Chapter 296: Does Love Disappear?

Chapter 296 : Does Love Disappear?

The agonizing screams echoed through the passage. Though the video feed had cut off, the sound traveled clearly to the entrance.

Liang Yue felt a twinge of pity for the villagers who died so miserably. But after everything she had seen since leaving Tianqing Academy, her heart had grown numb and cold.

Human minds have a remarkable ability to adapt.

What was once unbearable becomes routine over time.

Shi Dayong asked Ling Feng, “Boss, what do we do now? This path is obviously a dead end.”

Ling Feng replied coldly, “If we can’t use it, then blow it up! If we can’t get in, he won’t be able to get out either!”

They had come prepared, bringing the remaining explosives.

At this moment, Liang Yue suddenly spoke, “Are you sure explosives will work? What if, instead of sealing it off, you end up delivering the explosives to him and he uses them against us?”

Her words made Ling Feng and Shi Dayong furrow their brows.

Yes, they couldn’t dismiss that possibility.

At that moment, Zheng Xuerong walked over, casually suggesting, “That’s easy to solve! Just block the passage so he can’t come out.”

She stepped to the passage entrance, a slight smile on her face, and crouched down, placing her right hand on the ground.

“Ice Freeze!”

A deep blue light enveloped her hand. The swirling snowflakes in the air froze for a moment, then surged toward the passage as if guided by an unseen force.

A thick layer of frost quickly spread across the silver-gray metal walls.

As the ice crept deeper into the tunnel, the intense heat inside melted it into water.

Before long, those standing outside, including Ling Feng, heard the sound of water rushing.

“Brilliant, simply brilliant! Now Zhang Yi has no way to leave the base through here!” Engineer Wu couldn’t help but applaud.

“This passage descends downward. As the water floods it and cools down, it will freeze solid, sealing it shut. Zhang Yi won’t be able to open this door again.”

“And even if he tries to melt the ice with heat, it won’t help.”

“Marvelous!”

Engineer Wu was full of praise.

Zheng Xuerong smiled proudly, “It’s just a little trick.”

But Ling Feng showed no sign of joy.

While they had sealed Zhang Yi’s secret escape route, they still had no way to breach the shelter.

Without capturing Zhang Yi, they couldn’t complete the mission for West Hill Base, nor could they avenge the deaths of over fifty Special Forces Team members.

As captain, Ling Feng remained furious and anxious.

“We don’t just want to block him in. We need to break through his shell and destroy him completely!”

Liang Yue remained silent, observing coldly to see if they could come up with another plan.

Meanwhile, Fatty Xu had already left Xu Family Town with Zhang Yi. She knew she had to be even more cautious in her actions, ensuring she wasn’t exposed.

The others were silent as well, deep in thought. Every method they had considered had failed, and the Special Forces Team had suffered heavy losses. With only a handful of men left, how could they hope to fight Zhang Yi?

Unable to come up with a solution, the group decided to return to Xu Family Town to rest and reconsider their strategy.

When they arrived back at the town, the villagers noticed that the hundred men who had left with them hadn’t returned and asked Ling Feng where they had gone.

Ling Feng coldly replied, “Zhang Yi killed them all.”

Once again, Xu Family Town was filled with the wails of grieving families. In a single day, countless households had lost loved ones.

Ling Feng then ordered, “We’re hungry. Prepare food and bring it to us. Don’t waste any time!”

At this point, he had no interest in pretending anymore.

These villagers had no power to resist, so there was no need to put on a façade.

As expected, though the villagers cried and hated them, they still obediently served them.

That night, the villagers tore white cloth from their homes, hastily burned the bodies of their relatives, and held a simple mourning ceremony.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, within the shelter, a lively welcome banquet was taking place.

Perhaps because it had been so long since they had seen outsiders, everyone warmly welcomed Fatty Xu’s arrival—at least outwardly.

Yang Siyah and Zhou Ke’er had prepared a lavish dinner, and Zhang Yi had brought out several bottles of fine wine he had been saving.

Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran, having already met him before, weren’t strangers to him either.

When Fatty Xu arrived at the shelter, he was in complete shock, just like everyone else.

In the harsh, apocalyptic world outside, they lived in palatial homes and enjoyed delicious food, an almost obscene display of luxury.

Especially Zhang Yi, who was surrounded by beautiful women—truly a winner in life!

Fatty Xu’s admiration for Zhang Yi grew even deeper.

If someone wasn’t extraordinary, how could they live such a carefree life in the apocalypse?

However, in the presence of these beauties, Fatty Xu was extremely nervous, barely able to speak properly.

It wasn’t surprising. Even in front of a relatively plain woman like Xu Lili, he would get so excited he could hardly control himself.

Let alone now, when Zhang Yi’s women were all stunning, exceptionally talented beauties.

But despite their beauty, Fatty Xu felt a certain fear when he saw them.

Having just suffered the blow of heartbreak, he had lost all faith in real-life relationships.

“The more beautiful a woman is, the more she likes to deceive people!”

Fatty Xu firmly believed this.

Instead of wasting energy trying to connect with real women, he figured it was better to spend more time watching anime.

At least the girls in anime would never lie to him.

Zhang Yi handed him a wine glass, clinking it with his.

“Fatty, since you’re here now, we’re partners from now on. Whatever enemies we face, you need to fight them with all you’ve got.”

Zhang Yi smiled as he spoke to Fatty Xu.

This guy had great abilities, but he was timid and had no idea how to harness them.

But now that Fatty Xu had become Zhang Yi’s follower, Zhang Yi would help him develop his powers, turning him into a valuable asset.

Fatty Xu chuckled awkwardly, “I know, I know! There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!”

He may be a nerd, but he wasn’t stupid.

However, as they ate, Fatty Xu voiced a question that had been on his mind.

“Boss, besides me, do you have any other spies in Xu Family Town?”

“Oh? Why do you ask?”

Zhang Yi smiled as he looked at him.

Fatty Xu laughed nervously.

“Boss, I know your personality too well. You wouldn’t leave the shelter and take such a risk unless you were absolutely certain.”

“Unless you had a clear picture of what was happening in Xu Family Town.”

Zhang Yi didn’t hide it from him.

“Do you remember Teacher Liang from Tianqing Academy?”

The moment Zhang Yi mentioned this, Fatty Xu slapped his thigh in excitement.

“I knew it! I guessed it was her, and I was right!”

Not just Zhang Yi, but the other women at the table also looked at him curiously.

“How did you guess?”

Fatty Xu grinned, “It was simple. When we went to Tianqing Academy to rescue people, we met her.”

“Later, she followed the people from West Hill Base to Xu Family Town. When I saw her, I was scared to death because she knew about my relationship with the boss.”

“But she acted like she didn’t know me at all and didn’t tell anyone about me.”

“So I figured she wasn’t truly loyal to West Hill Base. If anyone was your mole, it had to be her!”

Zhang Yi gave Fatty Xu a look of appreciation. “You’re smarter than you look! Cheers to that!”

“Haha, thanks, boss!”

Overjoyed by the praise, Fatty Xu downed his glass of wine.

Everyone was in high spirits, though not because they were particularly happy about Fatty Xu’s arrival.

It was more that his arrival gave them an excuse to drink.

Fatty Xu drank with gusto. The wine wasn’t very strong, and at first, he felt fine.

But after a while, the alcohol kicked in.

He became tipsy, swaying in his seat, his face flushed, laughing one moment, then suddenly bursting into tears.

“I thought she liked me, but she made a fool of me. I was wrong, love really does disappear, doesn’t it?”

“How lame!”

Yang Xinxin sipped her wine and offered a disdainful comment.

Zhang Yi merely smiled and instructed Yang Siyah to prepare a room for Fatty Xu on the first underground floor.

As for himself and the other women, they lived on the second underground floor.

Letting Fatty Xu stay in the shelter was only temporary.

Zhang Yi didn’t like having other men in his home, so this arrangement was only a stopgap.

Once they dealt with the situation at West Hill Base, Zhang Yi planned to move Fatty Xu to one of the nearby villas that hadn’t been destroyed.

“What’s your next move against me?”

Zhang Yi swirled the wine in his glass as he thought to himself.

He was ready for whatever came next. He had struck a major blow against the Special Forces Team from West Hill Base.

Their grand plan to dig a tunnel would have to be put on hold.

Zhang Yi was curious about their next steps, feeling both a bit anxious and eager.

People are always both fascinated and

fearful of the unknown.

“If only Liang Yue could get that chip back sooner.”

Zhang Yi glanced at Yang Xinxin with a smile.

She was sitting on the couch, wearing a black Lolita dress.

Apart from being unable to walk, she looked no different from a normal girl.

Her elegance, especially when sipping red wine, was timeless.

Yang Xinxin expressed her confidence in Liang Yue.

“This task won’t be difficult for Teacher Liang. Brother, don’t forget what she used to do.”

“If she was only skilled, she wouldn’t have been hired to guard that place.”

Author's Note