The apocalypse is coming, but thankfully I have a harem of paper dolls.

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However, looking at the desolate scene of tangled plants all around, she couldn't help but believe Luo Jiajun's words a little more. Moreover, Luo Jiajun's last words—that it's always better to be alive than to be dead—shook her heart and soul.

So, she didn't wait for the rescue team and was supposed to die in the cryo-chamber.

At this moment, she couldn't help but think of the contract she had accepted in her dream the night before entering the cryo-chamber. Then, when she looked at Luo Jiajun again, a hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes. "Where is Mei? Lin Lin Kong, are you Lin Zai Zai Mei?"

Could it be that……

This man is the master of the contract...

her……

Owner?

However, Zhou Meiling was not born in the feudal era, and calling someone "master" was both strange and shameful to her, so much so that all the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, and she didn't know where to begin.

"Come, let me introduce you, this is..."

At this moment, Luo Jiajun began to introduce Shiranui Mai and the others to Zhou Meiling one by one, explaining to Zhou Meiling without any hesitation that the others, like Zhou Meiling, had come to this world after accepting contracts for various reasons.

Then, as Luo Jiajun led everyone out of the hospital and onto the street, Zhou Meiling was immediately greeted by even more grotesque plants: wildly growing giant trees that towered over skyscrapers, giant vines with fleshy growths clinging to the surfaces of buildings, and roadside weeds taller than a person, and so on...

Although the towering buildings, the various signs on the shops along the street, and the abandoned cars on the roadside all indicate that this was once a modern city, the wildly growing mutant plants have now turned the city into a primitive place, deeply shocking Zhou Meiling, who was seeing such a scene for the first time in her life.

At this point, Zhou Meiling finally accepted everything Luo Jiajun had said.

After clarifying the logic, she turned to look at Luo Jiajun:

"So, Mr. Luo... can I understand it this way: you saved my life, but the price is that I've been dragged into this post-apocalyptic world of mutated plants, and from now on I'll have to do my best to help you survive in this apocalyptic world?"

"Haha, more or less!" Luo Jiajun nodded with a smile.

In reality, their current team, at least in the Plant Aberration version, wouldn't have any problem surviving with or without Zhou Meiling. It's just that, looking to the future, and considering the power of numbers, having Zhou Meiling join would be even better.

However, not everyone in the team was as open-minded as Luo Jiajun. Hearing Zhou Meiling's arrogant remarks, someone like Zyra smiled disdainfully. Rita, who had already removed her helmet and revealed her face, also gave Zhou Meiling a meaningful glance.

Luo Jiajun, with his back to Jera and Leda, naturally didn't notice this. Zhou Meiling, however, did notice and felt puzzled. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she ultimately said nothing. Afterwards, Luo Jiajun called everyone to start their return journey, also telling Zhou Meiling that there were other people in the team, and he would introduce them to her when they returned to camp.

Zhou Meiling nodded. Since Luo Jiajun had been calling her "Miss Zhou" all the time, which was too polite, she looked into Luo Jiajun's eyes and said earnestly, "By the way, if Mr. Luo doesn't mind, you can just call me Xiao Mei or Meiling."

"Okay, then I'll call you Meiling from now on," Luo Jiajun said with a smile.

Behind them, listening to Zhou Meiling and Luo Jiajun's conversation, Mai Shiranui turned to look at Leta, raising an eyebrow and smiling at her with a provocative air.

He practically said to Leda: See? Who says you have to call someone "master"? Luo Jiajun himself doesn't mind! You crazy woman just like to meddle!

However, Leda remained expressionless and continued walking, completely ignoring Mai Shiranui.

On the other side, Zyra watched the two rivals' performance and found it all amusing. She was amused that Leda could be teased, and even more so that Mai Shiranui was amused—because Mai Shiranui had called Luo Jiajun "master" before.

Let alone "master," she had heard Mai Shiranui call her "good brother" or even "father" during the several absurd days that followed.

Only 2B is truly silent and calm, seemingly unmoved by anything except Luo Jiajun himself.

Meanwhile, ahead, Luo Jiajun and Zhou Meiling were chatting, and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly harmonious. Zhou Meiling stood to Luo Jiajun's right, with Ye Yibu following to his left. Zhou Meiling had long been interested in Ye Yibu, and with Luo Jiajun's permission, she went to Ye Yibu's side and stroked Ye Yibu's head.

Ye Yibu seemed to really like this older sister who was dressed too warmly. When she was being stroked, she stuck out her tongue and licked Zhou Meiling's palm, which made Zhou Meiling laugh repeatedly.

The group stopped for the time being. Luo Jiajun stood to the side and could clearly see that Zhou Meiling's neck and forehead were covered in sweat.

Although the weather wasn't hot today, Zhou Meiling was still wearing a heavy polar protective suit.

This isn't Antarctica, it would be strange if she didn't sweat while wearing such thick clothes!

Women seem to be very sensitive to men's gaze. Zhou Meiling suddenly turned her head and met Luo Jiajun's eyes.

Luo Jiajun smiled and asked her, "Aren't you hot wearing so many layers?"

"Hmm..." Zhou Meiling nodded, and casually smoothed the wet strands of hair on her ears.

I wonder if she was embarrassed to take off her coat in broad daylight, or if the clothes she was wearing underneath weren't suitable to be shown? In any case, Luo Jiajun only spoke to her conservatively:

"It's okay, it's not far from our camp. You can take a shower when you get back. Our camp is in a shopping mall with lots of clothing stores. You can browse around and change into whatever clothes you want."

But before Luo Jiajun could finish speaking and Zhou Meiling could respond, thorny branches suddenly shot out like venomous snakes from a crack in the road ahead, attacking them with lightning speed.

In a flash, Ye Yibu exhaled a heavy breath, spun forward towards the thorns, and with a sweep of its leaf-like tail, cut the thorns that had sprung out in one go!

"!!!"

The sudden change left Zhou Meiling stunned. Seeing the thorns that had suddenly sprung out and then been cut down, and Ye Yibu, who had landed and was now crouching low in a wary posture, she quickly regained her composure, raised the Frost Impact Gun she carried, and her gaze hardened.

The battle that just took place seemed to have sounded some kind of signal.

Soon, a dense rustling sound began to emanate from all around.

The roadside weeds, taller than a person, began to stir, and countless slender, tentacle-like vines sprouted from abandoned shops. Thorns covered with sharp barbs continued to emerge from more cracks in the road...

"Everyone scatter and protect the master!" Leda shouted as she quickly put on the helmet she was holding and then drew her weapon.

Regardless of whether Luo Jiajun truly needed protection, at Leida's prompting, everyone centered around Luo Jiajun, spreading outwards from different directions to form a protective circle.

Even Zhou Meiling, who was new to the area, stood guard in front of Luo Jiajun alongside Ye Yibu.

Perhaps misled by Leda's earlier words, "Protect your master well," Zhou Meiling thought Luo Jiajun was truly not good at fighting. She even turned around and said to Luo Jiajun in an encouraging tone:

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

Since Luo Jiajun saved her life and gave her a new lease on life, she naturally wanted to repay him in every way possible.

Luo Jiajun: "..."

man!

what can i say?

Added URL 63

Although in Overwatch, they are researchers, not combatants.

But this does not mean that Zhou Meiling is a weak woman who cannot even kill a chicken.

Wearing heavy protective gear! Holding a frost impact gun!

She did not back down at all in the face of the various mutated plants attacking her from all sides; her gaze was so firm.

However, when the battle fully erupted...

Before she could even pull the trigger of the Frost Impact Gun, Ye Yibu beside her had already rushed forward and tore apart the attacking mutated plants.

The sounds coming from other directions, from the battles of others, made her eyes widen in shock!

The swordsman's movements are so fast they're practically invisible, like he's just chopping vegetables; Rita's blade glows with golden light and she can cast spells with her left hand to release auras; Mai Shiranui's folding fan blazes with flames, igniting all the attacking plants; and then there's Zyra, whose mere presence alone is enough to make hordes of mutated plants wary and avoid her...

What's going on here?!

So, does that mean everyone in the team is a "superman"?

It was both golden and fiery, like magic.

This is too awesome!

Just as Zhou Meiling was in shock, a thorny vine bypassed Ye Yibu, who was entangled by other mutated plants, and rushed towards the distracted Zhou Meiling.

At the critical moment, Luo Jiajun raised his hand and released lightning.

"Swish—splat!"

Struck by the electric current, the thorns, which had lashed out like venomous snakes, scorched and burst into flames, falling limply to the ground, their white plumage gleaming. Mei, are you thinking of Yonglin? Lin, are you free?

"Ah!" Zhou Meiling exclaimed in surprise, only then did she come to her senses and hurriedly used the Frost Impact Gun in her hand to assist Ye Yibu, who was surrounded by a large number of mutated plants.

Even so, the area defended by the one person and the beast was still the weakest point in the team. Characters like 2B, Leta, Mai Shiranui, and Zyra were basically just rampaging through the enemy lines without any pressure. It wasn't until they finished off the mutated plants in other areas and then turned to help Zhou Meiling and Ye Yibu that the battle finally ended.

After finishing, Zhou Meiling looked down at the large number of dead mutated plants on the ground around her, then looked at Mai Shiranui and the others, and couldn't help but sigh:

"You guys are all amazing! We really owe you all your help just now."

As she spoke, she looked at Luo Jiajun again.

Ye Yibu had returned to Luo Jiajun's side, seeking his pats. Whenever Luo Jiajun paused, it would nudge his palm with its head, forcing Luo Jiajun to continue stroking it.

"Mr. Luo..."

"Hmm~ What's wrong?"

"Thank you so much for earlier..."

Zhou Meiling no longer dared to look Luo Jiajun in the eye.

I felt very ashamed.

She had the nerve to say she would definitely protect Luo Jiajun.

In the end, it was Luo Jiajun who protected her...

"Hey, there's no need to thank me. We're a team. If you're in danger, how could I, as the team leader, just stand by and do nothing?" Luo Jiajun waved his hand at Zhou Meiling with great magnanimity.

Then, as soon as he lowered his hand, Ye Yibu raised his palm again, begging for a pat.

Zhou Meiling hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She had only one thought: it seemed that she was the weakest one in the current team. Even the cute Eevee seemed to be stronger than her. Wouldn't she become a burden?

Well, to call her a burden wouldn't be an exaggeration. Even setting aside her status as a scientific talent, in terms of combat strength alone, Zhou Meiling is at least stronger than the average person. Relying on the core equipment naturally provided by her "scientist" bond—the Frost Impact Gun—she can handle ordinary mutated plants with relative ease.

As the weakest member of the team, it's inevitable that anyone would have thoughts like, "Am I a burden?" But in any team, there will always be someone who is the strongest and someone who is the weakest. Does that mean the weakest person is necessarily a "burden"?

Seeing Zhou Meiling's conflicted expression, Luo Jiajun could roughly guess what she was thinking, so he took the initiative to walk over to her and gently patted her shoulder:

"Relax, you did a pretty good job just now. If it weren't for your help, Ibrahimovic might have been injured because he was outnumbered."

Of course, Luo Jiajun was exaggerating. After all, he hadn't even really made a move, so how could Ye Yibu possibly get hurt with him around?

Because he could understand human speech, Ye Yibu took the initiative to move closer to Zhou Meiling after being prompted by Luo Jiajun, gently nuzzling his head into Zhou Meiling's arms to express his affection.

Looking down at the adorable female beast that had snuggled into her arms, Zhou Meiling's mood instantly lifted. Smiling, she stroked Ye Yibu's head and said to Luo Jiajun in a cheerful tone, "In any case, thank you very much, Mr. Luo!"

Luo Jiajun waved his hand again to Zhou Meiling, indicating that there was no need to be so polite.

Then he urged everyone to continue on their way.

On the way, Mai Shiranui wanted to touch Ye Yibu, so she approached Zhou Meiling, who was sitting next to Ye Yibu, and started chatting with her.

The two women seemed to get along quite well, and soon their faces were filled with smiles. Their soft hands kept touching Ye Yibu's head, neck, and back, which soon became too much for Ye Yibu, so she ran back to Luo Jiajun's side and continued to stick to him.

When Mai Shiranui and Zhou Meiling cast envious glances at Luo Jiajun, he couldn't help but raise his head and smile smugly, saying, "It seems that although both of you are very beautiful, Eevee still likes me the most~"

As soon as Luo Jiajun finished speaking, Ye Yibu started whimpering, clearly agreeing with Luo Jiajun's statement. Especially when Luo Jiajun deliberately flipped over and climbed onto Ye Yibu's back with a smug look on his face, it made Shiranui Mai and Zhou Meiling even more envious and jealous.

However, to be fair, since Ye Yibu had never practiced riding skills and wasn't equipped with a saddle or stirrups, Luo Jiajun was only able to maintain his balance on Ye Yibu's back without falling off because of his greatly improved physical fitness and strong control over his muscles.

In short, if Luo Jiajun really wants to use Yeebu as a mount, he will need to practice a lot in the future. Otherwise, once Yeebu starts running fast, Luo Jiajun might fall off its back.

But Ye Yibu was simply moving at a steady pace, so Luo Jiajun rode steadily. Remembering Zhou Meiling's earlier smile and thanks, Luo Jiajun recalled that he could check her affection level through the game's features, so he opened Zhou Meiling's detailed information in the team interface:

Zhou Meiling

Current favorability rating: 33 (Admiration, Respect, Curiosity)

Clearly, after the battle just now, Luo Jiajun had begun to cultivate Zhou Meiling's goodwill towards him. Although 33's goodwill could only be considered as that of a decent friend, it was still a good start.

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When Luo Jiajun and his group returned to the mall, everything was fine.

In the lobby on the first floor of the mall, Archina, Derek, and Rinko Akiyama, who had stayed behind, greeted him together. When they discovered that Luo Jiajun had brought back a "little pet" and a "new friend," Archina curiously asked Luo Jiajun what had happened during his trip.

Luo Jiajun introduced Zhou Meiling and Ye Yibu, briefly recounting their encounter with the "treasure chest monster." Upon learning that Ye Yibu was summoned by Luo Jiajun using a magical object after opening a chest, Archina couldn't help but exclaim:

"It's absolutely magical!"

"What kind of world is this?"

"And you, my dear little master~ Although it's the end of the world, you don't seem like someone struggling to survive at all. You're more like a treasure hunter from a fantasy story, always able to lock onto your target and find something good in ways we can't understand."

Treasure hunters?

Hmm... Luo Jiajun thought to himself, this description is actually quite apt.

Perhaps for others, this is the end of the world, and everyone is struggling to survive.

But for Luo Jiajun, survival wasn't really an issue. All he needed to do was: engage in combat! Search! And then head back!

—The case is solved!

The game in his head was called "Hyperdimensional Apocalypse Game," but it wasn't apocalypse at all; it was just a treasure-hunting game!