Chapter 163: Scheming for Supplies
“Right,” Lu Weiyi agreed. Having experienced the apocalypse once before, he was still somewhat obsessed with supplies. He didn’t care about the small stuff, but when it came to large quantities, there was no way he’d just give them up.
“…If Ji Jin can’t get them, then I’m afraid your father or grandfather might step in,” Zhuang Mingxu said cautiously. Ji Heng hadn’t shown up for a long time—Zhuang Mingxu guessed it was partly because they still had enough supplies, and partly because Ji’s grandfather was holding him back. If that old man, the only one who was kind to Lu Weiyi, got involved…
“Don’t worry about them,” Lu Weiyi said with a blank expression, then asked again, “As for the other sealed supplies—should we take them?”
“What do you all think?” Zhuang Mingxu asked the others in the living room.
“Yes,” Xu Sa answered first.
The others exchanged glances. Most nodded—they were clearly tempted. After all, anything sealed off was bound to be a large stockpile. Hitting one of those spots was more worthwhile than scavenging for a whole day on the street.
“The problem is, will those who stay behind at the base get into trouble?” Li Zhuang voiced Lu Weiyi’s concern. “We still have to live at the base. If we offend the big families who support the place, it won’t do us any good. We’re few in number—those who stay behind would become a weak point.”
“Mm,” Lu Weiyi nodded and looked at Zhuang Mingxu.
Zhuang Mingxu gently ruffled Lu Weiyi’s hair, comforted by how thoughtful he’d become. After a moment, he grinned slyly. “Then let’s stir the waters—do it in a way where no one suspects us.”
Wu Yue turned to look at Zhuang Mingxu. “You have a suggestion?”
“You already stirred up conflict between the Ji and Li families, so now hit the Li family’s supplies and pin it on the Ji family,” Zhuang Mingxu said, glancing at Lu Weiyi to confirm he truly didn’t care. This only made him more convinced of what Ning Yuan had previously said. “The other families have conflicts too. Just amplify them—stir the pot and strike from behind.”
When it came to setting traps for others, Zhuang Mingxu was a natural. Right away, he gave the group a crash course in multiple underhanded strategies, each more devious than the last. The group was left stunned.
But plans never keep up with change. Before they could act, it started pouring the next day.
“Good thing we came back, or we’d be stuck outside in this weather,” Ning Yuan said from under the porch, training his ability with Gu Qingyue while facing the curtain of rain.
“I think it’s gotten colder again,” Gu Qingyue said, rubbing his arms in his light clothes. “Are we shifting into winter already?”
“I’d believe it if it started snowing right now,” Ning Yuan replied. Still, a hint of worry showed between his brows—such extreme, unpredictable weather made the future even more uncertain.
As they spoke, there was a bang bang bang on the front gate.
“Aren’t we all home?” Ning Yuan asked.
“Antonio and Dean are at the trading hall,” Gu Qingyue replied, manipulating his water ability to form a dome of rain, like an invisible umbrella over his head, and walked to the gate.
A security guard was there—his name unknown, though he looked familiar.
“Something wrong?” Gu Qingyue asked.
“Hello, Mr. Lu Weiyi’s grandfather asked me to pass a message. He wants him to come home today,” the man said.
Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Got it, thanks.”
Ning Yuan, who had come with him, sneered when he heard this. “Who asked you to deliver the message? A young man or a middle-aged one?”
“It was Ji Jin,” the man said directly. He smiled and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. “There’s also a girl by the gate. She’s been standing there all day, wants to see Mr. Lu Weiyi. Should we let her in?”
Everyone in the squad who’d been in and out of the villa had seen Yun Lu waiting at the gate. But since Lu Weiyi had ignored her, and out of respect for Zhuang Mingxu, no one had brought it up.
Ning Yuan looked at Gu Qingyue, who turned his head away, clearly not wanting to get involved. So Ning Yuan stepped in, “We don’t know her. Tell her to leave.”
The man nodded and walked off into the rain.
The two returned. Gu Qingyue resumed training his powers under the porch. Ning Yuan stood a while before finally heading inside the villa to pass on the message to Lu Weiyi—but intentionally left out the part about Yun Lu.
Lu Weiyi, who was playing chess with Zhuang Ai Yi at the time, just replied faintly, “Oh,” and gave no further reaction.
Everyone thought that since Ji Zhong had spoken, Lu Weiyi would surely return. The whole family waited until dark—but he never showed.
“Are you sure he got the message?” Ji Heng, seeing Ji Zhong’s ugly expression, asked Ji Jin coldly.
“How should I know? I gave the security guard a pack of instant noodles to deliver the message. He said he told Lu Weiyi,” Ji Jin replied. Now that the family relied on him for food, he spoke more confidently. “Maybe the guy just doesn’t want to come. So many supplies came in—why would he give them back when he can keep them for himself…”
“Shut up!” Ji Zhong snapped, dejected. “Xiao Yi… maybe something came up. We’ll ask again tomorrow. Let’s eat.”
“Grandpa, stop lying to yourself. Before the apocalypse, he never once came to visit you on his own. Now he’s been back at the base for so long and still hasn’t acknowledged you. Only you still think he’s some kind of treasure,” Ji Jin ruthlessly tore down Ji Zhong’s hopeful words.
“You…” Ji Zhong was so angry that he couldn’t get a word out. At that moment, Jiang Fu, Jiang Li, and Liu Yu brought out the dinner they had prepared.
Tray after tray of obviously packaged small bread rolls were laid out, making everyone at the table freeze in surprise.
“Is there nothing to eat at home? What even is this stuff?” Ji Heng frowned in dissatisfaction and asked Jiang Fu.
Jiang Fu had no idea that Lu Weiyi wouldn’t come. She and Jiang Li had agreed beforehand to take a “desperate situation” approach, so they had put a few packs of small bread on plates for dinner—hoping to play the pity card in front of Lu Weiyi.
“What else do you expect? All the supplies in this house were snatched away by your beloved son. What’s left to eat?” Jiang Li didn’t hold back. “If you’ve got what it takes, go ask him for it. Everyone working in the Greenfield District knows what the Weiyi Squad eats every day.”
“They’re out there eating rich and drinking well, while you’re in here throwing a fit at your wife and son—what kind of man are you? If you’re so capable, go get him back. Isn’t it natural for a son to provide for his father? What good is your shouting going to do? Jiang Fu can’t conjure food out of thin air, can she?”
“Enough, Jiang Li.” Grandpa Jiang finally had enough and scolded her. Then he turned to Ji Zhong and tried to console him: “Ask him again tomorrow. I heard that Little Lu is a very filial child—he wouldn’t just abandon you.”
“Dad, let’s eat.” Jiang Mo, who had been silent all this time, picked up the small bread from his plate and started eating, cutting off Grandpa Jiang’s words.
“Uncle, you usually don’t help me—that’s fine. But yesterday you led a team out on your own and didn’t care at all when our supplies got taken.” Ji Jin was furious at Jiang Mo too. Jiang Mo had stronger powers than him; if he’d helped, Ji Jin wouldn’t have ended up beaten.
Jiang Mo glanced at his clueless nephew and then turned to Grandpa Jiang. “Dad, Mom, I’m taking Liu Yu and Xiaoxiao to live elsewhere. Do you want to come with us?”
“What do you mean? If you leave, what about me? What about your niece? Are you just leaving us to die?” Grandma Jiang hadn’t spoken yet, but Jiang Li exploded first, bursting into tears.
“Oh, now you remember you’re eating and drinking from me? I thought Big Sis was getting her food from the heavens every day. Living off my supplies while bullying my wife and kid—do you think I’m blind?” Jiang Mo finished his bread and said coldly.
He stood up and gave a cold look to the weeping Jiang Li, then turned to Grandma Jiang, who was about to say something, and cut her off: “Mom, no need to say anything. Liu Yu and Xiaoxiao go out working every day and still come back to serve this whole family. Who here hasn’t seen it? It’s been the apocalypse for this long, and if you still can’t see the writing on the wall, then keep dreaming your high-society dream.”
“If you and Dad come with me, I’ll still support you and try to keep you fed. If not, then stay with whoever’s willing to support you.”
“Xiao Mo, your big sister…” Grandpa Jiang tried to mediate.
“Unless Big Sis can survive just on being picky about food, I’ve got nothing to offer.” Jiang Mo was unmoved. He turned to his wife, Liu Yu. “Get Xiaoxiao and pack up. We’re leaving soon.”
“Uncle, if you leave now, you won’t get a single bit of the supplies we had before.” Ji Jin still hoped Jiang Mo would stay and give him backup—he hadn’t expected him to just walk away.
“Heh…” Jiang Mo found his nephew completely delusional. “Ji Jin, do you really think Lu Weiyi’s going to give the supplies back? Why don’t you ask your mom what she’s done to him? As for the rest of you…” Jiang Mo’s gaze swept across Ji Heng and Ji Zhong, and he sneered. “You’ve really got the nerve…”
“Little brother…” Jiang Fu’s face turned pale.
Jiang Mo looked at her, expressionless. “Right now, killing isn’t even a crime. If you’ve got any self-awareness left, stay away from him while he’s ignoring you. Keep your distance and at least save your own life. Don’t keep clinging to him.”
While they were talking, Liu Yu and Jiang Xiaoxiao came over, each carrying two bags.
“Dad, Mom, asking you one last time: are you coming or not?” Jiang Mo asked as he took the bag from Jiang Xiaoxiao.
“Xiao Mo, this really isn’t necessary…”
“Call me cowardly if you want—I’m afraid of Lu Weiyi’s revenge. If you don’t want to come, then stay out of other people’s business. You know what disgusting things your daughter has done. When the payback comes, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I don’t have the ability to protect you.” With that, Jiang Mo turned and left in the rain with Liu Yu and Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Maybe Jiang Mo’s words had some impact for a brief moment, but in the face of a table full of unappetizing food and the looming threat of starvation, the few people who had no labor to offer could only think of clinging to him.
Ji Zhong was shaken by Jiang Mo’s words and initially decided not to bother Lu Weiyi anymore. But when his nearly fifty-year-old son broke into tears in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to say no again.
The heavy rain poured all night and didn’t look like stopping the next morning. For most people working odd jobs, it was a disaster. But for the Only Team, it was a rare rest day.
Except for those already busy at the base, the rest of the team went back to their rooms to catch up on sleep after breakfast.
