Chapter 155 - 147: The Inevitable Grouping

Chapter 155: Chapter 147: The Inevitable Grouping

"Captain, we’ve lost a lot of our brothers, but there are still 16 of us alive. Plus, the police officers are here... We don’t have to be afraid of them."

Cai Hong couldn’t help but remind him.

He sensed that Captain Chen Guangzong seemed to have been intimidated by that Zhao kid.

Chen Guangzong had a second thought... ’Cai might be a stubborn loudmouth most of the time, but he’s actually got a point right now!’

’I still have 16 people on my side!’

’And the police officers look like the righteous type. They’re obviously more likely to maintain order, not just take whatever they want by force.’

’That Yu Dong, Zhao Youcai, and Huang Zhiqiang are making a big scene, but... it looks like there aren’t as many of them as I thought. Even if they’re tough, they wouldn’t dare to start a fight in front of the police, would they?’

’Maybe I should start acting like a captain?’

At this thought, he instinctively straightened his back.

DING!

The nearby elevator doors opened.

Zhou Jian Country, Yan Yikai, Zhao Wenjie, Liu Ye’ye, Shen Xinyi, Qiao Ping, Lin Mo, Xia Yao, and Wang Xiuying all stepped out.

The group lined up directly behind Yu Dong.

Zhou Jian Country said, "Dongzi, we’re here. The people below are waiting to board."

Yan Yikai said, "Boss, what’s our next move? From now on, I’m with you!"

Zhao Wenjie’s expression was a little odd, but he stood ramrod straight.

When the zombie outbreak started, he couldn’t resist video-calling Yang Yi. He found her trapped in her apartment in the Xiangti Bay Community, packing her clothes. There wasn’t much food in the apartment, and with zombies swarming outside, she had just been begging him to come and save her.

’But I know I have to prioritize Yu Dong’s business right now,’ he thought. ’After all, based on my experience from reading over a thousand novels...’

’Yu Dong is definitely a Reincarnator!’

’Following him is the absolute best way for me to achieve greatness.’

’The protagonists in so many fanfics choose to follow the original main character, using their good fortune to get ahead and avoid disaster, eventually reaching the pinnacle alongside them.’

’If I’m not mistaken, my path from here is to follow Yu Dong, kill zombies, get Crystal Cores, awaken special abilities, start cultivating, enter the primordial realm, and finally attain the Great Dao.’

’So, Yu Dong’s business is my business!’

’I must have been a genius in my past life to have earned a Reincarnator’s trust, allowing me to reach the top with Yu Dong in this one.’

’Only someone like me, who has read a thousand novels, could achieve this level of advanced reasoning.’

Shen Xinyi watched Liu Ye’ye warily. ’This girl... is getting way too close to my boyfriend,’ she thought. ’I’ll have to properly interrogate Yu Dong once we get back to the room.’

Seeing the tense situation, Liu Ye’ye subconsciously reached for Yu Dong’s hand, only for Shen Xinyi to intercept it with her own, giving Liu Ye’ye a warning smile.

Liu Ye’ye: "..."

She shot Yu Dong a reproachful glance, feeling that her pure and innocent feelings for her senior had been disrupted.

Qiao Ping and Lin Mo, being the smart ones, quickly conferred. Without much hesitation, they decided to stick with Yu Dong. In fact, more than the immediate situation on the cruise ship, they were both more concerned about the military... That was the truly important matter.

While discussing this with Qiao Ping, Lin Mo even found time to give Wang Xiuying a quick counseling session.

Wang Xiuying actually managed to accept reality surprisingly quickly. Plus, with the dog constantly barking beside her, she, in turn, stopped... well, barking.

With red-rimmed eyes, Xia Yao walked over and linked her arm with Zhao Youcai’s.

"Brother~ Are you okay? I was so worried about you..."

Zhao Youcai ruffled her hair, his face brimming with confidence.

"Don’t worry. Your brother has it all planned out."

Zhao Youcai still liked it when she called him "Brother" in front of others. It made him feel loved and needed.

In that moment, nine people stood firmly behind Yu Dong, Zhao Youcai, and Huang Zhiqiang, a picture of perfect unity.

This was Yu Dong’s core team.

Chen Guangzong, who had just managed to straighten his back a little, immediately slumped again.

’This gang of toughs is huge!’

Cai Hong was also taken aback. He hadn’t expected them to have so many people. But when he saw that nearly half of them were women, including several stunning beauties, a cunning glint appeared in his eyes.

Wang Dingbei and his long-time partner, Jing Yanwei, exchanged a look. This new development had given them quite a start as well.

’They’re actually a large group?’

’They even roped in a pregnant woman and an old lady!’

’Yu Dong, you kid, you really don’t discriminate, do you!’

However, Wang Dingbei could see the situation had grown tense. That Zhao Youcai fellow had put both the captain and Yu Dong in an awkward position where neither could easily back down.

"Ahem! What’s all this ’boss’ talk? Let’s not act like we’re in some kind of gang. We don’t do that in this new era!"

"Yu Dong managed to save all these people, and his judgment about the zombies and the future has been quite accurate. Everyone needs to take what he says very seriously. That much is beyond doubt."

"However, when it comes to the ship... the captain and his crew are the professionals. Captain Chen, right? I’ll have to ask you to cooperate with us and help get the survivors below settled into their rooms first."

"It’s getting dark, and it isn’t safe outside. Let’s just get them on board for now."

Hearing this, Chen Guangzong latched onto the words like a drowning man clutching a straw.

"The officer is right! Let’s get everyone settled in first... Cai, you go arrange the living quarters. Oh? Wenwen, you’re here too. Go help assign the rooms."

"Yes, Captain!"

Obeying the captain was second nature to Qi Wenwen. Cai Hong said nothing more, but his eyes, fixed on Zhao Youcai and Yu Dong, were filled with hostility.

"Let’s get to work."

Just then, Yu Dong spoke to Chen Guangzong.

"Captain Chen, give me the key cards for the four Stellar Suites on Deck 16."

Cai Hong cut in, "Just stay with everyone else. Supplying separate power up there will be a huge hassle."

"A hassle?" Yu Dong said coolly. "When I was saving you... that was a lot more of a hassle than this."

The crew members’ expressions shifted. An engineer couldn’t stop himself from speaking up.

"Brother Cai, it’s not a big deal. I can handle it in a minute. Just give them the keys. Without him, those of us working on the deck never would have made it."

"Who gave you permission to speak? What’s your rank?! One more word out of you and I’ll... I’ll..."

Cai Hong wanted to threaten him based on his rank, but before the words left his mouth, he realized that job titles, bonuses, and benefits... were all meaningless now.

He had no leverage to threaten anyone.

He then let out a cold snort.

"Four Stellar Suites... You people certainly know how to live it up."

This cruise ship had many different types of rooms.

Aside from the standard single and double cabins, ocean-view cabins, and balcony cabins, there were also three types of suites: the Horizon Suites, the Zenith Suites, and the Stellar Suites.

The Stellar Suites were the highest tier and the largest, split into two floors and able to accommodate many people.

Furthermore, they were located on the ship’s highest level, offering unparalleled views and an exclusive location. There were only four such suites in total.

And Yu Dong had just claimed all of them.

He intended to reserve them for his core team.

’There are too many strangers this time... I have to be careful. The last thing I need is to get taken out by someone in the middle of the night before I even have to deal with more zombies.’

Deck 16 was above the main deck. Besides these four suites, it also had a swimming pool, a sea observation deck, and a high-end restaurant.

It was more than enough for his team’s daily needs.

The ship had power, so the elevators were running. Living on a higher floor wasn’t an issue; it was easy to get to any deck.

Qi Wenwen went and got the four key cards for the Stellar Suites and brought them to Yu Dong.

As she left, she made a point of brushing against Yu Dong’s chest.

"Hey handsome, is there a spot for me in your suite?"

"There is. If you’d like, you can stay with the other women in our group."

"Hmph. Playing the gentleman."

Qi Wenwen pouted and walked away. Dressed in black stockings, she moved with a seductive sway.

Huang Zhiqiang clicked his tongue. "TSK TSK. Damn, what a view..."

"Get a hold of yourself, Huang. Go downstairs and help receive the survivors."

Yu Dong sent the men downstairs to help with the incoming survivors, while the women went up to Deck 16 to organize the four rooms and sort out supplies.

As for himself, he went to find Uncle Yu Chengfei.

"Uncle Yu, I implore you to join my team. We need your guidance and training."

"Young man... you’re a good kid, with plenty of courage. But... at my age, I’m not interested in joining teams. If you need my help, just ask. I just don’t want to get mixed up in trivial affairs. If you’ll listen to a bit of advice from an old man... don’t always be trying to come out on top. Just getting by together is good enough."

"Yes, I understand, Uncle Yu. We’ll be relying on your guidance from now on."

"That you should. Master the spear, and killing zombies becomes an easy task."

Zhao Youcai’s recent actions had served as a simple probe, revealing that there were now three distinct groups on the ship.

There was his own fledgling team, Wang Dingbei’s group of police officers, and Captain Chen Guangzong’s ship crew.

Even though he had been the one to save all of them, they would still band together with the people they were closest to before the apocalypse.

That was something Yu Dong couldn’t change.

Not unless he was willing to leave everyone else to die in the zombie horde, with just his own group of twelve people left on the ship.

But their group would be too weak that way... and he would miss out on a great deal of potential talent.

Yu Dong didn’t want to take that path, so he had no choice but to face the situation at hand.

He had anticipated this before the apocalypse. However, he had only foreseen a power struggle with Officer Wang for leadership. He’d overlooked the fact that by deliberately saving so many crew members, they would automatically form their own tight-knit group.

Even though most of the crew were grateful to him for saving them, they would still stick with their familiar friends among the crew and follow their captain’s lead.

Yu Dong had to gradually increase his own power and make his decisions the ones that guided the entire collective, in order to more effectively clear out the zombies.

It was a shame Yu Chengfei refused to get involved.

Yu Dong had also wanted to recruit the retired soldier, but when he looked over, the man had already trotted eagerly over to Wang Dingbei’s side. They were talking intimately and clearly getting along famously.

Since he hadn’t managed to win over Yu Chengfei, Yu Dong decided to head downstairs. He wanted to learn more about the other survivors’ situations and skills, find some promising candidates, and recruit them for his team.

’There are only so many people in total right now. I have to unite everyone I can. If I don’t, someone else will do it for me.’

Just then, Yu Dong got a call from Qiao Ping.

"Yu Dong, can you come up for a minute? My uncle is very eager to speak with you right now."

"I’m on my way."

The butterfly effect from the wings Yu Dong had flapped before the apocalypse... was now taking hold.

Qiao Yunliang was indeed looking for him.

In this life, aside from developing his own team, he was also going to change the fate of the Yanhai City military through Qiao Yunliang!