Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 32 - 30: Words Can Be Disguised, but Actions Don’t Lie

Chapter 32: Chapter 30: Words Can Be Disguised, but Actions Don’t Lie

The nights after the apocalypse were darker than ever before.

Amidst the dead silence, a tall figure slipped out of the property management office and jogged over to the main entrance of Building One.

Liangzi knocked gently on the door.

"Brother Dong? Brother Dong, it’s me."

Yu Dong, who had been resting on a folding bed on the first floor, sat up and flashed his flashlight outside.

"Are you alone? The other two don’t know, do they?"

"They don’t... I came while they were asleep."

"Good. I had some questions for you during the day, but I couldn’t ask with those two around..."

"I get it. You don’t trust them."

"That’s right, Liangzi. You’re the only one I trust. Come on in and talk."

Hearing this, Liangzi’s heart warmed. ’My trust in him wasn’t misplaced after all.’

’He still cares about me.’

’The reason I couldn’t get into Building One during the day wasn’t because I’m not capable, it was because of my teammates!’

’That bastard Jiang Xupeng is obviously a piece of shit.’

As a former high school athlete, Liangzi looked down on social scum like him.

Hearing the sound of the chain being unfastened, Liangzi’s eyes grew moist. He felt completely healed by Yu Dong’s words. The feeling of being trusted was incredibly validating.

He decided that when he moved into Building One, he would definitely look out for Dongzi. If there were zombies, he’d be the first to charge in!

After letting Liangzi in, Yu Dong quickly locked the door again.

In the darkness, Yu Dong and Liangzi stood face-to-face and smiled at each other, as if they were back in the days before the apocalypse, eating noodles together.

"My man!"

Liangzi squeezed Yu Dong’s hand firmly.

Yu Dong, in turn, invited Liangzi to sit down.

"Tell me how you guys survived after the apocalypse. There were so many people in the property management office back then, I thought you..."

"Almost didn’t make it. Luckily, Jun... Lin Xiaojun pushed Sister Zhang, and I grabbed a baseball bat and bashed her head in. It made Lin Xiaojun and Jiang Xupeng puke their guts out."

"Damn, impressive. Just what you’d expect from an athlete. What happened after that?"

"Later, when I heard fewer zombies outside, I led the two of them out of the inner office. I took one down with a swing of the bat, then took out the zombie they were dealing with too. Then we locked the door and were safe for the time being. It wasn’t until today, when we saw you guys lure all the zombies over and kill them, that we ran out..."

Taking out two zombies with a single bat and no protective gear... Yu Dong felt he had underestimated Liangzi’s combat strength.

"So you three are the only survivors from the property management office, right?"

"Yeah, just the three of us. No one else..." Liangzi rubbed his nose.

"Tell me about Lin Xiaojun and Jiang Xupeng. What are they like? Are they reliable?"

"They’re alright, I guess. Neither of them held me back."

"Tell me more about Lin Xiaojun specifically. I don’t remember you ever mentioning him before. What was his job at the office? What kind of person is he?"

"He was just one of the night shift office workers, like Li who took over my shift, you know... Just for show, they didn’t really have to do anything. Lin Xiaojun is pretty quiet, doesn’t talk much, not great at communicating with people, but he’s a loyal guy."

Liangzi had no intention of telling Yu Dong the truth...

Because Lin Xiaojun had saved him and treated him well. He couldn’t betray him and cause him to be denied entry into Building One.

"So, do you think we should let them join us?"

"I think... it’s no problem! After all, at a time like this, one more person means more strength. More people means we can look out for each other better."

"Okay, I understand. You should head back for tonight. I’ll talk to my two people tomorrow, and if they both agree, I’ll send the drone to give you a signal."

"Alright, Brother Dong! I’ll be waiting!"

Liangzi wasn’t planning on staying in Building One tonight anyway. He had to go back and discuss with Lin Xiaojun and Jiang Xupeng how to handle the Zhao Yun situation.

If she also came into Building One, Yu Dong would definitely find out everything the three of them had done together.

Liangzi felt that Yu Dong was the type to be a ’good guy’, and it might cause conflict between them all.

That was something Liangzi didn’t want to see.

But he couldn’t just abandon Zhao Yun, either. After all, he had slept with her, and... she was incredible.

She’d given Liangzi a pleasure he’d never experienced before in his life.

He had to go back and use his powerful athlete’s brain to figure out a perfect solution to this problem.

Liangzi left under the cover of darkness, concluding their first late-night meeting.

He returned to the property management office and was just about to lie down and rest...

FLICK~

A spark flared in the darkness. Lin Xiaojun had lit a Hongtashan cigarette.

He took a deep drag and said faintly:

"What did you talk to him about."

....

Once the main gate of Building One was completely locked, Zhou and Liu Ye’ye, who had been hiding in the stairwell, emerged from the shadows.

Zhou slid his knife back into its sheath at his waist, letting out a long sigh of relief in his mind.

’If I really had to fight an athlete like Liangzi, who’s over 1.8 meters tall, I’d be terrified of being useless. He’d probably just snatch my knife and kill me in an instant...’

Liu Ye’ye also sheathed her knife, pouting as she said, "I don’t trust Jiang Xupeng, anyway."

Yu Dong glanced at the property management office outside. Moonlight spilled down, illuminating his solemn expression.

"If I’m not mistaken, Liangzi has already formed a stable community of interest with them... We can’t get the real story from him."

"Huh?"

Both of them were startled, not at all on the same wavelength as Yu Dong.

Seeing their confusion, Yu Dong patiently explained:

"Have you guys ever played Werewolf?"

"I have. I always get tricked. When I’m a wolf, I get voted out. When I’m a god, I get killed. When I’m a villager, I get framed..."

Liu Ye’ye shyly tucked her black hair, twisting a strand around her little finger.

"It’s a social deduction game where you try to find the killer, right? Like Mafia?" Zhou Jian Country knew a little about it.

"Yeah, that’s right. There’s actually a trick to telling the good guys from the bad guys in that game. You don’t watch what they say, you watch what they do... Words can be faked, but actions don’t lie."

Liu Ye’ye stared with her wide, clear eyes. "And then?"

"For example, one of the wolves’ goals is to protect their fellow wolves, help them blend in with the good guys, and then kill the good guys off."

It dawned on Zhou. "You’re saying... in that conversation just now, Liangzi was constantly trying to get us to accept those two?"

"Exactly. I believe they’ve already formed a solid bond based on mutual interest. They’ll advance or retreat as one."

"I don’t agree with letting the three of them in either, but what if... what if Liangzi is just kind-hearted and wants to help the two people who survived with him?"

Zhou had seen all sorts of people. Many times, when you thought someone was deliberately trying to sabotage the group... they were actually just being stupid.

Bad people still need to follow some logic. A fool just needs a sudden impulse.

Yu Dong shook his head.

"It’s different... I could feel that Liangzi was trying his best to persuade me to accept an outcome, one he had already decided on."

Yu Dong was very good at persuading people, and in his eyes, Liangzi’s technique was rather clumsy.

"So, do we still want Liangzi?"

Zhou asked the core question.

"I can’t shake the feeling that Liangzi is still hiding something from us..."

Yu Dong felt that Liangzi was fundamentally a good person, but something seemed off.

"I plan to test them."

"Words can be faked, but actions don’t lie."

"We have plenty of time to see these three for who they really are."