Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 218: Tang Wei’s Worries

Chapter 218: Tang Wei’s Worries

After I spoke to Lin Fen, she chose to pull away while I spoke with my group and Roulan. I wanted our group to head for the Jiang Family community.

Thanks to the groups growth and their loyalty in me almost doubling since we first met I didn’t want to put them in danger, thanks to Wang Yin I learned how the base was doing and it seemed the horde wasn’t going to wait longer.

’That guy is heading this way... I don’t want to sound arrogant, but is he looking for me?’

Zao, the mutant zombie... a man I fought before the virus overwhelmed him, and he mutated.

That night, I became aware and attracted to Roulan as a woman.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Tang Wei seemed stressed, her usual calm manner different as she looked at Li Ya, who stood with Lin Fan on the other side, with a huff.

I noticed the change and didn’t want to ignore it.

"Are you upset because Li Ya is with them?"

"No..." She mumbled before rolling her eyes. "Yes."

I rubbed her head, messing up her wavy hair, making Tang Wei squirm while trying to stop me. However, I noticed that her black hair now carried a slightly auburn look. "Did you dye your hair? It suits you."

"It was Li Ya’s idea..." She blushed.

"Then you should thank her, you look gorgeous." The words seemed to make Tang Wei turn bright red, and when she looked at me, she had a complicated expression. "Enough, stop touching me... damn it when did you become so strong?"

In the past, when we trained, although my physical strength surpassed hers, Tang Wei could use her superior martial arts and training from the military to grab me in wrist and body locks, avoiding my blows or attacking mine to make it harder for me to hit her.

Now I could grab her head without much trouble.

"Since we fought in the mall?"

Tang Wei bit her lip.

She took pride in things like this, but I decided to let her go.

Not because I felt bad, but rather the sharp daggers from Roulan, Qinglan and Fei-Fei stabbed me in all directions!

"So, do you have a problem? I won’t get angry or dismiss your words, especially since you’ve worked so hard for us to reach this point. I mean that for all of you."

Though their leader, I didn’t want to be some authoritarian-style tyrant who always made them follow my way.

’How can I learn and improve if I put myself above everyone?’

A screen filled with various expensive, advanced skillbooks that would grant me a skill level if I read them appeared.

[Would you like to purchase additional skill books, John?]

’Shut up!’

Since the feminine voice returned, the System became more sentient and offered me good ideas and help. Yet sometimes it makes me feel like shee can read my mind. I shook my head while looking at Tang Wei, who sat with a trembling hand. She reached for her chest pocket, but we ran out of cigarettes long ago.

"Damn it..." She then looked up at me. "It’s not that I am against it. No, but if we’re going to meet the Jiang family, we shouldn’t go as we are."

"What do you mean?"

Tang Wei shrugged.

"To be honest, if they find out how strong you are, they’ll do anything to keep you. Their leader might be related to Jiang Roulan, but if it’s who Li Ya told me... He’s hard-headed, violent and old-fashioned. I don’t know if he can stand to have a young male like you around who makes him look weak or powerless."

’Isn’t that most men... anyone would hate to see a younger man surpass him, especially after he worked hard to build a foundation. That is the benefit of a System...’

"Phew, then speak, what do you want to do. I don’t think they will wait long when we’ve got their daughter with us." My gaze switched to Jiang Roulan, who watched me with a strange, fleeting expression.

Tang Wei thought momentarily, looking at me and the other girls who waited for her words. She spoke clearly and without hesitation.

"We need to strengthen our people, ideally get more weapons and..."

Although it might be difficult for normal people, Tang Wei also understood more about me after so long. But she didn’t reach the level of recruitable, but thanks to the System, I knew the issue wasn’t trust, but something else this time.

[She has a specific taste and desire for men and her leader.]

"You’re right, but strengthening them quickly might leave them with an unstable foundation..." I muttered, thinking she might be upset, but I noticed her dark eyes widen as she smiled at me.

I was shocked since she rarely smiled like that, even in our time together. I never reached a point where I could make Tang Wei smile like that. Thanks to Wang Yin and the old man being able to give her mother the insulin she seemed to be relatively calm and content but this level of happiness was rare.

"Hmph..." Tang Wei crossed her arms. "So you do understand what the hell is going on. If they are weak, they’ll die. But if you rush them, the base of their training and power won’t matter."

Was this something she enjoyed?

The way she flipped the power of a conversation suddenly made Tang Wei’s foul mood seem irrelevant. She pointed at me and spoke clearly. "Can I trust you?"

"What are you talking about!?" Mu Qinglan shouted, standing with her hand touching the endless night. "Who dragged you here? Who has been pulling us together despite falling apart himself!?"

"Calm down, Sister Lan~ It’s not about that." Shen Yifei grabbed Mu Qinglan, but this side of Lan’er was something I hadn’t seen before.

’What does she mean?’

"Look at him, he doesn’t even realise how many times he’s stupidly put himself in danger when he could sit back and tell us to do everything. He always puts himself first, and we are the ones who benefit most!"

To see her this upset felt strange, because I never felt this way.

Before I could speak, an onslaught of messages appeared on my face, causing me to feel overwhelmed.

[That’s the problem!]

[Master, you are starved for love, affection and companionship.]

[Do you not remember how your life was before this? Before you started working for Mu Qinglan, before your mother died?]

Honestly, I couldn’t answer, but my focus couldn’t remain on the System when Shen Yifei kept trying to calm Qinglan down.

"I’m fine..." I spoke calmly, looking at Tang Wei.

Tang Wei smiled softly, her eyes warm, "No, Mu Qinglan is right, and that’s part of the problem. You are too good to us all, you might play favourites with Qinglan, Yifei and Roulan, but that’s to be expected, they are your women."

Her eyes traced over my woman and returned to me with a smile. "However, to me, you’ve been too good. A leader would NEVER give something out for free, and you could have used that medicine to keep me under your thumb. To control me." She took a deep breath before hitting the table.

"That’s the kind of leader you will face in the future!"

’Oh...?’ It was suddenly obvious.

Tang Wei was worried about me, whether it was being looked down on, mistreated or shamed.

"Then what should I do?" Though I didn’t want to change who I was, if being looked down on was so crucial to Tang Wei, I wouldn’t take it lightly and try to change myself, or at least learn how to become a better, more mature leader.

Jiang Roulan suddenly moved closer, sitting beside Tang Wei, and Mu Qinglan followed. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and pouted, but sat beside them. "I think there is some merit in making John shine more."

"Shine?" I asked, confused. "What does that mean?"

"Make it so that you are an obvious, powerful, and respectable leader," Mu Qinglan muttered.

This girl...

"While her choice of words and bias are obvious. Qinglan isn’t wrong." Tang Wei cleared her throat before removing her gloves and tapping the desk. "I’m not going to change my opinion about your women and the fact that you keep them all close. That’s not an issue, but we must ensure you are an obvious leader while hiding your weak points."

"Meaning?"

Jiang Roulan and Mu Qinglan looked at each other, then sighed...

"When we go to the compound, stay with me and avoid ’that’ kind of contact with your lovers." Tang Wei’s bronze cheeks darkened as she coughed. "I know it might be hard, but try to keep the affection to a minimum."

"What are we trying to achieve by hiding my relations?"

"To avoid you being taken advantage of or perceived as a weak target," Jiang Roulan said sternly, looking at me. "My grandfather will notice you are a man who prioritises affection over respect and power."

"Affection isn’t wrong!" Shen Yifei shouted from behind us, standing up with a scowl.

Mu Qinglan seemed nervous when her eyes met Shen Yifei’s. "Yifei, now isn’t the time..."

"Although it isn’t wrong, what if someone in the base decides to take action on one of the women you show affection to, although you might be a monster. There might be poisons or weapons available to militaristic groups that can kill us... We’re not immortal." Jiang Roulan continued, causing Tang Wei to nod... while I also felt the truth.

’It’ll be hard but... hiding my weaknesses seems a smart idea.’