Jiang Xiaoshu immediately became excited upon hearing this. "Let's help him. He's the CEO of the Zhu Corporation. If he says he has it, he definitely does!"
The male protagonist of the original plot, despite being the male lead of a doomsday novel, had the name and identity of a domineering CEO. The Zhu Corporation was a trillion-dollar company in the story, which was why he was escaping in a luxury car and dressed as if he was going to a board meeting.
Not only did he have resources, but this male protagonist also possessed a special and powerful ability. His light-elemental power could not only shoot lasers like Ultraman Tiga but also heal. With the protagonist's script and halo, he could act so arrogantly even in the apocalypse.
Looking at him now, and then at Jiang Xiaoshu's anxious expression, Zhu Yu Jue's lips curved into a smile.
"Are you planning to escape? Where are you going?"
Looking at her unfathomable smile, Zhu Yu Jue felt a sense of naked vulnerability. He suppressed his reaction and replied, "I was planning to go to the capital. Now, I'll just go wherever the road takes me."
"Then why don't you join us? General Zhen from the XX Military Region is organizing a team to evacuate from Shanghai. We have a hundred thousand people, and the journey is relatively safe. Once we're settled, if you have supplies and can contribute, you won't be doing too badly."
After the apocalypse descended, the era of Dharma decline also arrived. Political power would quickly disintegrate. At this moment, those who held more influence were those with armies.
He could organize some people, but compared to a team of a hundred thousand, it was nothing.
Weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Yu Jue immediately responded, "Okay, I'll go with you."
Jiang Xiaoshu was stunned.
It wasn't like this in the book.
They did meet, but Zhu Yu Jue didn't join the large group. Instead, the female lead, at his invitation, left the large group to join them. Later, the large group encountered a severe attack by aliens and zombies, and their numbers were reduced to one-third of the original. When they met again, those survivors had submitted to their small team, which enabled them to establish their own base.
She had intended to do the same, but now, Zhu Yu Jue had chosen to join them.
Would they still encounter alien and zombie attacks?
Would Zhen Jie survive? Would they be able to establish their own base?
"Then let's go. Your cars, should we put them in storage or drive them?"
Zhu Yu Jue glanced at the two who seemed inseparable and said, "Put them into storage, thank you."
Zhuo Ran rolled his eyes at him and temporarily stored his convoy in his space, creating some room to maneuver the cars that were blocking the way, allowing them to barely pass.
The group began to walk back.
There were nine of them, and Zhu Yu Jue brought fifteen people with him, including eight bodyguards and his parents, grandparents, siblings, and children, all dressed as if they were attending a banquet, showing no signs of being refugees.
The girl was wearing a high-end dress and high heels. The road was badly damaged, and she almost fell after a few steps. Jiang Xiaoshu rushed to help her, being extremely solicitous.
Zhu's family walked very close to each other. It seemed Zhu Yu Jue was explaining the situation to his family, and after he finished, they were all quiet, evidently agreeing with his decision.
According to the plot, they had encountered alien attacks during their separation, and Zhu's entire family had died, with only the young girl being rescued by the female lead and later becoming her assistant.
Zhu Yu Jue's younger brother was a rich second-generation celebrity before the apocalypse, and his attire was even more ostentatious than his elder brother's. If there wasn't no red carpet on the ground, his appearance would be more like attending an awards ceremony.
This family was something else.
"Why are you looking at him again? He's not even good-looking."
Zhuo Ran squeezed his shoulder. "Yes, not as good-looking as you."
"Then why are you still looking at him? Hmph."
Zhuo Ran leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm looking at him because he's amusing, like a peacock?"
Zhong Yan turned to look at the man in the dark green suit and suddenly burst into laughter, so much so that he couldn't stand and squatted on the ground.
Zhuo Ran dragged him up. The others cast strange glances. A soldier asked with concern, "What's wrong, little comrade?"
"I laughed so hard I can't breathe."
The group was both amused and speechless.
Zhu's bodyguards protected their family. Jiang Xiaoshu and another girl flocked to them. The three boys in their group followed the two soldiers, while they walked alone. Most of what they said couldn't be heard by others.
"Alright, stop laughing. I'll put you down here in a bit."
Zhong Yan held her hand, still shaking with laughter. He calmed down a little when he heard the threat, clinging to her with an overly affectionate demeanor.
Soon, they were out of the traffic jam. Zhong Yan retrieved the cars, and they got in. The Zhu family led the way towards the Zhu Corporation's factory.
The other two girls in the car went to sit in the Zhu family's luxury cars. The car became much more spacious, and they occupied the middle row.
"Little comrade, do you know anything about the Zhu Corporation? What do they do?"
The two didn't respond. A boy behind them said, "I wanted to apply for a position at their branch company before, so I did some research. The Zhu Corporation is involved in many industries: food, jewelry, pharmaceutical research and development, real estate, mobile phones, computers. For a while, they even developed new energy vehicles. In short, they're very diverse. The Zhu Corporation started with instant food and has never stopped. If we can really go to the factory he mentioned, we should be able to find a lot of food."
"That's good," the person said. Then he asked, "Little comrade, how much more can your space hold?"
"I don't know. I feel like it can hold a lot more."
The person pondered for a moment. "Then let's let you store some first. If it's not enough, we'll find a few trucks to tow it back."
"Okay."
After driving for over an hour, they reached the Zhu Corporation's factory in the industrial park on the outskirts of the city.
The factory was enormous, estimated to cover an area of over 3,000 mu. It was surrounded by a fence, and the gate was locked, showing no signs of damage.
The bodyguards got out and opened the gate. They drove their cars directly inside. Behind the main gate was another checkpoint, this time unlocked by Zhu Yu Jue himself, as the original card reader was broken.
Everyone else was excited, but the soldier driving the car frowned. "There must have been many people here before the apocalypse. Besides those who escaped, most of them have probably turned into zombies by now. Everyone be careful."
The three boys immediately looked a little scared.
After the cars stopped, they all got out and followed Zhu Yu Jue towards the factory.
Zhuo Ran took out the sword and handed it to Zhong Yan. "Protect yourself later."
As Zhong Yan touched the sword, he remembered the giant snake he had killed at noon, and felt a wave of psychosomatic discomfort.
"I don't want to. You protect me."
"I will protect you, but you have to kill zombies and aliens yourself. Be good, no tantrums."
Zhong Yan pouted, clearly unhappy.
He just didn't understand why this person, who was so powerful, insisted on him killing monsters.
He didn't want to move at all; he just wanted to be protected by her.
Zhuo Ran kissed his cheek to comfort him.