The male protagonist was no longer fighting alone. A group of young people, all evolvers, had gathered around him and treated him as their leader. Li Shu glanced at them briefly and then looked away. It seemed the protagonist had indeed started his rise to power, just like in the original plot.
This world’s male protagonist was different from the worlds where Li Shu had completed missions before. There was no romantic plotline here, and the protagonist was the sole main character. His happiness value wasn’t tied to love, but rather to his survival in the apocalypse. Someone who had witnessed the evils of human nature in this world wouldn’t easily believe in intangible emotions like love that are based solely on sensory judgment.
His friends had betrayed him, his family had betrayed him, and even those closest to him had done the same. How could he trust strangers he had only met in passing? He only believed in relationships maintained by mutual benefit.
As an ordinary person who needed protection, Li Shu sat inside the car. The evolvers in the team, such as Lin Xuan and others, were outside, keeping the infected at bay.
Through the car window, Li Shu could clearly see everything happening outside. Some of Lin Xuan’s actions left a deep impression on him. For example, Lin Xuan never let ordinary people charge into battle and become cannon fodder. This was a rare and commendable quality in the apocalypse, which explained why he would later become a force strong enough to rival the male protagonist.
During the period when tensions between evolvers and ordinary people were at their peak, Lin Xuan’s forces were among the few where both groups coexisted harmoniously.
There were many infected outside, and even the ordinary people in the team weren’t idle. Some who had the ability to fight the infected had already gotten out of the car. They partnered with the evolvers to eliminate any infected that approached the convoy.
The factions during the apocalypse hadn’t fully formed yet, and there were many teams like theirs migrating along the roads. Some were searching for family members, while others sought safer places to settle down. All of them were heading towards their respective destinations.
This road had been a transportation hub before the apocalypse. Most people traveling to various places would gather here, so it wasn’t surprising that there were so many infected here.
But Li Shu knew it wasn’t just that. The huge number of infected in this area was also a deliberate act by someone to stop the male protagonist from returning.
After the last encounter, the protagonist had completely shaken off the surveillance of the three factions. Those people had lost track of him entirely and had to resort to such crude methods to stop him.
Li Shu hadn’t planned to do anything, but someone couldn’t resist stirring up trouble.
Tan Chu wasn’t originally in the same car as him. To better protect the team members who couldn’t defend themselves, everyone had gathered in one vehicle, and Tan Chu took the opportunity to squeeze into Li Shu’s car.
Li Shu closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat with no intention of acknowledging him.
There were others in the car besides them and everyone was tense, which made Li Shu’s calm demeanor stand out even more.
“Brother Li Shu, aren’t you afraid?”
After some rustling, Li Shu heard someone ask. He opened his eyes and saw Tan Chu sitting next to him.
“Brother Li Shu, there are so many infected outside. Do you think Brother Lin Xuan and the others will be okay?”
Li Shu really didn’t want to pay attention to this person, but Tan Chu was like a buzzing bee, constantly buzzing in his ear. Annoyed, Li Shu finally said, “If you’re scared, don’t look. No one’s forcing you. If you’re worried about Lin Xuan, you can go out and help. What’s the point of complaining here?”
“Brother Li Shu, how can you talk like that? I know you don’t like me, but, but…” Tan Chu became more anxious as he spoke and his eyes turned red, as if someone had bullied him.
“It seems you’re well aware that I don’t like you. Who would like a third party who interfered in their relationship? Tell me, isn’t that right?” Li Shu turned his head, his cold gaze fixed on this pretentious man.
In 1314’s words, Tan Chu was a living embodiment of a white lotus. Every time something happened, he would put on a pitiful, innocent act. The original owner had suffered countless grievances because of him.
Li Shu had no intention of suffering in silence. If Tan Chu tried to use this act on him, he wasn’t afraid to push back directly. And he had reasons that could leave the other party speechless. He wasn’t someone who believed in protecting delicate flowers, especially when someone like Tan Chu didn’t deserve his protection.
“I…”
Before Tan Chu could finish, Li Shu interrupted, “Tan Chu, you and I both know what kind of person you are. There’s no need to put on an act in front of me. My eyes aren’t blind. I can see clearly what kind of person you are. Don’t waste your time here. I’m not buying it.”
The more Li Shu spoke, the worse Tan Chu’s expression became. He couldn’t understand why Li Shu seemed like a completely different person these past few days. He hadn’t been able to gain any advantage from him. Because Li Shu had ruthlessly exposed all of his actions, the small group of people he had managed to win over had all left him. All his hard work had come to nothing. How could he be satisfied with that?
He wouldn’t give up. If he could succeed once, he could succeed a second time. Now, it wasn’t just about stealing Lin Xuan from Li Shu. Anything Li Shu cared about, he wanted to take away.
Finally, the road blocked by the infected was cleared through the combined efforts of everyone. Lin Xuan returned to the car, saw Tan Chu sitting in the back seat, and frowned. “Why are you here?”
At this point, Lin Xuan felt nothing for Tan Chu, not even a little. He even resented him. If it weren’t for Tan Chu, how could things between him and Li Shu have escalated to this point? Li Shu had even brought up breaking up with him.
After their fallout, Lin Xuan thought back on Tan Chu’s actions. He realized that all those supposedly coincidental encounters had been carefully orchestrated. How could he not see that he had been played all along?
He had always believed that he had everything under control, yet in the end, he still fell into someone else’s trap. If Li Shu hadn’t asked for a breakup, if Li Shu hadn’t said those things, he might still be manipulated by this person. And to think he had hurt Li Shu for this person.
Tan Chu was clearly shocked that Lin Xuan would say such a thing. He had noticed Lin Xuan’s recent coldness towards him, but he had assumed it was because of Li Shu. Panicking, he raised his head and intentionally let his slightly red eyes catch Lin Xuan’s gaze. “Brother Lin Xuan, I…”
“Get out and go where you belong.” Looking at the tearful face, Lin Xuan’s pupils contracted rapidly and his hands clenched tightly. It was like this again, every time. Putting on this expression made him think that Li Shu had bullied him. But in reality, who was bullying whom was far from certain.
Tan Chu’s face turned even paler. He hadn’t expected Lin Xuan to treat him this way. Before he could react, Lin Xuan had already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the car.
The others in the car kept their eyes down, pretending not to see anything, and not a single person spoke up for Tan Chu.
Lin Xuan’s actions weren’t exactly rough, but they weren’t gentle either. Tan Chu stood outside the car in a daze. With a “bang”, the door slammed shut in his face.
The commotion attracted the attention of those who hadn’t yet left. Being treated this way in front of everyone, with so many eyes on him, Tan Chu wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Knowing that Li Shu was in that car, Gu Lin couldn’t help but glance over a few times. The man next to him noticed and exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Lin asked.
“Isn’t that Lin Xuan’s little lover? He used to be so favored, but now… Has he fallen out of favor?” The man stroked his chin in confusion.
“Lin Xuan? Doesn’t he have a partner?” Ever since he left that day, Gu Lin had been uneasy. He knew Lin Xuan and Li Shu were a well-known couple, and everyone said they were deeply in love. They had even built up Lin Xuan’s current faction together. Gu Lin had assumed Lin Xuan was happy, but now he wasn’t so sure.
“Hah, what’s the big deal?” The man became animated as he began to gossip. His boss was good at everything except being too dull. Now that he finally showed interest in something, the man wanted to say more.
He enthusiastically explained the love triangle between Lin Xuan, Li Shu, and Tan Chu, oblivious to the increasingly gloomy Gu Lin.
In the end, the man concluded, “If you ask me, Li Shu should just kick Lin Xuan out, and that little white lotus should be dealt with too. Boss, boss, what’s wrong?”
Before he could finish voicing his opinion, he finally noticed the low pressure around him and looked over in shock. Oh no, his boss’s face had gone dark. Had he said something that upset his boss? What was going on?
Gu Lin hadn’t expected Li Shu’s situation to be so difficult. With a third party interfering and his boyfriend constantly siding with others, it was no wonder that when he saw Li Shu that day, there wasn’t anyone protecting him. He should have realized it sooner.
He thought to himself that he should do something, as compensation for his earlier negligence.
Li Shu had no idea that the male protagonist had already imagined him as a pitiful, bullied victim and was now preparing to stand up for him. Along the way, Lin Xuan tried to start a conversation several times, but Li Shu only responded with indifferent “Mm,” “Ah,” or “Oh.” Eventually, Lin Xuan stopped talking, and the car fell into silence.
Li Shu closed his eyes and began thinking about what to do next and how to get closer to the male protagonist naturally. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
Hearing the steady breathing of the person next to him, Lin Xuan turned to look at Li Shu. He hadn’t really looked at him in a long time. He knew that things had reached this point mainly because of him. He was the one who had hurt this person—the person he once vowed to protect for a lifetime and never let him suffer any grievance.
He knew he was wrong. He was willing to change, to make amends, as long as Li Shu would give him a chance—just one more chance…
When Li Shu woke up, it was nearly dark. They had arrived at a gas station and the car stopped for a brief resupply.
As he moved, the clothing draped over him slipped off. Li Shu looked at the clothing for a moment, then turned his gaze away.
He was the only one left in the car. Outside, an evolver stood guard and, upon seeing Li Shu, spoke up, “The captain and the others are inside. Please follow me.”
The evening breeze was a bit chilly, so Li Shu pulled his clothes tighter. “I’ll just wander around. You don’t need to follow me.”
This was a large gas station, and there were groups of people coming and going. Some were gathered in threes and fives, talking quietly.
Tan Chu had been keeping an eye on Li Shu’s movements and, seeing him alone, quietly followed.
When Li Shu reached the edge of the area, he stopped. “You’ve been following me for so long. Come out.”
Tan Chu stepped out from behind a cover, his expression unreadable.
On the other side, Gu Lin was listening to someone report on the surrounding situation. His gaze shifted to a particular spot, and paused. “Wait, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Before the person on the other end could react, Gu Lin had already gotten up and left. He was heading straight in the direction where Li Shu was.
“Speak up. Why are you following me?” Li Shu crossed his arms and looked at the person in front of him.
