To be honest, Jiang Chen has not been home for a while.
In the past, it was because he didn’t feel like he accomplished anything. Thus, he felt embarrassed and guilty seeing his parents. Now, he has finally achieved something. The gold in the mansion was worth at least a million. It was still not enough to buy an apartment in Wanghai City, but it was sufficient to support his parents.
Also, inside the vault of the bank, there was a fortune worth billions.
"What are you thinking about?" Sun Jiao waved her hands in front of Jiang Chen.
Also, I have a girlfriend. Jiang Chen smiled at Sun Jiao as he grabbed onto her hand, and carefully looked at the flawless hand."I was just thinking if I should put a ring on you."
Sun Jiao’s face immediately blushed as she fleeted away, not knowing what to do. Although she was bold most of the time, there were occasions where she showed her shy side.
Jiang Chen laughed as he recollected his thoughts. The dishes were all cleaned and organized. This was the first time he realized that Sun Jiao knew how to clean up. The thought made him quite happy. Of course, Yao Yao also helped out. Jiang Chen guessed that it must be Yao Yao that cleaned the dishes first and Sun Jiao followed, as she didn’t want to feel too guilty about it.
This must be the feeling of being the man in the house.
The planning session began after dinner. Sun Jiao insisted on the meeting being held on the bed. Jiang Chen mocked her in his head as she grew lazier by the day.
Although slightly uncomfortable, Yao Yao lied on the bed as well. She wore Jiang Chen’s shirt and jeans that he prepared for himself. He thought he would just pick out a few outfits for her once he was back in the modern world.
The faint scent of Jiang Chen on the clothes made Yao Yao blush throughout the meeting. This was the first time she experienced such a weird sensation which made her quite dizzy."First, how to enter the vault. Let me briefly explain for our little girl." Sun Jiao took out the full-sensory computer pen and displayed the three-dimensional image. "We enter the safety tunnel through the underground garage. We then avoid the zombie-filled grand hall and got into the basement which will lead us to the vault’s front door. I took this route before so it should be relatively safe. The key is going to be on the main door of the garage, which has a password lock on it. Do you think you can open it?" Sun Jiao looked at Yao Yao as she finished her sentence.
"If it is the security system before the war, I am pretty confident I can open it. However, I need two days to prepare. Some of the software must be installed beforehand," she stared at the prism and said with caution.
"Ok," Sun Jiao replied with a snap.
"Let’s go buy you a computer tomorrow. I also want to buy one for fun. As for the preparation, let’s do that in the mansion." Jiang Chen always wanted a futuristic computer. He heard those things were dirt cheap at Sixth Street, about the same price as EP.
"Mansion?" Yao Yao turned her head around.
"That’s our base, and also your future home," Sun Jiao smiled at Yao Yao as she explained.
Home… no matter how many time she heard those word, Yao Yao always felt a warmth surrounding her.
"So the next question." Sun Jiao’s expression turned serious. "Is about Huizhong Mercenaries."
"Oh? Did they make a move?" Eyebrows raised, Jiang Chen asked.
Yao Yao’s face spelled confusion as she didn’t have a clue.
Sun Jiao patted her head as she saw Yao Yao’s confused face. She then began to explain how the story started.
"So, these guys are eyeing master’s fortune."
"Don’t call me master, you can call me big brother." Master was a word which made Jiang Chen feel weird, especially coming from a young girl.
"Ok, brother!"
Jiang Chen tried to hide his face full of joy but directly met Sun Jiao’s questioning smile. He was sure that if he did anything inappropriate, he should be worried about his future sex life. He shivered as he immediately dragged the conversation back on track.
"So the result of your observation is?"
"Huizhong Mercenaries’ supports and backups are here. They are patrolling the area five kilometers away from Sixth Street. They have 17 gunmen and one motorized machine gun. That is excluding the fact that these are only part of their power." Sun Jiao also regained her professionalism. "According to your plan, all the pieces are set in place, and we just need to wait and enjoy the game."
Jiang Chen nodded as he fell flat on the bed. "Is there anything else we need to talk about? If not, we should sleep early."
"Well, here’s the problem." Sun Jiao glanced at Jiang Chen with a mischievous look. "Where are you going to sleep?"
"Hmm?"
"There’s only one bedroom." She reminded him.
"Of course I am sleeping with you." Jiang Chen had the audacity to answer as he hugged her.
"I, I’ll go to the living room." Yao Yao tried to flee from the bed with a blushed face.
Sun Jiao grabbed onto the escaping Yao Yao as she whispered into her ear. "You are sleeping beside your big sister today because a naughty boy is trying to eat your sister today."
F*ck, it’s still debatable who is eating who? Jiang Chen sighed.
…
They ended up sleeping together that night in a peaceful way, but it just ended up being a terrible night.
The next morning, Jiang Chen rubbed his still sleepy eyes and sat up. He looked at the completely spread out Sun Jiao and compared her with the curled up Yao Yao. A smile emerged on his face.
Time to make breakfast.
Although it was in the apocalyptic world, it was still important to maintain the proper daily routine. Eating breakfast was one of the few habits that Jiang Chen managed to keep. He placed a slice of bread into the microwave and observed the sky outside the window.
The dawn had not yet broken through the dark sky, but he didn’t feel sleepy at all.
He thought about the battle with the most vicious enemies on the wasteland. The idea made him uneasy. Although he prepared for the battle for a long time, anything could happen. The enemy must have prepared for as well. Hui Lei disappeared, which would ring a warning bell to Zhou Guoping. The motorized machine gun was ready for this occasion.
Unless he spent the rest of his life on Sixth Street, the day would come when he has to face the mercenaries.
"Is there anything I can help with?" A faint voice mumbled.
"Hmm?" He turned around with a smile. "Are you not going to sleep a bit more?"
She was loosely covered with Jiang Chen’s oversized clothing. Yao Yao shooked her head with eyes still half-closed. "No... No. if Yao Yao is too lazy, Yao Yao will be abandoned."
"I already told you, I am not going to abandon you. What do you think about every day?" Jiang Chen tousled her messy hair.
Maybe she was still sleepy, but when her head was rubbed at a drowsy state, Yao Yao unconsciously let out a few cute snores.
Due to the advanced medicine, the bruise on her face was already very faint. The scars on her hands were also not as visible. Due to malnourishment, she looked rather thin and weak, but Jiang Chen believed that she only needed time to get better.
"Oh, thank… you." Answering while still half asleep, Jiang Chen dragged Yao Yao into the bathroom.
"Since you are already awake, wash your face and remember to brush your teeth." After a couple of words and reminders, he handed Yao Yao her toothbrush, closed the door, and returned to the kitchen.
With a toothbrush in hand, Yao Yao stood in front of the sink still drowsy. Because of anemia, she always felt drowsy in the morning. Even then, her heart was furiously beating.
[What is happening?]
She stood there and stared blankly into space with her hands crossed in front. "Gulp."
Although drowsy, she smiled blankly. The remaining warmth on the toothbrush felt soothing.
After breakfast, the group left the Tulip Hotel and headed straight to the market. There were electronic stores there that sold full-sensory computer pen that cost a fortune before the war but now only sold for pennies. The store owner also gifted a lot of electronic components for free after Jiang Chen purchased two pens at once. He wasn’t too interested in these small parts, but Yao Yao packed everything like she just hit the jackpot.
100TB storage, super high power processor, and low power consumption. The store owner pitched the product, and Jiang Chen was dazzled by the features. However, he was buying the computer pen for Yao Yao, and he only wanted to see how cool this thing was.
Jiang Chen also spent two crystal energies to purchase an EP for Yao Yao. The EP was extremely effective in protecting against radiation. It was also very useful for understanding the body’s condition. After accepting so many gifts, Yao Yao was timid. With a reddened face, she kept her head down.
After everything has been completed, they began their journey home.
When their boots first crossed the iron gate, Jiang Chen immediately felt something was odd. Could they be spotted already? Or was it the gene vaccine that made his sense much more sensitive.
"Remember the details of the plan," Sun Jiao carried the laser rifle in front and whispered the reminder to Jiang Chen.
"Got it." he shrugged. At the same time, he took a deep breath and pretended to be relaxed. "Remember, this is my idea after all."
Yao Yao nervously touched Jiang Chen’s hand. She was extremely sensitive about Jiang Chen’s restlessness. However, other than calming Jiang Chen down, she was not too useful. Her goal was simply not to become a burden. After all, her body strength was the weakest.
They slowly turned the street and walked towards Huizhong Mercenaries’ flank spot. Jiang Chen’s heart began beating rapidly. All of a sudden, Sun Jiao stopped.
"This doesn’t feel right."
"Hmm?" Jiang Chen was fully alert as he took out the PK200 assault rifle from behind him. Yao Yao tightly hugged Jiang Chen’s back. Although she displayed a calmness unfitting for her age, her slim body shivered.
Sun Jiao took a deep breath before suddenly opening the wires by her wrist.
Bang!
Smoke erupted and quickly submerged the street.
"This way, follow me!" Sun Jiao signaled the other two and rushed to the building on the side.
"Dammit! The prey is gone!" A guy with a Mohawk and piercings swore as he slammed into the concrete wall. The machine gun began to rotate. He didn’t know how those three sensed the danger, but he knew that if he screwed this one up, his boss might make him regret it.
"That way! Team Two follow them."
"Roger, this is team two."
"Machine gun division is mobilizing."
"Quick!"
Although they were bandits, the poorly equipped group of mercenaries responded with decisiveness. They surrounded the direction where Jiang Chen fled. The wolf pack style made them quite the enemy.
"Still not here?" Jiang Chen looked at the struggling Yao Yao who was trying to keep up.
"Almost." Sun Jiao responded impatiently. Then she controlled her speed so that the two behind her would not get lost.
Gene vaccine was something magical. In the past few days, Jiang Chen felt that his body condition significantly improved. If only these could be used on teens, it would be good on Yao Yao. He did not feel tired at all.
Jiang Chen looked at Yao Yao as she struggled to keep up. Her face was an ashen white as she also had anemia.
Jiang Chen immediately picked up Yao Yao as she was close to exhaustion and before Yao Yao could let out a scream, he dashed to Sun Jiao.
Sun Jiao glanced at Jiang Chen without saying much. She continued to sprint forward, with her rifle in hand.
Yao Yao blankly stared at Jiang Chen’s chin. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek and fell onto her arm. She quietly held onto his sweat soaked clothes as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
She didn’t say anything, like put her down, because she knew this was the best option. Although it was a bit overzealous of her, she never hoped to survive as long as today.
She wanted to thank him… No, everything I own is already his. Yao Yao watched Jiang Chen’s relentless face with warmth in her heart.
In the post-apocalyptic world, it was normal to die because someone couldn’t keep up.
But Jiang Chen would not let this be his normal. He dashed across a half-collapsed Ruins, immediately following Sun Jiao. Yao Yao, in his arms, was not too heavy as she only weighed about 40 kg. What made it difficult was the cracked concrete and the occasional zombie.
The zombies in this area were scattered, but with enough noise, a hoard of zombies may appear.
Since the enemy had vehicles, Sun Jiao must choose complicated and dense roads to travel on.
"Hurry! It’s the building in front. Get in there!" Sun Jiao signaled as she still had the energy to talk. Jiang Chen was struggling to keep his breath stable.
After placing Yao Yao on the ground carefully, Jiang Chen immediately leaned against the concrete pole. He pushed himself against the rifle and gathered his breath. Feeling apologetic, Yao Yao kneeled beside Jiang Chen and carefully wiped the sweat off of his face.
Guangli Building’s logo hung loosely on the roof. The darkened windows made the building look rather intimidating. From the unpainted wall, it was easy to tell that this place was abandoned before completion. Therefore, there were no zombies nor mutant creatures here.
The crack filled wall made the structure look unstable, but for this very reason, Jiang Chen chose this to be the battlefield.
Since they wanted the money, then there was no way they would destroy this building and bury the three of them alive.
The reason why they chose here was to first, take down the initial wave of enemy, which would slow their advances. Then, when the latter enemies arrive, it would be easier to annihilate them all.
Sun Jiao skillfully leaned against the window with the SK10 rifle hidden below. She zoomed into the scope with complete concentration and with her finger on the trigger, she waited for the enemy to appear.
"We are fighting here. Can you still fight?"
"No problem." Jiang Chen adjusted his breath and stood up. He clumsily fell beside the window, pulled out his assault rifle and opened the safety.
The game began.
