The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

Originally, they had planned to leave in a few days, but due to the addition of Huang Zhiling and the others, their departure was postponed. The members of the Gale Force ability user team also had to postpone their return to the Capital Base for a few days due to their injuries.

During these few days, Zhang Jin, the captain of the Gale Force ability user team, was very enthusiastic. Because of his acquaintance with Lou Ling and Huang Zhiling, he eagerly tried to befriend them. Unfortunately, Lou Dian remained aloof, and Zhang Jin only managed to become a familiar face. Despite this, after witnessing Lou Dian's abilities, he wasn't unhappy at all. In everyone's mind, this was the demeanor of a true powerhouse. If your own abilities were insufficient, you could only respectfully keep your distance.

"Captain Zhang is a good person. He likes you!" Lou Ling said while eating watermelon.

Huang Zhiling responded indifferently, her face calm as she slowly ate her watermelon. Her movements were careful, as if afraid to spill a single drop of juice. This was a kind of cherishment for food. Not all wood-type ability users could cultivate plants, and even fewer could master it as well as Lou Ling. The reason she could so casually grow her favorite fruits was because she had a man who had exceptional control over his abilities teaching her. In contrast, others rarely got to eat fruit, maybe once a year. Even if they wanted to buy some, it required a considerable number of energy crystals, and no one was willing to exchange their life-saving crystals for that.

Lou Ling looked at her, finding it difficult to broach the subject. She secretly regretted that she shouldn't have softened yesterday and listened to Zhang Jin's confession, advocating for him. She knew exactly how much Huang Zhiling had loved Xi Mufeng. How could she readily accept another man just a year after Xi Mufeng's death? Zhang Jin was a good man, honest but not stupid, with his own moral bottom line. At least, he was sincere towards Huang Zhiling. It was because of this sincerity that Lou Ling had softened and listened to his confession, but now she felt a little awkward.

After Huang Zhiling finished eating the watermelon, she glanced at Lou Ling and said, "You don't have to worry about it. Just pretend you didn't hear anything." She sighed. "This world wears people down. I rarely trust anyone, but you are one of the only two people I trust. I'm very grateful to you. If it weren't for your encouragement and your guidance in teaching me how to use a knife, I might not have made it this far. I might even have died at the beginning of the apocalypse." After saying this, she felt a surge of emotion. She was truly grateful to Lou Ling and trusted her. This trust was built on Lou Ling's character and the knowledge that, having reached this point, Lou Ling had no need to scheme against her.

Lou Ling chuckled, thinking that she was indeed a saint, able to enlighten a cold-hearted person in the apocalypse. However, she knew that Huang Zhiling wasn't just talking about this. That was why she had kicked Lou Dian out today and invited Huang Zhiling over to eat fruit.

"Do you mind telling me about your situation?" Having lived together for half a year, especially during the early stages of the apocalypse when people's hearts were starting to become complex, their feelings were naturally different.

"Mm." Huang Zhiling nodded without hesitation. "The apocalypse truly tests people's hearts. After we returned home, we didn't expect the ability users in our family to be involved with other factions… You know how chaotic the power struggles were in the Capital Base back then. If you didn't choose the right side, those considered unimportant would be sacrificed. My family and the Xi family were such small players. To fight for a way out and obtain more resources, I was given by my family to the captain of an ability user team. You should know that ordinary people have no right to resist. For a mouthful of food, what they sell is not only their bodies, but also their dignity and bottom line…"

Her expression was calm. Having experienced that kind of despair, she knew how fortunate and naive she had been when she teamed up with the Lou siblings. Even the initial rivalry with Lin Bao became a beautiful memory.

"A year ago, the power structure in the Capital Base quietly changed. Until an internal struggle broke out within the base, the military and the ability user groups reshuffled. Those of us at the bottom became even less important, reduced to cannon fodder in the power struggles of the higher-ups. Many ability users, and even more ordinary people, died in that infighting…" At this point, she finally trembled. Even now, recalling the scene of blood flowing in the base that night, she still shivered with cold. "My family and the ability users on our side all died. I should have died too, but in my extreme despair, I finally awakened my ability. At that time, my emotions were extremely unstable, and I almost thought I was going to die. I didn't expect to be saved by a single sentence from Young Master Feng…"

After a while, she wiped away the tears streaming down her face and said calmly, "I've met Young Master Feng a few times. Every time I see him, he asks about you and your brother. And…" She hesitated, then continued, "I think he asks more about you. You should be careful."

She originally wanted to repay Feng Shaohuang's kindness by telling Lou Ling that Feng Shaohuang's expressions and body language clearly indicated his concern for Lou Ling, which had surpassed the level of concern for a friend's younger sister. That demeanor was the way a man looked at a woman he liked. However, Huang Zhiling thought of Lou Dian, a man even more terrifying than Feng Shaohuang, and didn't dare to say anything.

At least, Feng Shaohuang gave her the feeling that he still retained some basic human decency amidst his ruthlessness. In this past year, judging by the development and various measures of the Capital Base, she knew he was a capable leader. Because of him, the Capital Base was thriving, and more and more people supported and relied on him. From his actions, one could also see his character.

In contrast, Lou Dian still gave her the same impression as before, making her reluctant to confront him face-to-face. He was an even more ruthless man, twisted to the point of having no heart or morals. If it weren't for Lou Ling, he wouldn't care if the whole world died. When he was unhappy, there was no telling what terrible things he might do. Feng Shaohuang, at least, was still rational and had scruples, a man who had retained his conscience.

By comparison, she would rather offend Feng Shaohuang than provoke Lou Dian. Therefore, she kept this matter to herself. She had seen too much betrayal and was already despairing of humanity, but she still retained some goodwill towards Lou Ling. Because of this, she didn't want Feng Shaohuang to confront Lou Dian. She didn't doubt that if these two clashed again, especially if Lou Ling was involved, Lou Dian would directly kill Feng Shaohuang. If the Capital Base lost Feng Shaohuang, it would probably return to the chaos of a year ago, and it would be the small ability user teams and ordinary people like them who would suffer.

Lou Ling remained silent throughout, silently comforting Huang Zhiling when she cried. From these understated words, she could imagine the hardships Huang Zhiling had faced. Her family had treated her like merchandise, offering her to another man's bed, while the man she loved was missing, unable to stop it or even come to save her. One could imagine her despair. She didn't mention Xi Mufeng, which meant that Xi Mufeng simply didn't have the ability to save her and probably died in the power struggles of the base, thus ending her hopes.

No wonder she was so calm. If there was never love, how could there be forgetting?

"Will you stay with the Gale Force ability user team from now on?" Lou Ling asked. "If you're not doing well in the Capital Base, you can come to the Northwest Base. Lin Bao and Grandpa Mo are both there. The Northwest Base is developing quite well. Facing the grasslands and forests, there are many mutated beasts, so there's no shortage of food."

The Northwest Base wasn't just not short of food; they probably wouldn't have to worry about it for years. After Lou Dian cleared out his spatial storage and gave everything to the base, he almost blinded Yan Ge and the others. He was a true tycoon! Therefore, apart from the Lou family, no one knew the true wealth of the Northwest Base, which was extremely abundant and unmatched by any other base except the Capital Base. With such development, the future of the Northwest Base was limitless.

"We'll see," Huang Zhiling gave a somewhat perfunctory answer. She knew in her heart that Feng Shaohuang probably wouldn't let her go.

After chatting for a while longer, Huang Zhiling asked when they were going to the Capital Base, asking them to let her know. Although it was freezing cold now, Huang Zhiling believed that with Lou Dian and Lou Ling's abilities, even if they didn't go to the base, they could safely survive the entire winter. Moreover, she felt that Lou Dian probably wouldn't want to go to the Capital Base now.

Sure enough, she heard Lou Ling say, "We're probably not going this year. We're going to visit Major General Lei's base."

Huang Zhiling wasn't surprised at all. Now was the time for the Capital Base to develop. For at least a few years, Feng Shaohuang wouldn't be able to leave the Capital Base. If they didn't go to the Capital Base, these three probably wouldn't meet for a long time. It was different now than before the apocalypse. The whole world was full of dangers, and it was truly difficult to meet up.

After seeing Huang Zhiling off, Lou Ling heaved a sigh of relief, then scratched her head and looked at the gray sky. She noticed the trace of a mutated bird flying past, then shrugged and cursed herself for having nothing better to do than to wallow in melancholy. She was truly bored out of her mind.

Of course, compared to her boredom, Lou Ling felt that a certain man was even more bored, even more prone to overthinking than she was.

Lou Dian returned from outside, braving the cold wind. He pinched her chin and asked, "What did you two women talk about?"

Just listen to that tone! As if she could have an affair with another woman! What was with that expression, as if she had been unfaithful?

Slapping his hand away, Lou Ling said angrily, "What could we have talked about? Naturally, I asked her how she's been these past three years! And don't worry, my sexual orientation is very normal. I'm not interested in women!"

Seeing her like this, he realized that his possessiveness had been blatantly displayed. His heart tightened as he realized the pressure Feng Shaohuang had put on him. He felt a little irritated. He had wanted to speak to her gently, to guide her thoughts, but the three words "Feng Shaohuang" had easily taken over.

He sneered inwardly. Did Feng Shaohuang think that he could influence their relationship by relying on an unrelated person? It would be better to… kill that woman! It would save her from gossiping!

"Aren't we leaving tomorrow? Let's make more noodles and hot soup tonight, so it'll be convenient to eat on the road," Lou Ling said. "I wonder how Major General Lei is doing. Should we go back to our old home and have a look?" At this point, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. That place held the memories of her father, mother, and their family of four. It was the most important memory of her life, but because of the apocalypse, they had to abandon it.

Hearing her words, the killing intent in Lou Dian's heart greatly diminished, and he smiled. "Then let's go back and have a look. We can also go to the southwest afterwards. There are many mountains there, so maybe there will be many special mutated plants."

Lou Ling's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded. Indeed, wallowing in melancholy was truly a waste of time. Her career was more important!

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Focus on my career!

Lou Dian's goal: Win her heart!

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