Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System-Chapter 68: Foundations of a Fortress - Meeting the New Recruits (II)

Chapter 68: Foundations of a Fortress - Meeting the New Recruits (II)

Shen Yifei — POV

March 17th, 2025 — 1:59 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Jiang Roulan’s Apartment

I hated this kind of conversation.

Too direct and serious, more like they were laying out contracts instead of feelings.

Jiang Roulan was graceful about it—blunt, but warm. Mu Qinglan? Each word carried a cold, sharp ice like hidden blades waiting to cut me into threads. She just had a way of making the room colder than it should be.

Me?

What could I say, ’Oh I love your boyfriends lips!’ It was asking to get on her bad side; that wasn’t the way to survive. I am just some woman who helps him, and she is his girlfriend.

My first kiss isn’t going to make him suddenly change... or love me.

I wasn’t good with this. I wasn’t used to talking about how I felt, especially not about John.

Especially not with them.

Roulan turned toward me with that gentle smile of hers. The kind that felt more like a nudge than pressure.

"Yifei, what about you?"

I kept my gaze low, thumb brushing the rim of the mug in my hand. The tea inside had gone cold.

"I’m not chasing anyone," I said finally. "And I don’t need to explain myself just because of a kiss."

Lies, all lies... If he gave me a chance, I would do anything to earn his protection. Before meeting him, even survival seemed impossible, but now I could fight the zombies and felt myself growing stronger.

All because of John!

Roulan didn’t interrupt.

Neither did Qinglan.

I exhaled slowly. "He’s... capable. Reliable. Not a total idiot, even if he acts like one sometimes."

Qinglan arched a brow. I ignored her.

"And... yeah. He’s not bad to look at. There. You wanted honesty, you got it."

I paused. Then added, voice quieter this time:

"But don’t expect me to fight over him."

Roulan’s smile didn’t change, but her eyes softened. Qinglan just looked away, arms still folded.

I stood up.

"If he chooses someone else, fine. If he comes to me, that’s different. But I won’t beg for his attention."

Because of the silent pressure, I ended up speaking too much again. Mu Qinglan’s eyes scared me—she sometimes seemed a little strange. So I escaped and walked toward the hallway, pulling the blanket tighter.

He gave me this blanket... it reminded me of home, soft and warm. I wondered if I could ever return home. I felt like studying in this city was a mistake.

No... it would have been if I didn’t meet John and Roulan.

"Anyway... I’m tired. That’s all I have to say."

And I left before either of them could see how hot my ears were.

I couldn’t let Mu Qinglan know... That I remembered everything... and kissed him back by choice, not because of the nasty-tasting potion.

John, you are such an idiot!

—

John Wang – POV

March 17th, 2025 — 2:03 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Jiang Roulan’s Apartment

The moment I stepped back inside, the air shifted again.

Mu Qinglan was seated, legs crossed, arms folded. Calm—but not relaxed. Jiang Roulan leaned against the far counter, sipping something warm, eyes half-lidded, watching me like she already knew what I’d say before I said it.

But before I could speak, something fast barrelled out from the hallway.

"Wait—!"

A blur of blanket and bare skin collided with my chest.

My reflexes caught her—arms wrapping instinctively around a familiar, very soft shape. My hands pressed into her back. Then lower.

And lower.

Full. Warm. Soft through the thin t-shirt, but unmistakably feminine. My palm flexed slightly—reflex, instinct—and I felt her buttocks shift under my touch.

Then, on the other hand—

Oh.

Her breasts pressed against me, heavier than I remembered. Softer. Fuller. The slight bounce and squish of them made my throat tighten for a reason that had nothing to do with danger.

She buried her face in my chest, taking slow, deep breaths against my collar.

"...Sorry," she mumbled.

I blinked.

My brain caught up a second too late and realised it was Shen Yifei. Because normally, she would say something nasty or complain at me.

It was kind of cute.

’That was... not how I remembered her body. Has she really changed that much since her evolution?’

She didn’t move for a few moments, her fingers gripping my shirt while flicking her ice-blue eyes up at me, watching me like a rabbit.

Then her eyes flicked upward, right past my cheek, and I felt it.

The temperature drop.

Mu Qinglan gazed at us with a sharp scowl, but remained silent. But Yifei jerked back as if electrocuted.

"I-I wasn’t running! Just walking by! You were in the way!"

She spun, half-tripping over the edge of the blanket, flushed from neck to ears.

"I wasn’t thinking anything weird either!"

The elevator chimed behind her. She dived inside and rolled along the ground as the doors closed with a hiss.

Silence.

I exhaled through my nose.

"...Still happening."

Behind me, Roulan chuckled.

Qinglan didn’t say a word.

But I could feel her glare against my spine like a line of frost sliding down my back.

’This day’s only getting more complicated...’

—

March 17th, 2025 — 2:11 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Second Floor, Apartment 204

—

Finally, I managed to get the cats wrangled and following me.

Although Shen Yifei remained on the ninth floor, Jiang Roulan told me that she wasn’t feeling too good, and I decided it might be best for her to rest then.

We came to the second floor, and I noticed the difference, blocked hallways with rubbish and wood, forcing me to dismantle them to get to each apartment.

The hallway smelled like old sweat and canned soup. A battered sign reading "204" hung crookedly beside a sealed metal door, the frame hastily reinforced with a wooden beam nailed across it. Someone had scribbled a warning in black marker across the wall:

[Occupied – No Sick Allowed]

I wondered if this was a realistic apocalypse. Then stepped forward and knocked. Once, twice. Not too loud but enough to make the inside shift like rats.

A tense silence followed.

"Who is it?" A man’s voice. Gruff. Defensive.

"My name’s John Wang," I said calmly. "We’re clearing the block. No need to be afraid—we’re just checking who’s here and who’s alive."

A pause.

Then the sound of metal sliding echoed, but the chain remained on the door as it cracked open just enough to reveal a narrow and gaunt face hidden behind a pair of thick, but dirty glasses and an unshaven stubble.

His eyes looked tired. Suspicious.

A young woman stood a little distance away, roughly in her late twenties, cradling a toddler in her arms, and trying to hush his cries. Yet despite her tired face, she cradled him in her arms and glanced at me with sharp eyes.

The boy blinked at me from her chest, his cheeks round and sticky with something like jam.

"You’re not infected?"

"No," I said.

The man looked past me at Mu Qinglan, and his face became stiffer. Then he saw Jiang Roulan, and his face became softer.

"Miss Roulan!?"

Mu Qinglan’s arms folded again. She didn’t speak, but her eyes scanned the room. Then her gaze dropped to the child and softened, just for a blink. But I noticed.

"...Can we come in?" I asked.

The man hesitated but sighed.

Then he stepped back. "A moment."

He turned to the woman. "Jie, get some water."

"No, it’s okay," I interrupted. "We won’t stay long."

Their apartment was small. Tight. Just two rooms and a kitchenette, with piles of food stacked in boxes against the wall—mostly expired snacks and tinned soup. I could see their bed had been moved to the centre of the room for warmth.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I’m Xu Lin. This is my wife, Han Jie, and our son, Xiaopeng."

"Any others with you?"

"No."

That was good. Fewer mouths meant they were more likely to have survived on scraps.

"You’ve done well keeping safe," I said, "I mean it."

"We haven’t gone out," Jie replied. "There’s... there’s no one left out there."

"There are," I said. "Not many. But I’m building something upstairs. Safer. Sustainable."

Xu Lin’s brow furrowed. "Upstairs?"

I nodded. "Full floor. Water, food, crafting. Protection. But it’s not a shelter. I’ll only offer help if you’re willing to contribute."

Jie hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this world’s not the same anymore. I won’t ask you to fight, but you’ll need to support the base somehow. Everyone earns their keep."

Xu Lin tightened his jaw. "I’m a programmer."

"...Not helpful."

"Jie used to cook for an industrial kitchen—"

"That’s helpful."

"Can I think about it?" he asked.

I nodded. "Of course. I’ll come back in a few days. Just... keep the door locked."

Mu Qinglan turned on her heel and walked out first.

I lingered a second longer.

The child tugged on my sleeve. "Are you a hero?"

I blinked.

Then I smiled faintly. "No."

"But Mama said heroes keep monsters away."

"...Sometimes," I said, then ruffled his hair gently. "But heroes don’t always look like the ones in your cartoons."

Then I left.

There were 18 people left to meet.

Although I planned to have Xu Lin join me, he had a few skills that could help in combat.

He was a low tier, but just being with Jiang Roulan made him recruitable.