"But today, I’m standing here waiting for you just so you can answer me, face to face, looking into my eyes!"
Luo Xiaoxue enunciated each word with solemnity:
"It’s easy to go with heaven’s will, hard to go against it. The path you’ve chosen is hard, and above you is not just a mountain, but colossal boulders ready to crush you at any moment."
"Today, if you go forward, it’s a point of no return; even half a step back is a fate worse than death!"
"To survive, you must fight desperately."
"Cheng Ye, are you prepared to fight to the death?"
Fight desperately?
Luo Xiaoxue’s series of questions left Cheng Ye momentarily stunned.
But soon, he couldn’t help but laugh, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
For more than two months, he had stood on the rooftop several times, never lacking the courage to die, only a reason to convince himself to let go.
Now, he not only found no reason to give up but rather found a reason to strive to live.
Why fear...a desperate fight with someone?
Moreover, he was alone now; those at the inspection station all had families, concerns, and interests. Who dared to stand out and fight to the death with him?
"Sister Luo, trust me!"
"Other than the Infected Bodies, really no one at the station can harm me."
Patting the standard-issue pistol at his waist, Cheng Ye smiled more wantonly.
The position of Inspector wasn’t high, but in that Buffer Zone, there were very few who could easily take his life.
Instead, to take someone’s life, all he needed was to raise his hand and gently pull the trigger.
No worries, no concerns.
If worse came to worst, he’d flee to the Wasteland, make friends with the Infected Bodies, and roam the ruins of the Wilderness.
"Okay, I trust you!"
Luo Xiaoxue nodded heavily, reaching into her shoulder bag.
It turned out to be a Wild Bull Fighting Handgun that Cheng Ye had intended to buy earlier, and judging by its condition, it hadn’t been long since it was manufactured.
It was clear Luo Xiaoxue had gotten up at dawn, went to the material exchange store, and bought it for him.
"Your gun is too weak. It suffices to scare people but falls short for Infected Bodies."
"Use this one: it packs a punch. If someone wants your life, let them taste the bullet first!"
"Okay!"
Cheng Ye gently took it, sliding it into the empty holster on his right side.
"Then I’m off?"
"Go, and remember: I’ll still be here waiting for you to come home after work."
"Okay."
No more words were needed. Just this promise weighed heavily on Cheng Ye’s heart.
Turning around, he found the bus still waiting where it had stopped.
Seeing Cheng Ye looking over, the driver smiled and waved, "You paid five times the fare; it’s only right to take you to your destination."
"Thanks."
Boarding the bus, the driver, lost in thought, shook his head with mixed feelings, "Sir, your aura is too intense; timid people might be scared to death."
"What if someone’s not scared?"
"Then maybe they really want to die." The driver shrugged, "When I was still out there getting by and not yet part of Happiness City, I always avoided people like you."
"Oh, what did you do before?"
"If you don’t mind me saying, I used to be a... third-rate hitman?!"
The middle-aged driver laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, "But then I had a wife, a son, and the more ties I had, the more it felt like wearing shackles, and I couldn’t keep doing it."
"So now, I’m even more scared of people like you."
"Afraid that one man’s wrath could spill blood within five steps?"
"Not exactly. We’re all just living on borrowed time, not like those Inner City lords; fighting to the death is really unnecessary."
"Then?"
"Can’t say, won’t say."
Cheng Ye gradually put away his smile, giving an unusual glance at the middle-aged driver.
The Wasteland is vast and full of wonders.
Even a driver being so insightful—surely, no one at the large North Station would lack sense, right?
...