Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 566 - 37: Trojan Dependency Syndrome

Chapter 566: Chapter 37: Trojan Dependency Syndrome

The last two giant zombies could be a disaster for the newbies, but for Lu Fan and Xu Biyun, they were just monsters contributing seeds. So the Conquerors didn’t rush to help, to avoid disputes over interests. Instead, they jumped into the alleys to pick up the spoils of war.

They tactfully avoided the spot where the archers died. That was Group Leader Tang’s territory. Qin Yan stayed behind to help him treat his wounds, then left to pick up seeds.

Searching through the devastated ruins could be tough, but Tang Zheng enjoyed it, especially when he continuously harvested two golden seeds, which made him feel extremely joyful. Chu Baichuan, after going around, had only harvested a silver seed.

The newbies watched Tang Zheng and the others cleaning up the battlefield, filled with envy, but they dared not enter without permission. Yu Manli had no such concerns; she brought Hu Xiaoyan and Chen Hong to Tang Zheng’s side to help him clear the ruins.

The mature woman who possessed the power of the Dragon and controlled billions in assets, now humbly acted like a maid, arranging everything Tang Zheng wanted to do without him having to order her.

"You don’t have to do this!" Tang Zheng didn’t want to be served, this would inevitably cause a rift in the team.

"It’s a way of thanking you for your help." Yu Manli shook her head and looking at the fresh blood on Tang Zheng, asked, "Are you injured? Do you need to be bandaged?"

"It’s a minor injury!" Tang Zheng waved his hand to indicate she needn’t worry.

"I didn’t find any." Hu Xiaoyan, full of fear, came over with empty hands, indicating she didn’t find any seeds. The mistress seemed to be afraid of Tang Zheng’s rebuke, shaking with fear.

"Here, one." Chen Hong handed a black iron seed to Tang Zheng with a triumphant look at Hu Xiaoyan. However, a comment from Yu Manli made her face change drastically as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

"And the rest?" Yu Manli stared at the faded star, her gaze almost piercing through her skin.

"No... no more." Chen Hong instinctively twisted her body and pleaded Tang Zheng, "I only found one."

Yu Manli didn’t believe her. As expected, she found another seed on Chen Hong. She was so angry that she wanted to teach this faded star a lesson, but Tang Zheng stopped her.

"Forget it, Chen Hong, I was intending to give you a seed, but your performance really disappointed me." Tang Zheng sighed.

"I’m sorry, Group Leader, give me one more chance, just one more." Chen Hong hugged Tang Zheng’s thigh regretting her blind obsession. She then started to blame Yu Manli. If it weren’t for her, her plan would have been successful.

"It’s magnanimous of the Group Leader to not drive you away. Let go of him now. What does it look like to others?" Yu Manli grabbed Chen Hong’s wrist and forcibly pulled her away.

"I don’t need the seed either, Sister Manli, you take it." Tang Zheng saw that Yu Manli was so considerate, he decided to reward her.

Her plan to steal a chicken ended up losing her own rice. Chen Hong burst into tears. Hu Xiaoyan stood aside, terrified, wondering what she would do after the death of Jia Honglang. She wanted to get close to Tang Zheng, but it seemed there was no chance.

"Thank you." Yu Manli accepted with delight, put the seed into her pocket, then helped Chen Hong dress. Otherwise, being seen in her current state would lower Tang Zheng’s reputation.

An hour later, everyone returned to the inn. George was waiting with the workers in the lobby. Seeing Jason, he immediately rushed up, grabbing him by the collar.

"What was the deal with those Nazi zombie soldiers? What else are you keeping from me?" If it weren’t for the hiring fee still in their hands, George would certainly punch him.

The remaining soldiers also frowned, staring at them, as if they wanted to eat them. That night they lost sixty-two men, the largest casualties they had suffered in ten years.

"Is this the quality of a professional mercenary? Seeing danger, you only think of grabbing the money and running?" Tang Zheng grabbed George’s wrist, slowly applying pressure, forcing George to let go.

Jason paused, realizing that the foreign legion wanted to get the hiring fee and then leave. Fortunately, Tang Zheng reminded him.

"So what if that’s the case, the losses are too great, we can’t bear them." George made it clear, "Bring the hiring fee, we leave. If we continue, we’re certain to be wiped out."

"Dream on, you don’t fulfill the contract, you won’t get a single pound from me." Jason, after all, was a billionaire. When he got angry, it was quite intimidating.

Upon refusal, the soldiers raised their guns. Dantai and the others were not kind either, confronting them.

The workers also began to make noise, demanding Jason to pay their wages, they didn’t want to work anymore.

"Do you want to die once?" Lu Fan snorted, and with a wave of his right hand, the ground, already shattered into small stones, began to tremble, and then formed a quicksand whirlpool, seemingly about to swallow everything.

In coordination, Yu Manli took off Hu Xiaoyan’s rifle and threw it into the vortex. Like a millstone, the stones immediately ground it into a lump of scrap iron, then engulfed it.

The soldiers turned pale and lost their will to fight.

"We won’t go any further. It’s too dangerous." George proposed again, but his tone was much softer.

"Let’s compromise. You just need to escort me to the Abu Simbel temple. After all, it’s only a two-day journey," Jason looked at his niece, "then you take Victoria back to London."

"Okay." George gritted his teeth, and found that the group of eastern people were looking at him as if he were a dead dog. He immediately got scared, assuming that if he insisted any further, he would probably drop dead the next second.

"What about us?" The foreman also came to negotiate, "We don’t want to do this job anymore."

"Leave two days later, in the same way." Jason compromised and decided to search for the treasure alone.

"These idiots, they’ve not even gotten rid of the curse on them, yet they’re in a rush to go back and wait for death?" Pang Meiqin watched as the soldiers retreated, commenting, "We need to arrange for our people to stay on night watch. They might cause trouble."

"If you ask me, we could just kill them and be done with all this." Before Chu Baichuan had even finished speaking, his wife stomped hard on his foot.

"Honey, I was wrong." Chu Baichuan hurriedly apologized, deciding to stay out of the issue and leave the headache to Tang Zheng.

"Let’s discuss this in two days. Go to sleep now, and arrange for your night watch." Tang Zheng waved his hand dismissively and was the first to head upstairs.

Chu Baichuan went to the worn-out bar, selected two decent bottles of red wine. He originally planned for a romantic time with his wife but was driven away by Ai Yixin.

Xu Liangmao offered to keep watch for Tang Zheng during the second half of the night, but he declined.

Seated at a windowsill at the end of the corridor, Tang Zheng hadn’t even settled down for ten minutes when Qin Yan also came over.

"Yu Manli offered to keep watch for me, ha, seems like you’ve trained her well." Standing under the moonlight, Qin Yan took the rare opportunity of being alone with Tang Zheng to taunt him.

The pale moonlight highlighted Tang Zheng’s face, casting a shade of loneliness on it. He didn’t respond.

Qin Yan was taken aback, sighed, and didn’t say anything more. She sat down, leaning against the wall.

"I thought you were going to keep railing at me." Tang Zheng seemed resigned. He knew that his continuous disregard for Qin Yan had angered her.

"No point. Everyone has their path to travel, and it’s not something you can force." Qin Yan shook her head. Her mood noticeably deflated as she changed the subject, "What are you planning to do once we leave the Trojan Room?"

"I’m not sure. Maybe just spend time with my family." Tang Zheng answered truthfully.

"Having stayed in the Trojan Horse Game, I don’t know whether the real world can offer anything appealing. Money? Here, I can grab a handful of diamonds as easy as picking apples. Power? Can it compare with the exhilarating control of life and death I hold in the Trojan World? Travel the world, enjoy life? However stunning the earth’s scenery is, doesn’t it pale in comparison to the magnificence of the Trojan World?" Qin Yan let out a self-mocking smile. "To be a dutiful wife and raise children? After all I’ve been through, I find men unworthy of trust. Chu Baichuan is not bad, but then again, he is so thick-skinned, that I’d probably be driven crazy if I were Ai Yixin."

"Is this a Trojan dependency syndrome?" Tang Zheng frowned. He felt Qin Yan was in the wrong mindset.

"Of course, this includes you. You ignore pure-hearted women and go after those trashy ones. Are you an idiot?" Qin Yan cast Tang Zheng a cold glance. After muttering a curse under her breath, she murmured, "I ironically revived Bai Guo. Will I have to let her die again? That big-chested dumb girl, without anyone to guide her, is sure to end up dead."

Thinking back to their time working together and that girl’s naturally clumsy actions, Qin Yan couldn’t help but smile.

Rendered speechless by Qin Yan’s words, Tang Zheng could only sigh helplessly.

"I need to revive her. It’s a sister’s responsibility. As for what she chooses to do in the end, that’s her decision." Qin Yan rambled to herself, "After, I’ll indulge in the Trojan game until the moment I die."

"Qin Yan, I initially thought you might have developed Trojan dependency, but it seems more like you’re sick of life. Have you been hit by something recently?" Tang Zheng tried to make his tone as gentle as possible so as not to provoke Qin Yan further. "I think you should see a psychologist."

"Who can hit me? And you are the one who’s really sick of life. I just find living boring, that’s all. Daily monotonous routines of eating, sleeping, and being pressured by my mother for blind dates," Qin Yan pulled out a twelve-pack of beer and placed it in front of her. Then, shaking one vigorously, she aimed it at Tang Zheng and opened the can. The pale yellow liquid spewed out instantly.

"Hehe, you look hilarious." Downing a gulp of beer, Qin Yan ignored Tang Zheng, who was now soaked, and continued, "What’s wrong with being an older unmarried woman? Must older women be hastily married off? Life is much better in the Trojan game, where there’s nobody to control you."

"I see. So it has to do with the pressure of marriage." Tang Zheng sadly realized he was helpless in this situation. After all, he wasn’t a psychologist.

"I’m not even married, what pressure? Want some?" As the night wind seeped through the window, Qin Yan shrugged her shoulders. She also longed for a boyfriend who would care for her, adore her, endless playful teasing, listening to her thoughts, eating the food she cooked...

"Such a simple wish, yet why is it so hard?" Qin Yan, her cheeks flushing after finishing one beer, seemed to have forgotten Tang Zheng was by her side. Muttering to herself in a low voice, she vented all her pent-up frustrations.

"I’m not looking for a perfect lover. I just want someone who likes me as much as I like him. Of course, ideally, he would like me a bit more, and be more accommodating of me." Qin Yan prattled on, and within minutes, she was up to her eighth opened beer can.

"Qin Yan, you’re drunk. Go back and get some rest." Considering the harm excessive drinking could do to the body, Tang Zheng felt that Qin Yan had vented enough so he moved to assist her.

"Get away from me, all men are trash." Qin Yan swatted Tang Zheng’s hand away, kicked back another gulp, and noticed the empty beer can. She immediately opened another one and continued her litany, "Especially Tang Zheng, who betrayed the heart of a pure woman. Do I really lose my appeal due to being a bit older? It’s such a trivial matter. Li Xinlan is even older than me."

"You’ve had enough." Tang Zheng frowned, grabbing her wrist.

"Don’t touch me." Qin Yan flung away Tang Zheng’s hand, delivered a staggering slap that cracked into the side of his face, leaving behind the imprint of the palm, "For more than twenty years, I’ve never been touched by a man. If you think you’re asking for death, then sure. No, I’ve bitten a man’s throat before. I was planning to end his virgin life, but he didn’t give me a chance. Hehe, how tragic, boo-hoo!"

The inebriated Qin Yan let out an emotionless chuckle before suddenly bursting into tears. She was reminded of the first time she met Tang Zheng, of the first time they faced adversity together. She initially had the chance to become his girlfriend, but now they were simply nothing to each other.

Tang Zheng sighed, holding the crying Qin Yan and gently patting her back. Under the frosty moonlight, a sense of desolation washed over them, devoid of any blessings.

"Do take good care of her." Tang Zheng called Yu Manli over and handed the drunk Qin Yan to her.

Yu Manli nodded her head.

"Revive Bai Guo...revive, Tang Zheng, huh, revive Tang Zheng? Copy Tang Zheng?" Qin Yan, who had just collapsed onto the bed, suddenly sat upright, then just as swiftly face-planted into the pillow once more.