Volume 1, Chapter 59: The Endgame Plan

Master bedroom bathroom.

Warm water vapor filled the air as Mo Youxue collapsed onto the cold marble floor, her limbs completely sapped of strength, her slender fingers unconsciously clutching the gaps between the tiles.

Her long hair clung wetly to her back, her fair skin flushed with a seductive pink, and her legs trembled slightly, clearly utterly exhausted.

Lin Ye leaned against the edge of the bathtub, closing his eyes to rest, the warm water soothing his tense muscles.

He spoke casually, "Starting tomorrow, you no longer need to go to Li Hua's place."

Mo Youxue started, her unfocused gaze slowly regaining clarity.

"Together with An Ruoran, you will learn management under Chen Feng."

This sentence instantly woke Mo Youxue up, sweeping away her previous grievance and reluctance.

She struggled to get up, but a tearing pain from her lower body forced a muffled groan from her lips, and her knees went weak, causing her to collapse back down.

"Th-thank you, Commander." Her voice still carried the hoarseness of passion, yet could not conceal her joy.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, his sharp gaze locking onto her through the mist. "Don't celebrate too early."

His voice suddenly turned chilling. "Everything here belongs to me—including you, and including An Ruoran."

He tapped his finger gently against the edge of the tub, each tap falling like a hammer on Mo Youxue's heart. "I can grant you protection, and I can take it back at any moment. If you dare entertain any crooked thoughts..."

"N-no, I won't!" Mo Youxue trembled all over, the fear in her eyes spilling over. "I swear..."

Lin Ye watched her trembling form with satisfaction, suddenly curving his lips. "Halftime is over."

He crooked a finger at her. "Come here."

Mo Youxue's pupils contracted, instinctively wanting to retreat, but she froze the moment she met the man's icy gaze.

Biting her lip, she endured the pain and crawled toward the bathtub inch by inch, every movement feeling like a form of torture.

When her fingers finally grazed the edge of the tub, Lin Ye suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her bodily into the water.

"Ah—!"

Amid splashing water, Mo Youxue was pressed against the side of the tub, the warm current washing over her shoulders covered in hickeys.

Lin Ye leaned close to her ear, his voice as low as a devil's whisper. "Remember tonight's lesson."

Outside the window, the moonlight was swallowed by dark clouds, leaving only the dim, warm light of the bathroom to flicker through the mist...

————

Early morning in the master bedroom.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, and Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes, feeling a dull ache in his lower back and waist.

He propped himself up on the bed, his gaze sweeping toward the two figures standing at the foot of the bed.

Mo Youxue and An Ruoran were already fully dressed, standing respectfully in place.

On the table sat a steaming breakfast—fried eggs, toast, fruit, and a cup of steaming black coffee.

Mo Youxue kept her head down, her cheeks flushed, not daring to meet Lin Ye's gaze at all.

Her legs were still trembling slightly, and her posture when walking was noticeably unnatural.

Last night's experience felt like a nightmare... No, more terrifying than a nightmare, and even more... thrilling.

Lin Ye stretched his arms, signaling them to come forward and help him dress.

An Ruoran was about to step forward, but Mo Youxue took a step first—

"Ah!"

Her legs went weak, and she collapsed directly beside the bed, drawing in a sharp breath of pain as fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

"Xue'er!" An Ruoran hurried to support her, muttering with heartache, "The Commander is too ruthless..."

Lin Ye: "..."

He touched his nose, feeling unusually awkward.

Last night he truly had been a bit too carried away.

A physique enhanced by genetic serum was simply not something an ordinary person could endure.

For Mo Youxue to hold out until three in the morning was already her absolute limit; if it had continued any longer, something might genuinely have gone wrong.

"Ahem..." Lin Ye cleared his throat. "No need to help, I'll dress myself."

He briskly slipped into his shirt, fastened his cufflinks, and added, "Mo Youxue, take a day off today and get some proper rest. If you need any medicine, go straight to Chen Feng."

"An Ruoran, take her out first."

"Yes, Commander." An Ruoran obediently acknowledged, supporting Mo Youxue as they walked out.

"Thank you, Commander..." Mo Youxue's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, but inwardly she felt a wave of relief.

In her current state, let alone learning from Chen Feng, even walking normally was a struggle.

Lin Ye watched their retreating figures, picking up his coffee thoughtfully.

It seemed he would need to control his strength a bit in the future.

...

Lin Ye got up, washed up simply, and ate the breakfast they had prepared.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, the morning light spilled through the bulletproof glass onto his sharply defined profile.

The body enhanced by the genetic serum required only a few hours of sleep to fully recover its energy, and right now, he was overlooking the bustling scene of the Dawn Base.

An Ruoran curled up in his arms like a small cat, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest.

"Master... you were too fierce..." She raised her small face, her eyes holding a mischievous smile. "You bullied Xue'er sister terribly last night."

Lin Ye's lips curved slightly, and his large hand gave her rounded hip a swat. "What, jealous?"

"Not at all!" An Ruoran pouted, pressing herself even closer against him. "It's just... Master, could you be a bit gentler next time? Xue'er sister could barely walk this morning."

Lin Ye gave a slight dry cough, recalling that he had indeed lost control somewhat last night. His genetically enhanced physique far surpassed ordinary people in every aspect, including a certain "endurance."

"Heh, I'll take note next time." Lin Ye smiled awkwardly, his right hand instinctively sliding into the proud, snowy peak of her chest, drawing a coy blush from An Ruoran.

"Oh right, Master..." An Ruoran suddenly remembered something, lifting her small face. "Captain Chen came by once last night, but you and Xue'er were..." She blushed and didn't finish the sentence.

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow. "What did he want with me?"

An Ruoran nodded. "Captain Chen said that the woman named Mu Qing wants to discuss the rescue team with you."

"Mu Qing? The rescue team?" Lin Ye was slightly stunned. "What does she want with me... Isn't she managing the rescue team single-handedly?"

"Captain Chen didn't go into detail." An Ruoran shook her head.

"Well then," Lin Ye pondered for a moment, "find some time tonight to have her come over; I need to finalize the financial district cleanup plan during the day."

He pinched An Ruoran's soft, pink cheek. "Go tell Chen Feng and Xie Jin to come to the command room."

"Yes, Lord Commander~" An Ruoran gave a playful, sloppy salute and skipped out of the bedroom.

Five minutes later, in the command room.

Lin Ye strode into the room, followed by An Ruoran, who was carrying tea.

"Commander!" Chen Feng and Xie Jin immediately stood up and saluted.

Lin Ye waved his hand to signal them to sit. "How is the cleanup plan coming along?"

Xie Jin and Chen Feng exchanged glances, their eyes involuntarily drifting toward An Ruoran, who was pouring tea.

"It's fine, go ahead." Lin Ye took the teacup handed to him by An Ruoran and took a light sip.

Xie Jin nodded and pulled up the holographic tactical map. "Commander, following yesterday's battle, the main thoroughfare leading to the Financial Center building has been cleared.

"However, there are still a large number of scattered zombies within the surrounding buildings, making cleanup rather troublesome."

He zoomed in on the 3D models of several key areas. "The main issue remains a shortage of manpower.

"To be safe, this subordinate suggests dividing our existing forces into multiple combat squads and adopting a building-by-building clearance tactic."

"Although it will take longer," Chen Feng chimed in, "under the current circumstances, it is the safest plan."

He hesitated for a moment before adding, "This subordinate even considered arming some of the survivors to ease the pressure on our manpower, but that presents three fatal flaws: first, the hidden risk of loyalty issues; second, insufficient combat proficiency;

"and third, ammunition consumption.

"Handing guns to untrained survivors means they are likely to waste vast amounts of ammunition and potentially even inflict friendly fire."