Early the next morning, the sky cleared after the rain.

The sky was as clear as a wash… Hmm, yes, this spot really has been washed. 

The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew, bringing the entire city to life.

The water droplets on the glass hadn’t dried yet; they slowly slid down, trailing a faint glimmer of light, but vanished into the air before reaching the bottom.

Lu Yao jumped out of bed, went to the bathroom, and then headed to the storage room.

System Check-in!

【Congratulations, Host, on successfully checking in】

【Congratulations to the Host for following the rules for a week. Reward: one spin on the White Wheel of Fortune】

【……】

This time, Lu Yao won a carbon fiber motorcycle helmet.

That was definitely a stroke of luck—he won the best prize available on this White Spin Wheel.

A matte black open-face helmet that even comes with built-in goggles. Carbon fiber is lightweight yet highly durable, so this helmet is extremely practical.

Lu Yao currently wears a composite-fiber full-face helmet—it’s quite heavy, but its protective capabilities are definitely better than those of this lightweight half-helmet.

Lu Yao thought it over for a moment and decided to give the heavy full-face helmet to Qin Ye. Currently, Qin Ye was fighting in a stationary stance with a stainless steel tactical axe and needed better defense. As for himself, he was moving around with an alloy bone blade and needed lighter gear; sacrificing some defense wasn’t a big deal.

He dragged a yoga mat out of the storage room and went to the living room to do a set of radio calisthenics.

The calisthenics routine was low-intensity and easy, but it got his whole body moving. It looked simple, but it was a healthy exercise regimen that had been refined by experts.

So Lu Yao’s actions really weren’t abstract at all—he was seriously taking care of his body. But in Jiang Xingrui’s eyes, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed utterly abstract.

Mainly because, in Jiang Xingrui’s eyes, Lu Yao had become far too inhuman.

Jiang Xingrui leaned against the wall, observing this survivor. His silver highlights had faded, now appearing silver-gray.

“Good morning, Jiang Xingrui,” Lu Yao said.

Jiang Xingrui: “Good morning.”

Lu Yao: “Happy Labor Day.”

“What?” Jiang Xingrui froze for half a second; the drowsiness in his eyes vanished instantly. “What did you say?”

“Today’s Labor Day, right? How come you don’t even know that?” Lu Yao looked at him in disbelief. “This is our working people’s holiday—are you some kind of labor traitor?” 

Jiang Xingrui stood there dumbfounded for a while: “No, um, I… you…” In the three months since the apocalypse, his only “holiday” was that he hadn’t died today. 

Lu Yao patted him on the shoulder: “Anyway, Happy Labor Day.”

【Labor Day is Here!】

【Labor Day, a national holiday in more than 80 countries around the world】

【A holiday celebrating the unity and struggle of working people worldwide】

【The following are the holiday missions for the Labor Day Golden Week】

【Wishing Others Happy Holidays (1/5)】

【Say “Thank You for Your Hard Work” to the Workers Around You (0/5): Breakfast Shop Owner (0/1), Delivery Driver (0/1), Janitor (0/1), Sales Clerk (0/1), Food Delivery Rider (0/1)】

【Go to farm fields or orchards for an immersive work experience (0/2h)】

【Help Others (0/5)】

【Travel to Other Places (0/1)】

【Volunteer to Clean the Streets for Two Consecutive Days (0/2)】

When Lu Yao saw this long list of holiday activities that morning, his eyes widened in surprise. This is quite a challenge!

He’d even quit his job to participate in the Labor Day activities—this time, he might actually get to enjoy the holiday properly! If he completes all these tasks, what kind of reward will the system give him?

Last time, he got so many rewards for just a little bit of work during the Qingming Festival—he couldn’t even imagine what this time would bring. With this new milestone in sight, Lu Yao was overjoyed.

“Oh, right, you count as a person too… Thanks for your hard work, Jiang Xingrui,” Lu Yao said.

Nothing happened.

This indicates that Jiang Xingrui had never worked in those professions before. 

Jiang Xingrui: “……”

Jiang Xingrui: “Hmm, ever since I met you, things have indeed been pretty tough for me.”

Lu Yao stroked his chin and said, “Did you use to complain like that before?”

Jiang Xingrui：“……”

Wait… has he really changed…? 

Jiang Xingrui shot Lu Yao a speechless glance and turned to walk away.

Lu Yao went back to the bedroom and found that Qin Ye hadn’t woken up yet.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He shook Qin Ye awake from the bed: “Qin Ye! Qin Ye, wake up! Qin Ye, you’re not secretly playing with your phone under the covers, are you? I saw a light!”

Qin Ye woke up in a panic: “What’s going on? Did a Tier IV zombie break in? …Wait, I wasn’t playing with my phone—where’s that light coming from?”

Lu Yao: “Oh, maybe it’s the holy light blurring your body that I saw.” 

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye rubbed his eyes. “So, Big Shot, you woke me up this early—what’s the deal?”

Lu Yao said enthusiastically, “Happy Labor Day!”

Qin Ye stared at Lu Yao in disbelief.

A few seconds later.

“Fine… Happy Labor Day… Boss…”

It wasn’t that he had a good temper; rather, Lu Yao had worn him down to the point where he’d lost all patience… He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

Then Lu Yao said loudly, “Thanks for all your hard work!”

Qin Ye: “Um, oh, okay. Thanks for your hard work, boss.”

【Sales Clerk (1/1)】

Seeing the system notification confirming he’d completed the task of thanking the sales clerk, Lu Yao looked Qin Ye up and down: “Didn’t you used to work as a food delivery driver?” 

Qin Ye: “Yeah, but I quit later.”

Lu Yao shook his head: “Hmm, why didn’t you keep it as a side job…”

Qin Ye scratched his head: “It was just too tiring, I guess.” 

“Oh well,” Lu Yao said.

What a shame—if Qin Ye had done all of these jobs, wouldn’t he have completed them all at once? 

Lu Yao said, “Oh, right—I just found a lightweight helmet in the storage room. You can wear my old, heavy one.”

Qin Ye: “Sure, boss! Thanks, boss!”

The one he was wearing himself was a cheap plastic helmet from a convenience store—its protective capabilities were practically nonexistent.

Breakfast— bland compressed biscuit. The air was fresh after the rain, but that didn’t make his appetite any better.

“These compressed biscuits remind me of low-quality freeze-dried pet food,” Lu Yao remarked.

Jiang Xingrui said, “That’s a pretty vivid description. As for me, it just feels like I’m chewing on cardboard.”

Lu Yao: “Oh, come on, what do you think that low-quality freeze-dried pet food is made of?” 

Jiang Xingrui: “Are these sellers really that unscrupulous? … Never mind, they’re probably all dead anyway.”

Lu Yao: “Ah, they’re all dead.”

With the arrival of the apocalypse, all the beauty and ugliness of the past had changed completely.

After finishing the compressed biscuit, Lu Yao said to Jiang Xingrui, “I’ve got some things to take care of over the next few days. Want to come along?” 

Jiang Xingrui: “Sure.”

He was here to gather intel anyway.

He wanted to find out what these two survivors usually did, what kept them busy, how they scavenged for supplies, and what their motives were. Then he saw Lu Yao take a broom and a mop out of the storage room.

Jiang Xingrui wondered if he was still asleep: “…What are we doing?”

“Today is Labor Day,” Lu Yao said solemnly. “We’re going to clean up the streets.”

Jiang Xingrui: “……”

Jiang Xingrui felt as if Lu Yao had just tapped him on the head with a broom. No—this guy, why on earth would he do something like this…

Why isn’t someone here to stop him… 

Jiang Xingrui looked over at Qin Ye, who seemed much more normal.

But to his surprise, Qin Ye cheerfully swept the broom aside: “Boss, is this the Labor Day event?” 

“Today’s mission is pretty simple,” Lu Yao said, nodding.

Qin Ye said happily, “That’s great.” 

Jiang Xingrui looked at the elated Qin Ye and fell silent once more. You’re not exactly normal either, buddy. 

But as far as Qin Ye was concerned, not swinging on the swing where a zombie had just been tied up and not digging up graves in the middle of the night—this was already a very simple event! 

As for everything else, it wasn’t even on his radar.

But Jiang Xingrui still took the broom—after all, he’d come to observe these two survivors. Only by blending in with their routine as much as possible could he see clearly what they were actually up to. 

The air on the street was still damp, but as the sun rose, that refreshing feeling faded. The faint stench that never left their side once again took over the city.

There was still quite a bit of standing water on the streets, and the skyscrapers were reflected in the murky water. The torn plastic sheeting on the dilapidated billboards flapped in the wind with a rustling sound, creating a desolate scene. 

The three of them wore masks, gloves, and various pieces of protective gear.

Starting from the residential complex, they prioritized cleaning up bloodstains and bodies, while also collecting various types of trash.

Lu Yao and Qin Ye led the way, working with a clear division of labor and great diligence. Jiang Xingrui stood blankly behind them, holding a broom.

Was he here to gather intelligence? It seemed like it.

He turned on his recording device: “I… I don’t even know what I’m doing… but I’m sweeping the street. Reporter: Jiang Xingrui.” 

After recording that line, he felt a bit ashamed.

Handing this recording over to Brother Li would be way too embarrassing. 

Then he heard Lu Yao and Qin Ye pointing and whispering to each other. “See? Just as I thought—a slacker. He’s just going through the motions even with a broom.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Jiang Xingrui felt even more embarrassed. He was actually a sincere person, so he started sweeping seriously too. He gripped the broom properly and began sweeping the street diligently with his head down.

Not only did they have to sweep the street, but they also had to watch out for zombies that might appear.

“Hey, Qin Ye, take it easy with the axe—you’re splattering blood everywhere, and then all our cleaning will be for nothing.”

“With so many survivors in the apocalypse, if you spill a drop of blood and he spills a drop of blood, how are we ever going to keep things clean?”

Jiang Xingrui: Me? Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?!

What kind of scheme are they up to? I just can’t figure it out!!