Chapter 002: slapping someone in the face is so satisfying

In her past life, she couldn't bear it and resigned to return to her hometown. When the apocalypse came, she had no choice but to bind herself to those vampire family members and work for them.

While she fought the zombies outside, her family was eating the food she had desperately found, but all they thought about was how to exploit her to go to the safe base.

If she hadn't awakened her hydrokinetic abilities at a critical moment, she might not have survived the first five years of the apocalypse... No, if she hadn't awakened and separated from that group of people, with her determination, she wouldn't have ended up being devoured by zombies.

Filled with resentment, Lin Jiu tightly clenched the pen in her hand and stopped thinking about the foolish deeds of her past life, starting to consider her next plan.

Compared to the impending apocalypse, accidentally sleeping with a man and being unemployed were just minor issues. Now that she had a chance to start over, she couldn't afford to waste it. Without her help, that family might not even survive until the early stages of the apocalypse.

The population of City B exceeded 20 million, and nearly 50% of the population would turn into zombies on the day of the apocalypse, turning this bustling city into a living hell. Not to mention, she rented a place near the city center for the convenience of going to work.

Although there were quite a few safe bases established in City B, none of them survived the siege of the zombie army in the beginning.

It wasn't until the third year of the apocalypse that a solid and secure first safe zone of China was established on the basis of a military base north of City B, and it stood tall against the waves of zombies in the following two years.

Before the establishment of the first safe zone, countless safe zones had perished in this land. In the first three years of the apocalypse, City B and its surrounding areas were not good places to be.

With only a month left before the apocalypse, she didn't have time to familiarize herself with a new place where she could conveniently gather supplies, remember the routes, and have a fixed residence.

After some contemplation, Lin Jiu ultimately decided to return to her hometown.

Lin Jiu's hometown was a small 18th-tier city in the south, with a moderate population. It could provide enough training for her to recover her physical strength before she was reborn, and she could live relatively safely for a long time.

It was where she grew up, and she was very familiar with the surrounding routes and terrain. As for the life and death of her family, it was no longer within her consideration.

Lin Jiu's parents lived in the city, but she hadn't lived there since she started junior high school.

The house was small, with two bedrooms and a living room. Lin Jiu and her twin brother, Lin Ye, used to live in the same room. As they grew older and the house became too small, Lin Jiu, who was not loved by her parents, was "driven" out.

After that, Lin Jiu lived alone in the countryside yard of her deceased grandmother, quite a distance from the urban area. Her family hadn't visited her in all these years, and the house in the countryside wasn't worth much. They probably even forgot how to get there.

Without her, the possibility of her family escaping from the urban area was very slim. Lin Jiu had also seen this point, which was why she decided to return to the city.

Now, her task was to resign, organize her savings, and quickly return to her hometown to stock up on supplies for survival.

Lin Jiu opened her notebook and directly submitted her resignation application through the company's backend. She then opened her slightly worn wallet to find her bank card.

She graduated from a vocational school at the age of 21 and started working. It was pure luck that she ended up in her current company as a low-level salesperson. In the entire company, only the cleaning lady had a lower education level than her.

But Lin Jiu managed to climb to the position of sales manager through sheer determination... well, almost to the position of sales manager.

In the first half year of her job, Lin Jiu had almost no savings, as the money she earned was mostly spent on the huge expenses of Lin Ye's college education.

It wasn't until Lin Ye graduated from college and found a mediocre clerical job through connections that Lin Jiu's sales performance began to improve, and she managed to save a considerable amount of money. After three years of hard work and business trips, Lin Jiu had saved up 300,000 yuan, which was quite a substantial fortune to keep in her hometown.

Lin Jiu took out her salary card and remembered something, so she put down her wallet, her eyes filled with a mocking expression.

She remembered that she couldn't bear to spend the money she had saved, but a month ago, Lin's mother took it all away under the pretext of buying a house for Lin Ye.

This was a large sum of money, the fruit of her hard work over the years. Lin Jiu resisted for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't withstand Lin's mother's crying and tantrums.

Fortunately, she wouldn't be away for long, and Lin Ye's marriage hadn't even been discussed yet, so she could still find a way to get the money back.

Lin Jiu scorned her foolish self and decided that it wasn't the time for self-reflection. She needed to deal with the company's matters first...

There was no need to continue working, but she still had the upper hand. Even if she resigned and left today, she could still try to get the commission from the last big deal.

As she thought about this, Lin Jiu logged into the company's backend using her phone and submitted her resignation application.

After quickly freshening up and putting on comfortable sportswear for easy movement, Lin Jiu hurried to the company. Even though she had taken the initiative, she still had a lot of preparations to make.

Damn the apocalypse!!!

Just before swiping her card to enter the company, Lin Jiu was still holding the pan-fried buns she had bought on the way, stuffing them into her mouth one by one, causing the white-collar workers passing by the imposing office building to look at her.

Lin Jiu paid no attention to this, as the aroma of the pan-fried buns was simply too tempting. In the face of a variety of delicious foods, she was now like a starving refugee who hadn't eaten enough for five whole years. It was a bit too much to expect her to eat elegantly.

Lin Jiu wiped the corner of her mouth and threw the tissue into the trash can. Ignoring the curious gazes of the well-dressed office workers, she took out her access card and walked into the company with a carefree attitude, heading straight to the general manager's office.

"Mr. Li."

Entering the office, Lin Jiu greeted respectfully.

Thinking about it, Mr. Li Chao Yang had been kind to her. When Lin Jiu graduated, she was clueless and audaciously went for an interview at this company. It was Mr. Li Chao Yang, who was the manager at the time, who interviewed her.

Mr. Li Chao Yang didn't care about her lack of qualifications and gave her a chance. She didn't disappoint his trust and her performance had been steadily rising.

She couldn't bring herself to be cold-hearted towards a senior who had always supported and nurtured her.

"You're here? Have a seat. How was your rest these days?"

Mr. Li Chao Yang raised his eyes and looked at Lin Jiu, but didn't say a word for a while.

"Mr. Li..."

"I saw your resignation letter... Have you really thought it through? Personally, I think you are at a stage of career advancement and there's no need to give up your efforts for such a thing..."

"Mr. Li, thank you, but I have made up my mind."

Mr. Li Chao Yang paused, his eyes showing a hint of complex emotions. As a leader, he knew what had happened on the team-building night, and Lin Jiu, as a victim, shouldn't have been treated that way.

Over the years, he had watched Lin Jiu, who knew nothing at the beginning, gradually become a key member of the sales team. He valued talent and was reluctant to see Lin Jiu leave the company.

On the other hand, Lin Jiu's earnest efforts also touched him. However, this feeling of being touched was cut short by the accident a week ago.

"I'm sorry for the injustice you've suffered. Actually, I can arrange for you to transfer to the branch in City S. The branch currently has a vacancy for a manager. Although the conditions at the newly established company may be a bit challenging, it won't affect your future work."

"You've gone to great lengths," Lin Jiu's expression softened, and she hadn't expected Mr. Li to go to such lengths to retain her. She felt quite comforted, "I really want to go back to my hometown."

Mr. Li Chao Yang raised an eyebrow, knowing that Lin Jiu had made up her mind. To avoid making her feel embarrassed, he didn't try to persuade her further.

"You've secured a big deal for the company this time. In addition to this month's salary, you'll also receive a substantial bonus."

Mr. Li Chao Yang signed the resignation report and paused.

"Take some time to relax at home. Your position at the company will be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

The commission from this deal was substantial, giving Lin Jiu a pleasant surprise. She knew that Mr. Li Chao Yang had done his best for her.

"Mr. Li, I need some money urgently. Could you...?"

"I'll urge the finance department to process it. You'll have it within a week."

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

Satisfied, Lin Jiu hesitated for a moment before leaving, reminding herself that she would never see him again, so she might as well speak her mind.

"Mr. Li, there have been a lot of natural disasters recently. You should stock up on food and supplies at home, just in case."

"Do you still believe in that? Don't worry, thank you for the reminder."

Lin Jiu nodded and left the office. She had said what she needed to say, and whether he listened or not was up to him.

As she walked out of Mr. Li's office, she felt a sense of relief, having successfully completed the first step of her plan. Mr. Li Chao Yang was not someone who went back on his word, so she was confident that he would fulfill his promises.

After some contemplation, although she had faced many challenges at home, she had encountered mostly good people since entering society, except for...

"Xiao Lin, why are you resigning today?"

Lin Jiu looked at the woman blocking her path. Her makeup was well done, and her face was average, but as she reached middle age, her sedentary office lifestyle had taken a toll on her figure. Coupled with her sharp and sarcastic expression, it was hard to describe her.

It was the woman who had arranged for her to have a "romantic encounter" at the Winter Night Club and later helped with the publicity – Sister Fang.

"Yes, I'm resigning. I've explained everything to Mr. Li, and I believe that once I'm gone, you'll be leaving soon too."

"You...!"

Lin Jiu looked at the distorted face due to the atmosphere and curled her fingers in the pocket of her sportswear. In the end, she couldn't hold back and pulled out her hand, aiming for the woman's unappealing face, and slapped her hard.

Sister Fang's screams echoed through the entire corridor.

Lin Jiu looked at her palm, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Although her palm stung a bit and was covered in the woman's foundation, it was satisfying in one word.

She realized that slapping someone's face was such a comfortable way to vent.

As she watched the woman sitting on the ground, wailing from the slap, Lin Jiu raised her leg and delivered another kick, wiping the foundation off her hand on the woman's skirt.

Before her colleagues could rush over upon hearing the commotion, she dashed to the emergency exit and ran up two floors before taking the elevator straight down.

Lin Jiu quickly returned to her rented apartment, packed a few pieces of sportswear, and hesitated in the kitchen. In the end, she stuffed the last two bags of instant noodles into her suitcase.

She then opened her phone app to reschedule. Originally, she had a high-speed train ticket for the next afternoon, but there were no more tickets available for today...

After weighing between a flight and a train, Lin Jiu bought the cheapest hard seat ticket to return home that night, so she could be back in City Z early the next morning.

She had no choice. The 300,000 yuan was still in someone else's hands, and every bit of savings counted.

Her rental contract for the apartment was due in the middle of the month, so it was a normal termination. The 3,000 yuan deposit was also a sum of money... In the post-apocalyptic world, the 3,000 yuan she had spent on rice and flour was invaluable.

As a poor person, she couldn't afford to waste anything.

Without lingering, Lin Jiu hurriedly left her apartment, leaving the city where she had struggled for four years.