The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Why is he in the middle of the crowd? Why is he calling out to himself?

Separated by layers upon layers of people, Su Mu couldn't see what was happening inside. He could only see the backs of the onlookers' heads and shoulders, and hear faint conversations coming from within.

But he heard that name... Lin Xiaohe. Someone was talking about Lin Xiaohe.

Su Mu frowned.

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

It wasn't someone directing them; the onlookers made way on their own.

They heard the name "Su Mu," saw the young man walk in from outside the crowd, and instinctively took a half-step back to either side. Not because they knew him, but because there was something about him that made people not want to block their way.

It wasn't murderous intent, nor was it a sense of oppression; rather, it was a more subtle kind of emptiness, like nothing at all, yet unsettling... a void.

Su Mu walked into the crowd. His gaze didn't linger on Zhang Peng, Zhang Peng's men, or Zhou Zhenguo. He saw Lin Xiaohe.

She leaned against an abandoned concrete block, a short knife tucked into her waistband, a water bottle at her feet, her clothes soaked through with monster blood several times, forming a hard scab.

Her face was streaked with blood, dust, and sweat, but her eyes... those empty, numb, indifferent eyes from the battlefield... shattered the moment she saw Su Mu. Not shattered, but cracked, like a frozen lake being ripped open by a spring breeze.

What welled up from the crack was not surprise, excitement, or any of the emotions she had anticipated, but a kind of grievance that she herself did not know how long she had hidden, as if it had been blocked by something for a very long time and had finally found an outlet...

She didn't move, didn't call his name, and didn't run towards him. She just stood there, something melting in her eyes, her lips slightly parted and closed, her throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton.

Su Mu looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"Yes. It's me."

Two words.

There was no explanation, no comfort, nothing superfluous. But Lin Xiaohe's eyes lit up. Not the kind of sudden, ignited light, but a slower, more gradual light, like something being peeled away layer by layer.

At that moment, before Su Mu could even react to what was happening, the surrounding sounds surged in like a tide.

"Is this Lin Xiaohe's boyfriend? He's quite handsome..."

"Have you heard? He covered her retreat so his girlfriend could escape first, and he just got back."

"Really? There are men like this in the apocalypse? That's rare."

"Heaven helps those who help themselves; they've finally returned alive."

"That's true love! Look at that girl's eyes. They were so cold before, but they changed the moment she saw her boyfriend."

Su Mu's head was buzzing.

Boy friend?

When did he become Lin Xiaohe's boyfriend?

To cover the rear?

When did he stop covering the retreat?

He simply asked Lin Xiaohe to find Zhou Zhenguo first, how did that become "sacrificing for love and bravely covering the rear"?

These people have such incredible imaginations!

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but when he saw Lin Xiaohe's eyes... those eyes that had just been empty as if drained, were now looking at him, and light was seeping out little by little, like a drowning person finally grabbing a piece of driftwood.

His throat moved, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

Forget it.

It's hard to explain.

Lin Xiaohe blushed instantly upon hearing the word "boyfriend".

It wasn't a faint, barely perceptible red, but a red that spread from the base of the ears all the way to the neck, like a burnt red.

She lowered her head, staring at her toes, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white.

She didn't deny it, didn't say "no," and didn't offer any explanation. She just stood there, like a primary school student caught doing something wrong, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into.

Seeing Lin Xiaohe's reaction, those around her became even more certain of their guesses... They were definitely a couple.

At this moment, Zhang Peng stood in the center of the crowd, and his expression was beyond just "ugly".

Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, trickling down his cheeks and dripping onto his collar, leaving a small, dark stain.

He recognized Su Mu. That face was all too familiar to him.

In the zoo, there was the person who was slapped away by a giant golden bear, smashing several trees, then crawling out of the ruins, dusting himself off, and running away.

Keep in mind that the sheer force of the battle between those two behemoths was enough to kill his men.

But this man didn't die. Not only did he not die, he was standing there alive and kicking, his clothes weren't torn, and he hadn't bled at all.

Zhang Peng had only one thought in his mind... Going against this kind of person is a recipe for disaster, and he wouldn't even know how he died.

His fingers were trembling slightly, and he instinctively took half a step back, his heel hitting a raised paving stone, almost losing his balance.

He reached out and grabbed a nearby abandoned military truck, leaving a damp, sweaty mark on the metal of the truck bed with his finger.

His throat was dry, and he wanted to speak, but his lips were trembling, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Behind Zhang Peng, a burly man with a buzz cut walked out.

He had a menacing blue dragon tattooed on his neck, his arms were as thick as a normal person's thigh, and every step he took exuded an aura of "I'm not someone to mess with."

He walked up to Su Mu, pointed his finger at Su Mu's nose, and spoke arrogantly as if he were scolding his grandson.

"You're that woman's boyfriend?"

A sneer played on his lips. "If you know what's good for you, have your girlfriend join our Salvation Guild. Otherwise, you'll be in for a world of hurt on this cable. We have over six hundred people; crushing you is as easy as crushing ants."

Su Mu stared at him, expressionless. He didn't recognize the man, nor did he know what he was saying. But he knew one thing... the man's fingers were too close to his face.

Zhang Peng's face turned green.

It's not "ugly," it's a real, vibrant green that runs from the base of the neck all the way to the top of the head.

His eyes widened, his pupils reflecting the silhouette of the burly man with the buzz cut, the outstretched finger, and Su Mu's expressionless face.

He had only one thought in his mind... Is this fucking trying to kill me?