Chapter 16: 【Stubborn】【Indecisive】【Lucky】

“Wow, Zhang Su, this knife is so cool—can I use it?”

In Zhang Su’s bedroom, Zheng Xinyu pulled out a curved blade resembling a boomerang from its scabbard, examining it left and right.

The sharp edge gleamed like a mirror, reflecting sunlight streaming into the room; the heavy spine gave a sense of solid, dependable strength.

“You’ve got good taste…”

At this moment, Zheng Xinyu looked different to Zhang Su—three labels floated above her head.

【Stubborn】【Indecisive】【Lucky】

After gaining the special ability to perceive labels, Zhang Su immediately used it on Zheng Xinyu, and through the labels, he came to understand this girl better.

Though stubbornness and indecisiveness seemed negative, Zhang Su didn’t think so.

Indecisive was better than biased; bias was more dangerous than ignorance, and an indecisive person was easier to control—at least, that’s what her past behavior suggested.

Stubbornness used to be a flaw, something reckless, but now, in a zombie-plagued apocalypse, stubbornness was better than cowardice!

Zhang Su preferred to team up with someone bold, stubborn, and obedient rather than a timid, scheming partner.

A lucky follower.

That was Zhang Su’s summary of Zheng Xinyu—and thinking back, it fit her labels perfectly.

He was quite satisfied with this special ability; though it didn’t directly boost combat power or grant resources, in this chaotic world, understanding a person clearly was vital.

He believed he wouldn’t survive the apocalypse alone—if he had to interact with others, knowing their true nature mattered. If he saw a label like 【Born to Rebel】, it was like saving his own life…

After using the label-perceiving ability on Zheng Xinyu, Zhang Su tried using it on himself in the mirror—but it had no effect. He really wanted to know himself, because he felt he didn’t understand himself at all.

“Come on, what does that have to do with taste?! This knife is clearly better than a baseball bat or a big iron plate!”

Zheng Xinyu gave Zhang Su a strange look—the box now held only one half-meter-long adjustable wrench.

“What’s wrong with the big iron plate? It’s a specially forged weapon! You’re holding a dog-leg knife—the most expensive item in the box.”

Zhang Su tapped the blade of the dog-leg knife in Zheng Xinyu’s hand, producing a pleasant hum.

The blade was made of L6 Bainitic steel, exhibiting exceptional hardness, shock resistance, and toughness.

“The most expensive? Why’s the name so ugly—dog-leg… But whatever, if it’s expensive, that’s good—I’m taking this knife!”

Hearing it was expensive, Zheng Xinyu suddenly felt the knife grow lighter in her hand. She was about to stand up and swing it when Zhang Su snatched it away.

“This knife isn’t suitable for you!”

Zhang Su carefully returned the knife to its scabbard and pointed to the baseball bat lying nearby: “Stick with the baseball bat for now—you’re not skilled enough. Using a dog-leg knife is like suicide. Honestly, for zombies, blunt weapons work fine—or a short spear for stabbing.”

Recalling the close call when the axe got stuck in a zombie’s skull, Zhang Su had learned his lesson.

“The dog-leg knife? That’s for fighting people!”

As he spoke, Zhang Su tapped the scabbard.

“Oh… okay…” Zheng Xinyu replied dully. She didn’t understand, but Zhang Su’s words sounded reasonable enough.

“If only we could get to Yilewen… there are good things there!”

Zhang Su frowned, annoyed—most of his weapon collection was still at the convenience store.

“Isn’t this axe a good weapon?”

Zheng Xinyu pointed to the axe-hammer nearby.

Zhang Su picked it up, inspected it—the black axe-head was forged from T10 tool steel, a truly excellent material. But after their recent fight, it showed minor wear; despite wiping, faint scratches remained, marking the brief, intense battle.

“Looks sturdy, but if we face another battle like that… Forget it. Don’t analyze now. Xinyu, you threw up after eating at noon—want something else?”

Zhang Su heard Zheng Xinyu’s stomach growl and asked.

Zheng Xinyu rubbed her stomach and shook her head: “I’m hungry, but I’ve got no appetite. Wait till later.”

“Alright.” Zhang Su checked the time—3 p.m., close to dinner. Normally, he’d be heading to the convenience store for his shift, but now he was stuck at home, nowhere to go.

“While we’ve got time, we should…”

Zhang Su planned to get Zheng Xinyu to exercise—real exercise, for health and fitness—but just then, a knock came at the door.

Knock. Knock.

Soft, not the violent pounding of zombies.

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu exchanged glances, then both grabbed their weapons and moved toward the door. Zhang Su peered through the peephole—his mouth twitched.

The door of 802 was slightly ajar; the zombie blocking it had been shoved aside. A woman in a mask and sunglasses stood outside, glancing nervously left and right, trembling all over.

“The woman from across the hall!”

Zhang Su turned to Zheng Xinyu, frowning.

Zheng Xinyu made a awkward face and said nothing.

“H-hi, I’m your neighbor from 802. C-can you say something?”

Sensing someone inside, the woman leaned close to the crack and whispered: “My place has no water or internet—can I borrow your phone? What are those monsters? Do you know?”

“Please answer—I’ll pay you for the phone use…”

Zhang Su shook his head at Zheng Xinyu, then stepped back quietly. They returned to the bedroom and shut the door again.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Zheng Xinyu asked, confused. If the people from Building 4 were too far to communicate, this woman was right next door—why not talk?

Zhang Su shrugged, leaning against the headboard: “Whether she’s problematic or not, I see no reason to open the door. We can’t help her, and she can’t help us.”

“That’s true…”

Zheng Xinyu nodded silently. Now she understood—Zhang Su wasn’t keeping her because she was charming or because he was kind. They were together simply because they happened to be under the same roof…

Thinking of this, Zheng Xinyu asked strangely: “Zhang Su, if—just hypothetically—I got surrounded by zombies, and you had a chance to save me but it’d be dangerous… would you?”

Zhang Su glanced at Zheng Xinyu. He’d dated many girlfriends and heard all kinds of bizarre questions—this wasn’t even the weirdest.

“Women are weird. When nothing’s happening, you ask who to save if someone falls in the river—now you’re asking stupid, childish questions. Instead of this, why not think about why you missed your swing earlier?”

“I…”

“I what? If I hadn’t pulled the zombie ten centimeters toward us, do you think you’d have hit it so accurately? You think you’re some divine martial artist? Wake up, nun!”

As he spoke, Zhang Su shook his head and stood, walking toward the window. He knew clearly: Zheng Xinyu had hit the zombie’s head mostly because of her 【Lucky】 label…

(End of Chapter)