Doomsday Knocks

Chapter 6: The Rejected Contract

The faint morning light brought little warmth, instead making the dimly lit safe house feel even more desolate.

The first thing Lin Ye did upon waking was to don his armor of "indifference" once more.

The man who had trembled in his arms last night, vulnerable like a child, seemed to have never existed. Now, sitting in his wheelchair, was the same gloomy, aloof, and unapproachable physics genius.

He turned his wheelchair, gliding to the corner supply area, and expertly took a pre-packed black backpack from the shelf, then pulled a sharp dagger from the drawer.

"Crash." The backpack and dagger were slammed heavily onto the coffee table.

"There are three days' worth of compressed biscuits and water in here, and this knife." Lin Ye's voice was flat, his gaze not even lingering on Su Qingyan, but directly on the monitor screen. "It's dawn. You should leave."

Su Qingyan sat on the sofa, watching the man trying to conceal everything with indifference, a helpless smile curving her lips. Last night she saved him, stayed by his side all night, and even saw his most private medical records. She thought this would at least earn her a little trust, even if only a tiny bit.

Clearly, she overestimated this man's softness and underestimated his stubbornness.

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyan didn't touch the backpack, but stood up, looking directly at his profile. "Do you think you can survive in this fortress forever by kicking me out?"

Lin Ye's fingers paused on the keyboard for a moment, then he said coldly, "I've lived for three years. I don't need anyone to teach me how to survive."

"Is that so?" Su Qingyan took a step forward, her words rapid and relentless, "Your neuromyelitis could relapse at any time. The next attack could be more severe than last night's, even leading to blindness or paralysis." "I checked the stock of the special medicine in the refrigerator; it'll only last a few months. Your security system, though sophisticated, lacks maintenance. Once the circuitry ages or is sabotaged, you won't even have a chance to repair it." She pointed to the desolate city outside the window: "Most importantly, you have mobility issues. In this zombie-infested world, even stepping out of this door to collect a single screw could be a death sentence." Lin Ye abruptly turned his head, a flash of anger at having his sore spot exposed crossing his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"So what? Rather than inviting a wolf into the house, I'd rather wait to die alone. At least I'll die on my own turf." He pushed his wheelchair forward, shoving the backpack at Su Qingyan again, his tone resolute: "Take the stuff and get out." Su Qingyan took a deep breath.

She knew that with someone so desperately insecure, simple pleas or moral blackmail were meaningless. In this world of collapsed order, only the exchange of interests was the true language.

She didn't reach for her backpack, but instead pulled a piece of draft paper she'd scribbled down the night before from her pocket and spread it out on the coffee table.

"Lin Ye, let's sign a symbiotic contract." Su Qingyan's voice suddenly became calm and professional, as if she had returned to the investment bank MD who strategized at the negotiating table.

"I'll be responsible for going out to fight, gathering supplies, liaising with the outside world, and handling all the physical crises and emergencies you'll face. You'll provide the safe house, technical support, supplies, and your brain."

She pointed to the paper, her gaze intense: "I've seen your circuit diagrams, and I've seen your security system. Your brain is the most scarce resource in this apocalypse. But without my hands, your talent will just rot in this house."

"Mutual benefit, shared risk." Su Qingyan stretched out her hand, hovering in mid-air, her eyes resolute: "Let's survive together." The room was deathly silent.

Only the occasional crackling of electricity from the monitor screen and the low growls of wandering zombies in the distance.

Lin Ye stared at the hand.

That was the hand that fed him medicine last night, the hand that applied heat to his wounds, and the hand now extending an olive branch.

But he didn't take it.

In the past three years, he had witnessed the ugliness of humanity. Before the apocalypse, people looked at him like a monster; after the apocalypse, everyone was tearing each other apart for survival.

Trust? That was a luxury.

"I don't need a partner." Lin Ye's voice was like a cold stone, striking between them. "I won't let anyone take away my resources for survival. In this house, every additional person increases the risk of exposure."

He pushed his wheelchair backward, widening the distance between himself and Su Qingyan, his eyes even colder than before, even carrying a hint of warning.

"Su Qingyan, don't use last night's accident as leverage. Saving you was an impulse; letting you go was the rational thing to do."

"Take the things and disappear immediately." Su Qingyan's hand froze in mid-air.

She looked at this man who had locked himself so tightly in his shell, at the indelible fear and resistance deep in his eyes.

It was an instinct formed from long-term isolation—he seemed more afraid of connecting with people than of death.

Su Qingyan slowly withdrew her hand, clenching it into a tight fist.

She knew words were now futile. This man's defenses were too thick, so thick that even their life-or-death bond from the previous night couldn't penetrate them.

"Okay." Su Qingyan nodded, her voice eerily calm. "I'm leaving."

She didn't take the backpack full of food, but bent down and picked up the dagger from the coffee table.

"This, consider it a loan."

She tucked the dagger into her waistband, giving Lin Ye one last, deep look—the man still in his wheelchair, prickly yet heartbreakingly lonely.

"Lin Ye, you'll regret this."

Su Qingyan finished speaking and turned to walk towards the door.

"In this apocalypse, no one is an island. You'll understand sooner or later."

The heavy security door opened and slammed shut again.

Deathly silence returned to the room.

Lin Ye sat in his wheelchair, staring at the empty doorway, motionless for a long time.

He had won; he had driven away the intruder.

But why did that emptiness in his heart feel even more unbearable than the excruciating pain of the previous night?