Jiang Nian decided to expand her golden empire further. Her claws had already reached several cities near the Dragonfly Base. Wherever there was a big task, she was the fastest to get there, carrying a big knife and her family’s wealth. She had practically become a legend in the Dragonfly Base. Many people exclaimed that Jiang, the district head, truly lived up to her reputation, always contributing to the future of humanity.

Not to mention, even Jiang’s parents felt heartache for their daughter, although they were proud of her. They couldn’t help but worry about the dangers outside.

Jiang Nian had some secret joy in her heart. She felt that using glory and greatness to cover her heart, which had been corroded by the golden wealth, even made her reasons for getting rich seem legitimate. She could both become wealthy and be adored. It was truly a win-win situation. Perhaps there was no one in the world smarter and more cunning than her.

With this in mind, Jiang Nian enjoyed taking on missions even more diligently, hoarding her golden wealth. If possible, she planned to find a god of wealth to worship, do more good deeds, and secure a better future for her next life.

However, Jiang Nian hadn’t forgotten one thing. She didn’t know when she would break through the 60-point protagonist’s aura. This was a world where the supporting female characters from the end times made a comeback, and she couldn’t just wait for Yao Xiaoyue to surpass her to achieve a breakthrough. Based on Jiang Nian’s previous experiences, there was a 70–80% chance that this assumption was wrong; after all, she had never been right once…

So, Jiang Nian didn’t bother with it and focused on what she had in hand—her golden wealth.

Because Jiang Nian was working so hard, she had missed Qin Yue a few times. Qin Yue had recently joined an organization led by the military, and they were going to C City to find a batch of medical equipment. Now that the secure base was back in operation, with millions of people waiting for food and drink, they couldn’t rely solely on government aid. They were also working on restoring production.

Unfortunately, in just a few months, soil contamination had become very severe, not to mention the environmental and climatic changes. Trees, flowers, and plants had become extremely lush, with some even mutating. They not only attacked humans actively but also produced some toxins, either causing numbness or releasing poisonous gases, and some fragrances could induce hallucinations…

It was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Botanists and environmental scientists were also conducting research, and there was no room for complacency.

And let’s not forget Shen Ran, who had become the second-in-command at the Future Research Institute. He was extremely busy, unable to spare the time to see Jiang Nian at any moment. He could only occasionally find time to have a meal with her or take a brief look at her. Of course, he couldn’t stay for long. It was said that the laboratory had failed thousands of times already. Professor Yang mentioned wanting to turn zombies back into humans and needed to develop a cure for the zombie virus. Shen Ran had been following this direction, but recently, his thinking had changed. He wanted to research a vaccine that would make everyone no longer fear the zombie virus.

Professor Yang was very disappointed. “Are those humans who turned into zombies willing to do so? Aren’t you giving up on them?”

Shen Ran said, “I’m being selfish. My father, my siblings, my family, and my friends are all fighting against the zombies. My sister Jiang never let up for a day. I know better than anyone the dangers of the zombie virus. I don’t want to worry about them turning into zombies while they’re fighting, and I hope they can fight without any worries. I don’t want anyone else to be afraid of turning into a zombie because of severe injuries and letting their companions kill them…”

In this way, the research team split into two groups once again. Shen Ran, along with a few researchers who shared his ideals and were willing to follow him, formed a separate research group. In the past six months, thanks to his exceptionally high intelligence and a powerful mind, he has absorbed knowledge like a madman and expanded his learning to the point where he can independently complete research projects.

General Shen was quite angry when he heard about this. They had only two brain-domain super abilities in the country, and wouldn’t it be better and faster to work together to find a way to combat the zombie virus? Wouldn’t splitting up the research slow down the progress? This was the hope of the future! It was the hope of people deeply immersed in dire circumstances! But even if General Shen was furious, he couldn’t change Shen Ran’s mind.

Jiang Nian, on the other hand, could understand it. After all, in the past ten years, a complete cure for the zombie virus hasn’t been developed, so researching a vaccine with a different approach might yield better results.

“…Jiang jie, do you support me?”

“Of course, science is all about daring to propose and practice. There is no fixed way of thinking or method. If you feel it’s what you want to do, then go for it.”

Shen Ran nodded, murmuring, “I understand. Thank you, Jiang jie.”

Jiang Nian patted Shen Ran’s head. It was already the new year, and Shen Ran was just thirteen years old. In peaceful times, children his age would be studying carefree in school. However, Shen Ran now carried the hope of humanity on his shoulders.

Jiang Nian held his hand and said, “Let’s go home and have some fish. Cai Cai has caught several fish. Yesterday, he even caught a small rabbit, though it was a bit too aggressive, and I couldn’t save it because it was injured too severely. You’re in for a treat today; we might be eating the last small rabbit in the world. It could become a part of history.”

Shen Ran immediately smiled, his eyes shining brightly, and he held Jiang Nian’s hand tightly. “Yes, Jiang jie.”

“Hmm?”

He couldn’t help but smile secretly.

The superhumans protecting Shen Ran behind him had already grown used to it, but they couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Shen Ran was usually so cold and decisive, but in front of Jiang Nian, he was like an affectionate little brother. He was definitely a sibling con, and quite a terrifying one at that!

After having dinner, Shen Ran returned to the laboratory. The next day, Jiang Nian went on a mission with Li Dui (captain Li). This time, they traveled to a relatively distant place, Lin City. Their objectives were to check for survivors and explore the industrial areas in the hopes of finding resources for small-scale production.

However, they encountered significant trouble. There were many zombies inside the factory, and after nearly half a year into the apocalypse, the zombies were even more formidable. Solving the problem at that moment was not feasible. Just as Li Dui decided to withdraw temporarily and have speed-based superhumans scout the surroundings, an unexpected event occurred.

The zombies inside the factory suddenly went into a frenzy and rushed outside, and dozens of zombie dogs seemingly emerged from nowhere in the surrounding area. They had hidden among the trees and shrubs, waiting for an opportunity to strike!

“We seem to be surrounded!”

Zombies would run away when they couldn’t overcome a situation or when they sensed a powerful opponent. Just this action alone was enough to prove that zombies had a certain level of perception because they felt fear. This led some experts to propose that if zombies evolved, their intelligence would also increase along with their abilities.

This speculation was indeed correct because there had been an incident in the future where a zombie king led millions of zombies to attack a survivor’s base, resulting in tens of thousands of people falling victim to the onslaught and creating a global sensation.

Now, it was apparent that Jiang Nian and Captain Li’s team were surrounded.

Li Dui immediately ordered, “Fall back!”

The group could only retrace their steps, remaining on high alert and not daring to be careless. However, just as they had walked a short distance, the zombies that had been lying in wait suddenly launched an attack and charged at them, howling.

Everyone immediately drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

Jiang Nian wielded her large cleaver, while Wang Cai waved its claws, moving like lightning and bringing down heads with each swipe.

Li Dui shouted, “Team One, provide cover. Team Two, retreat. Don’t linger in battle. Fall back first!”

At this point, he also realized that something was wrong. These zombies weren’t randomly attacking; it looked more like they had organization and premeditation. Their team had only a few hundred people, while there were thousands of zombies. Even if they could handle them, it would drain their superhuman abilities, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

As he fought desperately, several armored vehicles suddenly rumbled towards them. Li Ming peered out of the window, conjuring a water curtain, and shouted, “Quick, get in the cars!”

Li Dui immediately commanded, “Get in the cars!”

Jiang Nian had just turned around when she collided with a strong chest. Qin Yue wrapped his arm around her and swiftly picked her up, simultaneously summoning dozens of lightning bolts from the sky, creating numerous black holes. The zombies fell in droves.

“Nian Nian, I’ll take you out first.”

Another teleport, and when Jiang Nian opened her eyes, she was already inside a vehicle.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay behind to cover their retreat.”

Qin Yue didn’t linger and once again flashed onto the battlefield.

Jiang Nian blinked her eyes and touched her face. The male protagonist was indeed impressive, and he was really… so handsome!

She felt like she was about to bow down at Qin Yue’s feet in his stylish black boots.

…

Two hours later, Qin Yue stopped at a large farmhouse on the outskirts.

Qin Yue said, “Let’s rest here for today; it’s safe for now.”

It was said that it used to be an agriculture farm, and they could manage to stay here if they squeezed a bit. The wounded were taken to rooms to treat their injuries and rest, and the logistics team had already started cooking meals.

Li Dui expressed his gratitude, saying, “Qin-ge, thank you so much for today. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I don’t know how many of our comrades we might have lost. Also, through today, we can almost confirm that the zombies are not only evolving but also possess some level of intelligence. High-level zombies can command lower-level ones, and they organized and planned to surround and attack us. I’ll report this to the higher-ups immediately and spread the news to make everyone more vigilant.”

Qin Yue nodded, not paying much attention to the gratitude. He only wanted Jiang Nian to be safe.

She had protected him before, and now he could protect her. Even though Jiang Nian had enough self-defense capabilities and there were few people within the secure zone who could match her, he still wanted to protect her.

He waved his hand to indicate that Li Dui didn’t need to worry and that he would handle things himself. When he turned around, he saw Jiang Nian crouching on the ground, supervising Wang Cai as the cat cleaned its paws. One person and one cat looked particularly harmonious and adorable.

Jiang Nian stared closely, saying, “Cai Cai, if you don’t clean your paws thoroughly, I won’t dare to eat the fish you catch. Clean them more!”

Wang Cai let out an annoyed meow and waved its paw, as if saying, “Meow!!!”

Qin Yue: “…”

He could almost envision Wang Cai’s dark, disapproving eyes.

“Nian Nian, you must be tired today. Come inside and rest for a bit.”

Jiang Nian nodded and reminded Wang Cai to clean itself thoroughly before entering the room. She followed Qin Yue, who seemed to have been here multiple times before.

There was even a dedicated room, and now he offered it to Jiang Nian. The room was quite clean, with a bed, a table, and a clean blanket that Qin Yue took from his storage space and neatly spread over the bed. He also placed a few boxes of milk,some candy, and cookies on a small plate, setting them cleanly at the bedside.

“Are you hungry? Would you like to have something to eat to fill your stomach?”

Jiang Nian unwrapped a piece of White Rabbit milk candy, which was indeed delicious. She offered one to Qin Yue, saying, “Do you want one?”

Qin Yue smiled, but as a grown man, he didn’t feel like eating candy. “I don’t need one; you can keep it for yourself.”

“All right, then I’ll give one to Wang Cai later.”

“Sure.”

Qin Yue observed Jiang Nian, who looked very capable in her all-black attire. Her appearance was exceptionally clean, and her eyes sparkled with hope and brightness. It wasn’t the hope of someone who had never experienced the hardships of life and was optimistic about the world. She had experienced it all but still had hope for the world.

It was like redemption in his dark world.

Suddenly, he asked, “Nian Nian, have you thought about the future?”

“The future?” Jiang Nian pondered and nodded. “Yes, I’ve thought about it. Why do you ask?”

“What kind of future do you envision for yourself?”

“Protecting my family and going on missions,” she said, “and accumulating a lot of gold coins!” Her goal in this life was to become the Goddess of Gold!

Qin Yue chuckled lightly. This future was simple yet filled with numerous challenges. He looked at her and said seriously, “Can you add me to your future? We can protect our families together; go on missions together, and I’ll protect you.”

Jiang Nian was momentarily stunned and looked up at Qin Yue.

Not wanting to give Jiang Nian too much time to think, Qin Yue turned around and began taking various boxes out of his storage space, big and small, one by one. “I know you like gold jewelry, so every time I see something nice when I’m out, I want to bring it back and give it to you. But each time, I hesitate, afraid you might reject it…”

Over the past six months, he has been accumulating these items one by one. Now, he had laid them all out, and there were so many that the table, bed, and floor could barely accommodate them.

Jiang Nian was dazzled by the sparkling items in the room, and, without saying a word, she decided to accept his offer in her own way!