Chapter 3: Lords reign in autumn.

The burly man let out a pig-slaughtering scream of agony.

He rolled on the ground clutching his blood-soaked foot, kicking up clouds of dust.

The people nearby were drawn by the miserable cries and hesitantly gathered toward the scene.

Seeing this, Lin Yuxi didn’t hesitate for even a second. She quickly reached into the tear in the middle-aged man’s ragged cloth bag and swiftly fished out two cans. Grabbing them, she turned and ran.

The middle-aged man lying on the ground was startled by the sudden turn of events. When he came back to his senses and saw the crowd slowly closing in along with the burly man still rolling in pain, he was scared out of his wits. Without caring about anything else, he clutched the remaining supplies in his arms and scrambled away toward home on all fours.

After leaving the crowd, Lin Yuxi leaned against a broken wall before daring to stop and gasp for air.

“Huff huff—huff huff—”

“Dare to mess with me, hmph hmph. I’m no gentleman. I take revenge on the spot.”

The girl hummed happily to herself. While warily observing her surroundings, she pulled the two cans of spoils from her chest. She carefully tucked one can into the innermost pocket of her clothes—the one closest to her body. That one was for herself. The other can, she planned to give to Lan Mo.

“Oh, right. I should go check on little Mo. She wouldn’t be out collecting rainwater again in the middle of the night, would she?”

……

Inside a dilapidated little house, the floor was covered with all kinds of small bottles filled with murky liquid. A black-haired girl with shoulder-length hair was squatting on the ground, carefully arranging the water bottles.

The girl’s face, like Lin Yuxi’s, was smeared black to avoid attention. She had short black hair and thick black outer clothes. She looked about the same age as Lin Yuxi.

“After I finish handling this water, I should be able to trade it for some food.”

“I wonder how little Xi is doing. Did she go fight for food today?”

“She’ll probably get hurt…”

Thinking of this, the girl felt a pang of discomfort. She didn’t want Lin Yuxi to go scavenging. In her view, the two of them wouldn’t gain much advantage by fighting, and if they were unlucky, they would only end up injured.

But their opinions weren’t aligned. She worked hard to collect rainwater in exchange for food, while little Xi insisted on fighting for it. She knew little Xi was doing it for more valuable supplies, so they could live a little better each day.

“Knock knock knock.”

“Little Mo, are you home?”

Hearing the knock, Lan Mo visibly brightened. She trotted over and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, she threw herself forward and hugged Lin Yuxi tightly.

Being held so firmly by Lan Mo and feeling the other girl’s warmth, Lin Yuxi felt her face heat up and flush slightly.

“Little… little Mo, really. You have to hug me every time we meet. We’re not kids anymore. It’s so embarrassing.”

“Hmph~ Shut up.”

Although Lan Mo was also shy, she still held on tightly.

The two embraced, feeling each other’s breathing. Only after a long while did they reluctantly let go.

“So… little Mo, have you been doing okay lately?” Lin Yuxi broke the silence first.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“Me? Of course I’m fine. It’s you, little Mo, working tirelessly again…”

“Sss— it hurts!”

Lin Yuxi, who had been about to lecture her, suddenly felt a sharp, heart-piercing pain on the back of her hand.

She saw Lan Mo narrowing her eyes at her, her gaze filled with understanding and heartache. Lin Yuxi immediately felt guilty and tried to deflect:

“I accidentally bumped it this morning. It’s nothing…”

“Don’t hide it from me.”

Hearing Lan Mo’s cold, clear words, Lin Yuxi fell silent.

“Don’t hide it from me. I won’t believe those excuses. I know how cruel this world is now. I know that fighting for supplies comes with the risk of injury and possibly gaining nothing. I also know that in this apocalypse, injury and death are common. Wanting to survive means you can’t avoid it. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt, and I’ve tried to persuade you. But I’m not that kind of little girl who gets angry or cries the moment she sees you injured, forcing you to hide it. So… don’t hide it from me, okay? Don’t pretend to be fine. If you’re hurt, tell me. If you feel wronged, vent to me. At least it’s much better than bottling it up alone. We’re each other’s only friend now, aren’t we?”

After speaking, Lan Mo hugged Lin Yuxi again, holding her very tightly.

Feeling the other girl’s concern, the grievance in Lin Yuxi’s heart surged up. She hugged back, burying her face in the other’s neck and letting out a muffled sound.

“Mmm…”

It was a long time before the two separated. Lin Yuxi’s emotions had calmed considerably, but then a wave of shame hit her. She lowered her head, her face flushing all the way to the roots of her ears.

“Um… well… I’ll head back first. I’ll come see you next time.”

With that, she turned to flee. Halfway there, she remembered something, turned back with her head still lowered, pulled out a can of meat and a piece of compressed biscuit from her chest, stuffed them into Lan Mo’s arms, then turned and left again.

Lan Mo was startled when she saw the food in her hands. She was about to call out to stop her, but realized Lin Yuxi had already left. She looked at the tightly closed door and let out a helpless sigh.

She lowered her head and gently stroked the compressed biscuit that had broken into several pieces. Her fingertips could feel the fine scratches and the rough texture of dirt on it—traces of how little Xi had desperately protected it in the chaos.

“Sigh. That idiot wouldn’t have given everything to me and gone back with just a steamed bun, right!”

“Forget it. I’ll put it away first and give it to little Xi tomorrow. Such precious supplies—she must have risked her life to get them. How can she just give them away so casually? Even to a friend, that’s not right.”

……

On the way back, Lin Yuxi’s face was still very red. Seriously. Even though she felt in her heart that she used to be a guy, she had cried and sniffled in a girl’s arms. Where had that majestic image of yours (self-proclaimed) gone? She had really fallen.

……

In the center of the territory’s residential area, on the second floor of a tall villa.

On the sofa sat a woman with long golden hair, a tall and slender figure, and distinct, androgynous features. She was absentmindedly twirling a pen in her hand.

My name is Jun Linqiu. I am the lord of this territory—the highest-ranking person here.

Once, I was the biggest arms dealer in this region. I commanded thousands of fully armed mercenaries, entrenched on the border, operating in both the black and white worlds. After the apocalypse broke out, I fortified my original base and transformed into the “Queen” of this place.

I have thousands of troops, massive stockpiles of supplies, and endless guns and ammunition. I have developed factories and cultivated farmland. Here, I am not playing house—I am running a small nation.

Here, my word is iron law. No one dares question it, and no one dares to obey in public while defying in private. I never make empty promises. What I vow, I deliver. The rules I set have no exceptions.

Those who follow me can find a measure of peace in this chaotic world. Those who oppose me have only one path—death.

I never need to roar to show my authority. A single glance is enough to make even the most arrogant soldier lower his head. In my domain, there is no room for ambiguity. If I say east, no one dares go west. If I say stop, no one dares move another step.

This is not a threat. It is a rule etched into everyone’s bones and blood.

Oh, and I also keep a group of people on the outskirts. They shouldn’t even be called people. To me, they are parasites here, livestock. I still remember when this bunch of trash first arrived. Not only could they not provide any help to the territory, they even expected me to support them.

Especially that one time when I was leading troops out, someone actually jumped out, pointed a finger at me, and said that since I let them come here for refuge, I must provide food and shelter. Otherwise, I didn’t deserve to sit in this position. They even clamored for me to step down and support someone who would provide them with food.

After I took out my gun and silenced those few people forever, every time I came and went afterward, these people would look at me with eyes as if I had killed their fathers—as if I was the one who had turned them into this.

Later, for people like them who could provide no value and only wanted to come in as parasites, afraid to die, I had soldiers block them outside and let them fend for themselves.