Apocalypse: I'm the Landlady of the Refuge

"Ah?"

This abrupt question left Ji Wanwan bewildered.

God? Refuge?

To her, these seemed like two completely unrelated concepts.

Suddenly, Ji Wanwan thought of something.

Looking at the increasing number of people outside, she asked with a serious expression, "So, are all these people outside believers in God?"

Zhan Yu looked at Ji Wanwan with surprise and exclaimed from his heart, "Spot on, Miss Ji! You are too clever!"

Ji Wanwan snorted with laughter but didn’t reciprocate.

She had read in books that Christians believe humans are born with original sin and that the Son of God, Jesus, redeemed humanity with His death.

After being redeemed, Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven. He would bring about the apocalypse and judgment day, and only those who believe in God and Jesus would be saved and receive eternal life.

Under the apocalypse, the social order that humanity relied on for survival would collapse. In the face of the cruel reality of bloodshed, people desperately needed a spiritual foothold to settle their panicked souls. This created opportunities for those with ulterior motives to seek benefits.

Like now...

She watched as the gathering crowd grew larger and larger.

A compassionate voice came, "My family, the judgment day is upon us, let us begin to repent! Only those who sincerely repent to the Lord will receive His forgiveness and go to heaven to gain eternal life!"

As the words ended, a chorus of chanting came from the crowd.

The flickering firelight reflected on the faces of these people.

They were devout, fearful that God would not see their sincerity and they would ultimately fall into hell, never to be redeemed.

Ji Wanwan turned her head to look at Zhan Yu beside her. The man watched the crowd outside with a complex look, his red lips pressed tightly, his hands clasping in restraint at his side.

Ji Wanwan raised her eyebrows and silently turned to look at Liu Jian.

The latter looked out the window. Though he hadn’t gone out, his expression had become much more solemn, his body instinctively straightening.

Ji Wanwan weighed her thoughts silently and withdrew her gaze.

The chanting continued for nearly ten minutes before it ended.

That sorrowful and deep voice appeared again, "My family, is there anyone who is willing to offer their flesh to the Lord, to let their spirit go to heaven and gain eternal life?"

The crowd stirred, and soon a young man and a teenager stepped forward.

The moment he saw that child, Zhan Yu’s breathing deepened slightly, and the suppressed emotions in his eyes grew more intense.

But even as the crowd dispersed and the two were taken away, Zhan Yu did not react.

Ji Wanwan found it strange. After Liu Jian pulled Xu Siming to explore the refuge, she couldn’t help but question Zhan Yu, "Brother Zhan, what does this offering of the flesh mean?"

Zhan Yu lowered his eyes to suppress his troubled thoughts and remained silent for a while before replying, "Every few days, the refuge will have a secret mission, with a high mortality rate. But the rewards for those who return alive are also great.

Everyone is afraid of dying; after all, once you’re dead, everything is gone. Therefore, there’s this notion of believing in the Lord to gain eternal life in the refuge."

Ji Wanwan couldn’t believe it, "They’re willing to believe such things?"

Zhan Yu had a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, with a coldness in his eyes that showed a clear understanding of the world, "Why wouldn’t they believe? Great rewards will compel men to brave danger. Some have returned alive and received supplies they couldn’t exhaust in a lifetime. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

Besides, you, being so clever, must understand the principle that repeated claims wear away the truth.

This small refuge is like a miniature society. When a rumor is repeated often enough, naturally more people will believe it.

Under the dual influences of spirit and material, it’s not surprising that some would step forward, right?"

Ji Wanwan sighed internally.

From the perspective of an outsider, she found these clumsy methods laughable, yet humans were inherently foolish. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

All worldly matters could blind the eyes.

Setting aside her identity as an outsider and stripping away the shelter’s system, if she were involved herself, she might not be able to see through everything.

However, she was very curious, what kind of secret mission could warrant such a reward?

After some thought, Ji Wanwan asked, "Since the establishment of the refuge, how many times have such missions occurred? And how many people have returned alive?"

Zhan Yu narrated calmly, "The refuge was established more than a month ago, but the significant growth in scale occurred only over the past half month; I was among the earliest to enter the refuge.

"In the beginning, these secret missions occurred once every seven or eight days, requiring only one person each time, and a total of 2 missions were carried out. Later, as the refuge expanded, missions started to take place once every three or four days, and the number of people needed for each mission increased to two or three. Including today’s mission, there have been 5 in total."

As he spoke, Zhan Yu’s brows knitted slightly, "Come to think of it, this mission and the previous one were only two days apart, the interval has shortened."

Although he harbored doubts, Zhan Yu did not investigate further, "In total, there have been seven missions with fourteen people going out, but only two returned alive."

The survival rate is so high?

Ji Wanwan couldn’t help but twirl her fingertips.

Logically, even the missions with the highest danger of killing zombies had a mortality rate of only thirty to forty percent, so the refuge must hold some unspeakable secret.

Ji Wanwan’s thoughts stirred as she looked toward Zhan Yu.

Knowing the chances were slim, Ji Wanwan still inquired, "Brother Zhan, do you know what these secret missions are?"

Zhan Yu’s expression grew obscure as he shook his head, "They’re secret missions, how would I know?"

Ji Wanwan let out a light chuckle, "That’s true..."

The crowd had dispersed, and the refuge had returned to tranquility.

Looking at the fire that was not yet fully extinguished, Ji Wanwan asked again, "Brother Zhan, could you take me to see those two survivors tomorrow? I just want to look at them from a distance, no need to greet them."

Zhan Yu nodded, "Sure, I happen to have no tasks tomorrow."

Seeing Ji Wanwan hesitating to speak as she looked at him, Zhan Yu shifted his position and leaned against the window, "Miss Ji, if you have anything else you want to ask, just ask. I’ll tell you everything I know."

Although she felt Zhan Yu was too forthcoming and likely had ulterior motives, Ji Wanwan did not give up any chance to seek the truth.

She smiled gratefully, "Then thank you, Brother Zhan."

She pointed at the fire outside, "Brother Zhan, was the person who spoke just now the director?"

Zhan Yu shook his head, "No, the director seldom makes public appearances. The person who spoke just now is his deputy, Lin Changhe.

"Lin Changhe acts as the director’s ears, eyes, and mouth when he’s outside, conveying all commands and instructions on his behalf."

"Oh..." Ji Wanwan nodded thoughtfully, "I see..."

As they were talking, Liu Jian and Xu Siming returned.

Ji Wanwan thanked Zhan Yu once again, "Brother Zhan, thank you for today, it’s getting late, you should head back to rest. We’ll meet tomorrow."

Zhan Yu nodded slightly and stood up straight, ready to leave, "See you tomorrow."

The just-returned Xu Siming, "?"

What’s going on?

He was gone only for a moment, and his place was stolen?