Chapter 332: The Database

Chapter 332: The Database

Zhang Yi and Liang Yue came to an agreement: she would visit the Shelter every day to teach him martial arts for at least two hours. In return, he’d provide food rations for ten people.

It wasn’t a complete ploy. While Zhang Yi indeed wanted to win Liang Yue over to his side, he was genuinely interested in improving his close-combat abilities. His greatest weakness was still his lack of melee strength, and learning from a former high-profile bodyguard was sure to be valuable—possibly even lifesaving in the future.

“Ten people’s worth of food, huh?” Liang Yue hesitated.

Including herself and her students, there were sixteen people, so ten rations wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone.

“Could you give us a little extra? We have sixteen people in total,” Liang Yue requested.

Zhang Yi gave a slight smile. “Ms. Liang, I hope you understand my position. This isn’t a one-time supply; it’s ten portions of food every day.”

“Besides, you wouldn’t want your students to become lazy, relying solely on my support to get by, right?”

There was a strategy behind Zhang Yi’s approach. First—he couldn’t allow the students to be too comfortable. If people are too well-fed, they start thinking more, and those thoughts can often lead to trouble.

Second, by giving them just a bit of hope but never full satisfaction, Zhang Yi could keep Liang Yue and the others firmly under his control.

Liang Yue’s face showed a moment of embarrassment at Zhang Yi’s words. She’d once proudly declared she’d help her students solve their survival problems, but here she was, needing Zhang Yi’s help to feed them. It felt like a slap in the face.

“Fine, ten portions it is,” she decided.

She planned to take some food from Zhang Yi and have her students work to gather the rest, ensuring they wouldn’t struggle too much to survive.

Satisfied, Liang Yue accepted Zhang Yi’s terms. After collecting the food, she returned quickly to Xu Family Town. Her students had already gone hungry for a day, huddled together in a snow hut, and any further delay could mean someone starving to death.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi pulled a blanket from behind the couch, draped it over himself, and lay back, idly watching TV.

Just then, he heard the sound of a wheelchair rolling.

He looked over to see Lu Keran pushing Yang Xinxin toward him.

Zhang Yi smiled faintly, “You’re a bit late; your teacher just left.”

Yang Xinxin gave a slight smile. “I came because she left.”

“Oh? Don’t you want to chat with your teacher?” Zhang Yi asked.

Yang Xinxin shook her head. “If we’d been here, our presence would’ve affected your negotiations with her.”

Zhang Yi smirked.

If it were a significant decision, he wouldn’t let anyone’s presence influence his thinking.

As she drew closer, Yang Xinxin suddenly asked, “Brother, are you trying to court Ms. Liang?”

Zhang Yi nearly choked on his coffee, almost spilling it out his nose.

“Cough, cough…”

“Why would you ask that out of the blue?” Zhang Yi tried to keep his expression steady.

But his reaction had already given him away.

Honestly, Liang Yue was quite attractive, with her mix of endearing awkwardness and strength. Having her around could be very useful. Shaping her into one of his people was actually a solid option. �

Zhang Yi did have such thoughts, but he wouldn’t force them.

Yang Xinxin pouted slightly, while Lu Keran’s eyes flashed with a strange emotion, though she quickly hid it with a laugh.

“Wow, Brother, aren’t you a bit greedy? You already have two sisters, and now you’re eyeing our teacher!” Lu Keran teased.

Yang Xinxin, however, analyzed it seriously: “Considering human history, it’s certainly one of the most effective ways to forge alliances.”

“Ms. Liang is strong, and from a female perspective, she definitely has the ability to attract men.”

“And with her limited intelligence…” She looked at Zhang Yi with a knowing smile. “It’s not surprising you’d be interested, Brother.”

For someone with high intelligence, Yang Xinxin could view things with complete objectivity. To her, it made perfect sense that Zhang Yi would want to bring Liang Yue over to his side.

Zhang Yi felt like he’d found a kindred spirit!

He wasn’t interested in playing romantic games—such things could add flavor to life but weren’t necessary.

If Liang Yue were just an attractive teacher with a strong sense of justice, Zhang Yi wouldn’t have even looked at her twice.

But he was intrigued by her strength, wasn’t he?

Zhang Yi spoke plainly to Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran, “You two are sharp, so I’ll skip the roundabout talk.”

“Liang Yue’s combat abilities are strong and useful to me. I want to recruit her as part of our team.”

“As for any romantic feelings—those don’t exist.”

In his mind, everything was about practical value and desire.

Zhang Yi wasn’t opposed to something happening with Liang Yue if it could help him secure her loyalty. But that wasn’t essential to his plan.

Hearing this, Yang Xinxin was reassured that Zhang Yi remained the level-headed, almost cold-hearted man she knew. She smiled with relief.

“Got it! In that case, go for it, Brother. Xinxin will support you.”

She flashed him a bright smile.

“Support me?” Zhang Yi asked with a chuckle.

Yang Xinxin’s smile turned mysterious. “We know Ms. Liang better than you do. I know exactly how to convince her to join us.”

Zhang Yi coughed. “Actually, there’s no need to complicate things. Given what we’re offering, it won’t be hard to win her over.”

Yang Xinxin nodded in agreement but then added, “The hard part is how to deal with those troublesome students of hers!”

On this point, everyone agreed.

Those surviving students had previously mistreated Yang Xinxin, leaving her with no good feelings toward them. To her, they were all burdens.

Zhang Yi shrugged. “For now, let’s leave them alone. I don’t want to make things too tense with Liang Yue. If she found out I eliminated her students, she’d probably come after me without a second thought.”

“There will be a chance,” Yang Xinxin said softly.

Her dark eyes gleamed with a sharp, icy edge.

Zhang Yi grinned, “If you have a plan, feel free to act on it—just make sure Liang Yue doesn’t find out.”

“Understood,” Yang Xinxin replied with a nod.

“Oh, by the way, Brother Zhang Yi, there’s something else I need to tell you.”

She was about to leave but turned back to him.

“Oh? What is it?” Zhang Yi asked, curious.

Yang Xinxin explained, “These past few days, I’ve been combing through the West Hill Base’s information database.”

“Since West Hill was originally an official establishment, its equipment is comprehensive, and it holds a massive amount of data. I wanted to see if there was any useful information.”

“And it turns out I’ve found some interesting things. I think you’ll be very interested!”

At her words, Zhang Yi immediately sat up. “What kind of information?”

Chen Xinian had once been a high-ranking figure in Tianhai City, so he was bound to know more than Zhang Yi did.

With his limited sources, Zhang Yi urgently wanted to learn more about the apocalypse, as well as the current situation in Tianhai City and surrounding areas.

The battle at West Hill Base had already demonstrated how crucial intelligence was.

Yang Xinxin gave a mysterious smile. “There’s too much information; I haven’t finished organizing it yet. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

“But based on what I’ve gathered so far, I can confirm that West Hill Base isn’t the only heavily armed organization in Tianhai City!”

Her gaze turned contemplative. “Brother Zhang Yi, with all the noise we’ve been making, do you think it might draw attention from other forces?”

Author's Note