Stock Up For Natural Disasters And Cubs Survive – CH69

Chapter 69

Guanguan woke up once in the middle of the night. Rubbing his eyes, the child sat up and looked around with sleepy eyes.

“Brother…”

Still half-asleep, he could not even speak clearly. The moment he did not see his brother, red blotches bloomed around his eyes.

At that moment, the big black dog under the bed sprang to his feet. Resting his doggy face on the mattress, he let out a low, soothing sound from his throat.

The child gave a slow yawn, his eyes growing even redder. His little bun-like hand grabbed one of the big dog’s ears, and then he stuck his butt up and drifted back to sleep.

Only after the child had fallen asleep again did Director Wang dare to correct Guanguan’s sleeping position.

The big black dog neither barked nor made a fuss. He lay quietly under the bed, his dark eyes fixed on the child above.

Director Wang fanned the three children sleeping in a neat row with a palm fan. His gentle gaze landed on Guanguan’s rosy sleeping face, and he sighed.

Ever since this reunion, he had noticed it. This child had been spoiled a little by his brother.

There was no fear in his eyes, no panic. He looked nothing like a child who had come out of an orphanage.

The old director sighed softly, hoping that the farm would stay peaceful and that the children would grow up healthy.

When Guanguan woke again, he smelled the warm, sweet fragrance of egg tarts.

And before his eyes was the cozy little home he knew best.

“Brother! Brother!”

Wearing a little old-man white undershirt, the child rolled over plumply, trying to back his way off the bed.

Hearing him, Wei Cheng came out of the bathroom just as the disheveled Guanguan landed successfully.

On his bare little feet, he pattered over and hugged his brother’s leg, looking up with a round face. “Brother, it smells like egg tarts!”

Wei Cheng looked fairly energetic, but after holding down the trigger for so long, his fingers were still aching badly. He did not dare pick Guanguan up, afraid he might drop him.

Pinching Guanguan’s chubby little arm, he crouched and smiled. “Yeah, I baked egg tarts for you.”

Guanguan flailed with excitement, then calmed down and pointed. “Ge, your hair is wet.”

“Mm. Brother sweated a lot last night, so I had to shower first thing this morning.”

He led the child downstairs. On the coffee table were two egg tarts the size of bowls, warmed milk, and two bowls of tomato scissor noodles.

Guanguan sat down to eat his delicious breakfast, and Wei Cheng took the Mickey Mouse box beside him to do his hair.

Opening it and holding it in front of Guanguan, he asked, “How about one little dog hair tie today?”

Guanguan gnawed at his big egg tart. “Okay.”

Two ties always came loose, and Wei Cheng figured he would not have enough time today to keep redoing Guanguan’s hair.

If those people really were working with Chen Fangshun, then their lack of manpower had already been exposed.

And as the saying went, when your enemy is weak, strike and finish them off.

That group would definitely attack the farm today.

They had spent the entire night killing zombies. He and the two uncles had not slept at all.

Fortunately, they usually did manual labor and ate even better than they had before the apocalypse, so all of them were in excellent physical shape. Otherwise, they would have completely collapsed from exhaustion.

They had each downed a bottle of glucose before coming back to rest.

Wei Cheng’s body was young, but his soul belonged to an adult who had survived the harshest years of the apocalypse. Mentally, he felt fine. He had Guanguan on his mind, so he was not sleepy at all.

As he thought through strategies, he tied up the child’s little hair tuft.

Just then, a big egg tart with the top nibbled into a “mouse-bitten” shape was shoved in front of him.

Guanguan held it up in both hands. “Brother, eat! It’s sweet!”

The flaky crust around the edge had been bitten away, leaving behind the creamy egg filling.

Wei Cheng lowered his head and took a bite. “It’s good.”

Guanguan laughed delightedly and kept feeding him. “If it’s good, eat more, Brother!”

Wei Cheng took another bite and smiled. “You eat. Don’t you love the filling most?”

Guanguan bit into the rich, creamy egg custard, his little head swaying with how delicious it was. “So yummy!”

Wei Cheng wiped away the flakes that had dropped onto his collar and smiled. “In a while, Brother will teach you how to make egg tarts. Then you can share them with the other kids, okay?”

Guanguan nodded excitedly. “Okay! Baby will make egg tarts!”

Once Guanguan had finished breakfast, Wei Cheng took him to see Director Wang. He said, “Guanguan, Brother won’t have time to play with you today. Can you stay with Director Wang and Xiaotiao and the others?”

Guanguan tilted his head up. “What are you doing, Brother?”

After a moment, Wei Cheng decided to tell him the truth. “Some bad people want to steal our home. Brother has to patrol outside the core area.”

“The bad guys!” Guanguan was very sensitive to those words. His little face tightened, and he declared fiercely in his baby voice, “Baby will go beat the bad guys too! The bad guys won’t escape Baby’s fists!”

Wei Cheng rarely refused him, but this was no time to indulge a child.

He coaxed him, “Can Baby patrol with Brother in a couple of days? Today, let Brother go beat up the bad guys first.”

Guanguan asked, “What day is a couple of days?”

Wei Cheng said, “A couple of days means a couple of days.”

The child’s eyes rolled thoughtfully. He looked like he had some brains, but not quite enough. Then he raised his plump pink hand. “Okay then. In a couple of days, you have to let Guanguan go!”

Wei Cheng high-fived him. “Okay, I promise!”

Then he softly reminded him, “Do you remember what you promised Brother?”

Guanguan’s eyes lit up, and he answered automatically, “If there’s danger, go into the safehouse!”

Wei Cheng nodded. “That’s right. If there’s danger, you go straight into the safehouse. No matter what you see, don’t come out. Uncle Yi will stay behind and tell you when to go in.”

As for the others…

For now, the system had not acknowledged or chosen them, and that was something he and Guanguan could do nothing about.

After sending the child over to Director Wang, the old man closed the door and came back out with Wei Cheng.

Wei Cheng handed him a gun case. “Grandpa, I’m leaving the children with you for now.”

Director Wang took the gun case. Looking at the boy’s pale face, he said with concern, “Chengcheng, you should rest a little.”

“Chengcheng?”

The nearby cabin door opened, and two energetic adults stepped out.

“Uncles, why are you awake?” Wei Cheng asked.

“We slept for over an hour. Feels like we recovered.” Yi Qi rolled his neck.

Shen Zheng asked, “So what do we do now?”

After thinking for a moment, Wei Cheng said, “Uncle Shen, we’re leaving the farm now.”

That stunned both Yi Qi and Director Wang. “How can we leave the farm when the enemy outnumbers us!”

Wei Cheng looked into the distance and said firmly, “Those people are either short on guns or don’t have any at all. That’s why they used zombies to attack the farm. Zombies are their weapon now. If there was a first wave, there will be a second. We have to strike first before the second horde arrives.”

Yi Qi said, “We’re out in the open, and they’re hiding. We don’t even know where they are.”

The core area stood far from the forest, and the walls were high enough that even someone standing on the tallest point of the mountain could not see inside.

Wei Cheng said, “Someone is up there in the mountains watching us.”

Yi Qi grew anxious. “How can just the two of you take them on? Chengcheng, I’m coming with you!”

Shen Zheng scoffed. “Forget it. Who was the one saying their back hurt this morning?”

Yi Qi bristled. “When did I say my back hurt? I said standing on a ladder all night is rough on the waist! My back is fine!”

Shen Zheng crossed his arms and mocked, “My back is fine~ You’re almost thirty. Stop pretending!”

Yi Qi snapped back, “A Ferrari is still a Ferrari even when it gets old!”

“I think you’re more like one of those little old people’s scooters,” Shen Zheng laughed.

Their bickering loosened the dangerous tension.

Everyone felt just a little less tightly wound.

Shen Zheng said seriously, “Xiao Qi, there’s a reason Chengcheng wants you to stay. Your aim is better than mine, and you’re stronger than I am. If the core area really…” He stopped himself. “You can protect Guanguan, Mingming, and Xiaotiao.”

Yi Qi nodded. “I know.”

Before leaving, Wei Cheng said to him, “Uncle Yi, if the core area really ends up in danger, you must make Guanguan go into the safehouse.”

Yi Qi replied solemnly, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect Guanguan.”

Both the core area and the farm’s outer steel wall had emergency escape exits built into them when they were constructed.

After pushing aside the boards and cement stacked beside the wall, a hole large enough for an adult to squeeze through was revealed.

Naturally, that opening faced away from the forest.

Wei Cheng and Shen Zheng set out light. With the storage warehouse at their disposal, they each only carried a small handgun.

Wei Cheng went first, Shen Zheng covered the rear.

Just as Shen Zheng was about to crawl out, someone tugged lightly at the back of his collar.

Still crouched, he looked up questioningly.

Yi Qi looked at Shen Zheng with unusual intensity. “Be careful. Protect yourself.”

Shen Zheng quickly replied in a low voice, “You too.”

Watching the two of them leave the farm, Yi Qi and Director Wang hurried to lock the opening again and block it back up with cement.

…

“Anything going on?”

“No.”

The man in the black baseball cap lowered his binoculars and, limping, walked a few steps before squatting down. “When are the boss and the others coming back?”

The fat man was chewing on a sausage. “No idea. It’ll probably take some time to gather another batch of zombies.”

The man in the cap cursed. “I really didn’t expect the people inside to have that much firepower. We used up dozens of blood bags—people we tricked into coming over in the name of taking in survivors—and still didn’t take the farm.”

The fat man found it funny. “Turns out killing people is just like killing chickens. First you drain the blood. Hey, how many people did you cut up?”

The man in the cap rubbed his nose. “Lost count.”

Then he frowned. “Wonder how the boss is planning to lure more zombies over this time.”

The fat man said, “The boss will have a way.”

Then he grinned lewdly. “Doesn’t the boss still have a few boyfriends and girlfriends?”

The cap-wearing man sneered. “You think he’d give those up?”

“Boss is a man who does big things.” The fat man’s eyes gleamed. “That farm’s got guns and supplies. If we take it, what men and women wouldn’t we have? And once we get stronger, that shitty Highland Shelter and those high-and-mighty people in the Cannery can all end up beneath our feet! The boss said that once we take the farm, he’ll petition to work for the Watcher Community. With his guts and brains, one day all of Yu City will know our names!”

The cap-wearing man glanced sideways at him. “And here I thought you hated the Watcher Community. Weren’t you turned away because you were too fat?”

The fat man’s face darkened. “And what about you? Weren’t you trying to get in too? They didn’t want a cripple! All I’ve gotta do is slim down and they’ll want me. You, though—you’ll never get in.”

The cap-wearing man’s eyes went cold. He twisted open a beer and gulped it down hard.

Neither of them said anything after that. One drank, the other ate.

Then footsteps sounded behind them.

The cap-wearing man jumped up. “Who’s there?”

The fat man frowned. “You’re always jumping at shadows.”

The cap-wearing man said, “There is someone! Get up. We’ll check together.”

The fat man could not be bothered. “What noise? If you want to go, then go. The boss only told us to keep watch on the farm. He didn’t tell us to worry about passersby.”

“You idiot. In a place like this, what passersby? It has to be people from the farm!”

The fat man swore furiously. “You cripple, and you’re calling me an idiot? If you’re so smart and so brave, go yourself! Why drag your daddy into it!”

The cap-wearing man grabbed the machete off the ground and limped toward the source of the sound.

The fat man remained where he was, continuing to doze with perfect peace of mind.

A while later, he felt something cold against his temple.

He jerked awake to find two people standing over him.

The fat man’s face turned white. “Brother Ma, Brother Ma, Brother Ma, where are you?”

“Shut up!”

Shen Zheng swung the gun butt hard, and blood immediately poured from the man’s nose and mouth.

Ignoring the pain, the fat man sobbed and kowtowed. “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I was forced into this! I used to be a good person!”

Wei Cheng pressed the muzzle of the gun against his temple and said, “Uncle, tie his hands.”

Shen Zheng did so. When he sensed resistance, he slammed the gun butt into the man’s eye. “Don’t try anything.”

The fat man rolled around clutching his face. “It hurts, it hurts!”

Wei Cheng watched coldly. “Compared to what you did to the people you killed, this pain is nothing.”

Shen Zheng skillfully bound his hands, then took out a black hood from his pocket and pulled it over the man’s head.

“Don’t kill me! Boss—little brother, I’ll tell you everything, I’ll tell you everything!” the fat man stammered.

Wei Cheng shot Shen Zheng a look: Ask while we head down the mountain.

The fat man stumbled forward, only to step on something hard. His mental defenses shattered instantly. “You want revenge, don’t you! You want to kill Zheng Hui! I’ll tell you where his base is—I’ll tell you everything!”

Shen Zheng pushed him forward. “I ask one question, you answer one. If you lie, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the zombies.”

The fat man nodded frantically. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

Wei Cheng said, “Take care of the body. Let’s go down the mountain.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going, I’m going.”

“Where is your base?”

“At the gas station in Linshui City. It’s an hour from your farm.”

Wei Cheng asked, “How many people do you have?”

The fat man trembled. “I—I can’t remember. I really can’t.”

At the sound of a gun being cocked, he shrieked, “Wait! Wait! Let me count…”

“The boss, Liu Xian…”

He listed twenty-five names in a halting stream, then swallowed hard. “There are also some of the boss’s boyfriends and girlfriends.”

Wei Cheng wrinkled his nose in disgust. “How many?”

“Three—n-no, there’s also a new one. Four, right, four… That man’s wife got turned into a blood bag, his kid ran off, but he’s still there. The boss brought him along this time. He wanted him to play the victim and trick you into opening the gate, but the guy refused. He got beaten and still wouldn’t do it…”

Wei Cheng paused slightly. Chen Fangshun’s wife was dead? Chen Xiaoming had run off?

He asked, “What weapons do you have? How much gas is left at the station?”

“We’ve got machetes, axes, crowbars… no guns. All the gas got traded to the Cannery for supplies. But there’s one diesel tanker truck the boss parked somewhere hidden. Only he and Liu Xian know where it is.”

A tanker truck?

Very good. That would soon be theirs.

Wei Cheng heard footsteps behind him.

Shen Zheng gave him a nod, meaning the throat-slit corpse had already been dealt with.

Shen Zheng kicked the fat man. “Run! We don’t have time!”

They ran forty minutes before reaching the other side of the mountain, where a muddy path wedged between the slopes.

There was an unlicensed vehicle parked there. It was probably the car the gas station gang had left for the fat man and the guy in the cap.

Shen Zheng got in and checked it over, then said to Wei Cheng, “Get in.”

Wei Cheng made the fat man get in first, then followed.

All the way there, the fat man spilled everything he knew about the gas station, down to how many moles Zheng Hui had on his face.

He privately believed that the more he talked, the better his chances of staying alive.

Then Wei Cheng interrupted. “How many survivors have you tortured and killed in total?”

The fat man answered quietly, “Lost count. Anyone who came to the station and refused to hand over supplies got killed. The ones who handed things over were sent out to gather more. Only the obedient ones got to stay.”

“And you? Were you with Zheng Hui from the beginning, or did you first come to the station as a survivor?”

The fat man fell silent. “I… I used to be a survivor too…”

Suddenly he broke down. Curling in on himself, he said, “Little brother, I’m not human, I’m an animal! I’ll be a good man from now on, please believe me…”

Wei Cheng’s expression was cold.

Crocodile tears.

The car drove onto a public road, and soon there were more zombies along the roadside.

They kept lunging toward the vehicle.

Shen Zheng stopped the car and exchanged a look with Wei Cheng.

Then came the sound of the locks disengaging.

“You can go now.”

The fat man was shoved out. At first he thought he had escaped with his life. But before he had taken more than two steps, he was tackled.

The rotten stench filled his nose, and sharp teeth sank into his throat.

“Ahhh! Help!”

The starving zombies piled on.

Maybe among those zombies were survivors who had also been harmed by the fat man and his gang.

Shen Zheng reversed hard, turned the car around, and left the scene.

They abandoned that vehicle and brought out their own black car from the safehouse warehouse.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Wei Cheng said, “They have twenty-eight people in total.”

Shen Zheng nodded. “No way we can force our way in.”

Wei Cheng was about to reply when he suddenly paused.

He opened the system panel and pulled up the Cozy Home monitor.

A child was bouncing up and down on the sofa, loudly shouting something.

The two dogs were racing all over the room.

A while ago, Gray Cub had also been added to the pet section of the personal information panel.

Wei Cheng tapped the little speaker icon above the monitor, and Guanguan’s voice came through.

Shen Zheng could not hear it.

“Brother!”

Seeing that the child showed no sign of distress, Wei Cheng relaxed and smiled. “Guanguan? Why did you go into the safehouse?”

Guanguan puffed his chest out like a little loudspeaker. “Brother, when are you coming back?”

Wei Cheng smiled. “As soon as I finish what I’m doing.”

The child seemed to find this fun. Holding one hand to his ear like a phone, he asked, “Are you looking for treasure?”

Thinking of the tanker truck, Wei Cheng smiled. “Then hurry and wish for Brother to find treasure!”

Guanguan squished his little peach-like face into a fold and chanted, “Brother finds treasure! More good people, bad people retreat retreat retreat!”

Wei Cheng laughed. “Guanguan, why are you in the safehouse? Did Uncle Yi tell you to go in? Did anyone see?”

Guanguan hung his head, looking unhappy. “Uncle Yi told Baby to come in and play. He and Grandpa and Mingming and Xiaotiao were playing with guns. Baby wasn’t allowed.”

Target practice?

Probably with the small crossbow.

Originally they had planned to start teaching the two older boys how to use the small crossbow after the watchtower was built.

Uncle Yi had not let Guanguan come over probably because he was afraid the little one would run around and get hurt.

Hiding in the safehouse early was not a bad thing.

Wei Cheng said, “It’s okay. Brother will turn on the TV for you. Watch twenty minutes of Little Soldier Fink, then go build a toy castle for a while, okay?”

As expected, Guanguan’s little teeth flashed in a grin. He had clearly been waiting for exactly this. “Yay!”

“Go get yourself some fruit too. Brother already washed everything in the fridge.”

The child spread his arms wide. “Yay!”

Wei Cheng did not close the system panel. He kept talking while watching Guanguan.

Shen Zheng smiled. “That’s really convenient. It’s just like a video call. With Guanguan, our little communicator, we can even tell what’s happening back at the farm.”

On the monitor, Guanguan had the big black dog on one side and the cute little Border Collie on the other, while he himself was eating a peach bigger than his face while watching cartoons.

Wei Cheng smiled. “Yeah. Seeing that Guanguan and the others are okay means we can relax.”

Then he said, “Let’s head toward the gas station.”

The car drove for over thirty minutes. When they passed a desolate field, they saw a vehicle parked by the side of the road with the engine still running.

Shen Zheng slammed on the brakes. “What the hell is this!”

Wei Cheng thought for a moment. “Get out first.”

The two got out and cautiously approached the roadside with guns ready.

After checking the car over quickly and finding nothing odd, Shen Zheng popped open the trunk, just as Wei Cheng said quietly, “Uncle Shen, get behind the car. Someone’s coming!”

He immediately ducked behind it and quickly chambered a round.

Footsteps grew closer, along with a stream of vicious cursing.

One man shouted, “Run then! Run! You almost got me killed!”

Wei Cheng lifted his eyes slightly—and froze. He saw Chen Fangshun, beaten so badly he was barely recognizable.

Chen Fangshun seemed half-unconscious, dragged along like a dead dog by two others.

Liu Xian brushed blood off his body. “If you still had any use, I’d have split your head open with an axe already and sent you to join your wife!”

Wei Cheng stepped out from behind the car and called, “Hey.”

The men all jumped in alarm. No one had expected anyone to be hiding there.

Chen Fangshun, one eye swollen shut with blood, looked up weakly. Tears welled in his eyes.

“Who’s there!”

The other two raised their axes and rushed Wei Cheng. At that moment, Shen Zheng opened fire.

One shot each. Blood mist burst outward.

Liu Xian still had some sense. He turned and ran for the weeds, but there was no outrunning a bullet.

Wei Cheng calmly aimed and fired once, blowing apart his skull.

That was justice served.

Though he should not have let him die so quickly—he should have asked about the tanker truck first.

Shen Zheng ran into the field to check the bodies, then came back and said, “Chengcheng! Your aim is incredible.”

Nine years old, but with twenty years of firearms experience.

A bloody hand touched Wei Cheng’s shoe. He looked down and saw Chen Fangshun, face drenched in blood, whispering, “S-sorry… I’m sorry…”

Wei Cheng shifted his foot lightly. “No need.”

Shen Zheng checked Chen Fangshun’s injuries. “Nothing fatal, I think. Should we…” kill him?

Wei Cheng was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Forget it.”

—

Once Chen Fangshun was under control, there was no one left who had seen them. Wei Cheng decided to go straight into enemy territory with Shen Zheng.

Their black car stopped in front of the gas station.

Several men gathered around with crowbars.

“Get out! Get out!”

The adult man in the driver’s seat raised both hands. “Brothers, our car is out of gas. Could you lend us some?”

In the passenger seat was a tall but young-looking boy of eight or nine.

His face was pale, and he sat there clutching his chest with his eyes shut tight.

The skinny man leading the group said, “Wait here. I’ll go get the boss.”

A moment later, a tall, heavily built man came out of the gas station.

With a low chuckle, he said, “Well now. The station’s really lively today.”

Shen Zheng could feel the man’s eyes crawling all over him. He wanted to swear, and thought, Good thing it’s me doing this. If it were Yi Qi, this mission would fail instantly.

“There’s gas. But not today.”

Zheng Hui fixed his eyes on Shen Zheng’s handsome face and softened his tone. “Stay here for the night. Tomorrow I’ll give you some.”

Shen Zheng glanced at the “critically ill” boy in the passenger seat. “No. My nephew’s having a heart attack. I have to get him to Linshui City for medicine.”

Patting Shen Zheng’s shoulder, Zheng Hui said, “Nitroglycerin pills, huh? I’ve got them. I’ve got them right here.”

He shot one of his subordinates a look, and the man quickly ran back into the station. When he came out again, he had a medicine case in his hands.

“Boss, the medicine!”

Zheng Hui opened it, took out a small bottle, and shoved it into Shen Zheng’s hands. “It’s all yours.”

Shen Zheng forced himself to look moved. “Thanks, Boss!”

Inside, he was cursing furiously. This is occupational injury!

When they got back, little Guanguan would have to do the baby twist dance for him three times at least.

He turned and handed two pills to Wei Cheng.

Wei Cheng accepted them, covering his mouth tightly, then casually dropped the pills into the underground storage area of the safehouse.

Zheng Hui walked beside Shen Zheng. “Get out. You came on a good day. We’re about to move to a new base.”

Wei Cheng followed behind, observing the surroundings.

Two stories. Two vehicles.

Two men at the gas station entrance. Two more by the glass doors.

Once they entered through the glass doors, the inside looked like a combination of a supermarket and a dining area.

The front had an empty counter and several rows of shelves. In the back were eight long brown benches and tables.

At the far end was a staircase leading to the second floor.

At the last few tables sat six men playing cards.

That made ten people upstairs and outside. Three were already dead, meaning there were still fifteen left in the shadows.

“Mr. Zheng, there’s something about…”

Before they could walk farther, one of the men stood and came over.

Their eyes met.

The man speaking went wide-eyed.

Wei Cheng gave a subtle shake of his head.

Shen Zheng was also startled.

Zheng Hui narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over all of them before landing on the other man. “Mr. Sun, do you know these two?”

The man was none other than Sun Dali, the squad leader from the Highland Shelter.

Back then, it had been largely thanks to this man turning a blind eye that Wei Cheng, Guanguan, and the little black dog had been allowed into the base.

After the White Villa district of the Highland Shelter fell, they had never seen Sun Dali again.

Who would have thought they would run into him here?

“I don’t.” Sun Dali said coolly, “Mr. Zheng, I’ll say it again. I can’t agree to this. My family and I just wanted to trade for a little gas. We do not want to kill people and seize someone else’s base.”

Zheng Hui laughed and waved at them. “Come on, sit. Let’s talk.”

Beside Sun Dali stood a woman with cropped hair, yellowish skin, and strong, steady eyes.

She held the hand of a little girl who looked about seven or eight.

Thin and small, just like Mingming.

“I’m good at reading people,” Zheng Hui said. “The moment I saw you, I knew you weren’t ordinary. Do you know what that base has?”

Sun Dali frowned. “Mr. Zheng, I’ll say it one more time. We don’t want to seize anyone’s base. I only wanted to trade with you for gas. But after tricking us in here, you took our supplies and car keys and locked my family in here…”

Shen Zheng pretended to be interested. “What does it have?”

Zheng Hui held up a finger. “Guns and ammo. I’d bet they’ve got more bullets than a big base. If we take that base before the Watcher Community discovers its secret, how about it?”

The short-haired woman thought for a moment. “Mr. Zheng, are you saying that if we don’t join you, then the only outcome is death?”

The moment she said that, the men playing cards behind them drew their blades and pressed them to the family’s throats.

The little girl was trembling in fear, but she did not make a sound. Even her frightened eyes carried a bit of her mother’s grit.

Wei Cheng, meanwhile, gave a frightened yelp on purpose and shrank back. “Uncle, I’m scared!”

Shen Zheng quickly pulled him into his arms and soothed him. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Brother Zheng, if we agree to whatever you say, then that’s enough, right? My nephew has heart disease. He can’t take fright.”

Sun Dali’s face hardened.

He had not expected the seemingly gentle Manager Shen to give in so easily.

But his family had already made up their minds.

Apocalypse survival was too hard. Every day was borrowed time. If one of the family died, the rest would not go on alone. They would not be threatened by anyone, nor would they become someone else’s butchers.

Sun Dali’s family still refused to yield.

Losing patience, Zheng Hui said, “Tie them up. Make them into blood bags.”

The men behind him surged forward. “Yes, Boss!”

As Sun Dali’s family was dragged away, he slammed his shoulder against Shen Zheng’s, eyes blazing, as if to say, Watch yourself.

Shen Zheng blinked lightly and pretended not to understand.

Leading Wei Cheng over, he asked, “Brother Zheng, when are we hitting the farm?”

Zheng Hui shook a cigarette pack at him. Shen Zheng shook his head. “I don’t smoke.”

Zheng Hui said, “When the others get back.”

“Who are we waiting for?”

“One of the people who helped build the farm. Heard there are a lot of traps there. That guy ran off, and my people are out hunting for him.”

Zheng Hui sneered and blew out a ring of smoke. “I hate traitors more than anything. Once they find him, I won’t let him off easy.”

Shen Zheng kept fishing. “You said the farm’s got guns, but we’ve only got blades and axes. Even if we know the layout, what then?”

Zheng Hui shot him a look. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”

Shen Zheng replied bluntly, “Otherwise we’re just delivering ourselves to get shot.”

Zheng Hui chuckled. “Got some spirit, huh.” He flicked ash off his cigarette. “My remaining men already drove off in a pickup truck with blood bags to lure more zombies.”

Wei Cheng tightened his fists. The man called living people blood bags.

The farm was in danger.

They had to end this quickly.

Shen Zheng suppressed his revulsion and smiled. “Then why not take this family of three too?”

After a pause, Zheng Hui said, “Fine. Let your nephew try to convince them.”

Then, with a suggestive look, he added, “And you can keep me company?”

Shen Zheng clenched his jaw but forced out a grin. “Sure.”

Wei Cheng walked toward the bound family of three.

The six men at the nearby table were still deeply engrossed in their card game.

The moment Sun Dali saw Wei Cheng, he clearly wanted to ask where the chubby little one was, but it caught in his throat.

The little chubby boy was probably…

“Uncle Sun,” Wei Cheng said quietly. “Don’t speak. Just listen.”

Sun Dali said nothing.

“I know you’re a good man.”

People Guanguan recognized as good never turned out wrong.

He continued, “Can you use a gun?”

Sun Dali’s eyes widened. He gave a small nod.

The men playing cards were too engrossed to notice anything over here.

Wei Cheng slipped a gun into Sun Dali’s pocket and, with a smooth motion, slid a blade from his sleeve and began cutting at the rope around his wrists.

“Hey? What’s the kid doing?”

A hand landed on Wei Cheng’s shoulder.

The man had seen the cutting motion. “Hey, you—”

At that instant, Wei Cheng drew his gun and jammed it straight against the man’s forehead.

A shot rang out, echoing in all directions.

Sun Dali strained hard, and the rope around his wrists snapped apart. Grabbing the pistol from his pocket, he shot the thug who was lunging at Wei Cheng in the shoulder.

He shouted at his wife and daughter, “Get under the table!”

Hearing the gunshot, Zheng Hui instantly ducked behind the bar. His eyes bulged with rage. “Damn it! You were playing me!”

The men outside rushed in. Shen Zheng opened fire.

At that moment, something smashed hard into Shen Zheng’s back—Zheng Hui had lifted a heavy wooden table and hurled it at him.

Shen Zheng staggered in pain.

Seeing his opening, Zheng Hui raised a crowbar and swung for Shen Zheng’s head. Suddenly, searing pain exploded in his left hand.

Then another shot struck his shoulder.

Wei Cheng lowered his handgun. “Uncle Shen!”

Sun Dali hurried over and pulled Shen Zheng up.

Shen Zheng waved him off. “I’m fine, I’m fine!”

Wei Cheng finally relaxed, then put another bullet into Zheng Hui’s left leg as he tried to crawl away. Coldly, he said, “Talk. Where’s the tanker truck?”

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