BC Chapter 98

Yao Jinglin’s hand reached out to empty air, paused for a moment, then awkwardly retracted.

What’s wrong with her? Could it be that she resents me for not rushing out to save her during the most dangerous moment? Is she throwing a tantrum? Yao Jinglin retracted her hand and slowly clenched it into a fist on her lap.

“Sister Lu, are you alright? Slowly… drink slowly.” To avoid Yao Jinglin’s touch, Lu Ziming inevitably leaned closer to Xu Rubing on the other side. Xu Rubing also reacted quickly, dropping the towel in her hand and softly comforting her, gently patting Lu Ziming’s back as she coughed, appearing like a virtuous wife and loving mother.

“Th… thank you.” For Lu Ziming, who has always preferred to stay away from crowds, she was clearly not used to Xu Rubing’s overly familiar behavior. They had only just met, yet the other party’s attitude seemed a little too intimate. So she could only cover the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, tilting her head slightly as if she were very unskilled, and said thank you.

“What’s there to be polite about? Survivors need to help each other to survive, right?” Xu Rubing waved her hand, appearing cheerful and generous, smiling softly.

“Are… are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Although Yao Jinglin was hurt by Lu Ziming’s inexplicable rejection, after thinking for a long time, she still asked the question she was concerned about.

“Oh, I’m fine. I was just too exhausted and fell asleep. We’ve all been busy avoiding those guys. I’m sure you’re all tired too, so let’s all rest. We can discuss things after we wake up.” Although Lu Ziming said this to both Xu Rubing and Yao Jinglin, she didn’t make eye contact with Yao Jinglin even once.

Xu Rubing responded with a “okay” and went to the side to pack her things to go to sleep.

“…Can I talk to you?” Yao Jinglin had sensitively noticed the change in Lu Ziming’s attitude, and had confirmed her guess by observing Lu Ziming’s behavior just now. However, she couldn’t understand what caused this change in Lu Ziming, who had already been through two life-and-death situations with her. So she wanted to talk to Lu Ziming, to hear her personally tell her the real reason for this.

Clearly, before coming here, during that final battle to annihilate the giant zombies, she had risked her life to save herself more than once. But now, it seemed their relationship was becoming increasingly distant. If a conversation could solve the problem between her and Lu Ziming, that would be ideal. If it couldn’t be resolved, it would at least allow her to dispel those useless expectations. Rescue work was her mission, and if people didn’t want to help her, it was understandable. After all, no one had the obligation to help her.

“I’m tired. Let’s talk after everyone has rested,” Lu Ziming said dismissively, fiddling with the cardboard pieces under her.

“…Oh.” Unsurprisingly, Yao Jinglin was met with another cold shoulder. The last bit of enthusiasm that had been kindled in her heart was extinguished, and the light of hope in her eyes dimmed instantly.

She understood. Lu Ziming was refusing to communicate with her.

Forget it. She was being foolish. She had always lived like this since she was a child. Hadn’t she decided long ago to abandon useless expectations of others? She shouldn’t have unrealistic hopes just because someone had saved her twice. That was too silly.

So she left Lu Ziming’s side without a word and moved towards Lin Xiang by the door.

…

Sensing Yao Jinglin’s departure, Lu Ziming’s movements of tidying up slowly stopped.

Sigh…

Her mind was in a mess, with no way to resolve it. Although saving Yao Jinglin and Lin Xiang was her own voluntary act, she never thought of changing her mind halfway, but the dream just now had sounded an alarm in her heart for a hidden worry – the thing she had discussed with Zhou Yuanyuan at the Jiang’s house.

They could be sure that they wouldn’t become creators of another disaster after the situation was resolved, but… would the people in power in the government believe them? Would they… allow them to live freely among the general public?

Could she guarantee that her previous idea of becoming a controlled test subject would never come true? After all, if the current disaster was resolved, they would be the best research subjects to prevent a similar disaster in the future. Furthermore, if the people in charge of this area within the government had even greater ambitions, using them as comparison specimens to mass-produce more mutant humans to form another combat-superior suicide squad or assassin group, would they still fear external forces coveting their country?

Thinking about this, another bad idea arose in Lu Ziming’s mind – given the government organization’s response capabilities, was it really necessary for this zombie virus to wreak havoc for so long?

Was it possible that some of her guesses had already begun to play out in reality?

She couldn’t be sure. So her heart turned cold, and she turned her head to look at Yao Jinglin and Lin Xiang on the other side.

People only realize that the fundamental relationship between a so-called group and an individual is not one of dependence and being depended upon, but rather that they gather when they agree and disperse when they disagree after they become an outlier in the group. Although the former Lu Ziming had already realized that the quality of her personal life and whether her life was fulfilling had no necessary connection to anyone, so she habitually stayed away from crowds and lived her life steadily. But this time it was different. This time, she had passively become a true outlier – an absolute outlier who might not be able to integrate into human society again in the future, a mutant.

Even if the current disaster was contained and people gradually returned to their daily lives, she would no longer be on the side of the vulnerable humans who were being protected. The worst-case scenario was…

Lu Ziming was laying out the cardboard, considering what to do next. After lying down comfortably, she realized that Xu Rubing beside her had already laid down on her right side, using her backpack as a pillow. She was now staring at her with bright, sparkling eyes.

The somewhat socially awkward Lu Ziming immediately wanted to roll over to the other side. Being stared at so directly by Xu Rubing, even if she closed her eyes, she could still feel the other party’s gaze. For her, it was simply torture.

But before Lu Ziming could habitually carry out her social avoidance tactics, her arm was grabbed by Xu Rubing.

?! Lu Ziming turned her head in surprise, her gaze following Xu Rubing’s hand upwards until she saw her looking around like a thief, pulling her backpack closer to Lu Ziming’s shoulder.

Lu Ziming jerked her head away, but Xu Rubing pulled it back with her hand. Lu Ziming, confused but flustered, was about to roll over when she was stopped by a small voice in her ear.

“I… am like you,” Xu Rubing said directly, even though she lowered her voice.