WMSR – QT Chapter 120

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 120

By

siofra

Chapter 120: The Senior of the Apocalypse

This reality was unquestionably far more staggering than seeing Mr. Lin agree to join their ranks. After all, who was unaware of how fiercely independent and isolated Mr. Lin's temperament was—to the extreme extent of standing idly by as a persistent stalker met a gruesome death?

Yet an isolated man of that caliber had actually carried a human being all the way here. Had their eyes deceived them?

Subsequent events confirmed that their vision was entirely intact. The notoriously cold and aloof Mr. Lin transformed before their eyes, shifting into a remarkably tender demeanor as he gazed down at the bundled figure he had just unloaded, whispering with infinite gentleness as though fearful of shattering a delicate illusion: "Mengchen, we have arrived. Are you feeling cold at all?"

The figure swathed inside the black hooded cloak gave a quiet shake of their head.

The outpost members stood frozen in uniform bewilderment, their minds racing in unison: Who am I? Where is this? This must be a counterfeit Mr. Lin.

Perhaps prompted by the motion of shaking his head, the hood slipped backward, revealing a cascade of sleek, immaculate black hair. The individual turned around, offering a radiant, welcoming smile to the assembled crowd: "Hello there."

Absolute, pin-drop silence blanketed the area. No one returned the greeting because every single onlooker was utterly paralyzed by the arresting, breathtaking perfection of the face before them.

Author's Note:This marks the longest hiatus I've taken with this book—covers face—thankfully this chapter is nice and thick and chunky~

Chapter 60: The Senior of the Apocalypse (16)

Observing the stunned reactions of the surrounding crowd, Lin Jiawen's expression turned as dark as a thundercloud. Suppressing an immediate impulse to yank the heavy hood back over Bai Yichen's head, he swept his glacial, freezing gaze across the slack-jawed onlookers.

An ability wielder's intimidation factor was not to be underestimated. Pierced by Lin Jiawen's bone-chilling stare, the hypnotized crowd snapped violently back to reality, hastily offering nervous, deferential greetings to Bai Yichen. After all, a man possessing facial architecture surpassing pre-apocalyptic celebrities clearly bore zero resemblance to a random stray civilian picked up along the wasteland highway.

Naturally, any rational logician would reach the exact same conclusion; survivors rescued from the ruins invariably arrived coated in grime and tattered misery, whereas this young man's every single strand of hair radiated pristine freshness.

Witnessing the way Mr. Lin addressed the handsome youth with such tender, hushed devotion, the spectators silently praised their own tactical restraint in choosing not to overstep.

As the resident strategist of the outpost, Gu Song studied the breathtaking young man alongside the wielder whose gaze remained permanently glued to him. A sudden flash of insight illuminated the mystery: This was why Mr. Lin had spent the past five years operating as a solitary wolf, adamantly refusing all followers, and maintaining an iron heart capable of letting pursuers perish without batting an eye.

A shiver ran down Gu Song's spine as the realization locked into place. He instantly understood the baseline protocol required for handling this impossibly handsome youth: absolute courtesy, careful deference, and maintaining a strict, unbreachable physical boundary. Crossing that line invited the same brutal fate suffered by the zealous followers who had tracked Mr. Lin in the past.

Having grasped this pivotal rule, Gu Song began signaling furiously at the more overly enthusiastic members of his camp. Though the recipients failed to decode every layer of the warning, adhering blindly to Gu Song's operational directives had become a deeply ingrained reflex; instantly, the entire compound reined in their exuberance.

Lin Jiawen registered the quick adjustment, rewarding Gu Song with an approving nod.

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, Gu Song broke out in a cold sweat. A bullet narrowly dodged; thank goodness for quick situational awareness, or chaos might have ensued.

Lin Jiawen's residential enclave stood at a considerable distance from Gu Song's outpost. Factoring in the deliberately reduced transit pace adopted to accommodate Bai Yichen, the journey had consumed significant hours. Arriving late in the day, Lin Jiawen had zero intention of pushing onward immediately—primarily to shield Bai Yichen from exhaustion—opting instead to rest for the night before initiating the official march toward the survivor safe zone the following morning.

Gu Song raised no objections to the delay, proactively assigning Lin Jiawen and Bai Yichen to a private suite—a hospitality gesture that earned him an extra measure of approval.

Following a restorative night of uninterrupted sleep, the expedition resumed the next morning.

The pace of today's march proved even more sluggish than yesterday's inbound transit. Traveling alongside a caravan of foot-weary civilians laden with heavy cargo meant physical endurance was dictated by human limits, capping Lin Jiawen's velocity to match the collective crawl.

Yet despite the exceptionally slow march, Bai Yichen firmly declined Lin Jiawen's offers to carry him further, leaving a subtle trace of disappointment in the wielder's chest.

Meanwhile, during the previous evening's downtime, Gu Song had cascaded the strict boundary rules across the entire camp. Consequently, while today's travelers maintained a steady stream of curious, sidelong glances directed at Bai Yichen, not a single soul dared approach within uncomfortable proximity.

Moving in an orderly formation along the designated coordinate matrix, the contingent pressed forward toward the Lingxiao Survivor Base.

Lingxiao ranked among the premier, elite survivor safe zones currently operational across the continent, while conveniently serving as the geographically closest haven, making it the undisputed logical destination for their mass migration.

The governing protocols enforced at the Lingxiao entry gates were well-documented by Gu Song's prior scouting intel: mirroring standard practices across major safe zones, the facility operated under a strict "hard to enter, easy to exit" doctrine. Every incoming arrival—regardless of historical residency status—was subjected to rigorous quarantine screening, primarily focused on pathogen detection. Conversely, departing the safe zone was remarkably straightforward; individuals demonstrating zero possession of public infrastructure assets could clear exit registration with minimal administrative friction. Naturally, both ability wielders and civilians frequently sought to venture outside to scavenge supplies or gamble on external expeditions. However, re-entry required repeating the exhaustive biological decontamination screening from scratch. To streamline processing, long-term registered residents were issued specialized identification tokens granting priority access through the security checkpoints.

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