016 [Headstrong] [Indecisive] [Fortunate]

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“Wow, Zhang Su, this knife is beautiful. Can I use it?”

In Zhang Su’s bedroom, Zheng Xinyu drew a curved blade from its sheath. It looked somewhat like a boomerang, and she examined it from side to side.

The razor-sharp edge gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the sunlight streaming into the room. The blade’s thick spine gave it a steady, dependable appearance.

“You really do have a good eye…”

At that moment, Zheng Xinyu looked somewhat different to Zhang Su than she had before. Three labels hovered above her head.

【Hardheaded】 【Indecisive】 【Fortunate】

After obtaining the special ability Insight, Zhang Su had immediately used it on Zheng Xinyu, and through the labels, he had come to understand the girl better.

At first glance, both “hardheaded” and “indecisive” seemed somewhat negative, but Zhang Su did not necessarily see them that way.

Being indecisive was better than being prejudiced. As the saying went, prejudice was more frightening than ignorance. Indecisive people tended to be more obedient—at least, that was how Zheng Xinyu had behaved so far.

In the past, being hardheaded might not have been considered a good thing; it could be understood as being somewhat reckless. But now that zombies roamed the land and everyone struggled to survive in the apocalypse, being hardheaded was still better than being timid!

Zhang Su would much rather team up with someone bold, stubborn, and willing to follow orders than bring along a cowardly companion full of ulterior motives.

A lucky general who followed orders.

That was Zhang Su’s summary of Zheng Xinyu. Thinking back on what had happened, it suited her labels quite well.

Zhang Su was extremely satisfied with this special ability. Although it did not directly improve his combat strength or provide him with resources, in this chaotic world, being able to understand someone clearly was extremely important.

He believed he would certainly not spend the entire apocalypse struggling alone. If he was going to live alongside other people, knowing them inside and out would be vital. If he saw someone with a label like “Born Rebel,” it would be tantamount to saving his own life…

After using Insight on Zheng Xinyu, Zhang Su had also tried using it on himself while looking into a mirror, but nothing happened. He actually wanted to gain insight into himself, because he felt that he did not understand himself well enough.

“Oh, please. What does that have to do with having a good eye? Surely this knife is better than a baseball bat or a huge metal wrench…”

Zheng Xinyu gave Zhang Su a strange look. The only thing left in the box was a large wrench nearly half a meter long.

“What’s wrong with the metal wrench? It’s a specially made weapon, all right! You’re holding a kukri—the most expensive thing in the box.”

Zhang Su reached out and flicked the edge of the kukri in Zheng Xinyu’s hand. It gave off a pleasant hum.

The blade was made from L6 bainitic steel, whose hardness, shock resistance, and toughness were all exceptionally impressive.

“The most expensive? Why does it have such an ugly name? Kukri… But never mind. Expensive is good enough. I’ll use this one!”

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When she heard that it was expensive, the knife in Zheng Xinyu’s hand suddenly seemed to grow lighter. She had just begun to stand and test a few swings when Zhang Su snatched it away.

“This knife isn’t suitable for you!”

Zhang Su carefully slid the blade back into its sheath, then pointed at the baseball bat lying nearby. “At your current level, just use the baseball bat properly. Using a kukri would be no different from committing suicide. To be honest, when dealing with zombies, I think blunt weapons are pretty good. Otherwise, use something sharp, like a short spear, and stab them!”

Remembering the dangerous moment when his axe had become lodged in a zombie’s skull, Zhang Su had learned his lesson.

“The kukri is meant for dealing with people!”

As he spoke, Zhang Su patted the sheath.

“Oh, all right…” Zheng Xinyu answered somewhat blankly. She did not really understand any of this, but Zhang Su seemed to make sense.

“If only we could make a trip to Eirewen… That place has some really good stuff!”

Zhang Su pursed his lips in frustration. Most of the weapons he had collected were still at the convenience store.

“Isn’t this axe good?”

Zheng Xinyu pointed at the axe-hammer nearby.

Zhang Su picked up the axe and examined it. The dark axe-hammer was forged from T10 tool steel, which was indeed excellent material. However, after the battle just now, it had suffered some wear. Even after being wiped clean, faint scrape marks remained, recording the brief but intense fight.

“It looks sturdy enough. If it were subjected to a battle of that intensity again… Forget it. Let’s not analyze it right now. Xinyu, you threw up everything you ate at noon. Do you want to replenish your strength with something?”

Zhang Su heard Zheng Xinyu’s stomach rumble and asked her.

Zheng Xinyu rubbed her stomach and shook her head. “I’m hungry, but I don’t have much of an appetite. Maybe later.”

“All right!”

Zhang Su glanced at the time. It was three in the afternoon, not far from dinner. Normally, he would have been preparing to go to the convenience store and take over the shift, but now he was trapped at home and unable to go anywhere.

“Since we have some time, we might as well… Hmm?”

Zhang Su had been planning to get Zheng Xinyu to exercise—a proper workout, the kind that strengthened the body and benefited the mind—but at that moment, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

The knocking was gentle, nothing like the forceful pounding of a zombie.

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu exchanged a glance. They instinctively raised their weapons and walked toward the front door. Zhang Su leaned toward the peephole and looked outside. The corner of his mouth twitched.

At that moment, the door of Apartment 802 stood slightly ajar. The zombie blocking it had been pushed aside, and a woman wearing a face mask and sunglasses stood in the doorway, glancing nervously from side to side as her entire body trembled.

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“The woman from across the hall!”

Zhang Su turned around and frowned at Zheng Xinyu.

Zheng Xinyu made an awkward expression but offered no opinion.

“Hel—hello. I’m your neighbor from Apartment 802. C—could I speak with you?”

Apparently sensing that someone was inside, the woman outside leaned closer to the crack in the door and spoke in a quiet voice. “There’s no water or internet at my place. Could I borrow a phone? And what’s going on with those monsters? Do you happen to know?”

“Please answer me. Hello? I won’t borrow it for free. I’ll pay…”

Zhang Su shook his head at Zheng Xinyu, then quietly backed away several steps. The two of them returned to the bedroom and closed the door again.

“What’s wrong with that woman?” Zheng Xinyu asked, puzzled. If the people in Building Four who had tried to greet them earlier had been too far away for them to communicate, then the woman standing just across the hall, separated by only a single door, should at least have been able to exchange a few words with them.

Zhang Su merely spread his hands and leaned against the headboard.

“Whether she has a problem or not, I don’t think there’s any need to open the door. We can’t offer her any help, and there’s nothing she can do for me either.”

“That’s true…”

Zheng Xinyu nodded silently. Only now did she understand that Zhang Su had taken her along not because she was particularly charming, nor because he was especially kindhearted, but simply because the two of them happened to be living under the same roof…

With that thought, Zheng Xinyu asked in a mysterious tone, “Zhang Su, if—just hypothetically—I were surrounded by zombies, and you had a chance to save me, but it was very dangerous, would you save me?”

Zhang Su cast her a sidelong glance. After having dated so many women, he had heard all kinds of bizarre questions by the dozen. This one was not even close to the most ridiculous.

“You women are really something. When nothing’s happening, you love asking who someone would save first if two people fell into a river. Now you’ve started asking these childish, idiotic questions. If you have that much free time, you’d be better off thinking about why you missed your shot just now!”

“I…”

“What do you mean, ‘I’? If I hadn’t dragged the zombie more than ten centimeters toward us, do you think you could have hit it so accurately? Don’t tell me you actually think your aim is divine. Wake up, young lady!”

As he spoke, Zhang Su shook his head, stood up, and walked toward the window. He knew perfectly well that Zheng Xinyu had most likely managed to strike the zombie in the head because of her “Fortunate” label…

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