The Way to Improve Your Odds is to Get Closer to Luck!

After cutting off communication, Mike sat in the darkness of his bedroom, enveloped in a long, heavy silence. Alone on the sofa, he ran through the situation with New Chang in his mind. From General Wang's mission orders, to Chen Dafeng leading the team, and finally, to Liu Wenbo emerging on the scene... Mike surveyed the situation, but he struggled to identify any immediate dangers.

The only question mark was Liu Wenbo's unstable mental state.

"If it weren't for Xiaoci, I might've bitten that bait already," Mike murmured to himself in the dark.

Liu Wenbo's situation made Mike reconsider humanity's moral limits in the apocalypse. He had originally thought that with the government's intervention, the country's end-of-world crisis would steer toward a united rescue effort. But what Mike didn't expect was that some people had other plans.

Whenever disaster struck, there were always those who would seize the opportunity to sow chaos and benefit from others' misfortune.

"Xiaoci is impressive, though. Just talking to Liu Wenbo once, without even meeting him face-to-face, and she was able to deduce so much."

"Well... even though I've been learning, I'm still far from Xiaoci's level. Following her lead is certainly the safest option right now."

"But I must keep preparing for other possibilities. I can't rule out the chance of the other side flipping the table."

Mike's mind raced, and he found himself questioning whether Liu Wenbo's mechanism was related to his mental state or something else entirely. What if it wasn't? In that case, the two bear plush toys he just obtained would be useless.

And worse still, what if the mechanism had already affected him?

It was like the parasitic influence he had on Chen Dafeng. Chen Dafeng had no idea, and Mike knew this secret was still hidden from him.

"There are too many strange mechanisms," Mike thought. "Relying solely on Xiaoci's intelligence won't work. The key still lies in my own strength and response strategies."

"The only way to break the deadlock is through my own abilities... But right now, I'm missing what I need most. I'll have to find another way to influence the type and effect of the reward my ability grants."

Suddenly, Mike snapped to attention, pressing the bell on the desk.

Ding-ling-ling!

The sharp sound echoed through the room as the bedroom door swung open, and Lin Yue rushed in. "Commander! Did you call for me?"

Though it was late at night, she still radiated energy, her spirit unflagging.

"Aren't you asleep?" Mike asked, his gaze landing on Lin Yue. After she saluted, she flashed a bright smile. "Since advancing under your command, I've felt my physical condition improve significantly. Recently, I've been curious to see how long I can go without sleep."

"That's reckless!" Mike's expression darkened. "What if something goes wrong? Your body is not yours to push like this; it's important!"

Lin Yue was momentarily taken aback by Mike's stern tone and stuck out her tongue. "Ah... Sorry, Commander. I know my limits and won't go overboard."

"No, it's not okay."

Mike gave her a stern look and then patted the sofa beside him, his voice soft but firm. "You'll sleep in here tonight."

"Huh?" Lin Yue blinked in confusion, her mind sluggish as she processed his words. "Commander, you want me to sleep here?"

"I'm supervising you," Mike replied, his voice calm but insistent. "No more experiments with your body. It's important."

Lin Yue's face flushed with embarrassment as she looked down. "But... Commander, if Miss Jiang finds out, she might misunderstand."

"Don't overthink it. A clear conscience is all that matters. If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be either," Mike said with a chuckle. "Just rest easy. Having someone close will make her feel more secure."

"Commander, I..." Lin Yue hesitated.

"That's an order."

"Yes, sir!"

Lin Yue reluctantly accepted, her large eyes sparkling as she silently stared at Mike. He knew exactly what she was thinking—she likely saw his suggestion as an awkward excuse.

But Mike's intentions were much more practical. He had set his sights on Lin Yue's good luck effect, the only factor that could potentially influence his ability rewards.

Right now, she was the only one who could directly affect the outcome of his abilities. Mike wasn't sure how to stabilize or trigger her good luck effect, nor how to spread it to those nearby. So, he decided to use a more straightforward approach.

"By spending more time together, surely I'll catch some good fortune too."

He gestured for Lin Yue to sit on the sofa, while he lay down on the bed, though sleep eluded him. His mind was too restless. He stared into the darkness until morning.

At the same time, across in New Chang, Chen Dafeng, also sleepless, was experiencing his own tension.

The next morning, Qin Dashan headed to Chen Dafeng's room to deliver news about a new military task. But as he neared, he noticed a middle-aged man standing outside the door. The man swayed, his body clearly exhausted, yet he gritted his teeth and held himself upright, almost as if his life depended on staying on his feet.

"You are...?"

Qin Dashan stepped closer, realization dawning as he recognized the man. "You're Wu Qing, right? Is that your name?"

"Huh? Who—who's calling me?" Wu Qing startled awake, his eyes wide with fear as he scanned the area.

"It's me, Qin Dashan, deputy leader of the Jinling Rescue Team."

Qin Dashan furrowed his brows, sizing up Wu Qing. "What are you doing here? Who sent you?"

"Ah, Captain Qin..." Wu Qing blinked, clearly regaining his senses. His gaze shifted nervously toward the door, revealing a flicker of hatred and fear.

"I... didn't want to come."

"I was assigned to follow Captain Chen Dafeng for training."

Wu Qing muttered, lowering his head. "Captain Chen asked me to start by standing guard. I was out here all night."

"Guard duty?" Qin Dashan raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "There's no way it was just guard duty. Who gets this anxious just standing guard? You're not in a warzone."

But remembering Jiang Xiaoci's instructions, he didn't push further about Chen Dafeng. Instead, he knocked on the door. "Captain Chen, I..."

"Creek."

Before he could finish his sentence, the door opened. Chen Dafeng, shirtless and still damp from a recent shower, stood in front of him.

"You need something? Ready to work?" Chen Dafeng grinned, drying his hair.

Qin Dashan nodded. "The statistics list came in last night. Two-thirds of the forces in the city are willing to work with us and have agreed to form a unified rescue front. However, there are still some holdouts who ignored our warning, so we need to handle them personally."

"Handle them?" Chen Dafeng laughed, flashing a wide grin. "You mean kill them, right? These people won't learn until they see the consequences."

"We can't just say that," Qin Dashan shook his head. "We won't use force unless absolutely necessary. We need to appeal to their better nature."

"At this point, you're still trying to reason with them?" Chen Dafeng snorted in disbelief. "That's your problem, not mine. I'm just here to kill people."

"Come on, let's go."

Chen Dafeng waved Wu Qing over. "You'll come with me to the battlefield."

"Yes, Captain Chen," Wu Qing responded, still looking exhausted.

Chen Dafeng was about to head out when he saw Chen Xun approach with a group of men.

"Hey, cousin!" he called out, raising his hand in greeting.

"Morning, Captain Chen," Chen Xun smiled, though his eyes stiffened as they met Wu Qing's. A silent warning seemed to pass between them.

It was clear: Miss Jiang was no longer testing the waters. She had responded with force.

With the rescue team in full swing, Mike spent the morning carefully observing Liu Wenbo's every move from his vantage point in New Chang. He didn't let a single detail slip—whether Liu Wenbo was eating, attending meetings, or even taking a bathroom break, Mike watched it all, waiting for any signs.

The pressure was unbearable, and the moment Liu Wenbo disappeared for a minute, Mike felt a deep unease.

After a long, exhausting morning, a message from his ability appeared before him.