Apocalypse King: I Recruit S-Tier Beauties with My Ruler System-Chapter 12: Red Eyes In the Night

Because of Shen Yifei's disturbance, I needed something to drink, be it coffee or whiskey.

The earthy scent of the machine filled the small kitchen attached to my living room the moment I flipped the switch, creating a low hum and bubbling noise.

'This won't wake her up, right?'

I turned to check the couch but noticed Mu Qinglan wasn't sleeping on the couch, barely able to outline the two chairs with nobody on them.

Strange...

But my attention returned to the coffee machine as the liquid gold started bubbling into my special mug.

Shuffle

Step...

A noise sounded behind me, but I remained focused as the last drips of coffee plopped into my cup before I added the creamer and sugar.

"This might be my last coffee, so I cannot afford to rush it."

Ignoring the movement, I couldn't stop my yawn disguised as a sigh, and the stressful day finally hit me. Sniffing the sharp scent of the ground beans helped me recover a little. But it reminded me of how dull and depressing the future might become.

The thought of a world without power, electricity, or my smartphone sounded like hell.

As an introvert, it really concerned me!

"Well, let's enjoy every moment."

I swiped the half-empty bottle of my favourite John's whiskey and sat on the veranda just outside my living room with an old pack of black star cigarettes.

[Tutorial Hint: The Host is immune to most natural and deadly diseases from before the apocalypse, so enjoy this last moment of peace.]

Smoking wasn't a good pastime of mine, but when things got too tough. I didn't have anything else but this and gaming to calm myself. Though I am good-looking... thanks to past issues, I struggle to meet and speak with new people.

'Today was fine because I could play the part of a 'handsome saviour' and this was how I managed to work so hard.'

I would act out parts when leaving the house, an embarrassing but genuine issue.

There was the work of John, who acted like an extrovert and worked hard to be noticed.

The shy yet handsome neighbourhood boy who didn't have a mother who shopped at the local supermarket for the best deals.

Many of my faces were like masks... to hide my pathetic and lonely self.

Click!

With a snap of my fingers, the rough flint scraped my thumb and reminded me of why I hated smoking in the first place.

An ember lit up the room, and for a moment, I thought something appeared in the reflection of the glass, but I shook my head.

"A nostalgic scent."

I brought the cigarette with a black shade to my lips, took a slow drag, and savoured the brief warmth that filled my lungs.

The smoke tickled my chest, but I let the smoke out slowly, in a steady stream, curling my lips to form small circles in the air.

"I regret this, but my mind feels so much clearer now..."

Inside the room behind me, I heard shifting around, but Qinglan would probably not cause trouble, according to the system. She wouldn't betray me unless her affection reached the negatives.

'Thank god, but... I want to become strong, too.'

A slight jealousy towards her abilities made me suck on the cigarette harder, the tip brightly burning as it illuminated the early morning sky.

Knock Knock!

I watched zombies roaming around as I enjoyed drinking and smoking until the door sounded and caused me to snap out of my strange daze.

"Who is it..."

I muttered, annoyed that the sound caused the zombies to gaze towards this building and started to groan in a horrible tone, which annoyed me. They no longer shuffled and roamed around like people on their way to work in the morning.

The moment I opened the door, a surprising woman stood there in light clothing and sleepy eyes wrapped with dark rings.

"H-have you seen Yufei?"

'Hm?'

When she came to my room, that must have been at least an hour ago. Did she go somewhere else? Maybe she tried to sleep with one of the other guys. I didn't know her well, but the system would tell me if she did.

"Miss Jiang, I haven't seen her, and..." He noticed the policewoman's state and couldn't ignore her trembling shoulders. "Do you want to come in first? It's cold in the hallway because they don't have heating."

'Since my physique increased the hot and cold started affecting me less.'

"I don't want to intrude on you, isn't the other girl here?"

Jiang Roulan made a slight rejection, but her foot remained inside the door, and maybe a slight push and offer were all she needed. I didn't think that Qinglan would mind since we rarely spoke together before yesterday, anyway.

"It's not intruding, come inside. I can't leave a woman in the cold, my mother's ghost would beat me with a stick."

"Haha."

I heard Jiang Roulan's laugh for the first time as I turned away, walked back into the living room, and picked up another cup, ready to make a second coffee.

"Eh?"

It was at that moment he noticed that Shen Yifei was sleeping on the couch, causing his face to twitch. He turned back to Jiang Roulan, who just smiled after seeing the naked blonde wrapped in a thin quilt with her clothes tossed across the room.

"I couldn't see her earlier—when did she sneak in?"

Jian Roulan didn't doubt me.

Instead, she stepped close to me, and her natural scent flowed into my nose—a calmer and more soothing scent than Qinglan's.

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'Was it when I saw someone reflected in the glass?'

"Don't worry, I know you're not that type of guy, otherwise you wouldn't have given us the keys to the doors."

'You're wrong. I just snagged them on the way back inside earlier...'

"Can I get a cup of John's too?"

Jiang Roulan tapped the bottle I almost finished and smiled at me... different from the girls I met on dating apps in the past. It was a mature and rather welcoming smile. Her eyes didn't glow with lust or obsession but a calm appreciation.

"Then, will you join me on the balcony watching the sunrise, until we can sleep?"

I asked while stirring the two mugs and grabbing a second bottle of Johns's sweet honey whiskey.

"Don't mind if I do~ haha."

Maybe it's because of how tired I was, but somehow Jiang Roulan seemed so easy to get along with as she told me about her days leading up to the apocalypse, and I mentioned getting fired, which she seemed to find hilarious.

What shocked me most was...

I found myself smiling for the first time in a long while.

"Hm?"

While filling my cup with more whiskey, I could have sworn a pair of red eyes glared at me in a reflection.

However, when I turned around, there was nothing... but a swaying blackout blind.