A night in the post-apocalypse is like a wet towel that wouldn’t wring dry, clinging stickily to the window. It always carried an odd, rotten smell that seeped deep into everyone’s pores.

On nights like this, even the light from the bedroom lamp seemed gentle. Qin Ye was applying medicine to Lu Yao.

In the post-apocalyptic world, a cramped bedroom, two people, shirtless, applying medicine while pressed close together.

A very intimate scene.

Imagine slender fingers dipped in a cool, viscous liquid, evenly applying it to a wound. Muscles contract in a reflexive spasm; breath trembles with pain…

Heartbeats gradually quicken… But in reality… 

“Aaah, ahhh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhh, it hurts so much! Ssssh, ssssh, ssssh…”

Lu Yao let out a frenzied, agonized scream.

He writhed and thrashed, causing the bed frame to creak and groan—a sound that, in theory, was just as suggestive. Qin Ye was so scared he was trembling all over: “Boss, please stop screaming! You’re scaring me to death!” 

Lu Yao howled: “But it hurts so much!”

Qin Ye was on the verge of tears: “But boss, your screaming is really distracting me!”

Lu Yao: “Hmph, I knew you were looking down on me! Seeing me so heavily injured, what crossed your mind definitely wasn’t ‘A true man should be like this!’, but rather ‘I can supplant and replace him!’, wasn’t it?!”

Qin Ye was on the verge of a total meltdown: “Big boss, how could I possibly be Liu Bang or Xiang Yu?! I’m just a low-life thug!”

“Heh, a knight-errant, huh? You really do have ambition! This kid must not be left al—OW OW OW AAAGH OUCH OUCH OUCH-feifeifei…”

Qin Ye pinned down Lu Yao, who was howling like a banshee, pressing his knee against Lu Yao’s waist and using his shoulder to press down on Lu Yao’s shoulder. 

The two of them pushed and pulled back and forth, both drenched in sweat, and it took them a long time to finally finish applying the medicine.

When it was over, Lu Yao lay on his back on the bed, trembling, and took a long while to recover.

Qin Ye sat on the floor with his back against the edge of the bed, also shivering as he caught his breath for quite a while.

After a while, Lu Yao felt he’d recovered and exhaled:

“All right, turn on the recorder. Let’s record some intel.”

Seeing that Lu Yao was back to normal, Qin Ye quickly did as instructed, placing his phone by the bed and pressing the record button—the red light came on.

Lu Yao went through a detailed recap of tonight’s events.

Location, time, how the creature appeared, physical characteristics, movement speed, the actual effect of the tranquilizer darts, and how it utilized the environment. Qin Ye listened with trepidation.

“At the moment, we’re not entirely sure why it appeared at the company and ambushed me, but the conclusion we can draw is that it possesses a certain level of intelligence.”

Outside the window, the wind swept through the gaps between the buildings, making a whooshing sound.

After saying this, Lu Yao felt a chill run down his spine. Qin Ye was so frightened he nearly bit his tongue.

Lu Yao continued, “There are two possibilities as to why it appeared here. First, it came from far away, and since we left a strong human scent at our company, it was lying in wait there for us.”

“The second possibility is that it evolved from nearby zombies.”

Qin Ye trembled with fear: “Big Boss, which possibility do you think is more likely?”

Lu Yao shook his head: “There’s not enough information to tell—both possibilities are on the table. But there’s some good news: since zombies can evolve, so can we humans. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll actually have a system of our own. Then we’ll unleash a move so powerful it’ll obliterate even the Dao itself.”

Qin Ye drifted into daydreams: “I’d love to have a power that lets me grow infinitely—like that really cool one where killing actually increases your strength!”

Lu Yao said, “That ability would indeed be pretty cool.”

Qin Ye: “You think so too, Big Shot…”

Lu Yao agreed solemnly: “Microorganisms count as living creatures, too. If we don’t restrict our slaughter targets, I’ll just go out to the wilderness and boil shit—100% legal, fully compliant, killing massive amounts of living organisms painlessly to max out my level instantly. Please, call me the Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope.”

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye couldn’t describe the shock he felt upon hearing those words.

In any case, he felt a buzzing sensation fill his mind for a moment.

It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening, and he quickly stopped the recording on his phone: “Man… I feel like my phone is dirty just from recording that. I’ll have to knock 200 yuan off the price if I sell it secondhand.”

Lu Yao put on his clothes with a cold smile. “You want to replace me? You’re not quite there yet.”

Qin Ye couldn’t help but blurt out, “When did I ever say I wanted to replace you, boss? Why are you constantly adding more and more settings to your character?”

At that point, Qin Ye remembered something and quickly changed the subject: “By the way, Boss, you got hurt today. Should we cancel tomorrow’s operation?”

Lu Yao shook his head: “I’ve considered that, but no. Since the first mutated zombie has appeared, the second one could show up at any moment.”

Qin Ye nodded: “True—after all, the longer we wait, the more complications can arise.”

Lu Yao: “Having too many dreams means you’re running a fever.” 

Qin Ye：“……”

Lu Yao smoothly steered the conversation back on track: “After all, you’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting tomorrow, so my injury isn’t a problem.”

Qin Ye was still worried: “But after all, Boss, you’re injured…”

Lu Yao: “I can’t exactly call this a mere superficial injury, but it’s fine—I still have one last trick up my sleeve.”

Qin Ye looked longingly at him: “Boss, what’s this ‘last resort’ you mentioned? Can you tell me?”

Lu Yao said, enunciating each word clearly, “Turning into a zombie.” 

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye was devastated.

“Boss, pull yourself together! Boss, snap out of it—don’t give up hope!”

Lu Yao’s head was being shaken violently.

Oh, what he was actually referring to was the last item he’d obtained during the Qingming Festival.

【Zombie Potion: When consumed, allows you to disguise yourself as a zombie for 30 minutes (cannot be stacked; using with items that emit strong odors may result in unpredictable consequences)】 Whether it’s the kite or the Qingming green rice ball, they’re both incredibly useful—this really drives home the importance of celebrating holidays.】

Festivals are a reflection of civilization, so the rewards for completing festival quests are exceptional. 

Lu Yao had intended to keep this zombie potion as a last-resort lifesaver, but tonight’s terrifying zombie had made him feel a sense of danger—he felt that now was precisely that moment of absolute necessity.

Since the first terrifying zombie could lie in wait at the office, a second one could very well appear there as well. He’ll quit his job tomorrow—there’s no time to waste.

“Oh, right,” Lu Yao said. “Go feel the zombie’s body in the bathroom, from head to toe.”

Qin Ye: “Eh—what?!”

Lu Yao: “See if there are any zombie crystal cores, superpower shards, or anything like that on its body. What if what the novel says is actually true?”

Qin Ye’s eyes immediately lit up: “Okay, okay!”

There were no lights in the bathroom.

Qin Ye pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and began his search in earnest.

From the outside in, from the chest and abdomen to the joints of the limbs… During the process, he threw up three times, washed his hands five times, and threw up twice more. An hour later, he emerged from the bathroom clutching his stomach, his face as pale as a sheet: “Boss… there was nothing…”

“That’s a real shame,” Lu Yao said. “Although the odds were slim to begin with, I still feel really disappointed to hear that.” 

“But Boss, you’ve been laughing the whole time! You haven’t stopped!” Qin Ye protested, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Oh-oh-oh, it’s Inspector Black Cat!” Lu Yao sang as he went to bed.

The day of his resignation had arrived.

It was just before dawn, with thin, gray clouds haphazardly smeared across the sky.

After getting out of bed, Lu Yao felt aches all over his body. He looked in the mirror and saw that he didn’t have a green face or fangs. He checked his joints—they hadn’t grown larger—and looked at the rest of his body; it didn’t seem to have changed either.

Apart from the pain, there were no aftereffects whatsoever from fighting the zombies. That was good, but he felt a slight sense of regret.

This much pain won’t do—it’ll affect his judgment.

Lu Yao sat in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection, and imagined himself as a psychopath. Hmm, it seemed he didn’t need to imagine it—to others, he was already that kind of person.

So let’s look at it from a different angle: imagine yourself as a masochistic villain—pain would make you feel exhilarated and excited. 

After hypnotizing himself like this for a while, Lu Yao felt much better. So…

System, check-in.

【Today’s check-in successful】

【Congratulations, Host, on receiving a box of Turkestan cockroaches】

【Turkestan cockroaches: Compared to nutrient-poor mealworms, Turkestan cockroaches have thin shells and plump bodies, with sweet, juicy flesh and rich nutritional value—they’re a very popular feed source】

Lu Yao：“……”

Lu Yao put the box of Turkestan cockroaches away and set it aside.

【Congratulations, Host, on obeying the rules for a week straight】

【Congratulations, Host, on earning one chance at the White Wheel of Fortune】

The White Big Wheel unfolded in his mind, displaying various rewards.

The previous White Spin Wheel had already been spun dry; this was a brand-new wheel. Stainless steel tactical axe x1

Standard Bandages x10

Dubia cockroach x5 boxes of 9

*Urban Survival Handbook* x2

Tranquilizer Rounds x20

Compact Outdoor Water Filter x1 

Alcohol Gel x3

Flint x1

Lu Yao looked at these rewards, made a wish for himself to get a stun grenade, and then casually wished for Qin Ye to get a stainless steel tactical axe.

“The draw begins.”

The weekly prize draw began once again, moving at a leisurely pace.

The pointer spun, slowing down more and more.

Finally, it came to a stop on the stainless steel tactical axe. 

A tactical axe appeared in Lu Yao’s hand, feeling heavy and substantial.

A glance at the specifications revealed 5Cr13 martensitic stainless steel along with a host of technical details: 1.06 meters long, with a 10-centimeter blade. A magnesium rod was embedded in the end of the handle for starting a fire. 

There’s also a reference price of 255 yuan for online purchases.

In the post-apocalyptic world, having a weapon that fits your hand well is extremely useful.

Although this stainless steel tactical axe was nowhere near as powerful as Lu Yao’s alloy bone blade, it was still one of the best weapons an ordinary person could get their hands on in the post-apocalyptic world. Qin Ye’s combat capabilities should improve significantly.

Having had the system for over a month, Lu Yao has started to figure out how it works.

He hadn’t encountered the gray wheel yet; it likely yields survival supplies with hidden risks. The white wheel provides items without hidden risks—safe, ordinary, and usable. 

The higher-level green wheel should yield very high-quality supplies, and each spin will produce one supernatural item. He walked out the door, the axe slung over his shoulder: “Qin Ye.”

Qin Ye was packing his backpack when he heard a voice and looked up: “Boss?”

“I just remembered I had this at home.” Lu Yao handed him the axe. “Here, use this.”

Qin Ye said with admiration, “This gear is seriously awesome—I haven’t seen this at home before.”

That was indeed a problem. With the system constantly conjuring up items, there had to be a plausible, realistic explanation for them.

It was best to dispel the other person’s suspicions right from the start, so they’d never even think to ask the same question again.

Lu Yao said confidently, “You know I’m a cautious person. There are eight hundred axe-wielding guards lying in wait in my room. All I have to do is cough lightly, and they’ll emerge from behind the curtains to take you down. Now that I trust you, I’ve taken an axe from them to give to you.” 

Qin Ye nodded. “I see. All right, thanks, boss.”

Lu Yao felt proud that the reason he’d given was so airtight that it hadn’t aroused the slightest suspicion in Qin Ye. 

With this weapon in hand, his chances of successfully quitting his job had gone up again!