Especially since the one saying it was Su Ling, a woman.
Undeniably, Su Ling was formidable, possessing awakened abilities, sharp alertness, strong resolve, and exceptional decision-making skills.
However, he worried that Su Ling's words were just empty boasts, lacking genuine capability.
In this apocalypse, it wasn't just women's words that were untrustworthy; even men's words couldn't be relied upon.
He had personally witnessed survivors, untouched by mutation, fighting each other for a single mouthful of food after the apocalypse.
When even men struggled to protect themselves, what hope was there for women?
Therefore, he didn't believe a single word Su Ling said.
Seeing Zhou Yong's disbelief, Su Ling was too lazy to explain further or waste time. She stated directly, "I will propose a compensation plan for raiding your pharmaceutical factory. If you refuse to choose, then we'll stop here."
With that, Su Ling saw no need for further conversation. She lowered her head, playing with a small rocket, her sunglasses giving her an unapproachable air.
Zhou Yong, seeing this, opened his mouth but hesitated.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere grew tense.
This tension persisted until Chu Jin arrived.
"Shang Qi, Su Ling." Chu Jin's voice preceded his appearance, carrying from a distance.
Su Ling didn't even look up, continuing to play with her item in the same posture.
Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Yong turned his head and saw Chu Jin, without his sunglasses, running out from another building.
The moment he saw Chu Jin, Zhou Yong was directly startled by his eyes.
Zhou Yong had seen zombies, and Chu Jin's eyes, exposed without sunglasses, were clearly visible.
Chu Jin's eyes were exactly the kind of eyes a zombie should have.
The peculiar thing about Chu Jin was that only his eyes resembled those of a zombie; the rest of his body was indistinguishable from a survivor's.
Based on his ability to call out Su Ling's name so loudly and his agile movements, Zhou Yong knew that even if Chu Jin wasn't a zombie, he was by no means a weakling.
At this moment, Zhou Yong suddenly understood why Su Ling had dared to say those things.
Through observation, Zhou Yong realized that Chu Jin was indeed a zombie, but not the kind he understood zombies to be.
After the apocalypse, Zhou Yong had guarded his pharmaceutical factory alone, his access to information suffering a drastic cutoff.
It was hardly his fault; even if he wanted to obtain information, he had no channels or means.
This was the apocalypse, after all. Everything had collapsed, and human relationships had regressed to a primitive state.
Chu Jin had run all the way, intending to negotiate a task with Su Ling and Shang Qi, hence his call before being seen.
As he ran out of the building, an awkward moment ensued.
He discovered that the person appearing in his field of vision was neither Su Ling nor Shang Qi. He braked on the spot, then stopped abruptly and looked at Zhou Yong, who was also looking at him, utterly bewildered.
Seeing Chu Jin stop, Zhou Yong, remembering that Chu Jin was a zombie, a fighter among zombies, fearfully took a step back.
Chu Jin, after seeing Zhou Yong's backward movement, suddenly remembered he wasn't wearing sunglasses and quickly put them on, hiding his rather peculiar eyes.
After this action, Chu Jin looked at Zhou Yong and asked, "Seen a man and a woman?"
Uncertain of whether Zhou Yong was friend or foe, Chu Jin did not act rashly for the moment.
Hearing Chu Jin's question, Zhou Yong shivered and quickly turned around, walking briskly towards Su Ling, asking as he went, "Is it true? If I join you, can I live at the same living standard as before the apocalypse, just as you said?"
The reason Zhou Yong suddenly became so pragmatic was his realization of his own weakness.
He was a weakling. If he couldn't win, he had no choice but to join!