Chapter 65: Meat Soup
Zhou Peng tore off Fang Yuqing's clothes, ignoring the fact that the room temperature was more than sixty degrees below zero, and attempted to engage in a deeper "interaction."
Fang Yuqing was too weak to resist, lying there with vacant eyes.
But as Zhou Peng pulled down his pants, he was confronted with a cruel reality—he couldn't get it up.
Not only was the temperature incredibly low—minus sixty or seventy degrees—but his physical condition had deteriorated significantly as well.
Even if he had the chance, he wouldn't be able to do anything!
"Get up! You better get up!"
Zhou Peng anxiously tried every method he could think of, but nothing worked. It was as if that part of him had lost all sensation.
Seeing this, Fang Yuqing sneered, mocking him, "You're completely useless."
"Ah!!!"
The room echoed with Zhou Peng's desperate roar, resembling the wail of a castrated dog.
...
After a night of deep contemplation, Zhou Ke'er finally gave Zhang Yi a firm answer.
She understood that this was a test from Zhang Yi.
Although it was extremely dangerous, if she didn't take this risk, it wouldn't be long before she died at the hands of Chen Zhenghao and the others.
She had to take a chance.
That evening, Chen Zhenghao and his group sat in the living room, while a lackey was sent to the kitchen to prepare food.
Zhou Ke'er, who had been watching from the corner, suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go help him."
Chen Zhenghao's cold eyes glanced at her, his smile sinister.
"Hahaha, I knew you couldn't hold out any longer!"
Zhou Ke'er's entire body tensed, and it felt as if her blood was freezing.
Chen Zhenghao continued, "After two days without food, anyone would break. Don't be afraid. Once you've tasted it, you'll be hooked. That meat is incredibly delicious, better than any I've eaten before!"
Zhou Ke'er felt a slight sense of relief. Biting her lip, she said, "I don't want to die. I want to live."
Chen Zhenghao thought she had come to terms with it and nodded, saying, "That's the best decision. You still have some use to me."
"I was originally thinking that if you refused to eat, we could use you as the next ingredient."
Zhou Ke'er took a deep breath and silently turned to the kitchen to help.
The kitchen was splattered with blood, and severed limbs lay scattered, a sight straight from hell.
Even with her nose blocked, Zhou Ke'er could still smell the overwhelming stench.
Suppressing her nausea, she approached the lackey who was cooking to offer her help.
The lackey, with a numb expression, didn't say a word, merely pointing to the axe and broken furniture, signaling her to chop firewood.
Zhou Ke'er obediently followed his instructions.
With energy sources depleted, cooking now relied on burning furniture.
A makeshift stove had been set up in the kitchen, with an iron pot sitting on top.
Once the fire was started, the snow inside the pot began to melt, turning into water.
But the snowmelt wasn't clear; it was murky, full of impurities.
Yet in these desperate times, no one cared about cleanliness. Just having something to eat was a blessing.
Zhou Ke'er kept her eyes on the lackey while also monitoring the situation outside the kitchen.
Her palms were slick with sweat from nerves because if her next move was discovered, she would be as good as dead.
After a while, the lackey finished chopping the meat and tossed it into the pot, casually adding some seasonings.
"Watch it," the lackey said coldly before leaving the kitchen.
Zhou Ke'er waited for a long time, ensuring it was safe before she took out a small bottle from her pocket.
Fumbling with the cap, she hurriedly poured a heap of white powder into the soup.
Once done, she quickly stuffed the bottle back into her pocket.
Only then did she realize her heart was pounding like a single-cylinder engine, and her legs were trembling from the tension.
Swallowing hard, she stirred the powder into the soup with a ladle.
The whole process had been nerve-wracking, but nothing unexpected had occurred.
This wasn't a movie—there were no twists or turns.
Given the harsh living conditions, everyone had become desensitized. They couldn't even imagine that Zhou Ke'er would dare to drug the meat soup.
At lunchtime, Zhou Ke'er carried the large pot of meat soup to the table. The men, eyes red with hunger, immediately rushed forward to grab pieces of meat.
To gain their trust, Zhou Ke'er also ladled herself a bowl of soup and quietly returned to her room.
No one paid attention to her; everyone was focused on eating. A hot meal was as good as life itself, offering one more chance at survival.
Zhou Ke'er returned to her room, holding the bowl of meat soup as she sat on the bed.
And then, she began to wait.
She had spiked the soup with a large amount of sleeping pills—nearly half a bottle!
These sleeping pills worked fast. Just one pill could knock a person out in 30 minutes.
Especially after eating, when the blood naturally flowed to the stomach, making people even more prone to drowsiness.
With such a large dose, even an elephant would be knocked out cold.
As a doctor, Zhou Ke'er was well aware of how deeply this dosage would put them to sleep.
Unless subjected to extreme external stimuli, there was no way they'd wake up anytime soon.
Soon enough, Zhou Ke'er heard the sounds of snoring from the living room.
She tiptoed out to the living room, where everyone was sprawled across the sofas and chairs, fast asleep.
Holding her breath, she sent a message to Zhang Yi.
"I've drugged them heavily. They're all unconscious."
"What do you plan to do next?"
Just one wall away was Zhang Yi's residence.
He had been waiting for Zhou Ke'er's message to confirm if she could complete the task.
Only by proving her worth would she become a useful pawn in Zhang Yi's hands.
Seeing her message, Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow and replied, "Drag them out to the balcony."
He wasn't going to risk coming over, just in case it was a trap.
Zhou Ke'er bit her lip and finally replied, "Okay!"
Most people would be terrified, knowing that if Chen Zhenghao and his men suddenly woke up, they'd kill her without hesitation.
But as a professional doctor, Zhou Ke'er was confident in the effects of the drugs.
Following Zhang Yi's instructions, she dragged each of the men out onto the balcony.
Even with the freezing winds outside, they wouldn't wake up anytime soon—people in deep comas just didn't wake up easily.
In fact, the cold weather would cause their bodies to lower their temperatures even further, entering a state of hibernation to extend their survival.
Zhou Ke'er did all of this while Zhang Yi watched from his window.
Zhang Yi was well aware of how many men Chen Zhenghao had under his command. Nothing could escape his surveillance.
Once Zhou Ke'er had dragged all of them out, panting heavily, Zhang Yi finally nodded in satisfaction.
"What do you want me to do next?" Zhou Ke'er asked, her voice trembling.
"That's enough for now. Wait for me," Zhang Yi replied.
He put down his phone and returned to his bedroom.
After some thought, he pulled out a thick winter coat from his alternate space and put it on.
He also grabbed ten ropes, each as thick as a child's arm, and slung them over his waist.
In his left hand, he held a loaded crossbow, and a machete was strapped to his back.
Still feeling that this wasn't enough, Zhang Yi unlocked the safety of a pistol he had bought long ago but had never used and held it in his right hand.
Feeling secure now, Zhang Yi walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, he unlocked the door leading to the balcony.
The lock was complicated, requiring fingerprints, electronic and physical keys—three layers in total.
Once the lock was undone, Zhang Yi stepped out onto the balcony.
The freezing wind hit him, but thanks to his professional-grade winter gear, it didn't feel too severe.
Zhang Yi couldn't help but admire the quality of his gear.
Zhou Ke'er stood by the window, hugging herself and shivering, watching him nervously.
"Are you going to kill them?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Zhang Yi smirked, lifting the gun and pointing it at the unconscious men on the ground, while also subtly aiming at Zhou Ke'er.
He tossed the ropes at her feet.
"It's not me—it's you."