Ye Zi'an looked coldly at Lin Qianqian and spoke, "Do you think anyone would believe what I say? Even if I were to speak out, others would just dismiss it as a joke and not pay it any mind."

"Moreover, even if everyone believed me, what do you think could change? Human nature is greedy; the wealthy would hoard supplies, society would descend into chaos, and most people might not even survive until the apocalypse, falling victim to others."

"This world operates on the principle of survival of the fittest."

As Ye Zi'an's words sank in, Lin Qianqian's face turned pale.

She realized that what Ye Zi'an said was the most likely reality.

Her worldview was shaken, and she bit her lip, falling silent.

"For most people now, it's actually a good thing; it's an opportunity for them to change their status."

"This is also why I don't want you working in other groups. You're too self-righteous; you're only fit to be a decorative vase here."

Ye Zi'an's words deeply affected Lin Qianqian, completely shattering the last remnants of her pride as the female lead.

[Congratulations! You have changed the plot and thoroughly conquered Lin Qianqian. You have gained points and received an SS-level potential upgrade potion *1.]

Ye Zi'an didn't expect such an unexpected reward. If it weren't for dealing with Su Chen, Lin Qianqian's saintly personality would have meant she wouldn't have survived a day under his command.

Fortunately, after the mental connection, Ye Zi'an could sense everything about Lin Qianqian instantly. He had subconsciously commanded her not to leave the fortress.

Now, Lin Qianqian's self-awareness had been completely crushed. With her spirit broken, she had lost all the luck that came with being the female lead.

"Zi'an, I need to ask you something privately," Zhao Wanrong said, looking at the unfamiliar Ye Zi'an before her. This was not the Ye Zi'an she knew.

The two of them moved to the living room, and the three upstairs wisely stayed away.

Seeing there were no outsiders, Zhao Wanrong asked, "Are you really Ye Zi'an?"

"Sister Wanrong, why would you ask that? I am indeed the real Ye Zi'an," he replied.

Ye Zi'an walked over to Zhao Wanrong, reaching out to smooth her messy hair, his hand brushing against her cheek.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Would you like to see for yourself?"

Ye Zi'an's hand had moved to Zhao Wanrong's waist, and the slender waist felt warm to him, causing Zhao Wanrong to flush slightly.

Embarrassed, Zhao Wanrong quickly left the villa, the confident demeanor of the strong woman she had been vanishing without a trace.

Ye Zi'an felt a twinge of regret as she departed.

Practicing was like rowing upstream; if you didn't advance, you would fall back. He needed to give Lin Qianqian a thorough education.

After another night of diligent training, fueled by love and motivation, Ye Zi'an woke up early the next morning.

Thanks to Ye Zi'an's orders from the previous day, Lin Qianqian and Su Wei rose early to prepare breakfast, while Liu Qinghuan had already gone to work in the warehouse team.

When Ye Zi'an awoke, Lin Qianqian entered the room wearing a maid outfit, carrying breakfast. Her voice was a bit hoarse as she said, "Master, your breakfast is ready."

Lin Qianqian's hoarse voice was naturally a result of Ye Zi'an's earlier actions.

Under Ye Zi'an's deliberate reprimand the night before, Lin Qianqian now understood the meaning of hierarchy and would surely no longer dare to speak out of turn in front of him.

"Come here and feed me."

As soon as Ye Zi'an's words fell, Lin Qianqian instinctively walked forward, picking up a spoon to scoop a small portion of the rice porridge, blowing on it carefully.

Looking at Lin Qianqian's stunning face and her serious demeanor, Ye Zi'an couldn't help but admire her; she truly was the first female lead in the original story.

A faint fragrance wafted from Lin Qianqian, and there were still subtle red marks on her neck, indicating she had put in effort to prepare herself this morning.

The only drawback was her overly saintly personality, which Ye Zi'an had corrected harshly the previous day.

Suddenly, Ye Zi'an thought of a phrase: "mute bride." Lin Qianqian, who remained silent, radiated youthful energy.

Ye Zi'an watched Lin Qianqian with a playful expression and said, "Did I say to use a spoon to feed me?"

Lin Qianqian was taken aback for a moment, thinking to herself, How else would I feed you without a spoon?

Seeing Ye Zi'an's half-smile, she immediately understood his implication.

Of course, she was just worried about it being too hot; she had no other thoughts. Eating breakfast until noon seemed reasonable since she had gotten up at nine.

Ye Zi'an tidied himself up and headed downstairs.

Su Wei was tidying up the villa's decor, trying to create a homely atmosphere.

If all went well, he and Lin Qianqian would spend their lives in this fortress, in this villa.

As he walked, some residents greeted Ye Zi'an, and he merely nodded in response, leading Su Wei and Lin Qianqian to the cafeteria.

It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was bustling with people.

Aside from some members of the Defense Team patrolling the walls, most residents of the fortress were dining in the cafeteria.

There were five serving windows in total, including a channel for core team members.

When Ye Zi'an arrived at the window, a member of the catering team immediately stepped forward to serve him first.

There were four meat dishes and five vegetable dishes to choose from, rather than fixed menus, with both rice and steamed buns as options.

"Stir-fried green pepper with meat, shredded potatoes, braised chicken leg, spicy chicken..."

Ye Zi'an sampled each dish, wanting to try them all, and ordered three portions of rice since Lin Qianqian and Su Wei would be eating too.

Nearby, Zhao Wanrong spotted Ye Zi'an. The ambiguous scene from the night before lingered in her mind, making her feel flustered as she handed a personnel allocation list to Liu Qinghuan for Ye Zi'an to review. She then turned and returned to the logistics department to handle her work.

Seeing Zhao Wanrong leave in such haste, despite her fierce demeanor, she appeared shy and flustered like a young girl.

Ye Zi'an couldn't help but feel a surge of desire to conquer.

Taking the personnel allocation list from Liu Qinghuan, he noted:

[Combat Department: Search Team A (7 members), Search Team B (9 members), Defense Team (96 members), Intelligence Team (3 members), New Recruits Team (5 members).]

[Logistics Department: Catering Team (11 members), Warehouse Team (10 members), Administration Team (8 members), Maintenance Team (25 members), Unassigned (35 members).]

"Sister Wanrong suggests moving the 35 unassigned members to the Defense Team since they are currently stretched thin."

With 96 members in the Defense Team responsible for defending four kilometers of walls and managing night shifts, it was the department with the greatest need for additional personnel.

Ye Zi'an had thought about this issue previously but had held off on recruiting more due to limitations in funding and control.

"Let these 35 members train with the New Recruits Team for a few days, and then we'll redistribute them across the walls. Also, notify the Search Team and Intelligence Team that there will be an outbound mission shortly."

After Ye Zi'an finished speaking, Liu Qinghuan turned to inform the captains of the three teams, urging them to gather their members quickly.

•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗕𝗼𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗝𝗰1202' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 35+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:

𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿