Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 75: Yin Returns!

Chapter 75: Yin Returns!

Jiang Roulan leaned against me quietly, her shoulder warm against my upper arm.

Her weight was light, but firm—grounded. Like she belonged there, her fingers idly moved against the inside of my palm, thumb brushing the calluses with slow, absent-minded circles.

It wasn’t seductive. Just... gentle. Trusting.

We stood just off to the side of the main door, behind the partitioned wall that blocked the civilian block from view.

The faint sounds of clattering bowls and soft laughter filtered through the reinforced panels, the kind of low, content noise that only came from people eating something warm for the first time in a long while.

I exhaled slowly.

My thoughts hadn’t caught up to the peace we’d made or the weight that was slowly gathering on my shoulders.

But what was strange... I didn’t hate it and felt more focused.

That’s when I heard the boots.

Not stomping or running, just a measured and constant gait, growing louder with each step.

I didn’t even have to look up.

Mu Qinglan. The click of her heels slowed just as she turned the corner—and there she stood, outlined by the hallway light. Her figure cast a shadow across the polished floor, dark hair pulled into a loose, practical twist, her arms folded under her chest, blue eyes sharp with a deep glow.

She looked at Roulan first.

Then at me.

Then the hand holding mine.

For a second, no one breathed.

Qinglan’s gaze narrowed—not cold this time, but focused.

Jiang Roulan, for her part, didn’t flinch.

She didn’t let go either.

Only leaned a little closer to me—subtle, but definite. Roulan’s voice was soft, but firm as she said, "It’s alright."

Qinglan stared another moment, then—

She sighed.

And without a word, walked past us.

I turned my head, surprised—but she didn’t leave.

She stopped beside me.

Then slid down the wall on the opposite side, sitting close enough that her thigh pressed against mine. Not possessive, rather she just wrapped her arm around me, and the faint scent of her natural scent and a sweet perfume filled my nose.

Her head tilted back against the cool stone as she closed her eyes.

A few seconds passed.

Then she opened them and looked at me sidelong.

"...You really are collecting stray cats."

I blinked, unsure how to answer.

Jiang Roulan snorted softly beside me. "He is. But he feeds them. Gives them warm corners."

"And rubs their ears if they behave," Qinglan muttered.

That made me smile.

Then Qinglan added, voice softer, "I’m not mad."

Mu Qinglan didn’t look at me when she said it. She watched the distance with a calm gaze, unfocused. But her fingers brushed my wrist—brief, intentional.

"Lan’er..." I started.

She raised her hand lazily and flicked my forehead. Not hard. Just enough to make me stop talking.

"I know," she whispered.

Then leaned her head against my other shoulder.

Like a closing circuit.

My arms slowly lifted, one around Roulan’s waist, the other resting gently on Qinglan’s back. Their warmth filled the space between my ribs like steam from a hot drink.

None of us spoke again for a while.

No romantic declarations.

No teasing.

Just the quiet hum of survivors talking behind the wall.

And three people in a broken world pretending—for a moment—that we weren’t.

—

March 17th, 2025 — 7:29 PM

Zone 2A-Δ – First Floor, Rear Stair Access

—

Jiang Roulan was the first to shift.

She pulled her weight from my side with a quiet sigh, brushing dust from her leggings as she stood. Her hair had come loose from the braid at her neck, soft waves framing her cheek. She gave Qinglan a look—not competitive, just a silent check-in—and nodded toward the hallway.

"I’m going to move my stuff upstairs," she said. "Yifei should help. She needs something to do."

Qinglan didn’t argue. Her eyes stayed half-lidded, still resting against my shoulder. "Go on. I’ll join you soon."

Roulan paused a moment. Then, without a word, lifted off the floor and pressed her lips against my cheek with a small kiss, and left with a soft smile.

Mu Qinglan didn’t say anything at first.

Her eyes followed Roulan as she climbed the stairs, measured steps, hips swaying like she wasn’t trying to show off, but knew I was watching, anyway. The soft sound of Roulan’s footsteps faded, and the corridor settled again.

That’s when Qinglan shifted.

She was still beside me, but her weight leaned in a little more. The faintest pressure. Just enough for me to notice. Her breath was calm—cooler than mine, as usual—but not cold. Not biting.

I didn’t turn to look.

Just waited.

I felt her fingers brush mine. Not linking. Just resting there, like a feather laid against the back of my hand.

Then—

She moved in.

No dramatic pause. No lingering stare.

Just a single, fluid motion.

Her lips found the corner of my mouth—soft, glossy, and warm. She didn’t press hard. It wasn’t a performance. There was no smirk. No flare of ice in her voice.

It was a kiss meant for one thing.

Marking.

Not for the others.

Not for her pride.

Just for me.

I blinked as she pulled back, slow and silent, her gaze not even meeting mine at first. She stared forward, toward the same stairs Roulan had gone up, then finally glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

Her lips twitched—small, proud. Almost smug.

"I’m your girlfriend," she said quietly. "I get that right."

Then she stood.

Straightened her top. Adjusted the waistband of her pants with a tiny, unnecessary tug. Back to her usual stoic self.

"You’re sweaty," she added, wrinkling her nose slightly. "You should wash up."

"...Planning to join me?"

She paused at the edge of the corridor, head tilting just slightly—those icy eyes flashing with mischief behind the indifference.

"I already did this morning," she replied flatly.

"But if you’re asking..." A faint smile appeared as she curled her lips. "You’ll have to earn it."

Then she walked off.

A subtle sway in her hips.

The confident bounce of her steps.

But my heartbeat was louder than my thoughts.

And somehow... the taste of her kiss still lingered.

——

To clear my head, I walked to the outside, pushing open the reinforced doors, while touching the cheek that Roulan pecked, then the lip that Qinglan kissed... and shook my head, a smile growing with each moment.

"Hahaha, I am so lucky."

The wind outside was thick with heat, not warm or comforting. But the kind of heat that came after metal cooked under the sun all day—dry, metallic, tinged with rust.

I stood beneath the floodlight mounted just above the south gate, hand resting on the cool steel of the blast door, eyes half-lidded. I’d come out to clear my head—maybe get a breath of air that didn’t taste like recycled sweat or rationed soup.

Instead, I caught the smell of blood.

It was fresh and a little disgusting... in this evening heat.

"Meow!!"

It was low, growled, and drawn out like a tiny tiger coughing up a challenge to the world.

I turned.

Something blurred through the shadows—a silver streak against the backdrop of ash-stained buildings and broken lamp posts.

Then—crack.

The spine of a zombie twisted mid-step. Its body folded in half before it hit the ground. A thick spray of black-red fluid painted the cracked asphalt.

"Miaaooow~"

That cute but arrogant call! I knew it.

"...Yin?"

The blur stopped—just long enough for me to see him.

At first glance, he was a beast you’d call cute if your brain stopped at surface level. But now?

No.

He was... different.

Taller. Longer. Yin’s fur, once sleek and snowy-white, was now streaked in matted grey and deep red. Coagulated blood crusted the tips of his paws. His claws—extended, curved like sickles—dripped gore in crescent arcs as he strolled like a king.

Yin’s tail twitched once as his ears perked up. "Shaa!" Then, like a snapped bowstring, he vanished.

Another Yowl—wet, garbled. A Stage One zombie’s head exploded like a crushed melon, torn from the neck with a single swipe that sent its body spinning before collapsing into a heap.

Yin’s body twisted in midair—spinning, elegant, vicious.

A ball of fluffy murder.

Its new claws tore through sinew and flesh like tissue paper.

Teeth buried into the spine, like a T Rex.

And then—Peace.

Yin landed beside the third corpse, licking his paw with a bored expression, like this hadn’t even broken a sweat.

[Alert: Yin has returned to your radius.]

[Stage 3 Companion: Lunar Beast — Detected]

[Companion Stats Processing...]

[Retroactive EXP & ZKP Reward Calculated from Hunt Log]

▼ Yin’s Hunting Log

Stage 1 Zombies Killed: 230

Stage 2 Zombies Killed: 5

Duration: 17 Hours

Stealth Kill Ratio: 94%

[+2,600 EXP | +1,400 ZKP Earned]

.

.

.

"...What the fuck."

Yin finally looked up, his eyes widened, big orbs of blue before it darted towards me... faster... faster... then leapt into my chest.

"Meow, Mew! Miao!!"