Chapter 65: Better to be a dog in peace than a human in chaotic times (Seeking first subscription! First update!)

In the myths from both the East and the West, there are mentions of world-ending floods.

Westerners have Noah’s Ark for escape, while Easterners have Da Yu managing water to save the world.

Could those mythical beasts resemble the mutated creatures we see today?

Maybe the monsters recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas really do exist.

Nobody knows for sure, but with the emergence of mutated creatures now, who can definitively say that legends aren’t real?

Liang Yuan was lost in thought as he carried his belongings back to the thirty-second floor.

Granny Li opened the door for him. After placing the supplies inside, Wu Qian turned to Liang Yuan, hesitant to speak.

Liang Yuan immediately understood and said, "Sister Wu, I know what you want to say. How about this: I’ll go to the next unit to look for Brother Cai."

Ding Yan immediately responded, "I’ll go with you."

Liang Yuan nodded slightly and then looked to Wu Qian, "Do you have a photo of Brother Cai? I can ask around on the way."

"Yes, yes, I’ll get a couple for you."

Wu Qian hurried back to the master bedroom and soon emerged with two photos.

Both were solo pictures of Cai Zhi, probably taken during a summer vacation.

Cai Yao followed her mother out and looked at Liang Yuan, pleading, "Brother Liang, please, you have to find my dad."

Liang Yuan patted her head and smiled, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely bring him back."

With that, he called to Ding Yan and turned to walk towards the door.

Yang Mei chased after him, calling out, "Little bro!"

Liang Yuan turned around to see her eyes slightly red. She said, "You... be careful. I’ll be waiting for you."

Liang Yuan smiled, "You stay with everyone in 3202. Wait for me to come back."

"Okay."

Liang Yuan left the apartment with Ding Yan.

Ding Yan remained silent as she walked beside him.

Suddenly, she spoke up, "Do you like Yang Mei a lot?"

He checked his watch; it was already past eleven at night.

He replied, "Sister Mei’s got the looks and the figure, which man wouldn’t like her?"

"I know, if it was before the apocalypse, a woman like her would only appear in short videos for me; in real life, she wouldn’t even look at me."

"But now, things have changed. In this environment, women like her are more vulnerable. Initially, I never thought I’d ever be with a woman like her."

"But as the disaster worsened, people lost their moral compasses. Sometimes, a loaf of bread or a pack of instant noodles could get you a woman."

"Sister Mei is a smart woman. She knows how to survive in this environment and what kind of person to rely on."

"Someone like Liu Erlong, with no principles, she wouldn’t choose."

"As for me, her neighbor with surplus food and a known character, it makes perfect sense that she would turn to me."

"I was stuck at home for half a year with no one to talk to, so I needed her too."

"So, in a utilitarian sense, we’re each getting what we need."

Ding Yan listened, a sparkle appearing in her eyes.

But Liang Yuan continued, "People have emotions. Maybe we started off using each other, but as time went on and we faced challenges together, feelings developed."

"She’s becoming more dependent on me, trusting me more each day."

"And my trust in her grows with time too."

"So, do I like her? Of course, I do."

Liang Yuan smiled.

Ding Yan looked at him, pursing her lips, and quietly said, "She’s really lucky."

Liang Yuan raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Ding Yan shook her head, "Nothing. I just meant that she really seems wholly devoted to you now. A minute without seeing you makes her anxious and scared."

Liang Yuan smiled, slightly surprised by Yang Mei’s dependence on him.

Perhaps traditional women like Yang Mei devote themselves entirely to a man once they give their bodies to him.

Such a woman he would certainly cherish and never betray.

"What about you? Did you have a boyfriend before the great flood?"

Liang Yuan asked casually.

Ding Yan was momentarily taken aback by the question, her expression changing slightly before she nodded and said, "I had one."

Liang Yuan asked curiously, "Was he a teacher too?"

Ding Yan shook her head, "No, he was a civil servant."

Liang Yuan chuckled, "A university teacher and a civil servant, that’s quite the perfect match. They say people in the system only look for others in the system, and it’s true."

Ding Yan smiled wryly, "It was like that at the time. I went on numerous blind dates, mostly with people in the system. Even the small number outside the system often had parents who were part of it."

"That’s how society works. Everyone tries to consolidate their strength. You’re not unique in this. If you had married, a few generations later, you might have a family of officials."

Liang Yuan smiled with nostalgia, "Someone like me, just a worker before the great flood, would likely find a partner similar to a worker, and our children would probably have the same fate."

"Generation after generation, without special opportunities, would likely be just laborers."

"Oh, actually, my kids might not even want to get married, and I wouldn’t have grandchildren, haha."

Liang Yuan suddenly laughed, and Ding Yan couldn’t help but smile.

She said abruptly, "You seem to fit well in this environment."

"In the apocalypse, all orders collapse, and everyone starts on equal footing."

"Some can stir storms, others become victims."

"In peaceful times, someone like you wouldn’t have had a chance, but now you’re thriving."

Liang Yuan smiled, "Really? But you see, I’ve been fighting too."

Ding Yan sighed, "In peaceful times, fighting would have been futile."

Liang Yuan paused, then nodded, "You’re right. With that logic, I should be grateful for the great flood?"

Ding Yan smiled and shook her head, "Better to be a peaceful dog than a chaotic human."

Liang Yuan sighed, "You’re right. If possible, I’d rather be that peaceful dog."

"Although working hard for a meager salary, carrying a mountain of a mortgage."

"But at least everyone would still be alive, and life would have beauty."

"Now, everyone has gone mad. People kill for food with no moral boundaries, some even living in utter humiliation."

Ding Yan stared at him, her eyes shining with a curious light.

As a beneficiary of the apocalypse, Liang Yuan now had women he couldn’t touch before the end times within reach.

The unresolved mortgages were no longer a concern.

Ding Yan had thought he would enjoy this new life, but she didn’t expect these words from him.

Her admiration for him increased. She pondered and said, "I used to scroll through short videos about wars abroad and always saw countless comments wishing for a third world war."

"Or hoping we’d immediately go to war with Neon, Taiwan, or the Lighthouse countries, fearing nothing."

"As if they’d benefit from the chaos."

"They don’t realize that in such scenarios, the ones who suffer first are the ordinary people."

"The truly rich and powerful wouldn’t be affected."

"How does that saying go? Rise, the commoners suffer. Fall, the commoners suffer."