Bing Shi fixed her gaze on the man standing in front of her, then glanced down at the lid she occupied, and back at him. "Woah, that was fast,"  she remarked, getting to her feet and offering her makeshift throne to Ziek, "Here, you deserve to sit on my grand throne."

Silence hung in the air. Bing Shi's words triggered a whirlwind of thoughts in Ziek's mind. Did she just offer up her sole escape route? Shouldn't she have a million questions?

Like, how did he manage this feat? Wouldn't sitting beside her suggest he was obeying her every word? Why wasn't she showing any signs of anger or fear?

"Ever wondered what happens when a genius tries to comprehend a monkey?" Bing Shi made some space next to her when he didn't make any movements, "He'll turn into a monkey himself."

Ziek joined her by sitting down. "..." Was she making fun of him, praising him, or warning him? Was she labeling herself as the monkey, or was that a tag for him? What about everything?

He turned away from her and couldn't help but think about how utterly silly the situation was. "...Pft..." a sound that slipped out of his lips in the midst of his bemusement.

When Tedy noticed Ren Han descending the wall using a rope, curiosity piqued, and he decided to follow. To his surprise, he found Bing Shi blocking the entrance. 'What on earth did he do to tick her off?' he wondered.

Bing Shi spotted Tedy through the door's barrier and waved casually. "How's it going?"

Tedy responded with a nervous wave of his own. "Not great. If this keeps up, we'll all end up with a bad case of PTSD."

The thought of smashing skulls was no longer on the team's wish list.

(PTSD = Post-traumatic stress disorder)

Ziek turned to Teddy and ordered, "Get everyone together, we are going to the city." Shifting his attention to Bing Shi, he inquired with a touch of ambiguity, "Wanna tag along?"

She had some skills, but he didn't know to which extent.

But really, who was he fooling?

All he was after was a bit of excitement.

Standing up, Bing Shi wanted to be in the safety of the base and help with looting at first, which was not possible right now. Eager to contribute, she nodded her consent, saying, "Count me in."

· · ────────── · ⊱❈⊰· ────────── · · 

Inside the truck, everyone except Bing Shi took off their gas masks.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Pony turned towards Bing Shi, "Why are you always wearing the gas mask?"  It wasn't just the mask, though—she was concealed beneath an oversized hoodie and baggy cargo pants, hiding her feminine form.

Bing Shi smiled, "Multiple reasons. One of them is sparing men from being smitten by my looks." She gestured at her mask, adding, "Doesn't this bring about a sense of fear and authority?"

Ponny nodded, understanding the cautiousness one might adopt around such an enigmatic figure, "Why not pretend to be a man?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bing Shi sighed and spoke in a sad voice, "In the apocalypse, there are no rules. Women and children are going to be prey. And not only for zombies..."

Everyone gripped their hands in silence.

The truck rumbled into the parking lot beneath an office building.

Bing Shi looked out the window. Citizens should be in the safety of their houses. It was a surprise when she saw so many parked cars.

When people inside the cars noticed the SWAT truck, policemen and policewomen stepped out of their vehicles in their battle armors.

Bing Shi gave Ren Han an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Well done," she commended.

Authorities turned a deaf ear to Bing Shi's orders at first, so she had to make Yi Zen take action behind their backs. As for the police, his power wasn't enough.

Had it not been for her encounter with Ziek, Bing Shi would've resorted to blackmailing the city's police force. Simply because they were told not to believe any messages from her or any other rumors sent by a computer.

Ren Han's lips curved into a smile as he welcomed the newfound support by rising his hand in greeting. To prevent any information from spreading, he contacted the police department to not to take any action during the apocalypse.

By taking advantage of his father's connections, he warned them about the government hiding a top-secret from the public eye. With his nimble mouth and evidence, he persuaded them to protest by staying at home.

There were a total of 68 officers and 142 personnel, from which a quarter were females. Some arrived with their family members. Some came alone.

Bing Shi sighed in relief when she studied the history of this world. The crime rate was notably high, concealed wars raged, and various other complexities existed behind the scenes. 

Yet, there were some cases when natural disasters would occurr, like hurricanes and floods. During times like those, the majority of the citizens gathered up to help those in need.

After acknowledging Ren Han's presence, the people's attention shifted to the diminutive figure standing beside him.

That gas mask, those clothes...

Wasn't she Bing Shi?!?

They looked around...

Where was the snake?

Bing Shi chuckled, "Kuro is with another group." As the group assembled, she took charge by distributing maps along with instructions prepared by Ren Han.

The citizens' eyes widened in surprise. Could she possibly read minds too?!

With an eye-roll directed at their easily readable expressions, Ziek proceeded to issue orders to his newly recruited team members. "Our goal is to seize control of the city. Follow the provided addresses and gather as many individuals as you can."

Being a natural leader, his words held significant weight, and they listened intently.

Ziek then unapologetically gestured towards Bing Shi with his thumb, "Take advantage of her popularity. Spread the word that she's on our side."

Upon inspection, they discovered that most of the provided information and addresses belonged to firefighters, doctors, scientists, engineers, and technicians. An inquiry arose, "...Shouldn't we prioritize women and children? What about our families?"

"What?" Ren Han's voice dripped with sarcasm, his eyebrow quirked, "Sure, let's entrust our fucking lives to a kid's magical healing touch." He paused, the air heavy with irony, "We're after skills, not a nursery."

"Leave your family behind, I'll watch over them until you return," said Bing Shi, "Tell everyone who want to go with you to come to this place."

With Bing Shi's reassurance, they went to their vehicles to save the space for the individuals on the list.

As they moved through the city, the teams encountered families huddled together in desperation, pleading to take their family members together with them. Children's eyes bore the weight of fear, and parents' faces were etched with worry.

But the group had a mission, and the weight of their purpose pressed against their hearts. "Our spots are limited. We can't take everyone with us," he elaborated, distributing slips of paper containing Bing Shi's coordinates, "Bing Shi is present there too."