Chapter Fifty-Nine: Conversation

Outside the door, Qin Yu looked at Chen Mo and the others and smiled, “Would you like to have a talk?”

Chen Mo nodded and took the lead, stepping into another room. The other two followed him inside. Qin Yu glanced at the locked door of Zhao Meng’s room and then, still smiling, entered the other room as well.

Once inside, Qin Yu sat to one side, while the other three took seats opposite her.

Looking at Chen Mo, who sat in the middle, Qin Yu began, “Let me introduce myself first. My name is Qin Yu, I’m from City B. I fled here to City S. Zhao Meng and I are very, very close friends.”

Chen Mo spoke, “Chen Mo, from City S.”

“Liu Xue, also from City S.”

“Feng Xiao, from City S as well.”

Qin Yu nodded in understanding—it seemed they were all locals.

Seeing the seriousness on the faces of the three before her, Qin Yu chuckled lightly. “There’s no need to be so tense. I’m not going to eat you. Since Xiao Meng and Xia Cheng have accepted you, I will trust you as well. I’m not concerned with your pasts; I care about who you are now, and… whether I might be part of your future.”

Chen Mo relaxed a little, leaning back in his chair. “Zhao Meng often mentioned you. She said you’re an incredibly formidable woman. I’m curious—what is it about you that even that fearless woman admires?”

The other two looked at Qin Yu as well, and she could see the same question in their eyes.

Leaning back in her chair, Qin Yu idly touched the handle of her dagger. “You want to know? Heh… Why don’t you find out for yourselves? After all, what you see through your own eyes is different from what others tell you. I’m rather curious about you as well. Not only did you earn Xiao Meng’s trust, but even that guy Xia Cheng believes in you. What kind of charm do you possess?”

Chen Mo looked at the woman who lowered her head just slightly and, for the first time in days, let out a laugh. “Boss Qin, you flatter us. As for our charm, you’ll have to observe us carefully yourself.”

At this, Liu Xue’s gentle voice sounded, “Xiao Meng always said you’re really, really strong. Ten of her couldn’t take you. I’ve dealt with her before, and she… she’s formidable. So… what about you?”

Though her words were soft, Qin Yu could hear the intense fighting spirit beneath them.

Qin Yu was taken aback. She hadn’t expected this demure-looking girl to possess such strong and pure determination. She replied, “Xiao Meng exaggerated. As for how capable I am, I think you’ll find out in future battles.”

Liu Xue looked at Qin Yu’s gentle smile and, after a moment’s pause, nodded and fell silent.

Just then, Feng Xiao, who had been quiet all along, suddenly raised his head and said to Qin Yu, “Qin Yu? That name sounds a bit familiar… Have I met you somewhere before?”

Qin Yu stared at this man, who seemed a bit slow on the uptake, feeling at a loss for words. How long had she introduced herself before he brought this up?

But she didn’t voice her inner complaints. Instead, she smiled and said, “Sir, in these end times, that kind of old-fashioned pickup line doesn’t work anymore. My memory is quite good, and I can assure you that in my lifetime, I’ve never met you before.”

Feng Xiao looked carefully at Qin Yu again and muttered, “Really? Then I must be mistaken.”

Then he flashed a charming smile at Qin Yu. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! My name is Feng Xiao. Don’t forget it.”

Qin Yu’s smile froze for a second. Hadn’t she just introduced herself a moment ago?

Seeing this, Chen Mo said to Feng Xiao, “Why did you come out? Don’t you usually stay in unless something’s up?”

Feng Xiao replied, “Huh? I don’t know. I just felt a familiar presence and so I came out…”

Chen Mo glanced at Qin Yu, then at Feng Xiao. “Your sense was off again. Let him go back… We’re in the middle of something important.”

Feng Xiao looked at Chen Mo helplessly. “Alright.” With that, he lowered his head.

The more Qin Yu listened to this exchange, the more she felt something was off. Could it be as she suspected…?

Chen Mo saw Qin Yu’s look of disbelief and nodded at her. “Boss Qin, it’s just as you think. This guy has dissociative identity disorder, but unlike others, his alternate personality only appears when he encounters someone or something familiar. His main personality is aware of the other’s existence. But, perhaps because of the apocalypse, his secondary personality has been mistaken twice already—this makes the third time. Sigh…”

Qin Yu looked thoughtfully at Feng Xiao. “Is that so? What happened the first two times?”

Chen Mo answered, “The first time, according to him, the secondary personality appeared out of nowhere, and there was nothing around him. The second time was a few days ago—his secondary personality surfaced saying he sensed someone familiar, but after checking, we found nothing. We questioned everyone nearby, but none of them knew him from before…”

Qin Yu pondered for a moment. “Is it possible that what his secondary personality finds familiar isn’t a person, but something else?”

Chen Mo replied, “We thought of that too, but the second time, we found nothing unusual at all. So we figured his sense must have been mistaken. After all… anything could happen in this apocalypse.”

Qin Yu looked again at Feng Xiao, who was still bowing his head, and was certain she’d never met this man. Then why did his alternate personality appear? Could those previous occasions really have been simple mistakes? If she had never met him, why did he feel she was familiar?

With a tangle of questions in her mind, Qin Yu looked at Feng Xiao, who now wore a bright, innocent smile. He glanced at Qin Yu, then at Chen Mo, and finally asked, “Was my sense wrong again?”

Chen Mo nodded in response.

Feng Xiao lowered his head in disappointment, muttered an “Mm,” and retreated into his own world.

Qin Yu, seeing this, realized no answers would be forthcoming now. She pushed down her doubts. There would be time—one day, she would uncover the truth behind it all.

Chen Mo watched as Feng Xiao bowed his head once more and sighed helplessly. After a while, he said, “Boss Qin, you see, we all have our own issues. So, would you be willing to guide us?”

At his words, the smile on Qin Yu’s face deepened, her gaze at Chen Mo growing more meaningful. She nodded, “Well then, let’s all take care of each other from now on.”

The three replied in unison, “Let’s work well together!”

Qin Yu looked at the three before her and nodded, “Mm.”

As they gazed at her, the three suddenly felt that following her might truly be the right choice after all.