WMSR – QT Chapter 117

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 117

By

siofra

Chapter 117: The Senior of the Apocalypse

In the past, Bai Yichen had never linked the two figures together, given that their physical appearances and temperaments felt entirely distinct, and he had consistently avoided dwelling on memories of that person. Yet following the involuntary association triggered the previous afternoon, Bai Yichen was startled to realize that despite their superficial differences, certain behavioral patterns exhibited a high degree of structural similarity. Even upon closer reflection, their dietary preferences shared subtle commonalities—nuances that had previously avoided detection only due to the chronic scarcity of resources characteristic of this apocalypse.

Yet Suyan Hang belonged to an entirely different reality; this was a completely decoupled universe. Could those two individuals genuinely share a direct connection?

Without requiring deep analysis, Bai Yichen recognized the sheer absurdity of such a hypothesis. Even so, he found himself unable to shake a persistent, unsettling sense of unease.

Historically, Bai Yichen had always perceived Lin Jiawen's treatment of him as exceptionally benevolent—bordering on excessive—leaving him with a quiet undercurrent of undeserved guilt. But once he superimposed Lin Jiawen onto the shadow of the man residing within his memories, his entire perspective destabilized. He noticed how countless gestures of care, when carefully dissected, mirrored the exact behaviors that person used to exhibit toward him.

This included tending to his houseplants and executing actions designed precisely to cater to his personal preferences.

Bai Yichen's mind drifted back to the frantic, unhinged extremes Suyan Hang had resorted to at the terminus of his previous world, contrasted against his own existence over the past five full years—sequestered entirely within an apartment, sustained almost exclusively by Lin Jiawen's provisions without stepping foot outside a single time. Though he understood that without Lin Jiawen, survival to the present day would have been statistically impossible, the prospect of Lin Jiawen embodying that person sent a sharp, involuntary chill down his spine.

Ultimately, the night dissolved in a blur of restless tossing and turning, leading to a visibly fatigued expression when Bai Yichen woke the following morning.

Noticing the youth's lethargic state, Lin Jiawen immediately tensed up. Only after conducting repeated inquiries and confirming that Bai Yichen was entirely free of physical illness did Lin Jiawen exhale a collective sigh of relief, his internal tension fully evaporating.

The medical infrastructure of the apocalypse remained chronically scarce and volatile. While Lin Jiawen possessed specialized wielder physiology guaranteeing immunity to ordinary ailments, ordinary civilians within this era remained as biologically fragile as their pre-apocalyptic ancestors, left completely exposed to increasingly complex microbial hazards without access to functional clinical care. Consequently, every time Bai Yichen manifested signs of fatigue, Lin Jiawen experienced acute anxiety—fully aware that if a major systemic pathology struck, he lacked any viable means of intervention, and losing this individual represented an unendurable catastrophe.

In that moment of vulnerability, Gu Song's words from the previous afternoon drifted back into Lin Jiawen's consciousness: large-scale survivor safe zones offered not only enhanced security, but vastly superior material provisions.

If material resources were more abundant, medical supplies and specialized personnel should logically prove more accessible as well. As a centralized hub for humanity's remaining population, relocating there might finally liberate him from his chronic terror of sudden environmental crises.

The internal resistance that Lin Jiawen had maintained since returning from the survivor outpost finally exhibited a subtle crack.

Meanwhile, over at the survivor outpost, having just concluded the autumn harvest and preparing for their pre-winter migration, both ability wielders and ordinary residents were enjoying a rare window of leisure.

Since agricultural cycles required no immediate preparation for subsequent sowing, the camp's non-combatants spent their time cooking communal meals or attending to personal chores while evaluating transport logistics, fostering an atmosphere of relaxed ease.

The settlement was neither exceptionally massive nor microscopic, housing roughly three hundred individuals split between ability wielders and civilians. Aside from Gu Song and a handful of other elite wielders, nearly half of the civilian population possessed blood or marital ties to the wielder contingent, with the remainder consisting of independent rescued survivors.

Perhaps due to its compact scale, or because so many civilians shared familial bonds with the combatants, the settlement's internal harmony was striking. Though Gu Song and his inner circle enjoyed the standard privileges of power-wielders, they rarely adopted an air of haughty superiority.

At that moment, Gu Song and his companions were gathered in a circle inside a communal dwelling, casually conversing while waiting for their rations to finish boiling.

Finally, the youngest ability wielder in the group yielded to his curiosity and spoke up: "Gu Song-ge, do you think he'll actually join us?"

Even though the junior wielder relied solely on a pronoun to reference the target, no one in the room misunderstood the identity in question. Instantly, all eyes gravitated toward Gu Song. While everyone had maintained a disciplined silence on the topic previously, the question remained universally pressing: would an ability wielder of that staggering caliber genuinely assimilate into their ranks?

Confronted by an array of eager, hopeful gazes, Gu Song withheld an immediate reply. He inhaled deeply, weighed his words for a measured beat, and delivered a sober assessment: "It's possible, but the probability is under fifty percent."

"Why is that..." A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the group. Under fifty percent effectively translated to a negligible likelihood of recruitment. For a vulnerable faction fearing mistreatment upon integrating into a sprawling safe zone, the deflation was palpable.

The youngest, most volatile wielder immediately voiced his protest: "Why wouldn't he? If he doesn't travel with us, Z City won't have anyone left to supply him with provisions. What's the point of surviving out here completely alone?"

Though Gu Song understood the group's underlying yearning, he sought to prevent counterproductive optimism; inflated expectations invariably magnified future despair. Providing a clear, rational breakdown served their collective interests far better. He sighed softly: "Do you genuinely believe that a powerful wielder capable of operating independently and moving freely through the deep interior of Z City would struggle to secure food?"

Gu Song's inquiry plunged the entire room into reflective silence.

Gu Song pressed on: "That's right—once we evacuate, Z City will cease agricultural production. But the surplus materials demanded by surrounding survivor bases remain staggeringly abundant right here in Z City. For an elite wielder capable of traversing the ruins at will, acquiring those reserves is effortless. Transporting those supplies to the nearest safe zone to barter for sustenance would require roughly a two-day round trip for someone of Mr. Lin's caliber. Therefore, our departure merely introduces a minor logistical inconvenience for him."

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