WMSR – QT Chapter 119

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 119

By

siofra

Chapter 119: The Senior of the Apocalypse

Therefore, after thoroughly weighing every perspective, Lin Jiawen concluded that aligning with the survivor outpost to migrate toward a major survivor safe zone represented his absolute best course of action.

Relocating to a centralized safe zone solved far more than a single logistics dilemma; anchoring themselves within a primary hub of resources unlocked comprehensive conveniences and elevated living standards across every conceivable domain—mirroring precisely why human populations naturally flocked toward massive metropolitan hubs before the apocalypse.

And he was resolved to offer the person he loved the absolute pinnacle of everything.

Reaching that internal consensus, Lin Jiawen finally locked down his decision.

When Lin Jiawen shared the plan with Bai Yichen, the youth registered visible astonishment; he had failed to anticipate that external shifts would escalate to the point where even the final refugee outpost in his residing metropolis was preparing to evacuate.

Lin Jiawen outlined the move not only by announcing the intent but by delivering a meticulous structural breakdown detailing the multifold advantages of relocating to a safe zone. Listening to the rationale, Bai Yichen raised zero objections. Though lingering skepticism toward safe zones—fueled by their notoriously harsh treatment of ordinary citizens—remained embedded in his mind, observing the steady degradation of their canned food inventory had long since pushed him to mentally prepare for eventual displacement. The fact that Lin Jiawen's motivations centered primarily around optimizing his safety made acceptance effortless.

With departure finalized, and the outpost scheduling its exit immediately preceding the onset of winter—a season growing progressively sharper by the day—the two men commenced the meticulous sorting of their possessions.

As Bai Yichen organized his belongings, a sudden realization struck him, prompting an amused, self-deprecating chuckle. He internally chided himself for his irrational paranoia the previous afternoon, marveling at how easily he had slipped into suspecting Lin Jiawen of mirroring that person.

It was a textbook case of once bitten, twice shy. While certain habits coincidentally aligned, concrete reality proved they could never occupy the same mold. Given the pathological, obsessive temperament characterizing that person, encountering a parallel predicament would have triggered a vastly different response—such as locking him away inside an eternal, isolated cage.

Lin Jiawen remained entirely oblivious to the fact that his rigorous suppression of his darkest, most destructive impulses had inadvertently allowed him to dodge a lethal bullet of suspicion.

Once the marching orders were set, Bai Yichen packed with brisk efficiency. Despite this residence originating as Ling Mengchen's home and accumulating five years of accumulated living wares, factoring in the logistical nightmare of manual travel devoid of functional motor transport, Bai Yichen rigorously filtered his belongings down to absolute essentials, consolidating everything neatly into a single piece of luggage.

Yet upon observing Bai Yichen select such a meager volume of items, Lin Jiawen immediately intervened, instructing him to pull out any extra treasures he fancied, reassuring him that whatever couldn't be carried today could easily be retrieved on a subsequent round-trip.

Knowing full well that "retrieving them later" implied brute-forcing transport via physical labor, Bai Yichen rejected the notion of putting his partner through unnecessary strain, offering a gentle shake of his head: "No need. This is more than enough."

Hearing the refusal, Lin Jiawen experienced a warm, syrupy surge of affection. Recognizing that the youth's restraint stemmed from deep-seated consideration for his wellbeing, he silently resolved to secure a safe zone accommodation first before organizing solo retrieval runs to transport all those cherished books.

With luggage secured, the duo selected a crisp, clear weather window and officially stepped out into the open world.

Simultaneously, at the survivor outpost, both ordinary civilians and ability wielders had largely completed their pre-migration preparations, having exhausted their remaining duties post-autumn harvest.

Technically, camp readiness permitted an immediate exit; yet driven by a persistent, lingering variable, the entirety of the faction elected to stall their departure until the brink of winter.

Though maintaining a fragile filament of hope, Gu Song's tactical breakdown days prior had sobered everyone's expectations; the odds of integrating the elite wielder remained depressingly thin, dampening the camp's celebratory vigor.

As time marched forward, that microscopic hope steadily eroded. Days dissolved without a whisper of contact, confirming Gu Song's assessment: the formidable wielder possessed zero intention of aligning with their convoy. It stood to reason—such unearned, miraculous windfalls rarely materialized in reality.

The psychological deflation cast a heavy, lingering gloom across the compound. Survival in the apocalypse was dictated strictly by raw power; moving into a safe zone offered zero guarantee of comfort, condemning the unpowered to subjugation and abuse. Their preliminary scouting expeditions into the safe zones had already laid bare those brutal realities.

Just as despair fully cemented itself across the camp—with morale sustained only by stubborn, unyielding stubbornness to delay evacuation until the final seasonal threshold—a scout monitoring the perimeter from an elevated vantage point suddenly snapped his head upward: "Movement on the horizon!"

The entire outpost snapped to high alert. The combat wielders, spearheaded by Gu Song, rushed instantly to the front lines. Utilizing enhanced visual acuity granted by their supernatural abilities, the vanguard perceived approaching details far sharper than ordinary sentries. Almost instantly, their expressions shattered into a mixture of sheer disbelief and ecstatic euphoria—it was undeniably Mr. Lin!

What sent their hearts hammering into overdrive, however, was the sight of a physical piece of luggage dangling from Mr. Lin's hand. Traveling alongside packed luggage signaled an intention whose implications required zero articulation.

Yet a lingering visual anomaly nagged at their focus: Had Mr. Lin gained a massive amount of weight... why did his silhouette appear so strangely proportioned?

As the wielder approached the barricade at an uncharacteristically measured pace, the truth crystallized: the man wasn't physically heavy at all. Cradled securely against his chest was an integrated payload completely swathed in pitch-black fabric and partially cloaked beneath his flapping trench coat, creating a deceptive bulk from a distance.

Seizing upon the long-awaited miracle, an ecstatic Gu Song and his inner circle rushed forward without pausing to analyze the finer logistics, throwing open the gates. To their utter bewilderment, upon stepping inside the compound perimeter, Mr. Lin bypassed their enthusiastic greetings entirely, gently lowering his precious cargo down onto the earth. Only then did the onlookers realize that the bundled, trench-coat-shielded figure cradled through the journey was not an inanimate supply pack at all—it was a human being.

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