4: Chapter 4 Don't Say Things Too Certainly

Old Madam Lin rushed toward the Teddy like a madwoman and sprawled on the ground, screaming.

"You god-cursed brat! You beat my grandson like this, you'll die a horrible death!"

"May the Heavens open their eyes and strike this heartless thing dead with lightning! May you die without descendants!"

Beside her, the Teddy dog whimpered, blood foam dripping from the corners of its mouth and its eyes glazed over, clearly on the verge of death.

Song Yang ignored Old Madam Lin's curses and walked straight into the apartment building.

"Tsk tsk, what's wrong with this young lad Song Yang today? It's like he's a different person."

"Exactly. I remember Song Yang used to avoid Old Madam Lin whenever he saw her."

"Didn't you see his eyes just now? They were ice-cold and looked quite terrifying."

Song Yang naturally couldn't hear the Neighbors' whispers.

He had indeed changed.

Everything he had experienced during the apocalypse stimulated his nerves and conscience day and night.

Parents starved to the extreme would look at their own children with hollow eyes, calculating how much food they could be traded for.

He had even personally seen a man pack up his wife and daughter and give them to a minor leader who had canned food, just to trade for a few more days of survival.

That woman's desperate cries and the girl's vacant eyes had once been nightmares that haunted Song Yang at night.

But later, he became numb.

Having seen and heard so much, he had even done things against his conscience just to survive. Although he still had some bottom line, he was no longer the person he used to be.

Now that he had returned through rebirth, these trivial family matters and neighborhood conflicts were as insignificant as dust in his eyes.

Since he was reborn, would he still let people bully him?

He had no time or interest in wasting energy on such trivialities.

Only fourteen days remained until the apocalypse.

The only thing he needed to do now was to make good use of every minute and second to make thorough preparations for the coming eternal night.

As for others' opinions?

When they truly experienced despair, they would understand that his "indifference" and "ruthlessness" today might be the only things they could rely on to survive.

Just as he reached the corner of the third floor, he saw a young girl standing in front of a door.

The girl wore a denim miniskirt that barely covered the tops of her thighs and a tight camisole on top, revealing a large area of fair skin and delicate collarbones.

Her face was adorned with quite exquisite makeup, and she was looking down at her phone, her fingers sliding across the screen quickly as if she were chatting with someone.

Song Yang knew this girl; her name was Xiao Xue, she lived in the same building unit as him, and she was an Internet Streamer.

Hearing footsteps, Xiao Xue looked up. Seeing it was Song Yang, the smile on her face immediately vanished, replaced by undisguised disgust.

Song Yang didn't stop, only giving a slight nod as a greeting.

Unexpectedly, this simple action was like lighting a powder keg.

Xiao Xue let out a cold "Heh," crossed her arms, tilted her chin up slightly, and looked Song Yang up and down with a condescending gaze.

"Hey, Song Yang, where are you looking?"

She paused, the contempt in her eyes growing even stronger:

"Don't think that just because you took the initiative to greet me, I'll give you any face. Let me tell you, I'm only interested in rich men; you're not even worth a glance from me."

"Look at your pathetic, penniless state. You probably won't be able to get a woman for the rest of your life."

Song Yang glanced at Xiao Xue indifferently.

"It's better not to speak too absolutely. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"

"Maybe one day you really will have to come and beg me."

These words immediately ignited the anger in Xiao Xue's heart.

As if she had heard a huge joke, Xiao Xue sneered and stared Song Yang up and down as if looking at a fool:

"Beg you? Song Yang, are you still dreaming?"

"Rest assured, even if I, Xiao Xue, starve to death or jump off this building, I would never beg a loser like you for anything!"

"Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror! A toad lusting after swan meat—that's exactly the kind of person you are! Don't think you can get my attention with this kind of rhetoric. Let me tell you, no way!"

Song Yang's expression remained unchanged as he asked casually:

"Then if that day really comes and you do come to beg me, what then?"

"If that day really comes?"

Xiao Xue said disdainfully, "There's only one possibility—that I've gone mad! Completely insane!"

After cursing, Xiao Xue seemed to feel that it wasn't enough, so she reached out her foot to kick Song Yang.

Song Yang dodged and gave Xiao Xue's butt a hard squeeze with his large hand; it felt quite good.

Seeing that she was no match for him, Xiao Xue pulled open the door and hurriedly hid inside.

...

Returning home, Song Yang stood in the center of the living room, his gaze sweeping over every inch of the space.

Over a hundred square meters wasn't small.

Back then, he had emptied his savings and taken on a thirty-year mortgage just to buy this apartment.

But to deal with the apocalypse, every wall could be a weak point.

The inner walls had to be reinforced with steel plates, thick enough to at least withstand violent demolition, and even some bulletproof capability had to be considered.

Not to mention the windows; ordinary glass was no different from paper during chaos. They all had to be replaced with bulletproof glass, and it would be best to add a layer of steel railings on the outside.

The floors and ceilings couldn't be ignored either.

Who knew what the Neighbors upstairs and downstairs would do in a desperate situation? Reinforcement was a must.

The costs for materials and labor for this entire set of renovations would definitely be quite high.

Song Yang frowned slightly.

Money was the most urgent issue at the moment.

The pre-apocalyptic order could still be maintained for fourteen days. During these fourteen days, money was still omnipotent.

Time was running out.

Leaving home, he went to a corporate building in the city center.

In the office area, cubicles were lined up one after another. The clicking of computer keyboards, the ringing of telephones, and the humming of printers were interwoven, creating a noisy and bustling atmosphere.

He walked up to a workstation and asked politely:

"Hello, may I ask where Manager Zheng's office is?"

The young employee didn't even look up, pointing in a direction.

"It's at the very end. You'll see it if you turn left along the corridor."

Song Yang said thanks and arrived at the office door at the very back.

Pushing open the door, a woman was sitting behind a large desk.

The woman wore a black hip-hugging skirt with a white silk shirt underneath and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

The woman's name was Zheng Xiaoxiao; she was a former colleague of his and had a very beautiful face.

Any clothes she wore looked so fitting and pleasing to the eye; she was a natural clothes horse.

Seeing Song Yang enter, the woman's eyebrows furrowed. She put down the documents in her hand, looked up, and stared at Song Yang with cold eyes.

"Who let you in? What are you doing here?"

Song Yang walked to Zheng Xiaoxiao's desk, leaned his hands on the tabletop, and stared intensely into Zheng Xiaoxiao's eyes.

"Manager Zheng, we meet again. I've come this time to borrow some money."

Zheng Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"Song Yang, you were already fired last year. What kind of madness has brought you here today?"

"Borrow money? Why do you think I would lend you money? Or do you think there's some special relationship between us?"

"I wouldn't call it a relationship."

Song Yang's face remained expressionless. "However, I know some things that Manager Zheng wouldn't want others to know."

The mockery on Zheng Xiaoxiao's face froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure:

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Song Yang ignored her counter-question and said to himself:

"You and your boyfriend have used your positions to tamper with the company's projects over the past few years, haven't you?"

He leaned in a bit closer, his voice not loud, yet it reached Zheng Xiaoxiao's ears clearly:

"No matter how well that money is hidden, there will always be a day it comes to light, won't there?"

These words were like a thunderclap exploding in Zheng Xiaoxiao's ears.

She suddenly sat up straight, her face instantly turning somewhat unsightly as she flew into a rage out of shame:

"Song Yang! Stop your baseless accusations! I think you're just holding a grudge for being fired and are deliberately slandering me!"

She reached for the telephone on the desk:

"If you don't get out right now, I'll call security!"

"Don't get excited, Manager Zheng."

Song Yang reached out a hand and gently pressed down on the phone.

"Calling security is useless; it won't solve the underlying problem."

"I didn't come here today to argue with you, nor to threaten you."

"I need money. Five million."

Song Yang held up a finger. "I know you have it, and this amount shouldn't be too much of a blow to you."

"Five million?!"

Zheng Xiaoxiao acted as if she had heard some tall tale, her voice suddenly rising. "Song Yang, you're crazy! Why don't you just go and rob someone?"

"Because I know where that money came from."

Song Yang interrupted her. "I also know what will happen to you and your boyfriend once these things are exposed."

The air in the office froze.

Zheng Xiaoxiao stared fixedly at Song Yang, her eyes filled with shock and fear.

"Think about it."

Song Yang's gaze swept over the luxurious decor of the office.

"Five million in exchange for you and your boyfriend's safety. This is a very good deal."