Chapter 46: To Stay Alive, One Must Pay the Price and Make Efforts
Professor Bai sat next to Sheng Hongye and was the first to speak. "I cast my vote for Xiao Ye. I've known him for a long time, and I believe in his abilities."
Next were Li Xueying and Su Rou. As expected, both of them voted for Sheng Hongye without hesitation.
After that, it was Han Qiang and Chen Yu's turn.
After a moment of hesitation, they also voted for Sheng Hongye. The rest was predictable. Geng Hao chose Sheng Hongye, and Su Ling and Guan Yuxin followed the majority.
Among these people, apart from Sheng Hongye, no one else was truly fit for the leadership role.
However, in Su Ling's view, this was not necessarily a good thing.
The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility and the more worries one would have.
Three minutes later, the leader was decided.
Sheng Hongye did not waste any time and said directly, "Since you all have chosen me, it's my responsibility to ensure your safety. According to the pattern of the zombies, there will inevitably be a large-scale attack after the rain. We must resist it tonight."
After a brief pause, Sheng Hongye looked at everyone and said, "After this, the men among us will repair the damaged areas, while the women will take care of the meals. We will operate on a rotation basis. Once everything is stable, the men will go out and search for supplies and one person will stay behind each day to guard our base. I hope everyone can be united and compassionate. No one should be excluded or attack others without cause. If anyone causes trouble, they will be expelled from the team immediately."
He glanced at everyone and continued, "If anyone has any objections, you can voice them out. We operate on a democratic system."
Li Xueying pursed her lips and said in a soft, delicate voice, "Brother Ye, what if I can't cook?"
Su Rou quickly added, "I can't either."
Guan Yuxin huffed, "You can learn. If you don't want to eat, you don't have to cook."
Li Xueying instantly glared at Guan Yuxin, angrily retorting, "Who are you to deny us food? We've been with Brother Ye all along."
Su Ling lifted her clear and cold eyes.
"What does it matter who follows whom? I agree with Mr. Sheng's proposal. Now is not the time to be pampered. If you want to survive, you have to pay the price and work hard."
Su Rou looked at Sheng Hongye without saying a word.
Li Xueying couldn't hold back anymore.
"Su Ling, don't think just because Brother Ye brought you back..."
"Enough."
Sheng Hongye sternly interjected, his gaze dark as he looked towards Li Xueying.
"Let the past be the past. Today the two groups are merging, everything will start anew. I don't want any more infighting, everyone will share the workload and take what they need."
Chen Yu nodded. "Mr. Sheng's proposal is fair, I agree."
"I also agree."
"Me too."
Everyone began to raise their hands to vote, and the new community was thus established.
The previously scavenged fast food was still left, everyone had a simple meal and then, under Sheng Hongye's leadership, started to reinforce the house.
Watching the busy men, Su Ling closed her eyes slightly, trying to reinforce the overall structure of the building.
The sound of failed attempts kept coming, unsurprisingly, it was still very difficult to reinforce the large buildings as before.
Su Ling pretended nothing happened as she approached Guan Yuxin, and received a notification that her soul compatibility was only three percent, and the success rate of reinforcement was even two percent lower than her original, this left her feeling quite speechless.
It seemed she could only go to Sheng Hongye now.
For her own safety, Su Ling hesitated for a moment, then went downstairs.
Sheng Hongye was nailing iron sheets to the window, his arm veins bulging with strength.
Su Ling came to his side and suddenly saw that his watch had slipped down a bit, revealing what seemed like a tattoo.
Just as Su Ling was about to get a clearer look, Sheng Hongye had already lowered his arm and looked sideways at Su Ling.
"Did Xueying cause trouble again?"
Su Ling smiled, "No, I just wanted to come down and have a look."
She moved closer to Sheng Hongye, her arm unintentionally pressing against his ribs.
She quickly activated the reinforcing skill in her head, and with the continuous successful reinforcement notifications, the entire building was reinforced to one hundred twenty percent. At the same time, Su Ling felt a wave of dizziness.
Her body swayed slightly, and she grabbed Sheng Hongye's arm.
Sheng Hongye quickly steadied her. "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"
Even without a mirror, Su Ling knew her face must be very pale.
Still, she forced a smile. "I'm fine, probably just haven't been resting well these past few days. I'll go upstairs first."
Supporting herself on the stairs, she slowly climbed up to the second floor.
Li Xueying was standing in the hallway, her eyes full of resentment as if she wanted to devour Su Ling.
Su Ling didn't even want to spare her a glance, striding past her directly.
Li Xueying reached out and stopped her, lowering her voice and said, "Bitch, can't you go a day without seeking Brother Ye?"
Su Ling stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath, and raised her cool, spring-like eyes.
"Only a slut like you would have such filthy thoughts."
"Say that one more time."
"I could say it a hundred times and it would still be true."
"You're asking for it." Li Xueying could no longer tolerate her, instantly raising her hand.
Su Ling quickly grabbed her wrist and flung her to the side.
"I'm warning you for the last time, don't mess with me if you have nothing to do. If you dare to say one more word, I'll slap your face to a pulp."
Su Ling's temperament was naturally cold, combined with her years of experience in the operating room, she had a sharpness comparable to a scalpel.
Li Xueying was immediately scared by those emotionless eyes.
After a while, she stuttered, "You wouldn't dare."
"You don't believe me? Feel free to try."
Li Xueying was furious, but she just couldn't defeat this woman.
Su Ling had reached the door. As she entered the room, she turned her head and gave Li Xueying a cold smile before slamming the door shut.
She initially didn't want to bother with Li Xueying, but if she kept pushing her luck, she wouldn't mind stretching her muscles.
Guan Yuxin was tinkering with her beloved computer. Seeing Su Ling's unpleasant expression, she immediately supported her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just need to sit for a while."
Su Ling leaned on the bed, catching her breath.
Guan Yuxin quickly opened a bottle of mineral water for her. After watching Su Ling take a few sips, she asked, "Was that your stepsister Su Rou just now? How come she seemed to act like she doesn’t know you and was getting along well with that Li person."
Su Ling closed her eyes and said, "I don't have any connection with her anymore."
To shut Guan Yuxin up, Su Ling briefly shared the story of catching her boyfriend cheating.
Guan Yuxin was instantly outraged. "She even slept with your boyfriend, is she even human?"
Su Ling shrugged, "So why should I bother with a beast?"
Guan Yuxin nodded, "Right, when a dog bites a person, the person can't bite the dog back."
Su Ling was amused by her, "You're such a writer, even your insults are unique."
Guan Yuxin immediately leaned in closer, speaking in a mysterious tone, "I noticed those two women seem to have their eyes on Sheng Hongye. Why not... snatch him away from them, it'll definitely drive them mad."
Su Ling turned over, "I'm not interested, there's only one man I'm interested in now."
"Oh? Who?"
Guan Yuxin's gossip spirit was instantly activated.
Su Ling looked at the wall, speaking faintly, "A man with a tattoo on his wrist, who is also my benefactor."
"You even have a benefactor, tell me what happened, it might serve as writing material."
As soon as Guan Yuxin finished speaking, they heard a dog barking.
Then they heard Chen Yu's loud yell.
"Damn it, it's a zombie dog, get inside quickly."