Chapter 96 - 91: The Real Gold of the Apocalypse

Chapter 96: Chapter 91: The Real Gold of the Apocalypse

「Five days earlier.」

Zhao Youcai went to see Shen Xinyi.

"If... what if Yang Yi just stopped taking care of Zhao Wenjie from now on? Would he die?"

"If he isn’t infected with the virus, he definitely won’t die. It’s not a serious illness... He’ll just be very uncomfortable, that’s all. Things like cooking and eating will be inconvenient. But if he just toughs it out for a few days until he recovers, he’ll be fine."

With Shen Xinyi’s assurance, Zhao Youcai went to find Qiao Ping next.

"Sister Qiao, I have a professional question for you. If... if the military wipes out the zombies and social order is restored, what will be the most valuable thing? Food? Water? Medicine? Cigarettes and alcohol?"

Zhao Youcai felt that as a minor government official, Qiao Ping’s perspective on this question would probably be more accurate.

"Hmm... those things you mentioned probably won’t be that valuable. In the future, food and water might even be supplied for free and in abundance. These things are very important to us now, but from the government’s perspective, every city has vast strategic food reserves. As long as they reclaim the area, there will be a surplus of food."

"After 90% of humanity turned into zombies, I estimate that the number of survivors is no more than 3%. The government’s pre-apocalypse stockpile was enough to feed the entire country for a year... The few people left couldn’t finish it all before it went moldy."

"And this food isn’t just rice and flour; it’s also soybeans, oil, and frozen meat... It’s all still perfectly preserved. As long as the government takes over management before the backup power runs out, there will be no food shortage. Not to mention, right now the supermarkets and warehouses are full of unclaimed supplies... The government won’t be able to manage such a large area. Aside from some strategic resources, people will be able to take whatever’s left."

His heart sank at her words.

"What about medicine, cigarettes, and alcohol then?"

Qiao Ping said, "After the zombie virus outbreak, have you noticed something? It’s been hard for people in poor health to survive. You rarely see any elderly people. Even someone like Wang Xiuying can climb 32 floors without stopping... I’m guessing that people who were already sick or in poor health had weaker immune systems, making them more likely to turn into zombies. And even if they didn’t turn, they probably would have died early on anyway."

"With so many healthy people left, the demand for medicine isn’t as high as you might think. The medicines collected by the military from pharmacies, drug manufacturers, and hospitals will be enough to handle most illnesses. In the future, healthcare will be completely free, too."

"Of course... certain rare medicines that require refrigeration will surely be very valuable, but that’s beyond my expertise. Nurse Shen might know a thing or two about that."

After listening, Zhao Youcai said with a sigh of resignation, "Alright, I get the picture for cigarettes and alcohol too. The existing supply should be enough for people to smoke and drink for a very long time..."

"Right. But cigarettes and alcohol should be worth a bit more, since they won’t be provided for free by the government. After the military clears out the zombies, if you come across a liquor store, you should stock up. It’ll make it easier to trade with people in the future."

Unwilling to give up, Zhao Youcai asked, "Then is there anything that will be *incredibly* valuable once the apocalypse is over?"

"If there has to be something... it would probably still be gold. Antiques in prosperous times, gold in chaotic times. The scarcity of gold will be a key part of re-establishing currency in the new order. It’s always been that way; it’s trusted. Even in ancient times, when communication was limited, people all over the world independently chose gold as currency. That just goes to show its monetary value is universally recognized."

After hearing this, Zhao Youcai’s eyes lit up.

"That makes sense! If we have enough gold bars... then even after the apocalypse, we’ll control a great deal of wealth!"

During the actual apocalypse, gold in the hands of an ordinary person was no different from a piece of scrap iron.

But in the era of peace that followed... gold would reclaim its former status.

Qiao Ping looked at Zhao Youcai, not understanding why he was so excited.

"So?"

Zhao Youcai pointed out the window toward a large, egg-shaped building on the other side of a park. Three words were written on it: Yanhai Bank Headquarters.

"Sister Qiao, what do you know about this bank?"

Qiao Ping: "What?! You want to rob a bank!?"

"I’m thinking... at a time like this, surely no one is still guarding those useless gold bars, right?"

Qiao Ping looked at Zhao Youcai and hesitated for a moment.

"That bank... it does have a vault. And... some other valuables."

"What kind of things?"

"Safe deposit boxes."

"What’s inside them?"

"I don’t know for sure, but they must contain extremely important items. I know that only VIPs store things in there."

"Heh~ How important could they be? Are they going to save the world? Not worth a fraction of a gold bar."

Zhao Youcai scoffed, then took this information to Yu Dong.

"Dongzi, you don’t want to start from zero when the military arrives, do you?"

After hearing Zhao Youcai’s plan, Yu Dong shook his head.

"We don’t have enough people. After Kai died... our team isn’t whole. Cross a park to get into a bank? No... it’s too dangerous. I refuse."

"Then we just add one more person, and the team will be complete, right? I’ve seen Zhao Wenjie run; he’s pretty fast. He could take Kai’s place."

"He’s with Yang Yi all day. Who knows what she’ll whisper in his ear. That woman isn’t right in the head, and Zhao Wenjie still protects her. A team with them in it would be too unstable."

"I have a way to make them break up for good..."

After hearing this, Yu Dong stared at Zhao Youcai.

"Are you doing this just so they’ll break up? Then Yang Yi would have no one to rely on and would be forced to cling to you... You’d get Zhao Wenjie’s help *and* you’d get Yang Yi. Killing two birds with one stone."

"That’s... too low, Youcai. I don’t want you to do it."

Zhao Youcai burst out laughing.

"Dongzi, you underestimate me. If Zhao Wenjie is going to be our teammate, fighting alongside us, then I won’t go after his woman. That’s a principle of mine. Otherwise, he might stab me in the back one day and I wouldn’t even see it coming. Besides... do you really think I *like* fooling around with a bitch like Yang Yi? It was only because there were no other options! I can’t just jerk off for the rest of my life, right?"

"But things are different now. Since the military has already started massing and clearing out areas, peace will be here soon. In a few months... I’ll have my pick of women, as long as I have the capital!"

"There are plenty of good women out there. I can have as many as I want!"

"Dongzi, I’ve never asked you for anything before. I’m just asking you this one time... please, just this once! It’s just like when you begged me to believe you that time you said the apocalypse would hit in seven days."

...

Zhao Youcai’s method worked.

Yang Yi’s selfish nature was laid bare for Zhao Wenjie to see.

The greatest sorrow is a dead heart.

This perfectly described Zhao Wenjie.

Yu Dong patted his shoulder.

"Wen Jie, let’s use the time we have left to do one last big thing. After this... we won’t have to worry about survival for the rest of our lives. We can just focus on doing what we love."

The two of them told Zhao Wenjie the plan. Feeling as though everything he had ever stood for had been utterly crushed, Zhao Wenjie sighed.

"A person’s gotta do something, right...? I’m in. But I want my own share of the gold bars, and you can’t tell me what to do with them."

Zhao Youcai laughed. "Of course. Everyone on the team gets their own share. Even if you don’t trust me, you have to trust Dongzi."

"But now that you mention it... what are you planning to do with it?"

Honestly, Zhao Youcai hadn’t even thought to ask how he would spend it until Zhao Wenjie brought it up.

"I plan to give half to Yang Yi..."

Zhao Youcai: "Damn, Wen Jie! You’re incredible!"

Even the usually serious Yu Dong couldn’t keep a straight face.

"Is this the latest ’try not to laugh’ challenge? Fine... I lose."

Watching their unrestrained mockery, Zhao Wenjie could only manage a helpless smile.

"You wouldn’t understand our situation..."

Youcai said, "Has all that Xiaohongshu relationship drama rotted your brain? Splitting your property after a breakup? Once things are peaceful again, you should buy a ticket to Leshan. There’s a giant Buddha statue there. Tell it to get up and let you take its seat."

To be honest, Yu Dong never understood this kind of twisted emotional attachment either.

"Wen Jie, why do you insist on being so good to Yang Yi? You seem like a perfectly sane guy. What, did she kill someone for you or something?"

Seeing their curious stares, Zhao Wenjie finally told them the truth.

"Yang Yi... she was the prettiest girl in our class. A lot of guys were after her. I wasn’t the handsomest or the richest, but she chose me in the end. She said it was because out of all her pursuers, I was the one who treated her the best..."

"Then... she slept with me. It was her first time... She said she wanted to give it to the person she loved the most, and that she wanted me to marry her someday."

"That night, I swore that no matter what, as long as she didn’t abandon me for someone else, I would take care of her for the rest of my life."

"That was my promise. And even though she’s abandoned me now, she was always faithful to me during our time together. She gave me the most precious thing a woman has to give. That’s why I’m going to leave her with enough assets to live on. Then, my conscience will be clear."

When he finished, Yu Dong and Zhao Youcai were both silent.

Zhao Wenjie went to pack his things and move to Building One.

"Damn, that’s stupid... but, he’s a real man."

Zhao Youcai cursed, then turned his head away.

Yu Dong didn’t approve of such a pathological sense of duty, but he could understand Zhao Wenjie’s conviction.

This time, Yang Yi was well and truly abandoned by the entire team. She lived alone in Building Three, staring blankly at her pile of food.

Yu Dong called a team meeting at noon that day.

"This is a special operation. It’s about our future after the apocalypse..."

"The objective is to breach the vault at Yanhai Bank Headquarters, on the other side of the park."

"Everyone. Who’s in favor? Who’s opposed?"