Bonus Bonanza (4/10)

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【Janitor 1/1】 Complete!

Lu Yao happily went to meet up with Qin Ye and Chen Tian.

They didn’t know what Lu Yao had been up to; Qin Ye didn’t care, and Chen Tian didn’t really want to ask—he felt that asking would only get him into trouble.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

It was already afternoon. A thin mist had risen between the high-rises. There was no wind, and everything was quiet—not even the screams of the zombies could be heard.

This wasn’t the dilapidated scene found in Lu Yao’s neighborhood; the buildings here were brand-new and sturdy. Yet it was precisely this scenery, combined with the utter silence, that made the atmosphere incredibly eerie—even more terrifying than a typical, decaying post-apocalyptic city.

Lu Yao’s hand, gripping the alloy bone blade, felt a bit clammy. “Ah, now that Jiang Xingrui’s gone, I must admit I’m feeling a little nervous.”

Qin Ye immediately replied, “You’re the strongest, boss!”

Lu Yao wiped the sweat from his brow: “It’s really not like that. Aren’t you putting a little too much faith in me…?”

Chen Tian was also very nervous; to be honest, mustering the courage to leave the safety of the shelter had already been a huge challenge: “Um, Boss, what are we going to do?”

Lu Yao: “Do something to help others.”

Chen Tian: “What do you mean by ‘do something to help others’?”

Silence. Silence spread among the three of them.

Lu Yao suddenly blurted out, “Chen Tian! Quick question! What’s an act of kindness?”

Caught off guard, Chen Tian nervously blurted out, “Helping an elderly lady cross the street?”

Let’s just say it was a good thing Jiang Xingrui wasn’t there—if he’d heard that answer, he probably would’ve been so embarrassed he’d have gone and banged his head against the wall.

Lu Yao burst into laughter: “Hahaha, I’ve actually done that—you guys even exchanged greetings with that old lady.”

Chen Tian looked confused: “What?”

Lu Yao waved his hand. “That’s not the point. There’s more! What’s an example of helping others for the sake of it? Answer quickly!”

Chen Tian, flustered, started rambling: “Helping… helping a neighbor walk their dog? Helping a neighbor take out the trash?”

Lu Yao slapped Qin Ye on the thigh: “That’s a good one.”

His eyes sparkled as he led the two of them toward his old apartment complex.

Lu Yao’s old apartment was a run-down, cramped unit; the stairwell was dim, and the wall plaster was peeling in many places.

Many residents were in the habit of leaving their trash by the door, planning to take it down when they went downstairs.

That was exactly what Lu Yao had in mind!

They sprang into action.

The nightmare was that much of the trash had already rotted, with liquid seeping out of the openings, and some of the plastic bags had even torn.

Lu Yao covered his nose: “Qin Ye, hurry up and get a mask out of my bag—otherwise, even if I haven’t mutated yet, I’ll mutate from the stench.” Lu Yao had come prepared, with gloves, a mask, and fresh trash bags all at the ready.

Once all three were fully equipped, they began carrying out the trash. Halfway through, Lu Yao suddenly walked into a neighbor’s house with the door open as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her movements were so fluid that both Qin Ye and Chen Tian were momentarily stunned.

In that split second of bewilderment, Lu Yao had already emerged holding a plush dog toy.

Chen Tian asked with some difficulty, “Um, are you planning to take the dog for a walk, Boss?”

Lu Yao: “Yes.”

Chen Tian looked bewildered but nodded: “Okay.”

They tossed the trash into the community dumpster, and then Chen Tian stared blankly as Lu Yao ran back and forth, leading the plush dog on a leash. After a while, Lu Yao said regretfully, “Oh, this won’t work. This isn’t really walking a dog.”

Chen Tian wanted to yell, “What kind of dog-walking is this?!” but he managed to hold it in.

He suddenly understood why Boss Jiang Xingrui was always yelling.

【Helping Others 4/5】

One more to go.

Lu Yao fell deep into thought. “What actually counts as walking a dog? Oh right, I have a neighbor who plays BDSM. If I pull a submission out for a walk around the block, does that count as…?”

Chen Tian had a complete breakdown. “Boss! That definitely doesn’t work! Let’s pick a different way to do a good deed! I really don’t think walking a dog like that counts as helping people!”

Qin Ye, on the other hand, asked with innocent curiosity, “What’s BDSM? What does it have to do with dogs?”

Lu Yao grumbled, “Fine.”

Since “helping others” was temporarily on hold, they decided to tackle the mission of saying “thank you for your hard work” to delivery workers first. Lu Yao then led the two of them all over the streets, searching for food delivery drivers, couriers, and breakfast shop owners.

Several months had passed by now, and with the corrosive zombie fluid taking its toll, much of their clothing had been reduced to rags. Lu Yao pressed down on the zombies, rummaged through their clothes, and checked their pockets to identify their professions.

Standing beside him, Chen Tian felt like he was losing his mind.

Wait a minute—had he really been rescued? Or was he still in that room, having actually gone mad, which was why he was experiencing such terrifying hallucinations?

Chen Tian couldn’t help but slap himself across the face.

Ouch… that hurts.

So it wasn’t a dream after all… Hehehe… Hehe…

Finally, they spotted a green electric tricycle lying half-overturned by the roadside, with a pile of delivery boxes in the back. There was no one in the driver’s seat, but a dead body was sitting right next to it.

He found the delivery driver!

After Lu Yao told the deliveryman, “Thanks for your hard work,” he went back to look at the packages on the tricycle.

Then he… started to get the urge…

Chen Tian: “Boss, are you thinking of opening the packages to see if there’s anything useful inside?”

Qin Ye: “Boss! Are you planning to deliver these packages?”

Chen Tian shuddered, glancing in horror at Qin Ye, then in horror at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao nodded: “You really do understand me, Qin Ye.”

The cargo compartment of the delivery van provided shelter from the wind and rain, so the addresses on most of the packages were clearly legible. This meant Lu Yao could easily deliver each package to its destination based on the address.

This was a truly tempting proposition. This was what doing good deeds was all about.

Chen Tian’s teeth chattered as he said, “Big, big, big boss, I don’t think we have enough time…”

Lu Yao nodded with a look of regret. “Yeah, after all, I don’t even have a way to get around, and with this many packages, I’d probably turn into a zombie by the time I delivered half of them.”

Watching Lu Yao look back every few steps, Chen Tian felt like he was about to crack.

Wait, is that even human speech…? The food delivery driver was nowhere to be found.

In the end, Lu Yao said, “Good work,” to a zombie with guts hanging off its body. That zombie was covered in a pile of zombie-edible stuff—so why wasn’t it the delivery guy?

With that final “Thanks for your hard work,” the mission was officially complete!

Lu Yao felt very satisfied.

He looked up and saw a rotting zombie staggering along.

It looked like it was about to die completely—it was that weak. Its right arm was hanging by a sliver of skin, teetering on the brink. It bumped into a streetlight pole, gave a little jolt, and the arm fell to the ground.

Lu Yao’s eyes lit up: This was the perfect opportunity to help out! Lu Yao shot right over!

“Hey, boss! Boss, what are you doing, boss?!”

Qin Ye and Chen Tian hurried to catch up.

While Qin Ye still had the presence of mind to shout, Chen Tian was acting purely on reflex by then.

Lu Yao crouched down and picked up the severed arm. Sensing a human scent, the zombie shuffled slowly toward Lu Yao, then began to pick up speed. Lu Yao raised his hand and flashed a warm, beaming smile: “My friend, you dropped something. I picked it up for you—no need to thank me!”

The zombie’s pace quickened, and it let out a low growl.

Lu Yao: “Oh, come on, I told you no need to thank me—why are you being so eager? You’re such a red-and-pink skeleton, all bones and flesh—and since I haven’t attained enlightenment yet, you’re truly irresistible.”

Lu Yao dodged the zombie with a quick sidestep, swung one of its arms, and knocked it over with a thud. “Here, returning it to its rightful owner.”

Lu Yao thrust the zombie’s arm into its chest and whistled.

Obey the law and take pleasure in helping others.

Seeing a passerby drop something, he took the initiative to bend down, pick it up, and return it. He’d done everything by the book!

So…

【Helping Others 5/5】 Yay, yay!

I’ve completed every available quest!

…Oh right, there’s still one more task left: wishing someone a Happy Labor Day.

So Lu Yao turned to Chen Tian, who was already on the verge of losing his mind, and said, “Happy Labor Day.”

Chen Tian:“……”

Chen Tian was completely terrified.

When Lu Yao suggested they go out to help others and cast an expectant glance their way, Chen Tian felt an immense sense of pressure.

After all, the scene where Lu Yao and his two companions stormed into that supermarket swarming with zombies to rescue him and his wife had already been quite surreal. Chen Tian had seen it with his own eyes: as they fought their way out of the supermarket—especially Jiang Xingrui—their agility was simply beyond the realm of ordinary humans. Can humans really reach that level? Chen Tian wondered to himself.

If there were zombies in this world, surely superhumans would appear as well.

But it was precisely because of this that Chen Tian felt even more panicked.

If his teammates were that formidable, it meant the enemies were just as formidable—which meant he wouldn’t just be unable to help; he’d likely be a liability.

He had originally thought that “helping others for the sake of helping” probably meant something like what Lu Yao had done when he saved him and his wife: tearing open a path to survival in a desperate situation surrounded by zombies, pulling survivors back from the brink of death.

As he headed downstairs, he’d made up his mind: even if he couldn’t be of any help, he’d at least stick close to the main group and never wander off.

But the boss’ idea of “the joy of helping others” was… Huh???

“Tell the working people ‘thank you for your hard work’—is this some kind of elementary school homework? … No, no, no—elementary schools don’t even assign homework like this anymore, do they? … And walking someone else’s stuffed dog, taking out the trash—Lu Yao even thought about delivering packages…”

The arrival of the apocalypse was something Chen Tian simply couldn’t wrap his head around. One day he was worrying about his mortgage, and the next he had to watch out for zombies biting his throat. But now he realized that, compared to the apocalypse itself, what he found even harder to understand was what exactly was going on inside Lu Yao’s head.

His mind was gradually shutting down.

Just then, the boss suddenly turned around and said, “Happy Labor Day.”

Chen Tian:“……”

In that moment, he felt as if he’d been elevated to a whole new level.

After all, not everyone is Qin Ye, capable of instantly clearing their mind and becoming a machine that only says “Right, right, right.”

Lu Yao and the others didn’t get home until nightfall.

For some reason, Chen Tian looked listless and in poor shape; he was visibly staggering as he walked.

Lu Yao had originally planned to take him out to clear his head and take his mind off things, but it seemed that hadn’t worked.

Maybe he should try a little harder next time?

If Chen Tian had heard Lu Yao’s inner thoughts, he would probably have screamed in horror, “No, please don’t! It’s working too well—it’s working way too well!” As soon as they got home, Chen Tian said, “I’m so tired right now. Where can I rest?”

After Lu Yao showed him to his room, Chen Tian fell asleep immediately.

Qin Ye watched this scene and felt it looked somewhat familiar.

Jiang Xingrui and E Yue had already packed some supplies.

Their plan was for everyone to carry some of it, and Jiang Xingrui’s motorcycle could haul the rest. The remaining items needed to be packed by Lu Yao himself.

The items the system had randomly generated recently were scattered and not particularly impressive.

Of course, they had to bring items like solar panels, and weapons and armor were essential. Emergency blankets, waterproof matches, water purification tablets. There were also six bags of military rations, two self-heating hot pot meals, several compressed biscuits, and some leftover mooncakes.

And then there was…

Jiang Xingrui watched with a twitching mouth as Lu Yao stuffed the box of Turkestan cockroaches and the tapeworm-infested package into his backpack: “What are you going to do with these?”

Lu Yao: “Hey, do you want them? Take them, take them—don’t be shy.” He immediately struck a pose straight out of a meme where someone gives away cockroaches. Jiang Xingrui shoved the box back, nearly knocking over the box of Turkestan cockroaches: “I wasn’t planning on being polite…” 

Lu Yao quickly clutched it tightly: “What’s the matter? Do you look down on long-legged, running emergency rations?”

Jiang Xingrui:“……”

It took half a day before Jiang Xingrui finally blurted out a few words: “Echinococcus doesn’t have legs.”

Lu Yao was stunned: “Jiang Xingrui, you’ve changed. Weren’t you supposed to be that cold, aloof badass? How come you’re making snarky comments now?”

Jiang Xingrui: “…Well, if you call telling the truth ‘making snide remarks’…” But then he took a moment to reflect on himself. Damn it. Back in Torch Dragon, he was one of the three great masters whom everyone feared and respected! How did he end up like this now?

Although people shouldn’t be so picky in the apocalypse, the fact that Lu Yao had outright called this thing “emergency rations” was still a bit hard for Jiang Xingrui to swallow.

Jiang Xingrui: “Fine… then you can take it…”

Qin Ye chimed in excitedly, “Jiang Xingrui, you don’t know this, but the boss actually wanted to eat it once…”

“Shut up,” Jiang Xingrui snapped. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it.”

Lu Yao put on a look of regret: “I don’t have room for it in my bag anymore. Could you pack this box of cockroaches for me, Qin Ye?”

Qin Ye took it with both hands: “Sure.”

Lu Yao said solemnly, “Qin Ye, from now on, you don’t have to pretend to be strong anymore, because… your ‘strength’ has arrived!”

Qin Ye burst out laughing from the bottom of his heart: “Hahaha, that’s such a funny way to put it.”

Jiang Xingrui, standing nearby: “……” Are you two just a bunch of kids? You keep rehashing the same old jokes over and over, and the other one actually thinks it’s funny?

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

He has things to do tomorrow, so he should really get a good night’s sleep tonight.

The surviving couple, however, were sleeping soundly—they hadn’t slept this peacefully in a long time. But Jiang Xingrui couldn’t sleep.

He stood by the door, staring at Lu Yao on the bed and Qin Ye, who was shivering in the corner.

Lu Yao helplessly grabbed the sheet to cover his private parts: “Xingrui, what are you doing? I never would’ve thought you had this kind of kink.”

Jiang Xingrui: “I’m here to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t turn into a zombie.”

Lu Yao sighed. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control. If you keep staring at me like that, Qin Ye won’t be able to sleep.”

Jiang Xingrui was silent for a moment, then said, “…Qin Ye, go to my room.”

Qin Ye looked confusedly at Jiang Xingrui, then at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao nodded at him, so Qin Ye picked up his blanket and left, closing the door behind him. Now only Lu Yao and Jiang Xingrui were left in the room.

Lu Yao looked impressed: “I really am the protagonist of this world—I even get to take turns sharing a bed with people. Does that count as a phase 1v1?”

Jiang Xingrui: “You sure do talk a lot…”

Lu Yao could see the system’s countdown to zombie virus infection, so he wasn’t worried about that at all. But no matter what he said, he couldn’t put Jiang Xingrui’s mind at ease, so he had no choice but to let Jiang Xingrui have his way.

Next, Lu Yao lay on the bed while Jiang Xingrui sat on the windowsill, leaning against the doorframe with the twin daggers cradled in his arms as he dozed off. At one point, Lu Yao fell asleep and started snoring, only to be immediately woken up by Jiang Xingrui’s dagger.

Lu Yao rubbed his eyes: “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xingrui looked embarrassed: “…Nothing. You made a sudden noise, so I thought you’d turned into a zombie and were roaring.”

Lu Yao let out a muffled chuckle: “Jiang Xingrui, you’re so embarrassing.” 

“Shut up,” Jiang Xingrui said gruffly.

Now that he’d been woken up, Lu Yao didn’t feel like going back to sleep. He glanced over at Jiang Xingrui.

The curtains weren’t drawn, and there was a sliver of light coming through the window. Moonlight streamed in from outside. The moonlight cast a shadow across Jiang Xingrui’s profile—one half cold, the other warm. The night breeze ruffled his silver-gray short hair, and his amber eyes, as always, held a fiery glow.

If you can’t sleep, let’s chat.

Lu Yao asked, “Jiang Xingrui, what kind of organization is Torch Dragon?”

Jiang Xingrui replied, “It’s a pretty good place. You’ll see for yourself once you get there.” Lu Yao leaned in: “Would you mind telling me about the other two top-tier masters?” 

Jiang Xingrui: “I mind.”

Lu Yao cracked his neck menacingly, “If you keep this up, I’m going to make a scene.”

Jiang Xingrui:“……”

It has to be said that Lu Yao’s threat carried quite a bit of weight.

Jiang Xingrui wanted to ask, “Aren’t you always causing a scene anyway?” but he held himself back.

So Jiang Xingrui sighed and said, “Brother Li—Li Yu—as I’ve mentioned before, his superpower is related to fire.”

Lu Yao: “This time you said ‘the flame’s return,’ not ‘flame ability.’ So it’s not just about fire—does it also include, say, a ‘spiritual flame’?”

Jiang Xingrui was a little surprised: “You’re really sharp.”

Lu Yao speculated enthusiastically, “So there’s also the fire of anger? The fire of war? The fire of desire and stuff like that?”

Jiang Xingrui opened his mouth slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching: “…You’re being way too rude.”

Lu Yao: “You can’t expect a dog’s mouth to spit out ivory.”

Jiang Xingrui: “Fine, but I’d advise you not to ask Brother Li these questions in front of him, or he’ll beat you so badly you’ll be nothing but a ghostly flame from now on.”

Lu Yao suddenly perked up: “Oh, oh, oh! From now on, I’ll be the Ghost Flame Boy!”

Jiang Xingrui smacked Lu Yao on the head.

Lu Yao felt like his head was about to split open: “You! Aren’t you afraid you’ll beat me to death and turn me into a zombie right here and now?”

Jiang Xingrui: “Well, that’d be doing the world a favor. All right, we’re done talking. Time to sleep.”

Lu Yao was about to say something, but Jiang Xingrui had already closed his eyes, refusing to speak with Lu Yao any further.

Alright, time to sleep.

Lu Yao had no choice but to close his eyes. 

Early the next morning.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet, but the clouds in the east were tinged with pale crimson and orange-pink hues, and the wind slowly smoothed out the colors. They shouldered their backpacks, pushed their motorcycles downstairs, wiped down the chains with a cloth, and topped off the oil.

Chen Tian and E Yue clasped each other’s hands tightly, tucked their son’s photo into their backpacks, then looked up and walked into the morning light.

“Actually, there’s one thing I don’t quite understand,” Lu Yao said as he fastened his helmet and turned to look at Jiang Xingrui. “You actually didn’t want to bring me into Torch Dragon. Someone as capable as me—I’m an army all by myself.”

Jiang Xingrui said listlessly, “Yeah, yeah, you’re a one-man army, but then why do you follow all those strange rules?”

Lu Yao blurted out, “Because an army needs strict discipline.”

Jiang Xingrui:“……”

The surviving couple couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Qin Ye, pushing his motorcycle, nodded thoughtfully: “The boss makes a good point.” Jiang Xingrui placed his hand on the handlebars and glanced back at the four faces.

He felt a bit helpless, but a thought suddenly crossed his mind: With Lu Yao around, this journey wouldn’t be boring. It might be dangerous, it might be rough, but it wouldn’t be boring.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Xingrui said.

“Let’s go! Go go go!” Lu Yao chimed in.

Qin Ye pumped his fist, elated: “Our target! The Ability-user Base!” 

Jiang Xingrui corrected him: “Our target: the Survivors’ Base.”

E Yue said, “Our destination: anywhere with people.”

There was still standing water on the ground, and the sunlight reflecting off it created a patch of brightness. They set off toward the light, their shadows stretching out behind them.

They didn’t know what the scenery ahead held, but they knew they would keep going today, and tomorrow as well. Then, before the sun set tomorrow, they would reach the Torch Dragon and arrive at a place where people lived.