Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 227: A Father’s Jealousy?

Chapter 227: A Father’s Jealousy?

Her grandfather’s rough voice echoed through the area, his eyes watching me like a hawk, while I continued to hold onto Jiang Roulan’s arm. It might have been better to pull back and greet him, but I continued to meet his gaze silently.

"I am John Wang, Jiang Rolan’s lover and leader of our group."

"Hm!?"

For a moment, his eyes and aura exploded like a fierce bear.

’He’s pissed!’

His body trembled, and I could see veins popping out from the side of his neck, indicating his rage.

"John!"

Mu Qinglan whispered in my ear, but I ignored her and continued to stand my ground against the powerful man who was now staring at me as if no one else existed.

Our staring competition lasted several moments before he extended his hand.

"I am Jiang Lao, Roulan’s Grandfather, and the supreme commander of this human survival base."

I reached out my hand and gripped his with an equally powerful grasp.

He seemed a little shocked by how strong I was, but didn’t let go.

We stared into each other’s eyes for a few breaths before... the contest of strength began, a few moments of us trying to defeat the other with power. I didn’t reveal my monstrous strength, but when the old man held tight, I grabbed Jiang Lao’s hand a fraction tighter, constantly matching him.

’He’s so strong!’

The man showed no indication of tiring, his eyes narrowing, and a smile curving on the edge of his lips as he increased the pressure. "I see, well... Hmph!" Pulling his arms away, his gaze fell onto Mu Qinglan. "To think I would see the daughter of an old friend and rival here. Miss Mu Qinglan, do you remember this old man?"

Mu Qinglan’s lips parted, then she took in a breath, before adjusting herself, she placed a hand on her waist and one across her chest, and gave a polite bow, "It is an honour to meet Elder Jiang, I remember you well. I didn’t realise that Miss Roulan was your granddaughter."

Jiang Lao’s expression softened as he spoke, his hand waving away her formal greeting. "I didn’t know how much you would remember; to think you survived this far with such a ragtag group. You are welcome at the mansion, come see me later, I am sure you will be impressed."

With that, he looked back at me. "I will see you later, Roulan. Come with me."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Jiang Roulan looked back at me, she pushed her lips together and blew a kiss, before turning away. I didn’t feel wronged, and understood why this happened.

’Good, this should help complete her quest.’

The meeting didn’t last long. After the awkward greeting, Jiang Roulan was taken by her grandfather in his jeep to the base. Meanwhile, after shooting a sharp glance my way, we followed behind in another car.

The newbies all looked amazed by the massive complex and looked at me nervously.

’Well, I guess they would enjoy staying somewhere like this place than moving to the crappy apartment that I currently control...’

Though I could now add an extra two or three buildings to my safe zone, I didn’t plan to remain in the city centre forever...

’I should speak with Roulan, Lan’er and Yifei about the future.’

At the end of the day, I would still gain experience even if the rookies left me now, after nearly a week or two of constant fighting and System elixirs and cores being spread through their meals—most of them had started building muscular and athletic bodies.

’No one would think they are mere villagers anymore.’

"John..." Mu Qinglan leaned closer to me, her lips crushing my cheek as I could taste her sweet breath. "I don’t think that old man likes you." The male driver trembled and looked into the rearview mirror at her words.

I couldn’t deny it, but there wasn’t a need to complain or act out. "He’ll grow to accept me." My hand brushed through her silky black hair, grasping the tips and flicking her nose. "Don’t be so worried, it’ll be fine, Lan’er."

"Hmmm, well if you insist."

"...But to think they managed to secure this amount of the city," I looked out the large window to my side, ignoring Yifei’s pouting face, to see the damaged walls and gouged concrete flooring. "They must have fought desperately, truly, he’s an amazing man."

The driver’s lips quivered in the corner of my vision and formed a smile.

This kind of lip service wasn’t just an attempt to win favour with the armed guards driving us. It was my honest opinion. ’Could I have managed this from day one?’ That answer was a resounding no.

With a bumpy yet calm ride, we circled the apartments and small shops, which appeared to be functioning normally. People came and went, but money wasn’t the currency of our country. It looked like rations or small pieces of paper.

This base had everything: a large farming field, a river for clean water, and, of course, the massive mansion district, as well as a place for regular people with shops and apartments to house thousands of people easily.

’I need to overtake this base, or become the heir!’

"John, your eyes look strange." Mu Qinglan looked at me with a sharp glare, her hand reaching out as I leaned away. "Come here."

She sounded angry, but I decided to push and leaned on Yifei.

I couldn’t play favourites!

"J-John, get off me. You’re heavy!" Yifei cried out, but her hands wrapped around me and pulled me closer. Isn’t that a little ironic?

Lifting my head and looking into her eyes, I smiled. "You love it really, don’t complain."

"H-Hmph... who do you think I am?" She turned away, but continued dragging her fingers along my chest. Her lips curled into a smile as she did so—the combat suit seemed even more obscene when worn by males.

"We’re here, please stop messing around and behave yourselves." The first guard dismounted from the car, his dark eyes looking at me for a moment before he lifted his rifle and stepped back.

"Come on, stop messing with Yifei."

Mu Qinglan opened the door with the flick of her fingertips, then slipped out elegantly, grasping my arm as she dragged me off the blonde who was reaching for my lower body like a gremlin!

"Phew." I couldn’t help but make a sound when looking up at the grand mansion, bigger than the place where I met Gu Tianhao.

It was just like those rich people in dramas.

’This is Roulan’s home?’ Honestly, I had always thought that Mu Qinglan was rich, but the Jiang clan seemed to be slightly more affluent. ’Maybe it’s their legacy?’

"Wait here, I will contact the Commander." The second guard called out before driving off towards the gated complex.

Yifei, on the other hand, tripped as she climbed out the other door.

"Ow..." Her cute moan filled my ears, causing the group to turn in her direction. The short woman slowly got to her feet, her legs shaking like jelly as she pointed at me with a frown. "Your legs are too heavy!" I couldn’t help but feel bad; she loved curling her lips when acting as if I had wronged her.

"Are you okay?" I asked while stepping closer.

Yifei’s face transformed, her smile as if she had eaten honey, while Qinglan’s became cold like a blizzard.

She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. "I forgot that she was also your girlfriend..." Her voice sounded strangely jealous. Mu Qinglan had been rather competitive from the beginning, so it was understandable.

However, during events like this, she wouldn’t usually show it...

So it was an interesting change.

"The Lady will see you for now, follow me." A man wearing what seemed to be a steward’s uniform came from inside and called out to us. What made me a little nervous was that Tang Wei, Liang Qiu and the others weren’t here. Their car drove to another place, which made me suspicious of Jiang Lao’s true intentions.

’If he tries anything with them, I will have to deal with him...’

[You can trust him.]

The System sounded confident in her message.

Honestly, I didn’t doubt him as a person, but the ones around him.

After all, there must be a reason why Jiang Roulan didn’t speak with her family, even when he hugged her, there was a slight reluctance. ’Well, I can only do as I must... Place a GPS tag on all the members so that I can track them.’

[Affirmative.]

We followed the servant with short, brown, curly hair, although neat, he wasn’t handsome; however, his gait and posture were perfect, which made him stand out more than most.

"You may not be aware of our rules and etiquette here."

The male paused and looked back at us, his eyes scanning over everyone until he stopped on me.

"Understood."

Mu Qinglan also walked with more elegance and purpose, which surprised me. But if I looked at Tang Wei and Jiang Roulan, it wasn’t that strange...

’So... is it because they are all rich?’