Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 2: Fleecing the Bro Dry

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Fleecing the Bro Dry

He heard the dorm room door open.

Sitting on the bottom bunk, Xufeng put down the dumbbell in his left hand, stuffing it under his blanket. With his right hand, he paused his IELTS lesson and discreetly switched to a "try not to laugh" challenge video.

He looked up with a smile at Yu Dong, who had just walked in.

"You’re back already?"

Yu Dong wore a complicated expression as he looked at Xufeng, who was secretly grinding again.

"Stop working out. Let’s go for a walk."

"Alright."

Xufeng casually threw on a shirt to cover his impressive pecs and biceps, then followed Yu Dong out.

Xufeng was the zombie that had bitten him to death.

A fitness enthusiast even in normal times, Xufeng had been stronger than the average person even after turning into a zombie... Yu Dong had outrun several other zombies, but in the end, exhausted, he was taken down by the gym-bro zombie Xufeng.

The last thing he saw before he died was the savage face of Xufeng frantically gnawing on his neck.

The blood that spurted from his artery had stained Xufeng’s massive biceps red.

But right now... Xufeng wasn’t infected yet. He was still the same old overachiever.

While the other three guys in the dorm went to the welcome party to watch the show and hit on first-year girls, he was alone in the room, lifting dumbbells and studying for the IELTS.

He wasn’t the type to grind blindly, either. He was... spectacularly successful at it.

After entering university, he was elected as the Youth League branch secretary, then seamlessly became a Party activist. He won the highest-tier scholarship every year, kept himself in great shape, and after taking the IELTS this year, he planned to go abroad for a master’s in business administration upon graduation.

It wasn’t a major recommended for ordinary people, but Xufeng’s family actually had a company for him to manage...

Not only was Xufeng an overachiever, but his family was also rich.

His social skills were also impeccable; almost no one in their entire major disliked Xufeng.

That was because he’d had his family’s company issue internship certificates for every student in their class...

A nearly perfect classmate, roommate, friend, and back-scrubbing buddy at the bathhouse.

Yu Dong really liked his friend Xufeng.

Now, looking at Xufeng beside him, he felt a pang of sorrow.

He had gotten a second chance, but Xufeng wouldn’t get one.

After the zombie virus outbreak, the rich second-generation kid with a boundless future, Xufeng, had turned directly into a zombie... Even if Yu Dong had wanted to save him, he couldn’t have.

"Something on your mind?"

Xufeng, who knew nothing, looked at Yu Dong strangely. In his impression, Yu Dong was the type of person who rarely showed emotions like confusion or vulnerability.

"Xufeng, if you only had seven days left to live, what would you do?"

"Did you get diagnosed with a terminal illness? Or are you depressed?"

"Stop guessing. It was just a random question. If you don’t want to answer, forget it."

"Whatever the reason, don’t do anything drastic. It’s treatable. With money, anything is treatable!"

"..."

Seeing Yu Dong fall silent, Xufeng thought he had hit the nail on the head.

"How about this: we’ll take a day off from class tomorrow, and I’ll go with you to the hospital for a check-up."

Yu Dong gave a resigned smile. This was Xufeng.

’He doesn’t think you’re being dramatic; he thinks you’re sick.’

"Alright, alright, you’re overthinking it. You know how healthy I am, right? Want to have another arm-wrestling match?"

"No way, no way... My muscles are all for show."

Xufeng seemed to recall an unpleasant memory and waved his hands dismissively.

"But... are you really okay? I feel like you’re acting weird today. Did something happen? If you need help, just say the word."

Hearing this, Yu Dong looked Xufeng up and down.

"Well, since you put it that way... I actually do need some help."

"That’s more like it. Spit it out!"

"Lend me some money. I need it urgently."

"Oh... just borrowing money? You scared me. I thought something serious had happened. How much do you need?"

"How much do you have?"

"A little over 50,000... I painstakingly saved it up from my living allowance. Was saving it to chase foreign girls when I go abroad."

"Lend me 50,000. I’ll pay you back in a week, so it won’t mess up your plans."

"That works. I’ll transfer it to your WeChat?"

"Aren’t you going to ask what I need it for?"

"I’d definitely ask anyone else, but since it’s you, Yu Dong... I don’t think it’s necessary."

As they were talking, Xufeng had already transferred the 50,000 yuan.

"Why?"

Yu Dong was actually a little curious. This was the first time in his three years of university that he’d asked Xufeng for money, and he hadn’t expected it to be so smooth. He hadn’t even needed the two excuses he had prepared.

"Because you’ve been earning your own money since freshman year, and your finances have been very stable for the past three years. I trust your character and your judgment."

Yu Dong was silent for a moment.

"Thanks."

"Shit, man, we’re brothers."

Late that night, after Huang Zhiqiang returned, the dorm room filled with talk about Liu Ye’ye, thick with the hormonal buzz of college students.

Yu Dong, meanwhile, lay on his bed staring at his phone, opening his mouth, blinking, and shaking his head.

He spent the entire night milking every online loan platform, big and small, that he could find.

Finally, not ready to give up, he added a few private student lenders.

"Bro, you really don’t do nude loans for guys?"

"Get lost!"

At midnight, Yu Dong shut off his phone with a look of regret.

’It’s a shame... As a current student, the amount I can borrow is too small. The online platforms only give a limit of 3,000 to 5,000. If all twelve platforms approve my applications, it will add up to exactly 50,000... the same amount Xufeng lent me.’

’Thinking about it... Xufeng is a really good guy.’

Yu Dong sincerely hoped that the country could develop a vaccine in the future. Then he could just give him a shot, and they could go on being brothers.

’The loan platform approvals will take time. Tomorrow, I’ll first go find a place that can serve as a shelter.’

Yu Dong was an orphan.

He had grown up in an orphanage, hadn’t inherited anything from his parents, and didn’t own any property.

Other than his knowledge, he possessed no means of production.

A completely pure, zero-asset warrior.

As for the location of his shelter, he already had some ideas.

The next morning at 7:00, Yu Dong climbed down from the top bunk.

He glanced over at Xufeng on the bottom bunk, who was surreptitiously using the corner of his blanket to cover a vocabulary book, pretending he had just woken up.

"YAWN~ Up so early, Dongzi."

"Not as early as you. I’m heading out."

"Haha, have a good one."

Yu Dong got on his bicycle and headed straight for the coast.

Yanhai City was a coastal city with a pleasant climate and a thriving tourism industry. Many sea-view homes had been built there.

The Xiangti Bay Community was among the first batch to be built.

It was once Yanhai City’s most luxurious seaside apartment complex, but with the recent land reclamation projects, newer, even more high-end seaside apartments and villas had been built in front of it...

Having fallen out of favor, Xiangti Bay’s property values plummeted. The original investors rushed to sell, but there were few willing buyers. The community, which had been marketed to wealthy out-of-towners as a seaside retreat, gradually became a ghost town.

The number of permanent residents was very low, and most of the units were vacant. The property management, entrusted by the owners, would rent them out to local students or out-of-town tourists to earn a little extra money.

Yu Dong’s main impression of the place was that the environment was nice, there were few people, and it was dark at night.

The locals called it the Ghost Building.

And now... the Ghost Building was the very reason Yu Dong had come here.