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墨書 Inktalez
When the Safe Zone was being established, bricks, cement, and steel bars were all provided by Safe Zone. Due to the earthquake, there are still some bricks available, but they are lacking in cement.
Originally, Xinfeng Town, which is now the new Safe Zone, had a store that specialized in selling cement. However, the town has been requisitioned, let alone that store. The men discussed and decided to take a risk; there used to be a Cement Factory not too far from their town. In the past, some families would partner up to buy cement from there to save some money when building houses.
Currently, the only vehicle in the village belongs to Li Yan. Zhou Miao wiped his nose and said somewhat helplessly, "The car is fine, but there's no gasoline. The fuel in my car can only get us there." They still have plenty of gasoline in their space, but they cannot let the villagers develop a habit of relying on them for everything.
It's like helping a friend in need; if you assist them once during their difficult times, it's different from giving them money every month. Although both are forms of assistance, the latter can easily lead that friend to become accustomed to receiving money monthly and take it for granted. If you stop giving it at some point, it feels like you have let them down. This is human nature!
Some families in the village actually saved some gasoline; initially, they didn't plan to share it. However, if they don't contribute now when it's needed in the village, they will lose their standing when they eventually bring it out later. Considering various factors, the villagers decided to pool together the gasoline for this trip to the Cement Factory and even set aside an extra jug as a backup.
Yu Tian and Li Ming stayed home to take care of the old man and Tang Zhaodi. At first, Li Xiaoming was reluctant; the child was almost in tears. Eventually, it was little classmate Tang who kept assuring him that he would play with him until Li Yan returned. Only then did the child reluctantly agree.
Li Yan and Zhou Miao set off with four other men from their village. Since the establishment of the Safe Zone, this was their first time leaving the village.
The road that used to be so familiar now felt strange. Many houses along the way had collapsed, and they saw that people in Village Two and Village Four were already rebuilding their homes. When they encountered familiar faces, they stopped to inquire about the situation. Clearly, many people still couldn't enter the Safe Zone, and everyone had to continue living their lives.
During this trip, they also spotted Jiang Chao, a man who used to be quite bureaucratic. He looked almost emaciated now and stood next to someone whom Li Yan recognized instantly despite being five hundred meters away—Zhang Yaoming. He had gone with Zhang Zhong to call for help but later returned alone while he and several other men never came back.
He seemed to be doing well now, gesturing animatedly at Jiang Chao. Li Yan listened carefully; it seemed they were discussing something related to teaching or preaching—definitely not anything good—so he chose not to pay attention. If he had known that this decision would bring disaster to Bright Village later on, he might have dealt with Zhang Yaoming right then.
Once they drove out of Xinfeng Town, the stark difference became apparent. At least within Xinfeng Town, people were still trying to rebuild their homes; here, it was nothing but ruins. Occasionally, they spotted a few people huddled in corners looking lifeless. After driving thirty kilometers, they encountered roadblocks where people began stopping them. Those individuals heard the sound of cars approaching and sat down on the road as if daring anyone to drive over them.
This was Zhang Hong's first encounter with such a situation; he nervously asked, "Village Chief, what should we do now?"
"Just drive through," Li Yan replied coldly with a smile; he found it strange that there hadn't been many people along the way.
"Drive... through?" Another man from the village hesitated; although he had killed before, those were people trying to rob them. The ones sitting ahead hadn't done anything yet—would driving through provoke them? The man felt uneasy.
Those people expected this vehicle would stop just like before whenever someone was sitting on the road. Since the apocalypse began, they had banded together. Previously just small-time thugs in town engaging in petty crimes, now they had escalated things significantly by committing murder and robbery.
This winter has been tough; everything in town has been looted clean, and those who lived there have run out of food long ago. Meanwhile, people from rural areas are very cautious; during their last attempt at stealing something, one of them got killed, which made them wary about recklessly approaching villages again.
Unable to obtain food, they decided to lie in wait on the road. The road was still there, and surely someone would pass by. Just a few days ago, they had robbed a household; that vehicle was loaded with a lot of food, likely intended for a trip back to the countryside to visit relatives. The young girl, looking fresh and tender, seemed to be only in her teens, but she was too weak to resist, and they overwhelmed her in no time. As for what happened to that family, well, their clothes were now on their backs, and the bodies were simply discarded.
However, when the vehicle ahead not only failed to slow down but instead accelerated towards them, they realized that the occupants were just as ruthless.
The group scrambled to the side, barely avoiding being hit. Zhang Hong looked back at the ragged group behind him and suddenly felt a cold sweat break out as he saw them brandishing iron rods or sticks while chasing after them. If they had stopped just now... would they still be alive? No, they would be alive as long as Li Yan and Zhou Miao were with them!
The road was not safe; they had faced several dangers along the way. There were many refugees on the road, and sometimes several corpses lay on the pavement, all dismembered and stripped of clothing.
What did this mean? Everyone understood it without needing to be told. Zhang Mo's expression darkened; if he could, he would have gotten out of the car to vomit. He had clearly seen a child cutting flesh from a corpse earlier. Next to that child was a woman named Wang Feng, seemingly afraid of being seen.
After driving about twenty miles, they spotted a few villages. The villages were surrounded by walls, so they couldn't see what was happening inside. It seemed that they weren't the only ones who were clever; this reinforced the determination of those in the vehicle regarding the walls.
Li Yan and Zhou Miao used their spiritual senses to explore the situation inside and could hear the voices of women and children. Just this alone indicated that these villages were still safe. If it were truly dangerous, those people would likely be the first to die.
Since there was still snow on the ground, the vehicle wasn't moving fast. They finally arrived at Cement Factory around three in the afternoon. The Cement Factory had long been closed; it was eerily quiet in the guardhouse, and "Bankruptcy" hung prominently on the large gate, which looked like it could fall off at any moment. The dilapidated gate could easily be kicked open.
This Cement Factory was large; Zhang Mo mentioned it used to be the biggest cement factory in their city and had even been rated among the top five in the city before the apocalypse when business was booming. His aunt's second cousin used to work there and had stolen quite a bit of cement for home use.
Uh... this issue is a common problem among all people in China; it's like those who work in clothing factories always have free clothes from relatives and friends. Those working in bag factories don't have to worry about bags for their entire family. Those working in sanitary napkin factories not only save money for women at home but also save on insoles for everyone... It's said that sanitary napkins are so magical that using them as insoles completely eliminates foot odor.
They weren't sure of their exact location; Li Yan insisted that they shouldn't split up. This place looked empty, but who knew if there were people inside?
Clearly, Li Yan's instincts were correct; as soon as they entered Workshop Three, they were surrounded by people. Those individuals stared intently at Li Yan and his companions with hungry eyes that seemed almost green with desire. Zhou Miao felt uncomfortable being looked at like food; it reminded him of everything they'd encountered along the way.
"Brothers, are you here to die?" The leader laughed carelessly, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. This person didn't look particularly strong, but one could tell from his followers' gazes that he was indeed their leader.
"What do you want?" Zhang Hong gripped an iron rod tightly; he had found it near the guardhouse. "There are six of us; even though you have fifteen, we won't go down without a fight." He understood that having momentum was crucial in a fight—something he had learned from years of experience as a fighter since childhood.
"Haha, Brothers! Did you hear that? They're not going down easy! Huh? Haha! Not going down easy!" The man seemed somewhat neurotic; there was an inexplicable sense of discomfort about him. It was as if he had heard some kind of joke; he laughed sharply in the snow while rolling around in it, yet his eyes remained fixed with malice on Li Yan's group.
Li Yan frowned; this person made him feel very uneasy—his gaze seemed drenched in bloodlust, evoking feelings of cold dread.
"You... shut up!" Zhang Yi stepped closer to Li Yan and shouted tremulously.
The man suddenly sprang up, staring at Li Yan and Zhou Miao like a beast. He felt a sense of crisis, which only made his blood boil even more. These two were far more delicious than the soldier he had eaten a few days ago. Once he confirmed his target, he wasted no time. He slowly pulled out a kitchen knife from behind him, which clearly still had traces of blood on it. Without wiping it, he licked the blade with his tongue, keeping his eyes fixed on Li Yan. "I'll take you out first, how about that? Let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the group charged forward, not giving Li Yan and the others a chance to respond. The moment the man spoke, his followers did not hesitate at all and attacked directly, as if they had practiced this countless times before.
"Zhang Hong, you all stand aside," Zhou Miao commanded.
Li Yan and Zhou Miao were equally matched in strength and quickly snatched the iron rods from their opponents. They fought fiercely; these attackers had become accustomed to violence. When they saw their comrades being killed by Li Yan and Zhou Miao, their heads smashed to pieces, they were momentarily stunned. There was no team spirit among them; they were only together for food.
Seeing the brutality in his followers' eyes intensify, the leader turned and struck one of his own men down without a second thought. The man didn’t even make a sound as half of his head was taken off. "Damn it, who told you to fall back? I’ll feast on him tonight!!"
Clearly, this man was not joking. The others no longer held back. Since death was inevitable, they might as well fight; at least they could have a meal tonight!
Zhang Hong and the others were left in shock. What did this man just say? Eating people? These individuals were no longer human. Zhang Mo fell silent; when he arrived, he had seen that child... Although he initially found it hard to accept, he still tried to understand why that child and woman acted as they did—surely they had no other choice. But these people had no such excuse; their bodies were perfectly fine. His father was right; in this world, it wasn’t fate that made life unbearable; humanity had given up on itself.
These attackers were no match for Li Yan and Zhou Miao. In the end, only the leader remained standing. Zhou Miao confidently said to Li Yan, "Let me handle this scum; it wouldn’t be fair for both of us to gang up on one."
The man seemed to have some training; at first, he desperately tried to strike back. However, he soon realized that Zhou Miao was playing with him as he received six or seven cuts. When he sensed that things were going poorly for him today and attempted to flee, Zhou Miao casually picked up a brick and threw it at him, breaking one of his legs. From the angle of the break, it was definitely shattered. Gasping for breath but still defiant, the man sneered, "What good will it do to kill me? Let me tell you—this world is finished! Ha ha!"
Li Yan ignored him; he could sense that there were still others lying in ambush nearby. From the sounds of breathing, it seemed like men who were likely part of this group. Li Yan walked over and stomped down on the man's other leg, breaking it as well. Without legs, this man was rendered useless. As for what would happen to him in this ruthless group—Li Yan didn’t know—but he was certain it wouldn’t end well for him.
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