A delicate hand released the corpse's shriveled neck.
It fell to the ground with a thud.
Jiang Yu glanced down at the blood on her clothing.
She made a sound of disgust and tore away the bloodstained part of her clothes, exposing a generous stretch of skin.
"Tsk, tsk... are you ever going to get over your obsession with cleanliness?" a mocking voice drawled from the shadows. "You certainly didn't mind getting filthy when you were rolling around in blood with men."
Jiang Yu whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing at the little girl casually leaning against a shop entrance. "Finished your business already, Ding Ling? What do you want?"
"Obviously," Ding Ling dismissed, pushing off the wall and strolling toward Jiang Yu with a smile.
"I'm here to talk business."
"About what?"
"We've been going after ordinary people these past few days. It's getting terribly boring. I keep thinking about that man who drove down the street—the one that nurse called an alien—and that girl who can see the future. I can't get them out of my head. So, I figured we could pay them a visit together."
"Just you and me?" Jiang Yu let out a silvery, coquettish laugh. "What about Liang Cui and Gao Tianfang? We're supposed to be a team, after all."
"A team? Hah... we just bumped into each other by accident. Since when were we a team? If you found a premium cut of meat, are you telling me you wouldn't snatch it for yourself?" Ding Ling took a step closer.
Despite her child-sized body, she gave off a powerful sense of menace.
A strange insect as long as a forearm wriggled along her arm.
"If we're such a tight-knit team, why did you sneak off to scout the Talent Residential Community on your own? Don't bother lying. You can't hide it from me." Ding Ling weighed the strange insect in her hand.
"You've been tracking me?" Jiang Yu's expression darkened at once.
"If I didn't, you would've kept the best for yourself." Ding Ling didn't yield an inch. "What I don't understand is why you came back without making a move."
"Let me guess: the prey is too thorny for you to swallow alone, right? But with me, the odds change. You're telling me the two of us can't handle one man?"
Seeing no point in hiding it anymore, Jiang Yu sneered coldly. "If it were just that one man, do you honestly think I would've walked away?"
"He's not normal. He's already gathered a group of more than two hundred people. More importantly, he has at least two other people with abilities in the group."
"Over two hundred?" Ding Ling tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Are there any... of our kind hidden inside? There should be some among so many people."
Jiang Yu slowly shook her head. "I neither saw nor sensed any. But I didn't dare get too close, and I couldn't watch for long."
"Perfect!" Ding Ling clapped her tiny hands together in sheer delight. "Then they're about to get some!"
"Look, you can't crack this bone by yourself. So let's partner up. We infiltrate the camp together and carve up the fat! No need to breathe a word to Old Gao. If he comes, we'll be left with scraps. And bringing that raging slut Liang Cui is completely out of the question... You never liked her either."
"Gao Tianfang has gone far away and may not return for a day or two. And that bitch Liang Cui is off doing who knows what."
"It's just the two of us. With your identity and ability, plus mine, we can break that group apart and feast. We might grow much stronger."
Jiang Yu lowered her gaze, her manicured fingers tapping her chin. Finally, she locked eyes with the girl. "The man is mine. The prophet girl is mine. You can gorge yourself on the rest."
"Bullshit! Why?!" Ding Ling's brows snapped together, her childish facade dropping.
"Because I have a public identity. You could never get inside alone."
They faced off until Ding Ling finally gave in with a scoff. "Fine. The big, famous actress gets her way. But if you choke on your bite, don't blame me if I act first."
"Save the threats. There is no time to waste. Let's move."
"Hold on." Ding Ling halted her, her eyes raking over Jiang Yu's relatively pristine skin. "You're way too clean. Disguise yourself a little. If they see through you, I won't help. Don't drag me down with you."
Back at the Talent Residential Community's activity center, the hall was crowded and busy.
Two days had blurred past. The residents had been organized into groups and assigned tasks.
They worked in five-person groups, traveling in larger batches. Everyone filed a daily report so the group could compare accounts and monitor one another.
It was a system meant to reduce the chance of any Disguised Infected trying to blend into the herd.
There had been no problems so far, and work was moving quickly.
Some members had been sent beyond the community to look for vehicles.
In just twenty-four hours, they had brought back more than twenty fairly good cars, along with several large freight trucks. They parked them outside the community.
They had siphoned plenty of fuel from poorer cars to keep in reserve.
Inside, the logistics teams continued sorting and adapting supplies and sewing clothes.
Su Jin hadn't wasted a single second. He had raided several police stations in quick succession and brought back a large quantity of weapons.
He was not ready to give the guns to everyone yet, but he had thought of a safer way to use them.
He would issue the guns when the convoy set out and install crude mounts in each vehicle so they could fire only outward.
That would provide firepower while limiting the danger to their own people.
As a bonus, while preparing the weapons, he had also acquired a Fleshy Orb.
For now, the Fleshy Orb was stored inside his dimensional briefcase.
He had first wanted to give it to Old Sun or Old Wei, but both refused.
They were old; the effect might be unstable, and any gain in strength would likely be smaller than for a younger person.
As for Zhang Wan and Sister Liu... they were not suited to fighting. Giving them the orb would do little good.
Someone else could make better use of it.
After discussing it with Old Sun and Old Wei, Su Jin decided to save the orb.
Once they had observed everyone long enough, they would choose a strong, trustworthy young person to use it.
Fu Qingdai’s assignment, on the other hand, was simple but kept her busy.
She had exactly one job: serving meals to everyone in the center.
In fresh clothes and wearing a pleasant fragrance, she moved among the people. A few gentle words and a smile were enough to give them hope.
In just forty-eight hours, she had made it impossible for anyone to regard her as an ordinary girl.
At that moment, Su Jin sat beside the stage, bent over a weapon he was sharpening.
Whenever he looked up at the bustling hall, he felt renewed motivation.
Only a few days earlier, his team had numbered just eight. Now, he was leading a group of more than two hundred people.
People followed orders, everything ran smoothly, and the whole place felt alive.
Their living conditions were still harsh.
It reminded him of the vitality of the old world.
Protect the client through the initial apocalyptic outbreak. Mission terminates once the client achieves independent survival capabilities.
If they reached the military district and made camp, perhaps his mission would finally be complete.
If that was not enough, did the mission expect him to fight his way through the entire apocalypse?
The thought gave him fresh energy as he continued sharpening the weapon.
At that moment, three team members entered the center.
They stopped before Su Jin and saluted.
"Director! While guarding the community, we found two female survivors. One adult, one child. What should we do?"