[1] Apocalypse: Third Rebirth

Chapter 175: Stone Cold Bitch

Life has a way of sweeping the rug out from under your feet when you least expect it.

I mean, I really couldn't complain, we had a whole three months of peace (ish) and quiet. Every day a different team went out to gather supplies and train as best as they could and all 311 of us became a really well-functioning machine.

And I will be the first to admit that that was all because of one woman, Ruan Ruo Xi.

She came in like a hurricane and had everyone in order in no time. The guys appointed Ren Ruo Xuan as her second in command and between the two of them, well... they were pretty fantastic together. Plus, they managed to get a whole two years' worth of supplies for everyone! I mean, I was really happy!

On a personal level, I managed to spend all of my time with the guys or in the kitchen and life was... blissful. I don't remember a time that I had been so relaxed.

My connection to Wang Chao, Chen Zi Han, and Liu Yu Zeng was going stronger by the day, their flames inside of me ensuring that. I couldn't figure out why I didn't have Liu Wei's, but it was fine. I mean, he never left my side for the whole time so how could I complain?

However, April came and with it, the weather warmed up enough to start melting the snow. You could feel the tension from the teams that were coming back with supplies. No longer were we the only ones out on the streets. Humans had come out of the woodwork and started to collect their own supplies, something that I thought would have happened long before then, but they were forced to go further and further into the outskirts of the city before they could find anything.

We might have been the cause, but ask me if I cared.

Once the prey started roaming around, the predators quickly followed.

*****

"We had over 150 people arrive at the gates today," said Ruan Ruo Xi as she looked down at the clipboard in her hands. Ren Rou Xuan was standing quietly behind her, supporting her how he always did in whatever way she needed. I would fully admit to shipping those two, but even I knew it was not to be.

"And?" I asked, noticing the uneasy tone in her voice. "And some of them were the girls from the cages," she admitted looking up at me.

"And you felt bad?"

She bit her bottom lip as she thought about what she was going to say next. She and I were on the same page about the number of extra people we could take in, but I know that it was harder on her than it was on me to be turning people away. She might have been a princess of a syndicate, but she had a heart of gold.

Nodding her head, she looked between me and the guys. "They felt that they should be able to come in... some of them even made a scene," she continued, not willing to meet my gaze.

"I warned them all that when they chose freedom, they would have to rely on themselves in the future," I reminded her, not at all caring about them making a scene. I was more worried about a bleeding heart taking them in. Ruan Rou Xi nodded her head and started to nibble on the tip of her pen.

Narrowing my eyes, I stared at her. Nibbling her pen was her tell that I was not going to like what came next. "I want to let them come in," she said, taking a deep breath before looking at me.

"No," I said as I leaned back against my chair. We had our daily meetings in our penthouse as it was the most comfortable, but still, Ruan Rou Xi and Ren Rou Xuan refused to sit down. Hearing my answer, she nodded her head but continued to chew on her pen to the point that I thought the ink would explode all over her mouth.

"But-

"No buts," I said looking at her.

"We have enough supplies," she pointed out, hoping that that would convince me to be merciful. Unfortunately for everyone around, that was not going to happen.