Chapter 61: Voldemort?

“Hello? What’s going on?”

At that moment, a call came through. Yang Jie answered, only to find silence on the other end. Glancing at his phone, he looked utterly baffled.

“Zhan Ting, speak up!!!”

“Hello? Hello? Is the signal bad?”

“If you don’t say something, I’m hanging up!!!”

Under Yang Jie’s urging, sobbing could finally be heard through the phone.

Yang Jie held the phone with a bit of irritation but said nothing.

After a long pause, Zhan Ting finally spoke, “Why… why don’t you ask me anything?”

“The fate of your life is in your own hands. Whether you choose to survive or to end it, it’s a decision you must contemplate deeply. This world will not compromise or change for anyone!” Yang Jie’s tone was cold and resolute. These words were something his first instructor had told him during moments of weakness.

It wasn’t that the instructor had a gentle temper, but he simply couldn’t outmatch Yang Jie; otherwise, he would have beaten the nonsense out of him. If someone else tried, they wouldn’t rest until Yang Jie was completely subdued.

Hearing Yang Jie’s words, Zhan Ting immediately poured out everything like an overturned bamboo tube spilling beans.

The matter was simple. Zhan Ting’s brother, Zhan Hao, upon hearing the news of the apocalypse, sought confirmation from his sister.

Finally, he told Zhan Ting he had found a girlfriend and wanted to go be with her.

Yang Jie had no patience for such nonsense and told Zhan Ting to come over for a face-to-face talk.

A little over an hour later, Zhan Ting arrived, reeking of alcohol.

She bore none of her usual radiance and looked even more haggard.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Yang Jie waved dismissively. “Speak up. I’ve never trusted tears!”

“Did Zhan Hao take anything with him? Did he say anything else?”

Wiping her reddened eyes, Zhan Ting said, “He took a quarter of the house money and photos of our parents.”

Yang Jie chuckled, clearly pleased.

“Not bad. At least he has some conscience!”

“Why can’t he stay with me?”

Yang Jie rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen short videos from back home. These days, any woman with a younger brother has a hard time finding a partner because people fear ‘brother-supporting demons.’ You’re even worse off since your parents are gone. If he really is a ‘brother-supporting demon,’ he’d be leeching off only you.”

“In my opinion, your brother wants to leave you for two reasons.”

“What?”

Wiping her glasses and clearing her nose, Zhan Ting listened.

“First: he’s not entirely convinced by the doomsday talk. Second: he thinks it’ll be easier for you to find someone if he’s not around.”

Even though Yang Jie had been away from Longguo for ten years, thinking in a Longguo mindset allowed him to immediately grasp the logic.

“Looks like your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by your brother. He doesn’t want to be your burden.”

Zhan Ting was completely lost.

“What should I do then?”

“Focus on your own life. No matter where your brother goes, as long as his phone and smartwatch aren’t lost, we can track him.”

Zhan Ting was stunned, then suddenly realized.

“You… you’ve been monitoring us all along?”

Yang Jie shrugged, looking indifferent.

“Relax, future teammate. I had to know everything clearly. If something weird happens, the cost is lives!”

Zhan Ting wanted to curse but held back.

“Can I know what my brother does every day?”

Tilting his head, Yang Jie thought for a moment. “Tongtong used an old virus this time. It silently collects info during the day and transmits it at night when you’re charging your phone and connected to Wi-Fi.”

Zhan Ting nodded. She had known about this virus before—it was advanced six or seven years ago but outdated now. She wasn’t a specialist, so her knowledge was limited.

The most insidious thing about this virus was that it exploited gaps in people’s mental defenses. Any virus transmitting info from a phone causes it to heat up.

But who suspects a phone heating up while charging?

This virus spread easily—not only via network transmission but also through power banks.

Suddenly, Zhan Ting’s expression darkened as she glared at Yang Jie in fury.

“So you’ve been monitoring my phone too!”

Yang Jie showed no embarrassment, a mischievous smile curling his lips. His big, round eyes scanned her proud figure up and down.

“Nice figure. So smooth, I almost lost control!”

“Yang Jie, damn you!”

Zhan Ting worked three physically demanding jobs daily and needed to take care of her body. Otherwise, sudden death wouldn’t be impossible.

Every time she took care of herself, she had to use her phone. This made her feel utterly mortified now. She cursed loudly and lunged at Yang Jie.

Standing 185 cm tall and weighing over 140 pounds, this voluptuous beauty was like a kitten in Yang Jie’s hands. He grabbed the back of her collar with one hand and subdued her.

“Submit or not?”

“Not! You’re a jerk, Yang Jie, I…”

“Smack!”

“Ah!”

A sharp slap landed on her ample behind, a wave of overwhelming shame flooding Zhan Ting’s heart, reddening her face instantly.

“Yang Jie, damn it…”

“Smack smack smack!”

“Okay, okay! I give up, stop! It’s swollen!”

Yang Jie let her go. Zhan Ting clutched her butt, red-faced like a monkey’s rear, biting her lip hard.

“We have two teams here: one handles procurement, the other trains rookies. Which do you want to join?”

Zhan Ting pressed her lips but said nothing.

Yang Jie glanced at her.

“Don’t get all emotional. Whether you want to live or die is your choice. If you really want to die, you don’t have to stick with us.”

Zhan Ting stamped her foot, gritting her teeth. “I haven’t touched a gun in seven years! The only thing I can still handle is a bow and arrow!”

“What about your fitness?”

“Decent for daily life, but special ops? Probably not…”

Yang Jie stroked his chin, nodding. Just as he was about to say something, a call came in.

Checking the number, he told Zhan Ting and Cui Huizhu to negotiate while he answered.

“Hmm, Wang Nianwei? What’s up?”

Wang Nianwei’s voice came through.

“What’s wrong with you? You asked me out last time, then disappeared. Are you a jerk?”

Yang Jie was stunned. He had only planned to drop off a USB drive, complete the mission, and disappear—no follow-up.

“Don’t tell me you want to take things to third base? I’m not opposed!”

Unconcerned, Yang Jie spoke without restraint.

“That won’t do. Too fast. You ask me out once, I ask you out once. Fair and square!”

Yang Jie glanced at his watch, thought for a moment, then said,

“Alright, I’ll come over for dinner. You’re treating today!”

“No problem!”