Chapter 87: House Search
“Young Master Lu,” Wang Ning’s tone was much more respectful this time. Actually, he hadn’t wanted to come, but Lin Jun wasn’t there when Xu Sa went looking for him. Hearing Xu Sa say that Military Shield was also after those few handguns and was even using false accusations against them, he couldn’t sit still.
After all, Longteng had dispatched all its teams today to kill zombies just to exchange for a few handguns. If they fell into the hands of Military Shield, Longteng’s influence in the base would only decrease further.
“Young Master Lu,” Zhang Qi also used the same address as Wang Ning. Although he hadn’t known Lu Weiyi before, he had heard a lot about Zhuang Mingxu from Zhang Xun these past few days, and this Young Master Lu held a significant place among them.
Lu Weiyi nodded, considering it a greeting, and asked Zhang Qi, “They ran over here early in the morning looking for someone and even wanted to hit people. Does your base even care?”
When Gu Qingji went to find Zhang Qi, he subtly hinted that the people from Military Shield wanted to exchange water with them, but they refused because their stock was low and they were still waiting for news from the police station. Who knew they would use the excuse that their people were hiding here.
Zhang Xun was thinking of taking a piece of the pie from Lu Weiyi’s group, but he didn’t want the water to fall into the hands of Military Shield. They exchanged supplies with Lu Weiyi for water, and then they would find a way to get it back. Whether it was water or supplies, it would still be in their hands. But if the people from Military Shield exchanged for the water, then it would be impossible for their police station to pry it out of their mouths. So, Zhang Xun had Zhang Qi come over at the first opportunity, even bringing a lot of people, in order to “uphold justice.”
“Xu Xi, since everyone is in the base, the base’s rules still need to be followed. You inexplicably running to someone else’s house demanding people, isn’t that inappropriate?” Zhang Qi said righteously.
“Our people are right here,” Xu Xi stood up, looking disheveled, one hand clutching his chest, glaring hatefully at Lu Weiyi, and said forcefully.
Lu Weiyi had directly covered his fist with mental power when he attacked. Although he didn’t land many hits, each one was solid, especially the last one where he manipulated the small green branches to throw him, directly hitting his ribs. Lu Weiyi was certain his ribs were broken.
“What evidence do you have? You can’t just slander us without any proof, right? If everyone acted like you, today it would be that my house is hiding someone, tomorrow it would be that my house is hiding the water, and the day after tomorrow it would be that my house is hiding the missing guns? Wouldn’t that mean everything missing from other people’s houses is hidden in ours?” Gu Qingyue inexplicably retorted, looking at Zhang Qi. “We paid resources to enter the base. Your base wouldn’t just take things and not protect people, would it?”
Gu Qingyue’s words hinted at the intentions of both the police station and Longteng.
Wang Ning and Zhang Qi naturally wouldn’t stand idly by. Saying they wouldn’t, they turned to ask Xu Xi and Cheng Ying what evidence they had.
Although Military Shield had ulterior motives, they certainly couldn’t reveal what they had done in front of the other two major forces. Otherwise, it would be handing a weapon to the opponent. Xu Xi wanted to speak again but was stopped by Cheng Ying. Cheng Ying smiled at Lu Weiyi, “It’s not to say that you definitely hid them, it’s just that someone saw them disappear near here. We’ve checked the surrounding houses, and they’re definitely not there. Xu Xi was a bit anxious and didn’t explain clearly, causing a misunderstanding. Young Master Lu, would it be convenient for us to take a look? After all…”
Cheng Ying thought that eight big men couldn’t possibly hide in such a small villa. He could find them with a quick search. He was just afraid that Lu Weiyi wouldn’t agree. But before he could finish speaking, Lu Weiyi simply and decisively said, “Okay.”
This made Cheng Ying a bit stunned. If he hadn’t been present when Zhang Xun gave the order last night, he would have suspected that he might have really made a mistake.
Gu Qingyue next to him took out a cigarette case, offered a cigarette to Zhang Xun and Wang Ning each, and said with a chuckle, “Since they insist on searching, we won’t stop them, lest they try to pin all sorts of dirty things on us. But please, you two, be witnesses. If the people aren’t here, don’t cause any more trouble. And in the future, please don’t lose any guns, water, or supplies and then immediately say we took them. Our little temple can’t withstand such accusations.”
“Of course.”
“Of course.”
Wang Ning and Zhang Qi took the cigarettes and followed behind Xu Xi and Cheng Ying, with Gu Qingyue leading the way to check the rooms.
The pile of things in the living room was visible at a glance. Gu Qingyue walked through the rooms from left to right. The first one was where Lin Yimu and Ning Yuan stayed. The two were straightforward; the room was empty except for the bed, and the quilt was folded neatly. Xu Xi was meticulous, enduring the pain in his chest to bend down and look under the bed, earning a speechless glance from Zhang Qi. After all, it was a two-meter bed, and the space underneath was clearly visible. They couldn’t have possibly stuck the people to the floor.
Next was the kitchen. Xi Shi saw the group coming and slightly shielded Zhuang Ai Yi behind him, looking at them warily.
Two basins were on the kitchen counter, one with half a basin of meat filling and the other with vegetable filling. A row of already shaped pancakes covered with gauze was on the cutting board. On the other side, three electric griddles were plugged in, and a pot of soup was simmering on the microwave, smelling distinctly of meat, the fragrant aroma filling the air and making several people involuntarily swallow their saliva.
“Your food is really good. Meat soup so early in the morning,” Xu Xi said, rummaging through the cabinets under the counter, while Zhang Qi smiled and said to Gu Qingyue.
“Working ourselves to death is just for a bit of food. We’re all big men, we eat a lot, plus there’s a child and a sick person, so we have no choice but to exchange for some meat to nourish them,” Gu Qingyue leaned against the wall, chatting nonsense with Zhang Qi, his eyes constantly watching Xu Xi.
After checking all the cabinets, there was still no discovery. Xu Xi, with a cold face, continued to follow Gu Qingyue to the next room.
Turning the corner was where Lu Xi and Zhuang Ai Yi stayed. There was still only one bed, but the quilt was awkwardly folded at the foot of the bed, clearly showing inexperience. Cheng Ying glanced around casually and asked, “Your child stays here?”
Gu Qingyue looked at him with a chuckle, as if seeing into his heart. Cheng Ying felt a bit guilty and avoided his gaze, then heard Gu Qingyue say lightly, “Yes, he stays here with a few skilled people. Children are naturally timid, and this is a chaotic world. If they’re not protected and disappear in their sleep, we’d be worried to death.”
Hearing this, Cheng Ying figured that the people they sent were probably caught. As for where they were put, he had no clue yet. The apocalypse had just begun, and there wasn’t such a severe shortage of food and drink to make them target a child. Cheng Ying felt a bit ashamed and didn’t dare to look at Gu Qingyue’s expression.
“That’s true. Many children disappear in the blink of an eye. A few days ago, some people who joined the base said they saw people on the road capturing people to eat,” Zhang Qi said with disgust, glancing at the child standing curiously at the kitchen door watching them, and warned, “They really have no bottom line. You must keep a close eye on your child. Such a beautiful child can easily attract bad intentions.”
“Of course, we will take good care of him,” Gu Qingyue said, glancing at Xu Xi who had returned empty-handed, and walked towards the next room.
Next was Zhuang Mingxu’s room. Gu Qingyue knew those people were inside and didn’t know if they had been hidden well. Gu Qingyue felt a bit flustered but still maintained his composure. He walked to the door, knocked, and after hearing the “come in” from inside, he opened the door, quickly glanced around and didn’t see anyone, then released the door and let the people behind him enter.
“The people from Military Shield are missing, and they say they’re here with us. We’re weak and powerless, so we can only let them search.” These words were almost a direct accusation that they were bullying them. Xu Xi glared fiercely at Gu Qingyue, but Gu Qingji, who had been following him, stared straight back. Cheng Ying pulled Xu Xi, signaling him to hurry up and look around and stop causing trouble.
Zhuang Mingxu sat on the bed, wearing a short-sleeved shirt. The bedside table was clean and tidy, looking just like a high-end hospital room before the apocalypse. He nodded and said, “It’s fine to search. With Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhang as witnesses, we can avoid being blamed for anything that goes missing later.”
“We will,” Wang Ning replied, glanced at the IV drip by Zhuang Mingxu’s bedside, and asked, “Mr. Zhuang, what happened?”
“My leg was slightly injured, otherwise I wouldn’t have made a detour to Yongping City on my way home,” Zhuang Mingxu said with a sigh and a smile. “I don’t know what the situation will be. If I can’t leave tomorrow, I’ll have to trouble Director Lin to take care of things for the next few days.”
“That serious?” Wang Ning had seen Zhuang Mingxu in a wheelchair before, but he didn’t seem to have any injuries. Apart from looking a bit haggard, there was nothing else. He hadn’t paid it much mind, not expecting that they had specifically changed their route to come to the base because of his leg.
“The specifics aren’t clear yet. Qingyue said he’ll check the situation tonight. If I still can’t stand up, I probably won’t be able to leave and will have to go to the hospital to find some equipment for a detailed examination,” Zhuang Mingxu said, glancing at Gu Qingyue.
Gu Qingyue immediately said, “Without the aid of equipment, I can’t give an accurate diagnosis based solely on my experience. Moreover, medicine is also severely scarce now. If it’s still not possible tomorrow morning, we’ll have to waste time looking for new medicine. At that time, we might have to trouble everyone to help us find a more experienced doctor in the base to do the examination.”
“Definitely, definitely.”
“No problem.”
Zhang Qi and Wang Ning replied with their own thoughts and went out again with Xu Xi, who had found nothing, heading upstairs.
After checking the second and third floors, Xu Xi couldn’t say a word. Not only him, but even Cheng Ying’s face looked a bit unpleasant. Coupled with a few sarcastic remarks from Zhang Qi and Wang Ning, they immediately bid farewell and left the villa. Zhang Qi and Wang Ning were eager to go back and discuss the new information they had obtained, so they followed suit and left.
Once the outsiders left, the people at home breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Qingyue immediately went to Zhuang Mingxu’s room. As soon as he entered, he saw the eight people piled up like a small mountain under the bed, and after a moment of surprise, he also breathed a sigh of relief. “The market should be quite busy at this time. Let’s go promote our exchange first and then try to get others to come to our door to exchange supplies.”
Zhuang Mingxu nodded inwardly, seeing that he didn’t ask about the eight people. He tacitly maintained a proper distance and wasn’t overly curious. He nodded and instructed, “Travel together, don’t separate. If the people from Military Shield can’t find their men, they might target our people. Come back as soon as possible after going out.”
Thank you for the new chapter