The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

This was the new recruit whom Yu Qing met in the cave when Song Xinqi turned into a snow leopard and was captured.

The other five people seemed to have come with him. Was it to find their companions? Yu Qing never expected to meet them again in this manner after saying “goodbye” last time.

Peng Shu looked surprised to see him and waved at him, flashing a sunny smile.

One of his companions saw Peng Shu’s gesture and glanced over at Yu Qing, whistling teasingly, “What’s up, buddy? Do you know each other?”

Hearing the banter from his companion, Peng Shu felt a bit uneasy for some reason and muttered softly, “Yeah.” Then he asked, “Is the registration done? Can I go in now?”

The guard checked his form and said, “You filled out for the Armed category? The Armed category requires a high level of ability strength. Normal abilities need to be at least level three. Here, I recommend you choose the Lifestyle category; it’s great for generating electricity.”

“Then I’ll choose the Lifestyle category,” Peng Shu said.

After changing his classification, he greeted his teammates and entered first.

Seeing his hurried figure, his teammates couldn’t help but wonder, “Why is this kid in such a rush? Did he meet someone?”

“I’ll leave now. I still need to plant another batch of seeds,” Uncle Zhang noticed Yu Qing waiting for someone and waved, walking away on his own.

Yu Qing bid farewell to him and said to Peng Shu, who was running over, “What a coincidence to meet you here. When did you leave the cave?”

“I didn’t expect it either,” Peng Shu scratched his head, glanced at Yu Qing’s profile, then quickly averted his gaze, “I left two days after you guys left. The squad leader couldn’t make it, so I buried him there and went out on my own. Along the way, I met other teammates and heard the broadcast signal from here, so we came together.”

Curiously circling around him, Yu Qing asked, “Did you awaken your ability?”

“Yeah, I awakened it in the cave. It’s an electric-type ability. I just reached Level Two yesterday and was assigned to the Lifestyle category.”

Yu Qing nodded, “I’m in the support category. We should be living pretty close.”

“Really?” Peng Shu smiled happily for a moment, then quickly suppressed his smile, “Why didn’t I see Little Snow Brother? Isn’t he always sticking with you?”

Yu Qing remembered that strange misunderstanding, “Um—let me explain that to you after you settle in the safe zone.”

“If you’re arranging my stay here, I should explain things to him properly. He was nearly at odds with Song Xinqi now. If Peng Shu accidentally said something he shouldn’t to him, he’d be in big trouble.”

“Oh? Alright.” Although Peng Shu didn’t understand what Yu Qing meant, he agreed for now.

The guard who had registered all six people shouted towards them, “Hey newcomers, come with me to register your population.”

The safe zone didn’t accept idlers. Every newcomer had to register, making it easier to manage personal resources and decide on future stays or departures.

Except for Yu Qing, who got in based on connections.

Peng Shu pointed to the main gate, “I’ll go first.”

“Okay.” Yu Qing watched him return to the group of five. He seemed to be the youngest among them, and each person patted his head, with a strong man finally squeezing his head tightly under his arm.

Yu Qing didn’t know what they were joking about, occasionally glancing over here. Peng Shu blushed all over and waved repeatedly.

It’s great; he has one more friend in the safe zone. He thought joyfully.

Back at his residence, Yu Xiaoxue, who had been waiting for a long time, ran over from the yard, circling around his feet, and her long furry tail held Yu Qing’s arm and led him home.

“Xiaoxue, are your legs almost healed?” He looked at her limbs, which were almost able to walk normally.

“Meow,” the snow leopard rubbed against him with her head.

Not long after, someone knocked on Yu Qing’s door. Opening it, he saw Chef Wang, who brought him meals every day. This was arranged by Song Xinqi, so he didn’t have to queue for food.
As soon as he opened the door, he smelled the delicious food, “Thank you, Wang Bo. There are vegetables today!”

Today’s dinner consisted of mutated animal meat and a small bowl of vegetables. Yu Qing hadn’t expected to eat vegetables so soon after they ripened.

“Yes, I specially left it for you,” Wang Bo had been delivering meals to Yu Qing for half a month, and they had become quite familiar. He took out a crystal nucleus from his pocket and fed it to Yu Xiaoxue. After a brief chat, Wang Bo said, “You go ahead and eat. I’ll leave now.”

Yu Qing walked him to the door, and Wang Bo watched Yu Qing happily waving in the yard, unable to help but show a kind smile. He felt that the boss was really good to Yu Qing, not making him do tasks and delivering meals on time every day. This time, there were fewer vegetables, so the boss gave Yu Qing his own portion.

The leader’s mind was hard to guess, and he was just a Level Two fire-type ability chef, so he shouldn’t think too much.

In addition to registering, newcomers also needed to familiarize themselves with all the processes and precautions of the safe zone’s operation. After settling in and tidying up, the day was almost over.

Seeing the late evening sky, Peng Shu planned to finish his task tomorrow before looking for Yu Qing. He had to ask his address in advance.

Just then, a man passed by the door, so he stopped him, “Excuse me, do you know where Yu Qing lives?”

“Yu Qing?” The man’s expression showed that he knew him well, “He’s over there. Go straight ahead, turn right at the end, and the largest house there is where he lives.”

“Oh, thank you.” Peng Shu was a bit surprised. He had prepared to ask several people, but he didn’t expect to meet someone who knew Yu Qing right away. It seemed that he was doing well here?

In fact, this man didn’t really know him. Anyone who had been here for a long time knew that there was a beautiful vase here who didn’t need to work and was served good food every day.

The next day, Peng Shu had good luck and managed to get an easy task. After finishing early in the morning, he came to Yu Qing’s house with nervousness. Without comparison, Yu Qing’s house was indeed the largest in the lifestyle support department, with the best living environment, and even a yard!

He was playing with Yu Xiaoxue in the yard, using a small grass ball woven by a healing system sister next door.

Looking slightly awkward through the yard fence, he asked tentatively, “Can I come in?”

Seeing that it was Peng Shu, Yu Qing decisively let him in.

Peng Shu was the only friend Yu Qing had met outside and managed to meet again after parting ways, cherishing this kind of strange fate. Yu Qing valued him highly.

The two talked about their experiences since they parted ways in the cave. Yu Qing leaned back on the lawn with his hands and sighed at the azure sky, “It’s really great to see you again.”

His mouth curled up with a sincere smile, and his beautiful golden pupils sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight. Peng Shu looked at him for a while before averting his gaze, reminding himself not to look too much. Yu Qing was a taken man, and they could only be friends, with no other thoughts.

“I’m also very happy to see you again, so let’s have a pure hug for our reunion.” He said.

Although Yu Qing didn’t understand why he emphasized a “pure hug,” he still hugged him.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaoxue beside them also tried to join the hug, with her large body stretched between the two.

“Your snow leopard has grown so big. I remember when you first brought her back, she was so small.” Peng Shu made a clumsy gesture of holding a baby.

Yu Qing laughed at his teasing, “I used my ability back then, and Xiaoxue was about this size.”

During this time, Yu Xiaoxue’s growth rate had slowed down a lot. Instead of growing in size, she developed muscles, like the transition from adolescence to youth.

He explained the situation to Peng Shu, who was stunned.

“So Xiaoxue is actually this snow leopard?”

Yu Qing nodded, and Yu Xiaoxue, tired of playing with the ball, rested her forelimbs on his shoulders, half leaning against his back with her tail wrapped around his waist. If Yu Qing hadn’t stopped her, she would have licked his face.

Seeing the familiar intimate posture between the two, Peng Shu immediately believed, “So that’s how it is. I was wondering why Xiao… Song Xinqi changed so much the next day. So they switched back then?”

Yu Qing nodded heavily, warning him in a low voice, “When you see Song Xinqi, don’t mention anything from back then. He’s the leader of the safe zone now. If we touch on sensitive topics, he might kick us all out.”

However, Peng Shu was thinking about something else, “So you two aren’t together?”

“Of course not!” Yu Qing almost jumped up, vehemently denying, “I have no relationship with him at all. We even had a falling out. Since entering the safe zone, I haven’t seen him.”

After hearing Yu Qing’s words, Peng Shu’s secretive thoughts resurfaced, “So you don’t have any feelings for him?”

“Of course not,” Yu Qing said. “He’s Song Xinqi, who kills without blinking. Besides being a fierce cannon fodder, who dares to have feelings for him?”

Yu Qing decided to clear things up with Peng Shu once and for all, “It was all because of some irresistible circumstances that he was forced to take me along. In fact, he probably hates me now.”

“That’s good,” muttered Peng Shu.

Yu Qing placed Yu Xiaoxue, who had turned small, on his lap and rubbed her belly, “What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing,” Peng Shu abruptly changed the subject, “The task this morning was quite difficult to grab.”

Yu Qing hadn’t participated, but he knew about the frenzy at that time, “Yes, everyone in the safe zone relies on that for a living.”

Peng Shu turned to ask, “But why didn’t I see you at the task distribution place?”

This matter wasn’t a secret in the safe zone either. Yu Qing said, “I don’t need to do tasks.”

Peng Shu asked, “Why not?”

He shrugged, “Maybe Song Xinqi thinks I’m too useless to die outside.”

And that could drag him down too.

Acting on a hunch, Peng Shu couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure he really hates you?”

“Of course,” Yu Qing said animatedly. “He’s really bad to me. He’s not just harsh; he even gets physical. He pinches me!”

Peng Shu furrowed his brow. Yu Qing, who seemed delicate and in need of protection, shouldn’t be pinched. “That’s too much.”

“Yeah!” Yu Qing agreed.

Rarely able to badmouth Song Xinqi to someone else, he recounted all the bad things Song Xinqi had done to him to Peng Shu.

Peng Shu’s frown deepened as he listened, his voice tinged with anger, “He’s really out of line.”

“Right!” Yu Qing was excited. Peng Shu understood him; he was his confidant.

He wanted to say more when suddenly a cough came from outside the door. He turned abruptly and saw Wang Bo, who had come to deliver the meal.

He glanced at Peng Shu, a stranger, “Do you have guests at home?”

“Yeah, a friend,” Yu Qing said uncertainly, taking the meal box from him, which was still very plentiful with both meat and vegetables.

Peng Shu suddenly remembered he hadn’t gone to line up for food yet and quickly stood up, “I’ll go get some food too. I’ll come back to hang out later.”

Yu Qing nodded, “Okay, see you later.”

When Wang Bo returned to the canteen, Song Xinqi happened to come out from inside. Seeing him empty-handed, he knew he had come to deliver food.

After a moment of silence, he called him, “How’s that little waste?”

Wang Bo realized he was referring to Yu Qing, “He’s doing fine. He’s been pretty happy lately.”

“Happy?” Song Xinqi raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips. “What’s there for him to be happy about?”

“I think it’s because he made a friend. They were chatting happily in the yard,” Wang Bo said.

“What friend?”

“Just a slim, tall guy who looks sunny and healthy.”

Song Xinqi suppressed his smile. After half a month, Yu Qing seemed to be living quite comfortably, even starting to play his boring ‘make friends’ game again.

Song Xinqi asked, “What were they talking about?”

Wang Bo hesitated. Should he say?

Song Xinqi narrowed his eyes, sensing a sudden drop in temperature around him. Wang Bo said, “Um, they were talking… about you.”

A light laughter reached his ears, making his scalp tingle. He deeply regretted his earlier loose tongue.

“What did they say about me?”

Wang Bo hesitated, wondering if he should speak.

Song Xinqi’s eyes narrowed, a hint of laughter in them. “Say it. Say what bad things they said about me.”

After saying this, Wang Bo felt the atmosphere around him becoming even more terrifying. Luckily, his assistant intervened in time to save him from the trouble.

Assistant: “Boss, the team we sent out has returned. They have new information to report.”

Since the role of crystal nuclei had been popularized, human evolution had temporarily outpaced the zombies. However, no one could guarantee that the zombies wouldn’t bounce back, especially with the recent appearance of mutated animals and monsters fused with zombies. Apart from a few high-level superpowers, few could deal well with these fused monsters.

The geographical location of Zone X hadn’t reached Song Xinqi’s expectations. These days, with the initial completion of Zone X, he organized a team to search for a suitable location to establish a new safe zone. Now the team was back with new information.

With a dark expression, he walked outside. His assistant asked Wang Bo, puzzled, “Who angered the boss?”

Wang Bo shook his head.

Because Song Xinqi had a bad temper, few dared to provoke him under normal circumstances. This was the first time the assistant had seen him in such a bad mood.

Everyone in the safe zone was busy, and many were still struggling on the survival line. At noon, Peng Shu was lucky enough to snatch a mutant egg, which was as big as a palm. After some thought, he didn’t have the heart to eat it and put the egg in his pocket to find Yu Qing.

When he arrived in the yard, Yu Qing was holding a meal box, eating while chatting with a neighbor sister over the fence. The girl was a third-level healing-type superpower, crucial in the apocalypse, and therefore enjoyed the best benefits in the safe zone, a small villa with a yard as big as Yu Qing’s.

“Peng Shu, you’re here,” Yu Qing said, letting the snow leopard open the door.

“Look what I got,” Peng Shu said mysteriously, taking out the large egg from his pocket.

“An egg?” Yu Qing exclaimed, amazed. “That’s a really big one.”

Seeing his reaction, Peng Shu knew he had chosen right. “It’s for you.”

“Huh?” Yu Qing quickly declined, “I was just surprised. You worked hard to earn points for this by doing tasks, and I don’t really need it. I never lack food.”

Seeing Peng Shu insisted on giving it to him, he reluctantly placed it on the small table in the yard. “Wait here. I’ll give you something too.”

He went back into the house and picked out the larger cabbage from the two cabbages Uncle Zhang had given him. Before he even stepped out, he shouted, “This is the cabbage I got from Uncle Zhang . I’ll give you…”

Yu Qing realized the imposing figure standing in his yard and finally managed to say the last word slowly.

“One.”

When did Song Xinqi come here!

Peng Shu looked at Song Xinqi, holding the egg he had given Yu Qing, examining it with a dark, indistinguishable gaze.

Not seeing each other for half a month, Song Xinqi’s presence became even stronger. Yu Qing dared not speak in front of him in this state.

Song Xinqi said, “Yu Qing.”

Yu Qing stood straight and felt an inexplicable tension. “What is it?”

Song Xinqi walked up to him with the large egg in his hand. “What is this?”

“Huh?” Yu Qing’s eyes showed visible confusion. “An egg?”

Song Xinqi’s question made him uncertain.

“I don’t remember giving you eggs in your meals.”

“It’s from me,” Peng Shu suddenly spoke up. “Any problem?”

Song Xinqi turned to Peng Shu, chuckling disdainfully. Yu Qing sensed endless coldness emanating from him.

The next moment, Peng Shu’s face lost all color. He grunted and held his head, sitting down.

Yu Qing was startled. “Song Xinqi, what are you doing?”

Yu Qing wanted to help Peng Shu but was grabbed by Song Xinqi’s arm. The cabbage fell to the ground. “Pain…”

Song Xinqi loosened his grip, his face even darker. “You couldn’t eat what I gave you.”

Yu Qing started to hesitate, “I… the pain from the eyes was bad…”

Song Xinqi silently endured the pain, his face even more ugly.
He eased his grip on Peng Shu’s neck, but his expression grew even darker. “Was it something I gave you that made you unable to eat enough, needing others to come to your rescue?”

“No, I’m fine,” Yu Qing replied.

His meals were indeed considered plentiful throughout the entire safe zone.

Song Xinqi said sharply, “Then why are you accepting things from others?”

“It’s because I wanted to give him something,” Peng Shu interjected.

Song Xinqi launched a more intense psychic attack on him, his voice filled with menace. “Did I ask you to speak?”

“Song Xinqi, don’t do anything reckless,” Yu Qing feared he might do something out of line, but couldn’t break free from his grasp.

The more he felt Yu Qing struggling, the worse Song Xinqi’s expression became. He gritted his teeth. “Yu Qing, you never change. Just half a month without my watch, and you’re already getting cozy with someone else.”

“He’s my friend!” Yu Qing retorted angrily. “Why do you always like to wrongly accuse me? I haven’t flirted with anyone. I really haven’t. No matter how many times you say it, it’s still no. Stop using your presumptuous ideas to speculate about me!”

His outburst was sudden, catching Song Xinqi off guard. He hesitated for a moment, then took the opportunity to shake off his hand and ran to help Peng Shu up. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Peng Shu stood up, attempting to counterattack with his ability, but Song Xinqi preemptively countered it, and the electrical energy disappeared in an instant.

He looked at Song Xinqi with increased hostility, while Song Xinqi’s eyes held even more disdain.

Yu Qing, unaware of the brewing tension between the two, moved to shield Peng Shu a bit. Song Xinqi’s gaze swept between the two, finding Yu Qing’s support of Peng Shu particularly grating.

Struggling to break free from Song Xinqi’s hold, Yu Qing took a step forward, then another. “What are you doing!”

Only after positioning Yu Qing to his satisfaction did Song Xinqi cast a provocative glance at Peng Shu behind him. “That’s all.”

Song Xinqi picked up the fallen cabbage and held the large egg in his hand. “Confiscated.”

“Since you’re not short of food, from now on, all points earned from tasks will be halved.”

Yu Qing started to protest, “I…”

“One-third.”

Fearing he might deduct all of Peng Shu’s points, Yu Qing fell silent.

As Song Xinqi walked past them, leaving the yard, he glanced at Peng Shu. “Come over here.”

Peng Shu gave Yu Qing a reassuring look before following him.

Yu Qing wanted to follow, but his body was immobilized by psychic power and could only shout, “Song Xinqi, don’t do anything reckless!”

Ignoring Yu Qing’s plea, Song Xinqi proceeded.

Yu Qing wanted to say something more, but realized he couldn’t threaten him in any way. He could only palely say, “I’ll be really angry!”

“It’s none of my business if you’re angry,” Song Xinqi replied coldly.

On the street, pedestrians startled as Song Xinqi’s oppressive aura intensified, quickly moving away to avoid trouble.

Left behind, Yu Qing grew increasingly anxious, unable to see the two men anymore. He felt frustrated, wondering if Song Xinqi had deliberately come to upset him.

Once the psychic confinement lifted, he tried to sense their location, only to find that Song Xinqi had blocked all senses between them.

Meanwhile, in a dark alley, Song Xinqi suddenly turned, gripping Peng Shu’s neck. “Who are you.”

“I’m someone who was in the forest with the animal-controlling ability before we met.”

Song Xinqi thought for a moment, not recalling him at all. He never paid attention to unrelated people.

“Stay away from him,” he said in a low voice.

“On what grounds,” Peng Shu responded calmly the next second, feeling the suffocating sensation in his neck, but his expression remained composed. “He said we’re just friends, so why do you interfere with his friendships? What right do you have to make decisions on his behalf?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“He said you really dislike him, and he doesn’t like you either. You both find each other detestable. The best outcome would be never seeing each other again. Don’t you think you’re being too intrusive?”

A flash of killing intent flickered in Song Xinqi’s eyes, tightening his grip on Peng Shu’s neck, veins bulging on his forehead.

Suddenly, he recalled Yu Qing’s angry face when they parted ways, and those words, “I’ll be angry.”

He gritted his teeth, thinking, Can this little waste really threaten me?

Half a minute later, Peng Shu gasped for breath, clutching his neck, leaning heavily against the wall, watching Song Xinqi storm off in frustration.

On his way back, Song Xinqi grew angrier the more he thought about it. Was Yu Qing really so short of food that he’d be threatened by any small kindness from anyone, even just an egg?

He arrived at the canteen, his face darker than when he left. Wang Bo, seeing this, stuttered, “L-Leader, what are your orders?”

“Give that little waste an extra egg every day,” Song Xinqi pondered for a moment, then said fiercely, “And add an extra portion of vegetables… Can we grow fruits here?”

Wang Bo didn’t dare say it was impossible. “A level three plant-type ability user arrived yesterday. They can supposedly create plants out of thin air, so it’s worth a try.”

“Have the level three plant-type ability user report to the botanical garden tomorrow.”

After giving all instructions, he frowned. “Don’t mention it was me.”

“Okay.”

But any discerning person could guess who did it, right?!
——————–
https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah