PSW - Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Zhu Lanyuan had no idea where Zheng Yi had gotten a whole box of satsuma oranges. But then again, it was normal for someone like Zheng Yi to have secrets. Zhu Lanyuan suppressed any undue curiosity, not even asking about Zheng Yi's abilities, and simply smiled in thanks. "Well then, we won't be polite~"

A heavy box of satsuma oranges materialized on the floor. Zhu Lanyuan quickly scooped it up and set it by the coffee table before introducing the newcomers to the group. "These are the Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan I've often mentioned. They're both very powerful ability users."

"Captain, stop chatting and come help!" The temporary kitchen was in chaos. Wu Dailing poked her head out and cried in exasperation, "Qi Lingshu doesn't know how to cook at all! She used sugar instead of salt! She's ruined all the green peppers and shredded pork I worked so hard to get!"

"I'm washing it! I'm washing it! After I wash it, we can re-season and stir-fry it again, it'll still be edible!" Seeing Wu Dailing tattling, Qi Lingshu couldn't stand it anymore. She hurriedly dragged Wu Dailing back into the kitchen, clamped a hand over her mouth, and then shouted, "No need to come in, I can handle it! My cooking is top-notch!"

All the noisy bickering actually created a festive New Year's atmosphere.

Quite a few of the women had already arrived in the living room. They had been standing up one by one as Zhu Lanyuan introduced them to Zheng Yi, but after hearing Wu Dailing's outburst, a slightly older woman couldn't help but speak up. "Why don't you let me? I've been cooking for years and know how to make all the big dishes for a New Year's Eve dinner."

"If it's just simple home-style stir-fry, I'm actually pretty decent. Why don't you, Zhu Jie, and the others rest and let us do it?" another young woman chimed in.

"I'm the one treating you all to dinner; it wouldn't be right to make you work. Let me introduce everyone, and I'll go cook in a bit. I was planning to do it myself all along—I just asked them to lend a hand while I went out to get my friends." Zhu Lanyuan waved dismissively, strode between the two women, and gently pushed them back onto the sofa. "This is Wang Jingzhu, and this is Xiu Shuhua." After telling Zheng Yi their names, she smiled and continued the introductions. "That's Sun Ziying, and she's Yang Fangfang. This is Jiang Manyin; she's awakened as an Enhanced-type ability user."

"This is Li Chenxu, who awakened as a Healing ability user."

"This is…"

Zhu Lanyuan was very earnest with her introductions. Some of the women whose names were called were a bit shy, just nodding and smiling at Zheng Yi as a greeting. Others came right over to shake her hand, formally making her acquaintance.

"There's also Zhou Keke and Zhang Ruonan, who haven't arrived yet. They took on a mission for contribution points. But they'll definitely be back before dinner." Zhu Lanyuan explained as she pulled Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan to sit on the sofa. Then she opened the box of satsumas, got a plate from the kitchen, and passed them around for everyone to eat. She hadn't prepared a fruit platter or anything, as she hadn't planned on having fruit in the first place. After all, not only did it cost a lot of contribution points, but it was also a scarce commodity that was hard to buy. Forget fruit, she didn't even have sunflower seeds or anything like that.

"It's alright~" Zheng Yi smiled, peeled a satsuma, and popped half into Yu Yinan's mouth before eating the other half herself. "I brought some ingredients too. Let me make a couple of dishes later, and maybe a soup as well."

"That's… you're being too generous."

"It's New Year's Eve dinner~ Jiejie and I are very happy to be able to eat with everyone, it's so lively." Zheng Yi said with a smile. Seeing that the others weren't taking any satsumas, she picked up a few and pressed them into the hands of those nearest to her. "Go on, eat. It's such a big box, it would be a shame if they went bad."

Zheng Yi was warm, charming, and pretty, and she chatted with them without putting on any airs. Gradually, they relaxed and began telling her what they'd been up to and how things had changed since arriving at the shelter. They didn't shy away from their pasts, even complaining about a few ability users who had relentlessly harassed them in the beginning.

"We were so lucky to have Zhu Jie and her team back then. Without their help, we probably wouldn't have made it through." These women no longer rashly or proactively mentioned the existence of the Saint to others, but speaking of the past, they were just as grateful to Zhu Lanyuan's squad of ability users. "It wasn't just ability users who came to gawk at us, but also some ordinary people, most of whom were men."

"Most of them?"

"Mhm… there were a few women too. Most of them just gossiped behind our backs, looked down on us, or spat on the ground behind us as we passed. It wasn't really a big deal, right? At most, we'd get a few dirty looks, which didn't hurt. But there was one weirdo… we don't know if it was her husband or boyfriend, but that idiot came to harass us multiple times. When the woman found out, she came to our tent, threw a tantrum, splashed urine at our door, and accused us of seducing her man… anyway, it was all just filthy, unspeakable language. Back then, too, it was thanks to Chu Yi. She brought the patrolling ability users to arrest the woman and detain her for a day for a verbal warning. After they released her, they arrested her man and locked him up for three days, saying they were being punished for public urination and polluting the shelter's environment."

"Later on, some of us started awakening abilities one after another, and the overt harassment stopped."

"I see…" Zheng Yi thought. Even in the apocalypse, relationships between ordinary people are still like this? Could it be that the conditions at Humanity's Light Shelter are too good, making their lives too comfortable and easy? Or maybe they have no entertainment and no power, so their only option is to bully their weaker, more defenseless compatriots?

"And the high-heat period! If it weren't for Zhu Jie and her team, we probably would have died of heat or thirst!" another young woman added loudly. Zheng Yi glanced at her, matching the face to a name. This is… Li Chenxu? The Healing ability user.

Zheng Yi saw these people's names three times a month, and now she could finally put faces to them. However… there were also a few names that had appeared before that could no longer be matched to anyone.

Zheng Yi just smiled and listened to them talk, chiming in from time to time, and quickly blended in. Yu Yinan also listened intently, but her hands were busy peeling satsumas. After peeling one, she would meticulously remove the white pith before placing the perfectly clean little orange in Zheng Yi's palm.

"Jiejie, you should eat some too~" Zheng Yi had been fed several in a row and finally had to say to Yu Yinan with a helpless smile, "If you keep feeding me like this, I'm going to be full."

"Ah, okay." Yu Yinan paused for a moment, then popped the orange she was holding—the one with only half its pith removed—into her own mouth.

"Are you two biological sisters? I noticed you have different surnames…" The girl, Sun Ziying, had a slightly round, baby-faced look. She watched Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi's interaction and couldn't help but ask curiously, "And your sister seems so cold and aloof~"

"No, we're not biological sisters~ Jiejie is just not good at socializing, she's not cold at all." Zheng Yi smiled and took Yu Yinan's hand. "We're a couple. She's my girlfriend."

"Eh?"

They were slightly taken aback, but quickly accepted it and said with a smile, "You two are a great match. Is it okay to ask how you met?"

"Oh, that. We met after the apocalypse started. Jiejie seems cold on the outside, but she's warm on the inside. She's really good to me." Zheng Yi's eyes curved into crescents as she leaned her head on Yu Yinan's shoulder, looking just like a young lover in the throes of a sweet romance.

"It seems like you two aren't in the shelter most of the time, huh? I don't think we've ever really seen you around before."

"Mhm, we prefer exploring outside, searching for supplies and things." Zheng Yi smiled. "Before the apocalypse, I wanted to travel to different cities, but I was too busy with my studies and never had the time. Now that it's the apocalypse, I have plenty of time. It can be a bit dangerous, but Jiejie and I are both ability users. As long as we're a little careful, we can always turn danger into safety."

"Speaking of which, we've been to a lot of places since the apocalypse! We first met in Qiding." Zheng Yi omitted some of the bloodier experiences from their journey, simply listing the cities they had visited and telling them some embellished travel stories.

"A water ability… that's so convenient. I wish I were a water ability user too." As she listened, another woman muttered quietly in frustration, "I just wish I could become an ability user."

"Me too. Any kind of ability would be fine, as long as I could help everyone."

When Zheng Yi mentioned that she wanted to see the ocean, so she and Yu Yinan went to Chuanyang, most of their faces showed open envy. This freedom to do as one pleased, even in the apocalypse, was something they longed for but could hardly possess.

And when Zheng Yi spoke of the small coastal fishing village and the deeds of the entire village, Wang Jingzhu couldn't help but say, "Why is it always men who do things like this?"

"The apocalypse comes, and ordinary men want to exploit ordinary women. Male ability users want to exploit ordinary women and female ability users weaker than them. And these types always stick together!" she said angrily. "And then there are some women… I'm not talking about the ones who compromise themselves to survive, that's out of necessity. But some women clearly have the ability to live on their own, yet they insist on finding a more powerful ability user to submit to. That's fine, it's their choice, but there are always a few traitors among them who will follow those men and turn their blades on their fellow women."

"It's that scum like to stick together, and they find each other easily. In that kind of environment, even neutral people can easily be corrupted. After all, it's the apocalypse. Morality and law have all collapsed, and there's nothing left to restrain them." Jiang Manyin sighed and said this, then quickly looked at Zheng Yi. "And then what happened?"

"Ah, Jiejie is a very powerful fire ability user. We burned all the evil people in that village to death." Zheng Yi smiled and looked at Yu Yinan, giving her the credit. "But our abilities are limited, so we couldn't give the rescued people much help. There were fishing boats there, so we went out to sea, caught some fish, and shared it with them. They are all very strong. Most of them have moved on from the shadows, working hard, supporting and helping each other to survive on their own."

"…Is that so?" The story of the fishing village resonated with most of the women present. The experiences of the village women were very similar to their own. It was just that the fishing village incident happened during the high-heat period, so those women were also treated as food reserves and mobile blood banks. But there was no need to compare suffering.

"Cremation… that's letting that scum off easy." a young woman muttered, her eyes red as tears welled up. "They should have been given death by a thousand cuts, hung up alive and thrown into the sea to be eaten bit by bit by the fish."

Zheng Yi couldn't help but glance at the girl again, thinking to herself, That's actually a great idea. Too bad I didn't think of it at the time. Still, letting those girls take matters into their own hands was a good way for them to vent their anger.

She checked the time and smelled the aroma of food from the kitchen, so she stood up. "Zhu… Zhu Jie should be about done. I'll go help stir-fry a couple of dishes~ All you sisters have to try my cooking~"

As soon as she stood up, Yu Yinan instinctively stood up with her. But Zheng Yi turned and pressed her back down by the shoulders. "My jiejie is shy. You can chat with her. I'll leave her in your care~"

Yu Yinan looked up at Zheng Yi, about to say she could help out, but Zheng Yi just smiled and shook her head before turning and walking toward the temporary kitchen without a backward glance. Yu Yinan pressed her lips together. Not wanting to disobey Zheng Yi, she sat back down, somewhat dejected, only to look up and meet several pairs of curious eyes.

Yu Yinan: …

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