Chapter 13: I’ll Pay

By the time the three of them had packed their luggage, it was already nearly noon.

He didn’t know how Jiang Ye had convinced Zhou Zhuo Hua, but Bai Chen Zhu got to enjoy the back seat all to himself with his bag. His probing gaze passed through the car window and fell on the abandoned villa next door.

The heavy rain could wash away all traces, leaving only the rope tightly bound around the door handle. Time had been tight, so even though Bai Chen Zhu wanted to go over and investigate, he hadn’t been able to act on it.

No rush—there would be plenty of time ahead. He would catch Jiang Ye’s little tail eventually. Bai Chen Zhu covered his mouth with his hand and yawned, then lay down directly on the spacious back seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Jiang Ye buckled his seatbelt. Unable to stand the lazy sight of him, he picked a fight. “Is Young Master Bai here to enjoy himself?”

“Mm.” Bai Chen Zhu propped his head up, eyes still closed, and replied perfunctorily, “With Little Jiangzi leading the way, We feel quite assured.”

“Who’re you calling Little Jiangzi?” Jiang Ye twisted around and reached out to grab him, but Zhou Zhuo Hua slapped his hand from the passenger seat, and only then did he relent.

Zhou Zhuo Hua was like a heartless, strict homeroom teacher as she lectured them. “Both of you, behave. Don’t start fighting again.”

Bai Chen Zhu lifted his eyelids and glanced at Jiang Ye, as if mocking him silently.

That look was like a fine hair brushing lightly against his heart, making Jiang Ye feel itchy inside and wanting to mess with him.

But with Zhou Zhuo Hua right there seriously studying the map information she’d cached on her phone before it lost connection, she said, “The supermarket you mentioned is just down this road. Turn left at the fork and go straight five hundred meters—it’s pretty close. Just don’t know if there’s any stock left.”

“Don’t worry, there aren’t many people around here.” Jiang Ye glanced at Bai Chen Zhu a couple more times and stepped on the accelerator.

Nestled at the foot of the mountain was a large supermarket that specifically served the Villa District. However, since most people preferred home delivery, the supermarket had also expanded into business for tourists coming to soak in the hot springs.

In just over ten minutes, the car pulled up to the supermarket entrance, where the iron gate was tightly shut.

Zhou Zhuo Hua was a bit disappointed. “The supermarket’s closed.”

Jiang Ye got out first. He squatted in front of the lock and fiddled with it for a few moments before pushing the iron gate open. He waved to Zhou Zhuo Hua and Bai Chen Zhu. “It’s open now. Let’s go.”

Zhou Zhuo Hua hesitated. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

The idea that ‘taking without asking is theft’ was still deeply ingrained in her worldview.

Bai Chen Zhu breezed past her with quick steps, bag on his back, and went inside to sweep through the place.

The shelves were fully stocked, clearly cleaned up by the staff before their last departure.

Zhou Zhuo Hua started to speak several times but held back. Seeing the two of them moving decisively and efficiently, her desires eventually won out, and she grabbed a large bag to pack the things she needed.

Bai Chen Zhu picked up some convenience foods and, after circling around, spotted Jiang Ye just in time.

The guy was rubbing his chin, selecting from the various cigarettes displayed behind the glass window.

Bai Chen Zhu had planned to go around him, but he changed direction and walked over. “You under a lot of stress lately?”

He didn’t know how the twenty-year-old protagonist had developed such a heavy smoking habit.

Unsure how to answer, Jiang Ye equivocated. “It’s alright, I guess.”

“But your nicotine addiction is too severe—you’re like an old smoker.” Bai Chen Zhu stated it bluntly, barely noticeably furrowing his brow.

He didn’t like the smell of smoke. If Jiang Ye smoked, the car would reek of it later. But if he said that directly, given their relationship, Jiang Ye would only smoke more fiercely.

Bai Chen Zhu had no doubt the guy would maliciously blow it in his face.

To avoid secondhand smoke any longer, Bai Chen Zhu put on a serious face and admonished him. “Secondhand smoke is extremely harmful to women. For Miss Zhou’s health, you should smoke less.”

Jiang Ye didn’t make a sound. He tapped his fingertip on the glass cabinet, noncommittal.

Seeing that Jiang Ye hadn’t outright refused, Bai Chen Zhu rummaged in his backpack, pulled out a lollipop, dangled it in front of Jiang Ye, then tucked it between his index and middle fingers—just like a smoking pose at first glance.

“Candy’s not bad either.” Bai Chen Zhu coaxed him like a child, his expression sincere. “If you really want to smoke, why not start by sucking on a lollipop instead? How about it?”

Sucking on a lollipop? Jiang Ye twirled the lollipop between his fingers, a half-smile on his face. “It’s clearly because you don’t like it.”

Bai Chen Zhu admitted it generously. He nodded but rephrased it. “I’m concerned about you. This stuff’s no different from poison. Supplies will only get scarcer later—quitting early has more upsides than downsides.”

Jiang Ye pocketed the lollipop. He suddenly took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and had just flipped open the lighter when Bai Chen Zhu was already several meters away.

“So disgusted?” Jiang Ye was genuinely amused by him.

Bai Chen Zhu fanned the air near his nose, his disgust plain as day, and walked off.

Jiang Ye watched his back disappear among the shelves before turning his gaze back. He toyed thoughtfully with the unlit cigarette in his hand.

He didn’t have much of a smoking habit; it was just that he’d had a lot on his mind lately. That guy was even more sensitive than he’d thought—though he didn’t know if it was naturally meticulous thinking or because of… superpowers.

In the end, he bent the cigarette at a ninety-degree angle and snapped it against the glass cabinet.

The previously empty off-road vehicle was now loaded with supplies.

Jiang Ye called to the two of them to get in the car. Zhou Zhuo Hua stood fixed at the supermarket entrance, struggle on her face.

Jiang Ye tilted his head. “Sis, you not planning to leave? Gonna stay and work off the debt?”

Zhou Zhuo Hua shook her head. Bai Chen Zhu feared she might say next to return the stuff.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhuo Hua fished out a card from her pocket, wrote down the PIN, and left it on the counter. Only then did she let out a deep breath of relief, shedding the heavy burden. “I’ll pay.”

“Oh? Thanks, sis.” Jiang Ye grinned, unconcerned, not pointing out the futility of her effort—after the end times, paper money would become the least valuable thing. He pushed her onto the car. “Let’s go, let’s go. It’ll be dark later.”

Bai Chen Zhu closed the car door and looked at the back of Jiang Ye’s head, his gaze complicated.

Zhou Zhuo Hua’s reaction was a normal transition. In comparison, Jiang Ye, who could act without psychological barriers the moment things changed, might be the real freak.

The car smoothly exited the Villa District and got onto the highway. Since the infectious disease outbreak was announced, most people had cut back on travel, leaving the roads wide open with hardly any other vehicles along the way.

Occasionally, a car or two would be stopped on the roadside, but Jiang Ye ignored them and sped past.

The car drove steadily. Bai Chen Zhu had come down with a fever in a daze the night before and hadn’t slept well. Now that he lay down in the back seat, he fell asleep right away.

In his hazy sleep, the car seemed to run over something, jolting it hard and waking Bai Chen Zhu several times, but he soon drifted off again.

By the time he woke up, he didn’t know what time it was. Up front, the two were chatting back and forth to relieve boredom, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.

Out of curiosity, Bai Chen Zhu didn’t speak right away and wanted to hear what they were talking about.

He heard the woman say, “I’ve never seen such a bizarre infectious disease. Airborne transmission is scary enough, not to mention the extremely high infection rate. Even more terrifying is that no vaccine or containment method has been developed yet—a large-scale outbreak is inevitable.”

“The bizarre part is that this disease presents two completely different outcomes upon infection: those injured either die and turn into corpses, or they get injured multiple times with no symptoms at all, seemingly naturally immune.”

“To this day, no distinction between the two has been found… Speaking of which, both you and the guy in the back seat have that physique where you’re infected but heal on your own. If conditions allow, I’d really like to drag you two in for some research.”

Jiang Ye touched his nose. “Sis, can’t you hope for something good? Wanna see me turn into a corpse?”

“How could I?” Zhou Zhuo Hua pushed up her thin-framed glasses, a smile appearing on her refined face. “Of course I hope you’re fine. I wasn’t done yet, Jiang Ye. Among those injured but uninfected, there are two subtypes. One remains ordinary people, the other…”

She paused, her voice lowering. “The other shows varying degrees of physical ‘mutations’—or perhaps ‘evolution’ is more fitting.”

At this point, Jiang Ye vaguely guessed what she wanted to ask, but his expression remained nonchalant, his grip on the steering wheel relaxed. “Oh? What did the research find?”

Zhou Zhuo Hua turned her head to look at him and smiled faintly. “In the cases available at the hospital where I work, some evolved with a massive boost in physical strength. As for you, Jiang Ye, I’ve noticed your strength suddenly got huge. You didn’t turn into a Strongman, did you?”

“Strongman?” Jiang Ye burst out laughing. He seemed to find it hilarious, his laughter highly infectious. “What? It’s not that exaggerated. If it’s like you say, then what direction did the guy in the back evolve in?”

Zhou Zhuo Hua was a bit confused. She propped her chin and seriously considered Bai Chen Zhu’s situation. “He… he’s even weaker than average, though no illness is apparent. That doesn’t seem like someone who’d have superpowers.”

Jiang Ye’s lips curved in a smile. “Some things aren’t visible just by looking. He got bitten but didn’t get infected and kept having fevers repeatedly—he’s already outside the normal range.”