Pei Liang had seen what Gong Ran looked like without his glasses, but for everyone else present, this was their first time.
Unexpectedly, without the cold, metallic edge and sinister glint the glasses lent him, he looked several degrees more pure and crystalline.
When this man did something like this, the light in his eyes was not deep and shrewd, like that of a seasoned player who had seen it all. Instead, it held an indescribable innocence.
He was doing something so blatantly suggestive, yet he acted as though it were perfectly natural. Anyone who read too much into it seemed like the lewd one.
The combination of purity and seduction, on top of the actual content of his words—
Several people in the room nearly got nosebleeds on the spot, loudly declaring that this was scorching hot.
Why was this perverted doctor so shamelessly seductive? Had he looted Pinru’s entire wardrobe when he fled before the apocalypse?
If even the spectators were reacting like that, then Pei Liang, who stood at the very center of the seduction, was naturally in even greater trouble.
She looked at the glasses in her hand, then at Gong Ran—
Who could possibly withstand this?
But Chu Yebai wasn’t dead. He was already disgusted to the point of exploding.
The pleasure brought by his “victory” had been instantly obliterated, leaving him stuck in an awkward position.
Going back to his room was out of the question. The perverted doctor had already thrown down the gauntlet, and now he had followed it up with this uniquely provocative display. Chu Yebai refused to believe that Pei Liang felt absolutely nothing.
If she went back and kept thinking about Gong Ran from time to time, Chu Yebai would explode just imagining the scene.
But staying wasn’t an option either. Wouldn’t that prove that this man could effortlessly ruin their romantic mood, and that, as long as he wanted, he could provoke them in all sorts of ways whenever he pleased?
Chu Yebai stared at Gong Ran with a look that seemed capable of tearing him limb from limb.
Gong Ran, however, appeared not to receive the message at all. He met Chu Yebai’s gaze for a while.
Then, as if he had suddenly understood something, he elegantly took off his white coat.
He handed the spotless garment to Chu Yebai. “Or is the glasses alone not enough? Do you need this too?”
The smile on Gong Ran’s face was sincere and seemingly devoid of provocation. He looked like someone who was simply happy to be of assistance.
“If there’s anything you need, Mr. Chu, just say so. If you only stare at me like that, my ability to understand people is limited. It might take me a very long time to figure out what you mean.”
Good heavens. Everyone present was inwardly crying out, Good heavens.
This was probably the most invincible way of fanning the flames they had ever witnessed in their entire lives. There was no contest.
If Chu Yebai twisted Gong Ran’s head off the next second, no one there would have been surprised.
Yet Chu Yebai’s next move made everyone want to shout, “Of course! This guy didn’t become the ‘official husband’ through luck and Pei Liang’s favoritism alone!”
The expression on Chu Yebai’s face had already returned to its usual composure. He accepted both the glasses and the white coat from Gong Ran.
He put on the glasses at once, revealing a completely new kind of charm.
Chu Yebai swept his hair back. Now that he possessed telekinesis, styling his hair was naturally no challenge at all.
He could change his hairstyle with ease.
This time, he brushed the hair on his right side backward, exposing his ear and revealing the entire side of his face.
He asked Pei Liang, “How does it look? Does it suit me?”
With the glasses on, Chu Yebai gave off an entirely different vibe from Gong Ran. Even compared with the few seconds he had worn them in the suite yesterday, the impression he created now was completely different.
Before the apocalypse, his work had required him to move through every kind of social setting: the elegant upper-class parties filled with fine clothes and fine wine, rough crowds in seedy bars, even highly disciplined military units.
He could blend into all of them without the slightest difficulty. This man had countless facets and an irresistible charm.
With this new look, he brought out both restrained desire and raw sensuality so perfectly that it was almost suffocating. It was difficult to keep one’s attention on the glasses themselves.
Pei Liang almost wished her ability were teleportation, so she could return to her room the very next second.
But that still wasn’t the end of it. Chu Yebai frowned as he looked at the white coat. “Unfortunately, what I’m wearing now isn’t suitable for putting this on over it.”
“But there are suits in the room. I can change into one and try it again.”
As he spoke, he asked Pei Liang, “What color suit do you think would go best underneath?”
“Black? Silver-gray? Ink blue?”
Pei Liang simply couldn’t wait another second. She hurriedly grabbed Chu Yebai by the hand and said to everyone present, “Take your time eating. We’ll be heading down first.”
Then, as she pulled Chu Yebai toward the door, she added, “Actually, I have no idea either. We can just try them on one by one.”
Gong Ran: “…”
Everyone looked at him, their eyes filled with sympathy.
Brother, it’s not that you weren’t good enough. It’s that your opponent was too devious.
Who could have imagined that, after things had gone this far, Chu Yebai would still have a way to break out of the trap?
He had defeated one provocation with another.
Of course, this was not a tactic just anyone could pull off.
For starters, most people couldn’t even accept an “enemy’s” offered props with a straight face while enduring the disgust.
Once again, this proved that Chu Yebai was a true man. He had taken the professional standards of living off a woman and upheld them in the face of absolutely every obstacle.
And besides, having that thick a skin wasn’t enough. An ordinary person also needed Chu Yebai’s one-in-a-million looks and seductive power.
Not just anyone could declare that they wanted to give someone a fresh experience, then immediately produce a new style so irresistible that it left people craving more and desperate for another look.
Someone even wanted to pat Gong Ran on the shoulder and comfort him—
Don’t be discouraged. You only lost because you lack experience.
But on second thought, that sort of comfort might encourage him to keep trying to steal someone else’s partner, which would hardly be beneficial to the stability of the relationships among the base’s upper management. So they wisely kept quiet.
At this moment, Chu Yebai’s underlings were all celebrating. Naturally, they were delighted that their boss had ultimately secured his position. For a while, they raised their juice like wine and toasted one another.
Guan Qian and the other supporters of Gong Ran, however, couldn’t stand the smug, petty look on those men’s faces.
Someone snorted. “I’ve never seen a bandit gang celebrate because their boss managed to hold on to his sugar mama.”
“You people have really sunk low enough to bring tears to the eyes.”
The bandits: “…”
Damn. That actually sounded about right! Had they lost their minds?
If someone had told them before the apocalypse that one day their boss would be living off a woman—and not only living off her, but nearly losing his source of income—and that they would celebrate after he barely managed to keep it, they would have beaten that person half to death on the spot.
But what were they doing now?
The whole group of bandits suddenly realized just how far they had fallen.
They were feeling thoroughly depressed when Guan Tian suddenly bellowed in his booming voice, “Don’t let them fool you! If they’re really so disdainful, then why is that pretty boy competing with our boss?”
“Pride and dignity are all worthless. The important thing is that Boss Pei is offering way too much.”
The crowd immediately revived.
That was right! The huge pile of crystals they had just been given was still warm in their hands, and the territory in the eastern district had already fallen into their possession.
It wasn’t that they lacked ambition. It was simply that the other side had offered far too much.
Their gloom vanished at once. They drank, laughed, and carried on celebrating.
Someone even said to the Appraiser, “I’m telling you, apart from our boss, you’re the only one on our team with a chance.”
“When the boss gets tired of him one day and he loses his competitive edge, you should move in and take his place.”
The Appraiser stared at him in a daze and was just about to hit him when someone grabbed him and held him back.
“Don’t get worked up. Listen to me—just listen first.”
“Your experience and skills obviously can’t compare to the boss’s, but you’ve got novelty on your side. Besides, I looked it up online—there are plenty of rich women who are into your type.”
“The purer they are, the more fun they are to play with—no, I mean, the more easily they fall in love. Why are you glaring at me? It’s better to keep the benefits in the family. Having you make a move is better than letting some outsider take advantage, isn’t it?”
Everyone else looked at the bandits with utter disdain.
Good grief. This gang was already plotting to push a personal maid forward to win favor when the lady of the house fell out of favor. A bunch of hulking, roughneck bandits were unexpectedly adept at the tricks of domestic intrigue.
Just like their boss, they had absolutely no shame.
Still, there was no denying that everyone present had thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
Never mind Pei Ning, who loved a good drama. Even the chef preparing the food had been so engrossed in the gossip—and the twists were so outrageous—that he burned several pieces of meat.
It was worth mentioning that before the apocalypse, he had been a three-Michelin-star chef. In his own kitchen, a mistake like this would have earned him a vicious scolding, or even gotten him thrown out.
While the conflict here had come to an end, in another city thousands of kilometers away, the Reincarnation Team led by Yu Cheng was on the move.
As it turned out, things weren’t going to be as easy as they had initially imagined. They had stolen a car, casually raided several stores in the city for food, and then set off.
In theory, the route to the target’s base had been clearly marked. The daily broadcasts also reported the conditions along all the major routes leading there, teaching people how to avoid large-scale zombie infestations and areas that had already been prone to traffic jams before the apocalypse.
They even called on anyone capable, provided they could ensure their own safety, to help clear the roads as much as possible and make things easier for those who came later.
“Is this really a villain?” someone muttered. “It’s way too reassuring.”
“It is. Their broadcasts don’t contain a single useless word, but there’s so much hidden information in them.”
“Real-time updates on road conditions mean they have control of the satellite system. Their understanding of the patterns of zombie attacks and viral mutations means they’ve already gained a certain degree of knowledge about the virus. What that implies is that they have access to a massive scientific research team.”
“As for the base’s location, there’s even less to say. It’s a world-famous trade port, rich in supplies and connected in all directions.”
“Not a single word of nonsense, yet they’ve already painted people a picture of hope. But since the other side is the greatest villain, I’m afraid the base isn’t as simple as it appears.”
The oldest member of the group was the one who said this. Bai Rou glanced at him.
That man had the most schemes and the most ulterior motives, but his logic was sound more often than not. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long.
The five of them had only just begun discussing the matter when they heard the system issue another notification—
[Ding! Major Villain Progress: 50%. Yet another major male character capable of changing the world has fallen.]
The five of them were startled.
“What? Wasn’t it only thirty percent yesterday? How did it reach halfway in just one day?”
“How is this even being calculated?”
“The apocalypse only started less than ten days ago. How could it happen this fast? Her base was only just established. Is the system deliberately messing with us?”
“Shut up!” Yu Cheng frowned and opened the detailed terms and explanations.
The others immediately understood.
“Fallen Character—Gong Ran! A genius doctor whose research, according to the original storyline, would eradicate the zombie virus and unravel the mystery of human evolution. It has now been confirmed that Gong Ran is under Pei Liang’s control, making it impossible for him to follow his original destiny.”
After reading it, the five of them drew in sharp breaths.
“My God…”
“She’s already taken control of such an important character?”
“It’s easy to imagine what she’ll do next with the doctor’s abilities—who knows how many insane experiments she’ll carry out.”
Everything in front of them suddenly seemed to make sense.
“No wonder she’s been so enthusiastic about depicting a beautiful utopia in the apocalypse.”
“So she wants to lure more test subjects there. Is she planning to build an evolution army under her own control?”
“If that happens, no one in the world will be able to stop her. She could even become the ruler of humanity.”
Yu Cheng said, “That is indeed one of the things mentioned in the plot summary.”
“Major villain Pei Liang commands countless superpowered individuals, forming the most powerful ability-user army in the world. Wherever they go, no one can stand against them.”
“But I still feel…” Yu Cheng frowned. There was something that didn’t quite add up, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
The other four no longer dared to cling to their previous hopes.
“Sure enough, we can’t let our guard down just because we have plenty of time and a clear mission objective.”
“With a difficulty level like this, the system should just drop us straight into the big boss’s base. That would at least be fair.”
“Gong Ran is far too important. By controlling him, the big boss is practically in control of an entire evolution army. We can’t waste any more time. We have to kill her before she fully develops.”
Although Yu Cheng still felt that many things didn’t stand up to scrutiny, he agreed that they should infiltrate the base first.
They had assumed the system had gone offline after issuing its warning, but unexpectedly, it added one final sentence—
[Ding! One last friendly reminder: A beautiful appearance can sometimes be the beginning of misfortune. Take heed, take heed.]
The five people’s gazes immediately fell on Bai Rou, the only woman in the group.
Bai Rou was as fair and delicate as her name suggested. However, as a Reincarnation player, she naturally couldn’t be judged by her appearance alone.
Though she looked frail and delicate, she was actually a highly capable fighter with swift movements. Her experience was still limited, but there was no doubt that she was an exceptionally talented Reincarnation player.
Even so, she really was beautiful. Even in peaceful times, she would have been the kind of woman strangers stopped to look at twice when she walked down the street.
In an apocalypse where order had collapsed and human nature had run wild, that made her even more vulnerable.
A beauty like her was indeed dangerous.
Yu Cheng nodded. “The system’s warning is sound. You’re strong, but this instance is unusual. The enemies we’ll be facing next will undoubtedly include all sorts of powerful ability users.”
“There are only five of us. When the mission requires it, we won’t be able to stay together and watch each other’s backs at all times. And with thousands of kilometers to travel, we could also run into unnecessary trouble along the way.”
This was hardly their first apocalypse-themed instance. They had encountered similar situations before, when attractive female team members were targeted by thugs who had gained powerful abilities in the apocalypse, bringing the team no end of trouble.
So Yu Cheng took out a pill and said, “We still have one Transformation Pill left from the previous mission reward package. Take it and turn yourself into a man. Little Zhu should have brought some new men’s clothes. Go change.”
Bai Rou was somewhat reluctant. Before she joined the Reincarnation Team, she hadn’t looked like this.
Of course, she had still been pretty, but ordinary people’s skin, facial features, and figures all had more or less some imperfections. How could they compare with her current appearance? Her skin was so pale and translucent that it seemed to glow, and her entire body was as exquisitely flawless as a piece of fine white jade.
She had spent precious points to perfect her appearance. Wasn’t that so the person she liked could admire her?
But now she had to turn into a dark, skinny, dried-up-looking man. Wouldn’t the captain think of this image whenever he saw her after the mission?
Bai Rou was unhappy about it, but she also knew how serious the situation was. The system’s warning certainly hadn’t come out of nowhere.
So she could only close her eyes and swallow the pill. In the blink of an eye, a stunning beauty had changed genders, becoming so inconspicuous that she could be tossed into a crowd and disappear without a trace.
Yu Cheng nodded in satisfaction. “Mm! This should help us avoid unnecessary trouble.”
The system: “…”
It really wanted to grab Yu Cheng by the collar and shake him violently. Hadn’t he heard what it said? Couldn’t he take a careful look first?
Who was the best-looking person in this entire group? Then he could make his decision!
But restricted by the rules, that was all the hint it could give.
And Yu Cheng even had the nerve to be polite, saying sincerely, “Thank you, system!”
The system went off to sulk.
The group’s journey was far from smooth. None of them knew how to fly a helicopter, so they had no choice but to travel by car.
They had to cover more than a thousand kilometers, and along the way they encountered countless blockades by zombies and endless abandoned vehicles clogging the roads.
The frequency with which they ran into mutated zombies and plants was also maddeningly high. They could barely get a good night’s sleep, which naturally reduced their traveling speed even further.
Worst of all, when they helped clear the abandoned vehicles and reopen the roads, their actions were noticed by people from Pei Liang’s base.
The base even praised them prominently over the radio and announced their license plate number.
As a result, the refugees they encountered along the way clung tightly to them and refused to let go. They regarded the group as heroes and demanded that they lead everyone to the base.
This was ridiculous. They hadn’t even arrived yet, but their Reincarnation Squad already seemed to have become honorary members of the base.
Would that create some kind of moral obstacle when they eventually turned against the base?
The group gritted their teeth. “As expected of the big boss. She really is crafty.”
What else could they do? Before entering the world of Reincarnation, Yu Cheng had been an upright and kind person, both by profession and by nature.
Even if these people were merely NPCs in a game, he couldn’t possibly abandon them.
All they could do was form a convoy and bring them along.
Still, looking on the bright side, the people they had gathered along the way represented his influence. Once they arrived at the big boss’s base, having a higher starting point than ordinary people would make it easier for him to approach her.
And then, he could take the opportunity to—
A few days after the broadcast was made, people from nearby areas who had come to seek refuge had already begun arriving.
During those days, Pei Liang and the others had worked around the clock to clear the entire city. With Pei Ning, their ultimate weapon, on hand, the threat had not been completely eliminated, but most of it was gone.
Besides, Gong Ran had worked overtime to develop a gas that zombies detested and had deployed it throughout the city.
As long as people followed the operational guidelines laid out by the base, they generally wouldn’t encounter any danger from zombies.
For safety’s sake, however, the city still had not been opened to the public. The people who had arrived at the base earlier still had to live in the harbor area.
There had also been quite a few survivors inside the city. When the streets had been swarming with zombies, they had locked their doors and relied on the supplies in their refrigerators, too afraid to come out.
Now, however, they could finally be freed from that confinement. Announcements spread throughout the city, informing everyone that most of the zombies had been eliminated and that base personnel would soon conduct a final sweep of each district. Everyone was asked to remain patient.
The entire city breathed a collective sigh of relief. People celebrated wildly in their homes. Before this, they had been afraid to turn on the lights in case they attracted zombies.
In fact, when the base’s combat personnel had been clearing out the zombies, many nearby residents had watched from their windows.
The base personnel’s formidable combat strength, and the fact that those once-terrifying zombies were utterly helpless before them as thousands upon thousands were destroyed, gave many people who had suffered through the apocalypse the courage to face it again.
Now, lights were glowing in every household, and people even dared to chat with their neighbors across balconies or through windows.
Once countless people throughout the city had been rescued, the base suddenly found itself with plenty of manpower again.
At that point, the other people aboard the ship who had not originally seemed particularly capable began to show their worth.
They handled everything from registering the local residents who had been rescued, assigning jobs according to occupational skills and awakened abilities, and processing the various procedures for accepting people arriving from elsewhere.
Everything was both efficient and orderly. To be honest, after touring the place, Pei Liang could say that even if she had done the work herself, she couldn’t have done it any better.
With so many capable subordinates, Pei Liang’s workload was greatly reduced.
She no longer had to clear out zombies by herself and then handle logistics afterward. For the first time, she had a considerable amount of energy to spare.
The first impression people got upon arriving at the base was that everything there felt remarkably generous.
It wasn’t as if no other places had imitated this base and announced the establishment of their own shelters for survivors.
Although communication was difficult during the apocalypse, a small number of people had still found ways to get in touch and spread the word by passing messages from person to person.
At other bases, newcomers first had to surrender all their personal belongings, especially food. They also had to undergo examinations for wounds, to prevent infected people from infiltrating the base.
Even those who showed no symptoms had to be quarantined in a makeshift shelter for several days before they were allowed out.
Oh, and that quarantine period was another research achievement produced by Pei Liang’s base.
Here, however, there was no such requirement. Your personal belongings remained your own, and entering the base did not involve any tedious registration process. The base had already obtained the identity systems and databases of various major platforms from before the apocalypse, so a person’s appearance and fingerprints were enough to verify their identity.
They had also developed a reagent that detected awakened abilities. The moment you entered the base, your circumstances would be made completely clear.
Before entering, everyone had to undergo disinfection. Those who had already been infected would react strongly to the disinfectant and be captured on the spot, after which other arrangements would be made for them.
After entering the city, people were assigned suitable homes and jobs based on their family unit, the number of workers in the household, and the makeup of its workforce.
For the time being, there were still more than enough homes in the city.
By the time the city could no longer accommodate new arrivals, Pei Liang was confident that she would already have established another place for them to live.
As for the workforce, ordinary people were naturally responsible for helping restore production. That said, there were also quite a few ability users among them. After all, not every ability or every person was suited for the battlefield.
Ability users, as well as people who had held specialized occupations before the apocalypse and were suited for combat or possessed particular expertise, were assigned separate duties. Their benefits were naturally attractive enough to make anyone envious.
Children were sent back to school, though survival classes had been added to the curriculum. Children who awakened abilities would also receive specialized training.
Once they entered the base, people almost felt as though they had returned to the world before the apocalypse. Everything was orderly. They worked familiar jobs, while factories and shops resumed operations.
People responsible for maintaining public order appeared on the streets. After work, everyone collected their allotted vegetables and went home to cook dinner with their families.
It was almost as if they had simply moved to another place and continued working hard to make a living.
Except that many families were missing members, and many households that had suffered similar losses had joined together to form new families.
There were also many occupations that had never been heard of before, and ability users displaying their powers could often be seen.
Once the base had settled into a stable routine, Yu Cheng and his companions finally arrived at their destination, bringing their families and dependents with them.
Yu Cheng had always possessed a natural ability to make people feel safe, and he easily won their trust. Combined with his formidable strength and talent for managing and organizing people, he led an especially impressive convoy—the largest the base had received to date.
There were several thousand people in all, and Yu Cheng’s arrival caused a sensation throughout the base. Many looked at him with unmistakable respect.
While the others observed Yu Cheng, Yu Cheng was naturally observing the base as well.
Unlike the sinister bases they had encountered before in the apocalypse, this base was simply… too healthy.
Whether they were survivors or staff members, anyone could clearly see the hope shining on their faces and the calm assurance of people whose safety was guaranteed.
That atmosphere infected those who had come seeking refuge, filling everyone with hope.
It became even more apparent after they entered the base. Judging by everyone’s reactions, how could this possibly be the hell on earth controlled by some great boss?
It was practically a utopia brought to life. Yu Cheng could not see the slightest trace of oppression or misery on anyone’s face.
Appearances could be faked, but vitality and hope could not.
Yu Cheng grew increasingly wary. The more perfect everything seemed, the more terrifying it revealed the great boss to be.
He said to the other four, “Be careful. This may be the most difficult mission we’ve faced so far.”
The four of them hurriedly nodded.
Just as expected, because of the enormous number of people in Yu Cheng’s convoy, he was summoned by the base’s leader.
In the apocalypse, anyone capable of leading several thousand people to a base had already demonstrated extraordinary ability. Such a person was unquestionably a talent who could be entrusted with important responsibilities from the moment he arrived.
However, Pei Liang was currently staying at the hotel Gong Ran had occupied earlier, which had since been converted into a research facility.
Today, Chu Yebai had been assigned to clean up the surrounding area. Seeing an opportunity he could not afford to miss, Gong Ran asked Pei Liang to provide him with some research samples.
Pei Liang naturally agreed without hesitation.
Gong Ran first drew a tube of her blood, then said, “You have some free time lately, right?”
Pei Liang nodded. “Quite a lot, actually.”
Gong Ran smiled. “Then tell me all about the secrets of internal energy.”
As he spoke, he moved closer to her.
“You said before that, if you were willing, you could make internal energy circulate through my body and take control of my five senses.”
“It could make me suffer unbearably, but at the same time…”
“It could also make me feel so good I’d die for it, couldn’t it?”
