Apocalyptic Rebirth

68.It's done today

Zhou Ker noticed that Zhang Yi remained cautious around her and couldn't help but think to herself, "No wonder he's been living so comfortably in this post-apocalyptic world."

"Please, have a seat," Zhang Yi pointed to the nearby sofa. He had already picked up his gun at some point.

Zhou Ker obediently sat down on the sofa about two meters away from Zhang Yi, placing her hands on her knees, like a well-behaved child.

"Listen, I allowed you to move in here because you have some value to me. But you must always remember that this is my home. Your stay here is my favor to you. So, you must obey all my orders. Otherwise, I will drive you out. If I find any suspicious behavior from you, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Listening to Zhang Yi's cold words, Zhou Ker couldn't help but think, "He's so ruthless." She understood his reasons for saying this, but if only he could be a bit more gentle in his words, it might have touched her.

What she didn't know was that Zhang Yi had tried to be gentle in the past, but all his gentleness had gone to waste.

Zhang Yi pointed to a room. Their house had three bedrooms and one living room, aside from the master bedroom Zhang Yi occupied.

"You will stay in that room. However, I must make it clear that every corner of this house is under surveillance. So, you must always live under my watchful eyes, with no privacy to speak of. The room's door is a reinforced one, slightly thinner than the front door, but not something that can be easily broken by human force. I have the key, and you can only leave when I allow it. If you have any objections," Zhang Yi pointed to the front door, "you can leave now."

Where would Zhou Ker go? Despite Zhang Yi's strict conditions, this house was a paradise compared to the harsh conditions outside. She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll follow your rules."

Zhou Ker's cooperative attitude pleased Zhang Yi. Smart women made communication much more straightforward. If it had been someone like Fang Yuqing or Lin Caining, they might have thrown a tantrum.

But they had met their end in this post-apocalyptic world.

Zhang Yi put away his gun and adjusted the position of another gun.

Looking at Zhou Ker, he softened his tone slightly. "You are quite clever, which will make our future interactions smoother. You should understand that the world outside is a living hell. Besides relying on me, you have no other options. So, now, I will share a secret with you. Pay attention."

Zhou Ker was surprised and widened her eyes. "A secret? Are you willing to tell me?"

She believed that someone as cautious as Zhang Yi wouldn't share a secret so easily.

Zhang Yi replied, "I'm telling you this secret to ensure your loyalty to me. But even if you reveal it, I'm not afraid. After all, in this world, where everyone struggles to survive, I'm not afraid of anyone posing a threat to me."

He shrugged. "You saw for yourself that those who wanted to kill me before are all gone."

Zhou Ker nodded and looked at Zhang Yi, waiting to hear what the secret was.

With a calm expression, Zhang Yi continued, "The cause of this snow disaster, I believe you've seen it on the internet. It's due to the explosion of a supernova, resulting in a gamma-ray burst."

"These rays can have a certain impact on the human body and might lead to mutations. So, I developed a superpower—I have an independent alternate space."

Ignoring Zhou Ker's astonished expression, Zhang Yi went on, "The reason I've been living comfortably until now is that my space holds a massive supply of resources."

"Otherwise, just relying on my house, as you can see, can't store too many supplies," Zhang Yi continued.

"So, the reason you can enjoy those resources by following me is that I'm alive. Only because of that, you can have food to eat, hot water for showers."

"If I die, this house will soon become indistinguishable from the others. You will starve."

Zhang Yi didn't fully trust Zhou Ker, even though he knew she was a good person. He trusted interests, not human nature, because human nature could be twisted easily, sometimes without much effort.

Only by telling Zhou Ker that his survival meant her survival could she become completely integrated into his interests.

To make Zhou Ker trust him, Zhang Yi retrieved a long sandwich from his alternate space and tossed it to her.

Seeing Zhang Yi performing what seemed like magic, producing food from thin air, Zhou Ker's eyes showed a hint of trust.

"Superpowers? Do they really exist?" she asked, still holding back from eating, awaiting Zhang Yi's permission.

This large sandwich, left outside, would be enough to start a brawl between two families.

And she hadn't eaten anything for two days.

Zhang Yi calmly said, "Eat, it's for you."

Unable to hold back any longer, Zhou Ker took a big bite. Zhang Yi saw her eating hastily and worried she might choke, so he poured a glass of water and handed it to her.

Zhou Ker devoured the sandwich greedily. She had once found fast food like this repulsive, but now, she was moved to tears by how delicious it was.

Oh, why was this sandwich so incredibly tasty?

While she ate, Zhang Yi calmly explained the rules of living in his house.

"I don't trust you that much, so you have to be sensible on your own. Cleaning, cooking, don't wait for my orders. The sewage has frozen a long time ago, so when you need to use the bathroom, you'll have to use a specially designed plastic bag and throw it out the window. You will be responsible for this in the future."

"In other words, you'll be my maid. You'll have to work for a comfortable living environment and food. Understand?"

There was no room for idleness in Zhang Yi's house.

After wolfing down her food, Zhou Ker eagerly nodded, "I understand, master." She called him "master" with a shy demeanor.

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. It seemed that this girl was quite good at adjusting to the situation.

No wonder she became a chief physician at such a young age.

Seeing her well-fed and satisfied, Zhang Yi smiled. He leaned on his chin and looked at her with a smile, his gaze settling on her fair neck.

"Do you know why, among all the people in this building, you and I aren't the closest, but I chose you?" Zhang Yi asked.

Zhou Ker pursed her lips.

"Because I'm a doctor. You have everything, but you can't guarantee that you won't get sick or injured."

Zhang Yi slightly nodded.

"That's one reason. Although my health is excellent, one should always be prepared for the worst."

He retrieved a half-empty bottle of red wine from under the coffee table and, as if performing magic again, produced two tall wine glasses. He filled them both with wine and pushed one toward Zhou Ker.

"What's the second reason?" Zhou Ker received the wine glass and hesitated for a moment. She took a sip and a glint of understanding appeared in her eyes. She knew there was no such thing as a free meal.

"Because I'm a woman, and a very pretty one at that," Zhou Ker stated. This woman was quite self-aware.

Zhou Ker put down the wine glass in her hand and stood up. In front of Zhang Yi, she untied her bathrobe.

Zhang Yi didn't pretend to be a saint, either. After over two weeks of suppression, he also needed to find a place to release some tension.

So, he did.