Apocalypse: I'm the Landlady of the Refuge

The itch in his ear turned Wang Youde’s face the color of a fully ripe shrimp in an instant.

Seeing his reaction, Ji Wanwan couldn’t help but laugh, straightening up, "All right, go back. When your quarantine is over, remember to come find me in the Inner City."

"Oh, okay..." Wang Youde hurriedly nodded his head.

Ji Wanwan, in a good mood, patted Wang Youde on the shoulder and was about to leave when the man suddenly called out to her, "My Lord! That, uh..."

The man stopped short, and Ji Wanwan gave him a probing look, "What is it?"

"It’s nothing..." Wang Youde raised his hand to touch his head, a particularly goofy smile on his face, "Just, thank you, Lady Lord!"

Lady Lord?

Ji Wanwan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You’re welcome～"

Only after Ji Wanwan had walked far away did Wang Youde retract his gaze and turn to walk back to the villa.

Turning around, he saw the crowd gathered at the door. Wang Youde’s smile stiffened slightly, his face flushed, and he stopped smiling.

Seeing him turn his head, the onlookers also scattered like birds and beasts, each pretending to be busy and returning to the villa.

...

Meanwhile, Ji Wanwan continued to inspect the base.

As she finished inspecting the entire base, and saw the lush crops in the fields and the aquatic products in the ponds, Ji Wanwan felt very relieved and soon pushed the Wang Youde’s incident to the back of her mind.

The battle had ended yesterday, and everyone had been busy with the base. After most of the day, the base had finally begun to stabilize.

Following the base’s longstanding tradition, Ji Wanwan gathered the core members to go to the Inner City’s meeting room to hold a debriefing on the battle.

With the core members assembled, everyone’s expressions turned somber at the sight of the two vacant seats.

But Ji Wanwan clapped her hands, "What’s this? Am I mistaken? Didn’t we win the battle against the Baize Union? Why is everyone looking so downhearted?"

The others exchanged glances, looking at Ji Wanwan in some surprise.

The latter cleared her throat, her eyes sharp, "Everyone, please adopt the attitude of victors, shall we? Snap out of it! If anyone continues to look disheartened, don’t blame me for kicking them out!"

The members really hadn’t expected Ji Wanwan, who had been full of sorrow yesterday, to completely change her demeanor today.

This new state of affairs revitalized everyone’s spirit, and they all sat up a bit straighter.

Seeing that everyone was serious, Ji Wanwan’s gaze softened, "Everyone worked hard in yesterday’s battle. Though we won, we paid a heavy price. Now, let’s have a moment of silence for the 9 comrades we lost."

There was a moment of silence as everyone remembered their fallen comrades.

After the brief silence, Ji Wanwan continued, "Even though the damage to the base from this battle was not severe, there is still a long way to go in the post-battle reconstruction. I ask all of you to work hard with me. Now, let’s have everyone report on the progress of their work. Xingxing, you start."

One by one, everyone began to report.

Based on the reports, Ji Wanwan redeployed the tasks.

In the coming period, Ji Wanwan would lead Zhou Kai and Xu Siming to Jiang City. On one hand, it was to gain a deeper understanding of the current situation in Jiang City, and on the other hand, it was to search for supplies in Jiang City.

Ji Xing, Father Ji, and Ming Jing would be responsible for domestic affairs within the base. Aside from the basic day-to-day matters within the base, this also included the repair of various base constructions, erecting monuments for the fallen, and arranging for the rescued.

Lion Squad, led by Wu Xun, would be in charge of sweeping Liancheng, clearing the few remaining zombies in Liancheng, and searching for any remaining survivors. As for whether the survivors wished to join the base, it would depend on the individual’s personal wishes, and no one would be coerced.

As for Wen Yuheng, he would be the flexible member, topping up wherever the base needed manpower.

With the task delegation completed, the meeting was nearing its end.

Regardless of the cost of this battle, everyone present should at least enjoy the joy that victory brings. After the meeting, Ji Wanwan had 001 set a victory celebration banquet at the water pavilion.

Drinking and eating meat, smiles began to appear on everyone’s faces after a long absence, though these smiles were tinged with sadness.

A celebration without Xia Li and Qi Hao inevitably lost some of its flavor.

After three rounds of drinks, Ji Wanwan made her way to the pavilion and sat down.

She held a wine glass in her hand, gazing at the fish swimming in the water, her eyes deep and inscrutable.

Suddenly, a shadow fell beside her.

Looking up, the handsome features of a man came into view. Ji Wanwan shifted to make room for Zhou Kai, "Brother Kai, do you know why I took you to Liancheng?"

Zhou Kai sat down next to Ji Wanwan.

He stretched out his long legs and rested his hands on his knees, "Because I awakened Dual superpower?"

Ji Wanwan chuckled lightly, "Yes, but not quite."

"Oh?" Zhou Kai asked with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

Ji Wanwan looked at him, her smile somewhat malicious, "Brother Kai, you have always been upset about not having an Awakened Ability before, so we never included you in our missions. I know this has always bothered you. So this time, I specifically took you with me to Jiang City to kill zombies, to let loose all at once and make up for all the ones you missed before."

Zhou Kai: "..."

No wonder the girl was grinning so slyly; she had been waiting for him.

He chuckled, "You’re this happy to make fun of me?"

Though the man’s tone was slightly annoyed, the tender mirth in his eyes was like a refreshing evening breeze, unintentionally relaxing.

Ji Wanwan giggled twice, "Not bad, not bad, just a little~"

Zhou Kai couldn’t help but laugh out loud and reached out to ruffle Ji Wanwan’s hair, "Alright then, since you’re so happy, I’ll grudgingly let you tease me a bit."

Xu Siming, who was briefing Ji Xing on the cleanup status outside the base, suddenly fell silent.

Ji Xing: "?"

Seeing Xu Siming space out, Ji Xing followed his gaze.

At the edge of the pavilion, two figures, one tall and one short, sat side by side, giving off an impression of mutual dependence.

To Ji Xing, the two silhouettes seemed inexplicably well-suited.

Of course, this might be influenced by his slight liking and bias towards Zhou Kai...

After all, this Brother was someone who, with the body of a normal human, could fight five at once and even severely injure Sister Li. Just for that trial alone, Zhou Kai would always be a legend in Ji Xing’s heart.

But Xu Siming didn’t see it that way.

What’s going on?

Everyone was sitting together, drinking and having a good time, and now this Zhou Kai fellow had lured Xiao Wan aside for a private chat?!

Ambitious wolf! Must be on guard!

Xu Siming’s brows furrowed as he turned to Ji Xing, "Xingxing, I’ll speak with you later."

Without waiting for Ji Xing’s response, Xu Siming stood up and walked towards the pavilion.

Ming Jing, who was busy gnawing on a large elbow, caught the scent and looked up, "Uh-oh, is this going to be a chaotic scene?"

Ji Xing, also snacking on seeds, couldn’t help but glance at Ming Jing.

Seeing the girl with her face greasy from the meal, her eyes shining, Ji Xing: "..."

After a brief contemplation, he quietly pulled out a tissue, reached out, and wiped the soup off Ming Jing’s cheek.

Feeling the gentle touch unexpectedly on her face, Ming Jing was momentarily stunned.

Her heart skipped a beat as she met Ji Xing’s soft gaze, suddenly choking on the food in her mouth, her eyes rolling back, "Help... water..."

Ji Xing: "..."