Chapter 68: A Settled Matter

Chapter 68: A Settled MatterZhou Ke'er noticed that Zhang Yi still harbored a sense of caution towards her, thinking to herself, "No wonder he can live so comfortably in the apocalypse."

"Sit down," Zhang Yi gestured to the sofa beside him, holding a gun in his hand.

Zhou Ke'er obediently sat down on the sofa about two meters away from Zhang Yi, her hands neatly placed on her knees, like a well-behaved child.

"Listen, the reason I let you stay here is because you hold some value to me," Zhang Yi said. "But you must always remember, this is my home. Your ability to live here is a gift from me."

"So, you must obey all my commands. Otherwise, I will throw you out."

"If I find that you have any ill intentions towards me, I will kill you without hesitation!"

Hearing Zhang Yi's cold words, Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but think, "So cold-blooded." Though she understood his reasoning, she wished he could speak a bit more gently; it would have moved her more.

She didn't know that Zhang Yi had once been gentle, but his gentleness had always been wasted.

Zhang Yi pointed to a room. Their house had three bedrooms and a living room. In addition to Zhang Yi's master bedroom, there were two guest rooms.

"You will stay in that room. But let me tell you upfront, every corner of this house is monitored."

"So you will always be under surveillance, with no privacy."

"The door is a security door, only slightly thinner than the front door, but it can't be opened by force."

"I hold the key, and you can only come out when I allow it."

"If you have any objections," Zhang Yi pointed to the door, "you can leave now!"

There was no way Zhou Ke'er would leave. Even with Zhang Yi's harsh conditions, this house was a paradise compared to the harsh environment outside.

She nodded, "Okay, I will listen to you."

Zhou Ke'er's compliant attitude pleased Zhang Yi.

She was indeed a smart woman, making communication easy. If it were someone like Fang Yuqing or Lin Cainin, they would probably cry and fuss. They deserved to die in this apocalypse.

Zhang Yi put away his gun and adjusted another gun's position.

Looking at Zhou Ke'er, his tone softened slightly.

"You are very smart, which makes things easier for us all."

"You should understand that outside is a hell. Besides relying on me, you have no other way to survive."

"So now, I will tell you a secret, and you should listen carefully."

Zhou Ke'er widened her eyes in surprise.

"A secret? You... are willing to tell me?"

She thought that someone as cautious as Zhang Yi wouldn't easily reveal secrets. It must not be simple.

Zhang Yi said, "Telling you this secret is to ensure your loyalty. But even if you leak it, I’m not too worried. After all, everyone is struggling to survive in this world, and I’m not afraid of anyone posing a threat to me."

He shrugged, "Those who tried to kill me before were all dealt with. You saw it yourself."

Zhou Ke'er nodded, looking at Zhang Yi seriously, eager to hear what he had to say.

Zhang Yi spoke slowly, "You might have read on the media about the cause of this snow disaster. It was caused by a supernova explosion, leading to a gamma-ray burst."

"This radiation can affect the human body, possibly causing mutations."

"So, I gained a superpower: an independent alternate space."

Ignoring Zhou Ke'er's astonished look, Zhang Yi continued, "The reason I can live so comfortably now is because I stored a large amount of supplies in my space."

"Otherwise, you can see that my house alone wouldn't hold much."

"Therefore, if I’m alive, you can enjoy these supplies with me. There will be food to eat and hot water to shower with."

"If I die, this house will soon become no different from other houses, and you will still starve to death."

Zhang Yi didn't fully trust Zhou Ke'er, even though he knew she was kind.

He only believed in interests, not human nature.

Human nature can be twisted with little effort.

By telling Zhou Ke'er that her survival depended on his, Zhang Yi ensured she would become his loyal ally.

To gain Zhou Ke'er's trust, Zhang Yi took a long sandwich from his space and threw it to her.

Seeing Zhang Yi seemingly perform a magic trick, taking out a sandwich with empty hands, a trace of trust finally appeared in Zhou Ke'er's surprised eyes. Sᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Superpower? Does such a thing really exist?"

Looking at the sandwich in her hand, she swallowed hard but didn’t dare to eat it, waiting for Zhang Yi's order.

Such a large sandwich, outside, would be enough for two families to fight over!

Especially since she hadn't eaten for two days.

Zhang Yi said calmly, "Eat it, it’s yours."

Zhou Ke'er couldn't hold back any longer. She took a big bite of the sandwich.

Seeing her eating hurriedly, Zhang Yi worried she might choke and handed her a glass of water.

Zhou Ke'er ate the sandwich in big bites, moved to tears by the food she once scorned.

Why did this sandwich taste so good?

Zhang Yi, meanwhile, gently laid out the rules for living there.

"I don't trust you that much, so you need to be sensible."

"Cleaning, cooking, don’t make me give orders."

"The sewer is frozen, so use special plastic bags for the toilet and throw them out through the hidden door in the window. You’ll handle this."

"In other words, you’re my maid now. You’ll earn a comfortable living environment and food through labor. Understand?"

Zhang Yi's house couldn’t support idle people.

Zhou Ke'er finished eating and nodded repeatedly, "I understand, ma…master."

She shyly called him "master."

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, finding her adaptability impressive. It was no wonder she became a chief physician at a young age.

Seeing her full and content, Zhang Yi smiled.

He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes on her fair neck.

"Do you know why I chose you, even though we weren’t the closest?"

Zhou Ke'er pursed her lips, "Because I’m a doctor."

"You lack nothing, but you can’t ensure you won’t get sick or injured."

Zhang Yi nodded slightly, "That’s one reason. Although I’m healthy, one must always be prepared."

He took out half a bottle of wine from under the coffee table, and with another sleight of hand, two wine glasses.

Pouring two glasses of wine, he pushed one towards Zhou Ke'er.

"So, do you know the second reason?"

Zhou Ke'er took the wine, hesitated, and then drank a sip, realizing there was no free lunch.

"Because I’m a woman, and a beautiful one at that."

She had a clear understanding of her situation.

Putting down the glass, she stood up.

Before Zhang Yi, she untied her bathrobe.

Zhang Yi, not pretending to be a gentleman, felt the need to release the pent-up negative energy accumulated over half a month.

So, today was settled.