Chapter 27: "True Ruthlessness Unveiled"
After Ah Biao showed his true colors, the remaining survivors were left in fear.
To protect themselves, they formed groups—some large, some small. Some teams had twenty people, while others had just eight or nine.
Xiao Mei, Liu Ling'er, and Yang Zhen tried to join one of the groups, but no one was willing to accept them.
Despite their good looks and Xiao Mei's popularity among men, and despite Yang Zhen's wealthy background, none of that mattered now.
This was the apocalypse. They were all weak, with no real skills for survival.
Letting them join the teams would just slow everyone down!
There were some elderly and sick among the survivors, but they had families to look after them. The others were left out.
Eventually, Xiao Mei, Liu Ling'er, Yang Zhen, and their group ended up together.
"With Young Master Zhang joining us, our chances of survival are much higher!" Yang Zhen said happily, unaware of the tensions between Zhang Mingyuan, Liu Ling'er, and Xiao Mei.
"What's the plan?" Zhang Mingyuan asked, clearing his throat.
"We've gathered information. There's a convenience store about two or three kilometers from Green Forest Hotel," Yang Zhen said. "The plan is to leave the parking lot after dark and go search for supplies there."
Xiao Mei took over and added, "We thought it was a good opportunity."
Though Zhang Mingyuan had previously insulted them, right now, they were all in the same boat—no one had time to hold grudges.
"That sounds like a good idea!" Zhang Mingyuan brightened up.
A convenience store was a better choice than the hotel. The items there were more durable and wouldn't spoil easily, even in the heat.
"But we have to move quickly. So many people have their eyes on that store," Yang Zhen added nervously.
Even if the store had a lot of supplies, it wouldn't last long with so many people scavenging.
"Then let's go once the temperature drops tonight," Zhang Mingyuan nodded in agreement.
The group stopped talking and returned to rest, preparing for the night ahead.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ah Biao was taking charge.
After falling out with everyone, he had pushed all the cars without gasoline near the supply storage room, using them to create a simple barricade.
His group lived right in the center of this makeshift fortress.
"Brother Biao, Brother Biao!"
Ah Biao was lying inside a car, enjoying the air conditioning and starting to doze off, when someone knocked on the door.
Earlier, when collecting supplies, Ah Biao had taken everyone's food, water, and gasoline, leaving only his own vehicle with air conditioning.
He reluctantly opened his eyes and saw it was Manager Dang.
He opened the door and let him in.
"Manager Dang, what's the matter?" Ah Biao asked.
Stepping into the cool air-conditioned car from the scorching heat outside, Manager Dang shivered and nearly sighed in relief.
"Brother Biao, I've heard some news," Manager Dang said, pointing outside. "I just found out that the others plan to head to the convenience store to scavenge supplies."
"That's good news. What's the problem?" Ah Biao chuckled.
"If they find food out there, they won't hand it over willingly."
"Should we send people to fight them for the supplies?" Manager Dang asked, nervous.
"Why should we go out there?" Ah Biao casually propped his legs up on the steering wheel.
"Our food isn't going to last much longer," Manager Dang said anxiously.
When the heatwave first started, they'd gathered a decent amount of instant noodles, canned food, and other supplies.
But after all this time, it had been almost entirely used up.
In just three days, it would all be gone.
That was why, after learning that the government couldn't help, Ah Biao turned on everyone.
"If we run out of food, we'll just take theirs!" Ah Biao's face twisted into a cruel smile.
Manager Dang's eyes widened as he understood.
In this extreme heat, hiding underground was the only chance for survival. Even if they found supplies, the survivors would need to return to the underground parking lot to survive.
Unless they banded together, no group would be able to withstand Ah Biao's crew.
In other words, Ah Biao saw the survivors as livestock—if he ran out of food, he'd slaughter them.
Truly ruthless.
A cold sweat broke out on Manager Dang's back as the reality sank in.
...
As time passed, the sky darkened, and the temperature finally began to cool down.
The survivors in the parking lot felt a sense of relief.
But before they could set out, the roar of an engine broke the silence, followed by two strong beams of light that blinded them.
It was the Normadison, which had been idle for so long, now roaring to life.
Confused, the group watched as Su Chen drove the RV out of the parking lot.
"What the hell is that b*st*rd up to?" Zhang Mingyuan mumbled.
"Never mind that, Young Master Zhang. We need to leave now!" Yang Zhen urged.
The crowd started moving, heading toward the parking lot exit.
Su Chen had been holed up in the underground parking lot for over a week. Now, he was heading out, partly to take in the outside scenery, and also because the RV's waste tank was full and needed to be emptied.
The black water tank contained wastewater from daily living.
Normally, it would need to be manually emptied, but Su Chen had had Zhang Chi modify it so that with the press of a button, it could be emptied and flushed on-site.
In the apocalypse, no one cared about such things. As long as it wasn't an emergency, no one cared about waste disposal.
Su Chen pressed the button and relaxed in the RV, watching the view outside.
The weather was perfect tonight, with no clouds in the sky.
The bright moonlight illuminated the surroundings, giving a clear view of the desolate landscape.
After days of scorching heat, most plants had withered, leaving only a few hardy species still standing.
The world was eerily silent. The usual sounds of insects and birds had vanished.
As the black water tank finished its flush, Su Chen was about to head back inside when he saw several figures emerging from the underground parking lot.
They didn't stop and quickly headed toward the distance.