Yan Zhaofeng was all smiles, although his smile appeared insincere. To be honest, despite this sly fox’s attempts to harm Chen Chaoyang, the way he treated Tang Ye was quite gratifying, so Tang Ye had some favorable impression of him.
Yan Zhaofeng was indeed a skilled negotiator, making Tang Ye feel respected and stroking his ego.
"Brother Tang, it’s been a while since we last met. How have you been? I hope the base is treating you well."
Tang Ye nodded, standing in front of Yan Zhaofeng. Yan was quite tall himself, but compared to Tang Ye, he was still rather short.
Since he had a guest, it seemed inhospitable to let him remain outdoors, so he said, "Let’s go inside and talk. It’s cold out here."
Although Yan Zhaofeng had heard how smooth and cool Tang Ye’s voice was, he still felt slightly uncomfortable upon hearing it again. He agreed with Tang Ye’s proposal, "Alright, let’s go inside."
Under Tang Ye’s lead, Yan Zhaofeng walked into the room. Tang Ye followed, and as he entered, he glanced at the doorway.
There were two New Human soldiers serving as his bodyguards, but didn’t Li Xiaoyan say a large gang of people were coming? There might still be some lurking outside.
Upon entering the room, the first thing Yan Zhaofeng’s eyes fell upon was Nannan, who was playing with her doll on the sofa. His expression instantly lit up.
"A New Human, this...."
His eyes were turning, clearly contemplating something. Nannan emitted a strong life force much stronger than that of a regular adult — hard to miss. Still, for such a small, infant girl to have evolved into a New Human was something he had never seen before.
However, he was also taken aback. As a Level 2 New Human, Tang Ye seemed to lack the vitality of life. He appeared to be a living "dead man." Yet, this tiny child had such a potent life force. What a peculiar pair they made!
Upon entering, Tang Ye immediately sat down next to Nannan and, pointing to an opposite couch, signaled for Yan Zhaofeng to take a seat as well.
"Is she your daughter?"
"You could say that."
Yan Zhaofeng’s eyes flickered briefly before he fell into thought.
What did he mean, "you could say that?"
"She doesn’t have a name yet. We just call her Nannan."
Tang Ye was getting impatient with all this attention on Nannan. Even though he didn’t exactly dislike Yan Zhaofeng, he knew they were destined to be enemies as he would inevitably steal from him in the future.
He didn’t want to hear Yan chatter away; he just wanted him to state his business and then be off.
It seemed Yan could sense Tang Ye’s impatience, so he didn’t ask further about Nannan. After sparing her one last glance, he finally broached the subject. "Brother Tang, that matter we discussed last time... have you given it any further thought?"
"This..." Tang Ye was caught off guard and thought to himself, "Damn, all this just to ask me that again?"
"Brother Tang, don’t worry, if you join us, we’ll make sure you get your share of the good stuff. We’re no strangers here, so I’ll be straightforward. You and I both know the state of things in this apocalypse. The end of the world is upon us!"
"And what is the most valuable thing in the apocalypse? Talent! Talent is always in demand, but right now, it’s talents like you that are in severe shortage! If you join us, I can offer you anything you want — beautiful women, power, you name it!"
Tang Ye coughed awkwardly, looking at Yan Zhaofeng with incredulous eyes. He had thought someone like Yan, being the leader of a base, would be more discreet in his words. He had underestimated the moral decadence of people in the apocalypse. However, he didn’t mind it. The more chaotic the world, the better. After all, as a zombie, he was not affected by humans’ crises, and if he ever made human society too chaotic, he could always retreat to the safety of a zombie horde. There, no one could find him!
It seemed Yan was slightly embarrassed by his own outburst. He reached for an imaginary teacup on the table to alleviate his discomfort but then realized there was no cup and drew his hand back awkwardly.
"Well...I might have been a little carried away, but I was not lying. You don’t have to make a spectacle of it. We’re in the apocalypse, there’s no point in concerning ourselves with supposed niceties. What do you think? Anyway, have you given it any further thought?"
Hope shone in Yan Zhaofeng’s eyes. Recruiting a Level 2 New Human could be a double-edged sword. There was a risk that the new recruit could take over. However, he had already prepared countermeasures and wouldn’t dare invite a stronger competitor in otherwise.
"Well...I still need more time to think about it."
Looking at the red demon mask that was Tang Ye’s face, Yan Zhaofeng’s brow furrowed into a single "chuan" character (furrowed brow shape). He couldn’t understand what Tang was thinking. He had already been straightforward, so why was Tang still hesitant?
Could Tang be planning something bigger?
With this thought, Yan Zhaofeng’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, and a glint of murderous intent flickered.
Having a Level 2 New Human in the base who wasn’t on his side was a complication. If he could not make use of him, then he should be killed. As Yindan Base’s leader, Yan Zhaofeng was obsessed with his position to the point of insanity. He would not tolerate any potential threats!
Level 2 New Humans were not invincible. He had many ways to destroy them!
"How did the evolutionary drugs I gave you last time work?"
Tang Ye had been dodging the question, so Yan Zhaofeng decided to change the topic.
"Well, pretty good, quite effective."
As the medicine went into Tang Ye’s mouth, he didn’t feel any change. It was the same as consuming an Evolution Crystal. He went along with Yan Zhaofeng just to placate him.
After hearing this, Yan Zhaofeng chuckled and thought to himself, "So it really has no effect on Level 2 New Humans."
"Brother Tang, since you are still unsure about joining us, I won’t press you further. I will give you time to think it over. As you know, my time is limited too. It’s hard for me to spare time to visit. I hope you understand."
"However, there’s one thing I am very curious about. Brother Tang, as a Level 2 New Human, why can’t I sense any vitality from you? Could it be..."
Before Yan Zhaofeng could finish, Tang Ye pressed down one of his fingers hard, producing a cracking noise that cut Yan off. His eyes filled with an intense threat.
Tang Ye didn’t know what this "vitality" was. Could New Humans sense it? When Chen Chaoyang had mentioned it before, he thought nothing of it. Now, he must seem peculiar to other New Humans. Even though Yan Zhaofeng did not finish his sentence, Tang Ye wondered if he was suspecting that he was a zombie.
What Tang Ye didn’t know was that what Yan Zhaofeng actually wanted to say next was, "Have you evolved on a different path?"