Chapter 350: Three Obsessions!

"Don't thank me yet—tell me what injuries you sustained and how you're doing now."

Zhang Su raised his hand, signaling the other to explain the situation.

"Bullet wound to the thigh…"

Since being injured, Xiao Ling had never been around so many people at once, and she seemed slightly tense.

Ju Wuying heard their conversation, leapt lightly onto the kang, lifted the quilt, and showed Zhang Su the site of Xiao Ling's wound, then rattled off something in rapid Japanese.

"She says… Xiao Ling's wound has been deteriorating due to lack of timely treatment and needs surgery to remove the necrotic tissue—she's asking whether our camp has the conditions for surgery…"

Su Xiaoya found the thought of it all grueling; a shadow of worry crept onto her face, and she warned herself: she must grow stronger, or she'd end up like this.

Though bandaged, the quilt lifted to reveal a foul odor—but none of them showed much concern; to them, as long as it wasn't a zombie bite, anything else was manageable.

Zhang Su felt the same—he paid no mind to such flesh wounds. He turned his gaze to Ju Wuying and said, "You said earlier that if I could save your companion, you'd work for me from now on—correct?"

Ju Wuying gently pulled the quilt back over Xiao Ling's leg and turned to look at Zhang Su.

"She says… I promised to do you one favor, not to work for you."

Zhang Su scratched his head with a strange expression—he'd tried to slip through a loophole and got caught. He didn't care; he absentmindedly pulled out a pack of cigarettes. When he looked back at Ju Wuying, three bubbles had appeared above his head.

【War Obsessive】【Love Obsessive】【Alcohol Obsessive】

???

After using the Insight Tag on Ju Wuying, Zhang Su froze—he'd never seen such a peculiar character tag before.

Dharma Name: Three Obsessions…

Click. Click.

He lit a cigarette to mask his expression, pondering inwardly: the War Obsessive made sense—given her age, her extraordinary combat skills, and the fact she was a woman, sheer hard work alone couldn't explain it; she must have genuine passion and innate talent!

The Love Obsessive made sense too. Though Ju Wuying hadn't said it outright, the way she looked at and touched Xiao Ling revealed something intimate between them—and Ju Wuying seemed to have a romantic obsession; otherwise, in this apocalypse, she wouldn't have stayed so devoted.

As for the last one…

Zhang Su knew Japanese women drank heavily, but to be labeled an Alcohol Obsessive meant she'd reached a certain extreme. Suddenly, he remembered the bottles in the living room and the flask he carried—so that's why.

"Xiao Ling, what's your name? How old are you? Where are you from? What did you do before?"

Zhang Su exhaled smoke and spoke again—not to Ju Wuying, but to Xiao Ling. Now that he understood Ju Wuying a bit, Xiao Ling had become the key figure.

"My name is Yi Xiao Ling. I'm from Qingxian. My family owns a house in town. I studied agriculture in college, and after graduation, I planted chestnuts with my parents near Tuzhang Village. Cough—"

Her words came in fits and starts, and speaking more made her cough.

Ju Wuying picked up a glass of water and gently held it to Xiao Ling's lips.

Zhang Su nodded. Clearly, Yi Xiao Ling was an ordinary chestnut farmer—yet one with a college education.

"Alright, I've got your basic situation. Your friend—or should I say girlfriend—has high combat ability, and I'm impressed. Our camp needs people like her. Saving you isn't a problem, but there's one condition: you both must join our camp and never defect."

Yi Xiao Ling's combat skills were clearly useless, but Ju Wuying could take on multiple opponents alone. Bringing these two into the camp was a guaranteed win. Besides, Yi Xiao Ling was a special talent—once winter passed, the camp would need heavy farming.

"Cough—"

Hearing Zhang Su say "friend" and "girlfriend," Yi Xiao Ling burst into another cough. Ju Wuying, visibly pained, patted her back soothingly.

"Big Brother, my whole family is dead. Now I only have Xiao Ju. I'm fine with anything—I leave it to her decision."

After coughing, Yi Xiao Ling's face flushed with unhealthy color, yet she insisted on making her point clear.

Ju Wuying heard Yi Xiao Ling's words and turned to meet Zhang Su's gaze.

"Come outside—we'll talk a bit." Zhang Su waved Ju Wuying over, then cracked open the window and flicked out his cigarette butt.

When the boss was discussing matters, the others naturally stayed back—even the secondary translator, Su Xiaoya, was told to remain inside.

Zhang Su took his phone and went with Ju Wuying to the living room. Beyond the door, the air was cold. He zipped up his down jacket and sat heavily on the sofa. "I've already stated my terms. Saving your companion isn't hard—it's up to you to decide."

During their walk out of the room, Ju Wuying had already thought deeply. Now, she responded slowly to his words.

"Xiao Ling's injuries are severe. You didn't examine her closely—why are you so confident?"

Zhang Su looked at the translation on his phone and smiled. "Our camp has top-tier biologists and virologists. They've developed a gene-based drug. I can't explain the exact mechanism—you wouldn't understand anyway—but suffice it to say, all external wounds can be treated. So I don't need to see Yi Xiao Ling's injury to be certain: everyone in our camp uses this drug. It's safe and reliable."

Hearing Zhang Su's explanation, Ju Wuying's heart brightened. For some reason, she believed him—though it sounded implausible, she had no other choice.

Her expression remained calm. "Where is your camp? How many people are there? If we join, what would you require of me and Xiao Ling?"

Ju Wuying had never joined any faction before; a hint of nervousness stirred within her.

Since she was asking these details, there was hope. Zhang Su replied seriously: "Our camp has ninety-some people. With you two, we'll be ninety-eight. It's dozens of kilometers south. As for what you'll do… With your skills, you'll join the combat team—scouting for supplies, defending the camp, that sort of thing. As for your girlfriend, she was a farmer. We have vast tracts of land awaiting cultivation—she'll have plenty of room to contribute. Just understand one thing: our camp doesn't feed idlers. Everyone must contribute."

Ju Wuying pressed her sharply defined lips together, thought for a moment, then spoke.

"You said we can't defect. I'll abide by that. But if one day I get a chance to return to Japan, can I leave?"

Living as a stranger in a foreign land was unbearable. Earlier, Ju Wuying had headed for Qincheng's port to find a ship.

Living as a wanderer in a foreign land can't go on forever; before this, Ju Wuying went to Qincheng Port specifically to find a ship.

【48】 Being adrift in a foreign land could never be a permanent solution; before, Ju Wuying had gone to Qincheng Port specifically to find a ship.

Zhang Su smirked dismissively. "After all this time, you know this disaster affected the entire globe, right?"

Zhang Su smirked dismissively and said, "After all this time, you must know that this disaster affected the entire globe, right?"

【50】 Zhang Su sneered and said, "After all this time, you should know this disaster affected the entire globe, right?"

Zhang Su continued: "From here to Japan, it's over a thousand kilometers by sea. How do you plan to get there? Row with your hands?"

The sea outside Qincheng was the Bohai Sea, then the Yellow Sea, then past Jeju Island three hundred kilometers before reaching Nagasaki. No matter the vehicle, without expert guidance, that journey would be harder than a pilgrimage to the West.

Ju Wuying drew in a shallow breath of cold air, her expression resolute. "As long as I live, I'll wait for an opportunity. I'm asking—if one comes, can I go? Take Xiao Ling with me?"

If she'd asked to go to Tangcheng—or even Jingcheng—Zhang Su might've thought it plausible. News from Tangcheng had already reached them. But Japan? That was fantasy. He nodded generously, granting her request.

Besides, if Ju Wuying truly contributed greatly to the camp, keeping her wouldn't be hard at all.

"No problem. If a chance ever arises for you to reach Japan, I won't stop you—but on one condition: once you join our camp, you must never betray us."

Ju Wuying's expression turned solemn.

"If you can heal Xiao Ling's wounds, I agree."

"Words alone aren't convincing."

"I swear by the honor of the Ju clan: if you heal Yi Xiao Ling, I will join your camp and never betray you. But if an opportunity arises to return to Japan, you must not block me."

Ju Wuying made the vow with utmost seriousness.

But to Zhang Su, this oath held no real weight—like him swearing he'd stop using his surname if he broke a promise. It was just empty theatrics.

He clicked his tongue. "I don't know the Ju clan. Besides… your family's situation isn't promising. Who even cares about honor anymore?"

Unexpectedly, after Zhang Su spoke, Ju Wuying suddenly grew agitated. Her expression shifted, her tone hardened—where before it had been calm, now it burned with intensity.

"The Ju clan has endured for a thousand years. Even if I'm the last one left, I must protect my clan's honor. This is the highest vow. If I break it, evil spirits will punish me. Don't take it lightly!"

Zhang Su read the translation on his phone, eyeing Ju Wuying skeptically. Her expression was too grave to be a lie—unless she was lying to herself. He still doubted clan honor, but the threat of evil spirits carried real weight.

"The Ju family has been passed down for a thousand years; even if I'm the last one left, I must protect the clan's honor—that's the highest vow, and breaking it will bring retribution from evil spirits, so don't take it lightly!"

【67】 "The Ju lineage has been passed down for a thousand years; even if I am the last one left, I must protect my clan's honor—this is the highest vow, and if I break it, the evil spirits will punish me, so do not take it lightly!"

Zhang Su finished reading the text on the translation app, eyeing Ju Wuying with skepticism; her expression was utterly serious, not at all like a lie—unless it was a lie so deep she'd convinced herself. He had always doubted the honor of surnames, but the retribution from evil spirits carried far greater deterrence.

(End of Chapter)