s feverish cheek before turning to Wang Li. “Do you still have enough water?”
Wang Li shook her head with an embarrassed look. “Miss Jiang shared some with us earlier, but it’s just so hot today… we’re going through it way too fast.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Li Yu gave her hand a reassuring pat and gestured for Wang Li to bring over a clean container.
Focusing her concentration for a brief moment, a thin stream of clear water flowed steadily from her palm, filling the metal kettle to the brim in no time. “Give Niu Niu a drink first, and make sure you have some yourself, Sister Li. Go ahead and pack your things; it’s far too hot out here, so I’m heading back to the car.”
Wang Li thanked her repeatedly with deep gratitude as Li Yu turned to leave.
She had only taken a couple of steps when Jiang Lin suddenly stepped out to intercept her.
“Li Yu,” Jiang Lin called out, her voice laced with obvious hesitation.
“Linlin?” Li Yu stopped, looking slightly surprised. Over the past few days, the two of them had chatted from time to time and had grown fairly close.
Jiang Lin bit her lower lip, a conflicted expression crossing her face—a blend of awkward reluctance and quiet hope. “I… I just overheard what you said to Sister Li. You put in a good word with your captain and got her a spot on the squad…”
She paused for a second before continuing, “Could you… could you put in a good word for me too? I really want to join your team officially.”
Over the last few days, she had truly reached her breaking point.
Back when the freezing winter gripped the land, everyone had crowded into a single vehicle for warmth; no matter how miserable or difficult the conditions were, she had managed to grit her teeth and endure it.
Now, however, the sweltering heat was unbearable. The makeshift refugee camp was cramped, filthy, and chaotic, thick with the suffocating stench of stale sweat and old blood.
As a young woman who had always been particular about cleanliness, enduring this squalor felt like dragging out a year with every passing day.
More importantly, she understood that in this brutal apocalypse, only by securing a real spot in an elite squad like Jiang Jue’s could she obtain stable, long-term protection and truly survive.
She had observed them for a long time. Trying to find a way in through Chu Yang seemed to be a complete dead end. The guy appeared easygoing and warm on the surface, but whenever she subtly steered the conversation toward joining, he always skillfully dodged the topic.
As for Jiang Jue, it was even more hopeless; the man always looked at her with icy detachment, radiating a subtle aura of cold rejection.
After weighing her options, Li Yu had the gentlest personality and was the easiest to approach, leaving Jiang Lin with no choice but to ask her to intercede.
Li Yu studied her in silence for a moment without answering immediately. Instead, she asked a seemingly unrelated question: “Linlin, tell me honestly—did you and Brother Chu have some sort of history in the past?”
A flicker of unease crossed Jiang Lin’s face. After several seconds of silence, she finally nodded, downplaying the matter with vague words: “Back then… when we were in university, Chu Yang… did pursue me for a while. But I didn’t accept back then.”
“And what about now?” Li Yu’s gaze sharpened, locking onto her eyes as she asked pointedly, “Do you have feelings for Brother Chu now?”
Under Li Yu’s searching, scrutinizing stare, the word yes that lingered on the tip of Jiang Lin’s tongue simply refused to come out.
She fell silent for several long seconds before lowering her eyes, her voice dropping: “I… I don’t know. I didn’t pay much attention to him in the past; we just knew each other. Honestly, we were never really that close.”
Li Yu let out a quiet breath of relief.
It seemed Jiang Lin didn’t harbor any obsessive, possessive attachment to Chu Yang, which made things considerably easier to navigate.
“I can try bringing it up with Brother Chu and Brother Jiang for you,” Li Yu said, her posture relaxing slightly, though her tone remained cautious. “However, I can’t promise anything.”
She paused, fixing Jiang Lin with an intensely serious, almost stern look: “Linlin, there are a few things I need to lay out clearly upfront. If—and I mean if—you actually get the chance to join, there is one absolute rule you must keep in mind: you must keep your distance from Brother Chu. Do not go out of your way to get close to him, and under no circumstances should you harbor any improper ideas.”
Jiang Lin was taken aback, asking on pure instinct, “Why?”
Li Yu looked at her with a mixture of helplessness and firm warning. “There are some things you’ll come to understand in time. Brother Jiang…” She carefully chose her words, “…he really doesn’t like other people getting too close to Brother Chu. I’m telling you this for your own good.”
Jiang Lin was a smart, perceptive woman.
In a flash, she remembered the chilling, warning glare Jiang Jue had given her previously, and recalled the effortless, untouchable chemistry between Chu Yang and Jiang Jue that no outsider could ever pierce. Her heart gave a sudden leap, and the reality clicked instantly into place.
The lingering thought in the back of her mind about using their past connection to latch onto Chu Yang was snuffed out entirely.
Compared to a vague, fragile past acquaintance—and the immense danger of provoking Jiang Jue—securing tangible protection and a real chance at survival was infinitely more important.
“I understand,” Jiang Lin said, drawing a deep breath. The hesitation vanished from her face, replaced by clear-headed resolve. “Li Yu, thank you for the warning. I know what to do from now on. I’ll leave the matter in your hands, then.”
Seeing that she had taken the advice to heart, Li Yu nodded. “Alright. I’ll find the right moment to bring it up. Head back for now; it’s far too hot out here.”
Returning to their squad’s SUV, Li Yu pulled the door open and peered inside—Wang Qiang wasn’t resting in the driver’s seat, and the back was empty too.
She quickly realized where everyone had gone; they must have all gathered in the RV.
Licking her dry lips, Li Yu walked over to the prominent black recreational vehicle parked nearby.
Sure enough, the moment she slid the side door open, a rush of cool, air-conditioned air washed over her, mingled with the familiar, lively chatter of the squad.
The compact living space was bustling: Wang Qiang and Little Yu were perched on folding stools, Lin Xiao was murmuring something to Su Mubai, and Chu Yang was seated at the dinette table, upturning a small cloth pouch. A cascade of smooth, milky-white crystal cores clattered onto the tabletop with a crisp, rhythmic rattle.
Hearing the door slide open, Chu Yang looked up. Seeing Li Yu step in, a bright smile spread across his face. “Li Yu, you’re back! How did it go? Did you get everything sorted with Sister Li? Is she coming?”
Li Yu gave a nod, sliding the door shut to lock out the oppressive heatwave outside. Finding a small patch of floor near the entrance to sit down, she answered with a smile, “Everything’s settled. Sister Li was thrilled. She’ll be over as soon as she finishes packing her gear.”
“Awesome!” Lin Xiao chimed in, rubbing his palms together in eager anticipation of a proper home-cooked meal tonight.
Chu Yang turned his attention back to the glittering pile of stones on the table.
Aside from the brilliant blue Tier 3 core harvested from the Mutated Thunder Python and the rare Psychic-type core from the upper floors—both stowed away separately—the rest of their accumulated spoils from ordinary zombies and lower-tier mutants were all laid out here.
The vast majority were milky-white Tier 1 cores.
Chu Yang looked up toward Jiang Jue, who was leaning quietly against the edge of the bed watching him, silently asking for his input with a questioning glance.
Meeting his eyes, Jiang Jue gave a subtle nod. His voice was level and calm, carrying absolute, unquestioned trust:
“You distribute them.”
