Wen Shangyin finished speaking, he sighed deeply. "I don't care about myself, but I've dragged you down. If you hadn't come out with me this time, you wouldn't be so miserable and unlucky, suffering cold treatment and humiliation by my side."
Imprisoned, abandoned, and facing an uncertain fate.
When it came to winning people over, Wen Shangyin was very skilled.
Song Lian knew very well that Wen Shangyin was trying to win him over. He saw through it but chose not to expose it, playing along. "Master Yin, we are in this together. There's no need for such pleasantries. I willingly came out with you, to expand our territory and recruit talents. I've long been prepared for whatever fortune or misfortune may come."
As he spoke, Song Lian glanced up at the iron gate. "Fortune and misfortune are but fleeting moments, who knows if it's not a blessing in disguise. I believe we won't perish here."
He was a strategist, after all, and had made preparations.
He figured by now, if they hadn't returned, the people he had arranged should be arriving.
Wen Shangyin, unaware of Song Lian's alternative plans, had little confidence. He felt like a deflated balloon, listlessly gazing at the iron door that confined them. "Let's hope our blessings protect us, and we don't meet our end here."
Having said that, Wen Shangyin leaned against the wall, looking at his sprained ankle. He felt pain, exhaustion, and despair.
Compared to Wen Shangyin's despair, Song Lian remained calm.
However, his current concern was that the people he arranged to rescue them might run into Su Ling and Shang Qi.
It would be best if they didn't meet. If they did, he feared it would cause trouble.
At worst, it would only delay their rescue. At best, the people he arranged would be killed, and they would completely lose any chance of being saved.
While Song Lian was contemplating this, Shang Qi and Su Ling had already left the prison area.
Xu Du and his group had taken over the prison area, establishing it as the Doomsday Base. They intercepted passing survivors, forcing the obedient to surrender and turning the defiant into jerky.
As for the women, they were reduced to objects of lust.
Among those Wen Shangsheng had released were some ability users, who had been imprisoned by Xu Du and his group, but they were a minority.
The majority were women. The elderly and children had long since perished, becoming food.
Shang Qi and Su Ling emerged from where people were being held. The released survivors stood in the courtyard, a considerable number of them.
Looking around, women formed the majority, each with disheveled hair and scant clothing.
It was Wen Shangsheng and Chu Jin and others who showed respect to women, taking off their own clothes to give to the unclothed women.
This was the reality of the apocalypse. If one couldn't be strong enough to protect oneself, they could only become prey, at the mercy of others.
If given a choice, who would want to live such a life without dignity?
The women stood barefoot in the courtyard, their feet on the cement floor, their gazes fixed uniformly on Su Ling.
In their eyes, there was a mixture of envy and longing.
Beyond their envy, their gazes then fell upon Shang Qi.
Su Ling's cleanliness and beauty were something they envied.
Then, they assumed Su Ling's beauty and cleanliness were due to Shang Qi.
After the baptism of the apocalypse, those among them who hadn't awakened their abilities felt that relying on the strong was their only choice. Su Ling was their role model, and they strived to become like her, always appearing radiant and presentable wherever they went.
Chu Jin and Wen Shangsheng and others could also have been objects of reliance, but people after the apocalypse lacked a sense of security. They believed in the supremacy of strength, and thus, if they were to rely on someone, they would rely on the strongest.
Once they succeeded in attaching themselves to a strong individual, survival in the apocalypse would be largely guaranteed.
Not only would they be safe, but they would also embark on a life of feasting and merriment.
Looking at Su Ling's appearance, it was evident that their living conditions and meals were exceptional.
As Shang Qi and Su Ling appeared, the eyes of men and women alike fell upon them.
They didn't need to speak. A single glance was enough to understand the thoughts conveyed by the gazes cast upon them.