"You didn't just happen to find out about this coffee thing, did you?" Jie Xi asked casually while savoring the coffee Wang Zhi had made.
Wang Zhi recounted how he had seen Jie Xi's hobby in the intelligence hall.
"It's a good thing I discovered it first. If someone with malicious intent had found out, who knows what they might have put in there," Wang Zhi chuckled.
If a person has a hobby or a habit, it is often that person's weakness. Once someone has a weakness and is precisely targeted, they face Eternal Damnation.
"You've gone to a lot of trouble," Jie Xi thanked him.
"Captain Jie Xi, I'm so weak compared to the others on the team. What should I do to be a good captain?" Wang Zhi asked, puzzled.
Hearing this, Jie Xi smiled a half-smile as she looked at Wang Zhi. After being stared at for a long time, Wang Zhi couldn't help but ask when Jie Xi didn't reply: "What is it, Captain Jie Xi?"
"Is this why you sought me out?" Jie Xi asked, setting her cup back on the table.
"Uh... sort of," Wang Zhi scratched his head awkwardly.
"In the Apocalypse, brute force certainly has a big advantage, but it is not an absolute advantage. What they truly need is a leader."
"In the Apocalypse, the most dangerous people are often not the monsters, but people like us."
"Do you know why the Dawn Tower team limits its numbers?" Jie Xi asked.
Wang Zhi shook his head.
"If there were no limits, one faction would inevitably grow in number, eventually forming a powerful combined force to oppose the Dawn Tower."
"People are inherently selfish. What people lack most right now is trust. In this environment, the more people trust you, the greater your advantage. They will see you as a reliable person, someone who can lead them to survive," Jie Xi said slowly.
Wang Zhi listened intently to what Jie Xi was saying. It was the first time he had heard her speak so much in one breath.
"I understand now, Captain Jie Xi! Thank you," Wang Zhi expressed his gratitude.
"There is one more thing I need to remind you of. The Zhao Yan who just arrived at headquarters is the older brother of Scarlet Flame Team's Captain, Zhao Yang. He saw you just now, so be careful." As Jie Xi spoke, she took a pendant out of the drawer.
"As a token of reciprocity, I'm giving you this pendant. If you run into trouble, you can destroy it."
"Destroy it? And then what?"
"I will appear and help you escape the predicament."
"Then I hope I never have to use this thing," Wang Zhi said, hanging the pendant around his neck.
Wang Zhi glanced at the pendant on Jie Xi's chest. "You know, ours look a bit like matching couple's pendants."
"This is a Parent-Child Pendant. Mine is the mother pendant, and yours is the child pendant," Jie Xi said with a smile.
A Parent-Child Pendant? I've unintentionally gained a mother?
"Well... then I'll go back for training now." Seeing that the conversation was winding down, Wang Zhi stood up to bid farewell to Jie Xi.
"Okay, leave the filter paper behind, and you can head back by yourself," Jie Xi replied.
Wang Zhi did not linger on his way back, going directly into the elevator to return to the second floor.
The only thing that lingered with him was the sight of all those rooms with their lights extinguished. He still couldn't believe that the Dawn Tower would have eliminated those people.
Several hours later, everyone gathered again in the dining hall. This time, Fatty wasn't clamoring about dying; perhaps he was too exhausted to speak.
As soon as Ying arrived, she noticed the pendant around his neck.
"Oh, your pendant is quite unique!"
"This? Captain Jie Xi gave it to me," Wang Zhi replied truthfully.
There was no need to hide it from them; if they discovered he lied, regaining their trust would be difficult.
"Captain Jie Xi? Why would she give you something?" Ying pressed.
Wang Zhi recounted the entire incident of his visit to Jie Xi. When he finished, the smile had vanished from Ying's face.
Clatter! Fatty's chopsticks fell onto the table.
"Uh, I'm full. I'm heading back to the dorm first."
"I'm full too," Old He followed Fatty out of the dining hall.
Wang Zhi watched the two who had wisely sensed trouble and slipped away, inwardly cursing their lack of loyalty.
Only Jia Liuli remained, which touched him somewhat.
*Jia Liuli, you're really great,* Wang Zhi thought to himself.
But just then, Jia Liuli pushed her hair back, took off her headset, and asked, "Why did Big Brother He and the others leave?"
"They're full and went back. Aren't you full too?" Ying said, staring at Jia Liuli with a forced smile.
Jia Liuli glanced at Wang Zhi, then at Ying, and promptly withdrew from the battlefield.
Now only Wang Zhi and Ying were left at the table. Wang Zhi didn't know how to start and could only keep his head down, eating sullenly.
"Why did you go see her? Do you even know her? Who was it who said you weren't allowed to act alone?"
At this moment, Ying launched her 'death three questions' at Wang Zhi.
"Speak quickly!"
Seeing Wang Zhi remain silent, Ying became furious, tightening her grip on the Dagger in her hand slightly.
"I just want us to survive in this Apocalypse. You all are very capable, but what about me? I don't want to be abandoned someday, I don't want to be replaced; I need a path," Wang Zhi said, lowering his head.
Hearing Wang Zhi voice his inner thoughts, Ying slightly loosened the Dagger she was tightly gripping.
"Have you ever considered what would happen to the rest of us if something unexpected occurred? Should we avenge you? Or just pretend nothing ever happened?"
"N-no... there won't be a next time," Wang Zhi murmured quietly. By now, because Ying had caused a scene, the attention of the surrounding people had shifted toward them.
On the way back, after he explained the function of the pendant to Ying, she finally calmed down and said, "I hope you are right."