Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 123: A Similar Pair?

Chapter 123: A Similar Pair?

Tang Wei (POV)

March 18th, 20xx — 8:02 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Third Floor – Common Room

———

After giving the roles out and telling people they could rest for the night... John left.

Not in a dramatic way.

Just... quietly. Like it was routine now — power shifting out with John, not because he demanded it, but because the rest of us let him take it by default.

Typical of men like that.

Shen Yifei was next to go. She didn’t say goodbye. Just smirked, rolled off the training ball like a cat, and slipped out of the room with a stretch that didn’t match the weight of the meeting we’d just had.

Probably going to his bed.

I didn’t care.

Not really.

Old Zhou muttered something about checking on the generator problem, which I took to mean the bottle of cheap liquor Xu Lin was hiding in the mechanical room.

That left just two of us.

Me.

And Jiang Roulan.

She stood by the far table, coat still on, flipping through her notepad like it was a tactical manual. I could see a ration graph already half-sketched. Water lines, food breakpoints, high-efficiency storage calculations — clean handwriting, dense margins.

She hadn’t said a word since the meeting ended.

I liked that.

I walked over and leaned against the edge of the table.

"He leaves, and the room follows," I muttered.

"He leads," Roulan replied, without looking up, "because he acts. Not because he talks."

"Mm."

Jiang Roulan wasn’t wrong; he was quite interesting for a young man with zero experience, though there was room for improvement. He could see that and asked me and this woman to take the roles in order to cover for his weak points...

I didn’t dislike him, and the fact that he gave me a week’s supply of medicine made it more obvious he was a good and honest man.

’Handsome, strong... and thoughtful.’

There must have been something bad about him, maybe that he clearly had something going on with several women.

But... I’d seen enough of that even before the apocalypse.

’I’ll keep watching him, because he’s amusing.’

I crossed my arms.

"He’s gathering them around him like a harem."

She paused.

Just briefly.

Then continued writing.

"I noticed."

"You jealous?"

"No."

"Because I am his number two."

Her words were a little cute, different from her sharp responses.

The red blush of her cheeks and her body language told me... that this woman had already fallen.

’It seems he’s skilled...’

She said it too quickly.

I didn’t call her out on it.

Instead, I nodded toward the corner where the university group had clustered near the training mats. Some were sitting. Some whispering.

A few were already asleep.

"They’re not combat-ready," I said. "Not yet. But three or four of them could be."

"Qiming. Zhao. Lin." She ticked them off. "Possibly Li Fangzhou. He has speed and aggression — if we can teach him to aim it."

I glanced toward Zhou Xue’s archer unit near the far side. Quiet. Watching. Disassembled bows across their laps. Liang Mei had already left — probably to rest.

"They’re more cohesive," I said. "They’ve trained together. React as a group. Strong base."

Roulan finally looked at me.

"You’re just like John said, I’m glad he managed to recruit you."

That was surprising—all I showed John was a horrible side of me, and he even left meals for my family after that.

’Yeah... he’s good at moving people.’

The medicine forced me to move, but his kindness and the meals he left made it even harder to say no... a crafty man. I should keep my guard up, or I’d probably be in his bed before I could even realise he tore my hymen.

"Should we keep them together?"

I shrugged.

"No. They’re different tools. The archers are your formation backbone. Patrol-ready. Discipline and coverage. The other students are reactive. Good for scouting or fallback security. Maybe rotating perimeter sweeps."

But thinking back to John’s words and actions... "I think John plans to use the archers, he seems to really focus on that girl... Zhou Xue and the soft one, who looks like a fluffy animal."

She nodded.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a calorie bar and ripped it open between my teeth.

"Want one?"

When I noticed Roulan’s glance, I offered her one.

These things helped me survive the first two weeks, but the taste was like dry ass.

"S-Sure..." She took the caramel-flavoured one I offered with a strange look.

Although we had more food, I wanted to avoid eating when it wasn’t meal times... I thought this might be smart and decided to tell Roulan.

"I think we should limit meals, and eat them together as a group."

"Oh?"

Jiang Roulan’s hand scribbled rapidly, her cursive writing so pretty and clear. I nodded, and she made a timetable that was friendly for the group.

"What should we do about the patrols, Tang Wei?"

"Just call me Wei, or Sister Wie, You handle logistics. I’ll handle formation."

"Agreed."

We stood there for another minute in silence.

I circled back to the patrol plan as I chewed.

"Night watch should rotate in pairs. No solo shifts, even if they’re skilled. I don’t trust anyone to stay sharp for more than four hours. Put Qiming’s group in the last rotation. He’ll handle their groups decisions better than most."

Roulan nodded, scribbling notes.

"And Liang Mei?"

"John asked me not to push her," I said. "Something about a heart issue."

Roulan frowned faintly. "I thought she looked pale."

"She is. Fragile. Like one good sprint might kill her."

"Then no patrols for her. She stays with Jiemin."

"Agreed."

We didn’t need words after that.

Roulan’s pen kept moving as my eyes roamed the room.

I respected this woman.

Not because she was strong, but because she knew what needed doing and didn’t whine about it. Her kind got people through long winters and silent deaths.

Eventually, she spoke again.

"We’ll announce the final schedule tomorrow. Let them rest tonight."

"Smart. Let the hope settle in."

I pushed off the table and stretched, bones popping slightly. "Want to do a final check downstairs?"

Roulan nodded.

We walked in silence — boots soft against the reinforced flooring as we made our way down the stairwell to the second floor.

The lights had dimmed automatically.

Some of the survivors had already fallen asleep. Others whispered around barrel heaters or makeshift tables. I spotted Xu Lin and Old Zhou through a side room’s cracked door, quietly drinking over blueprints and old tools.

Children slept in clumps, arms tucked around one another. Someone had moved pillows into corners to muffle noise.

It wasn’t chaos anymore.

It was becoming a home.

Roulan didn’t say anything, but I saw the way she scanned every face. Checked the sleeping positions. Noted who had blankets. Who didn’t?

"Anyone who works gets a bed," she said quietly.

"We’ll need a system to reward consistency."

I smirked.

"You’re already addicted, aren’t you?"

"To what?"

"Order."

Roulan smiled faintly. "Better than losing hope... and this is something he built, I want it to work."

We reached the far end of the corridor, where only the soft hum of the generator echoed. Jiang Roulan stopped there, facing the empty bunk room we hadn’t filled yet.

"I don’t plan on losing him either," she said, barely audible.

I didn’t respond.

Not because I disagreed.

But because for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel like the odd one out.

We stood there for a while, staring at the quiet base we were building.

I wasn’t part of John’s bed.

Wasn’t part of his harem.

But I was going to be part of what came next.

And that was more than enough.

For now.

He treated me with respect, and although I notice him checking out my ass... and staring at my chest, that was rather a compliment. This country seemed to hold prejudice against people like me, and they prefer dainty women with pale skin and no muscles.

Honestly, he was the first to compliment me.

’I won’t pretend it didn’t make me happy... but that harem bastard. If he wants to fuck me it’ll take a hell of a lot more than some gentle words.’

Jiang Roulan told me about the floors... that the first four would be for the general group and only the elite... would be allowed further.

I wondered if Elite was a code word.

"Haha."

’Whatever happens... I am just happy that my mother and family are safe now, it’s almost time to take my insulin. Let’s head back.’

"Goodnight, Sister Wei."

Jiang Roulan stepped into the elevator with a tired smile. I waved back and headed to the first floor where my mother and brothers were.

"I’m looking forward to the future."