Chapter 34

The woman's expression grew increasingly panicked. She looked at Su Hao with trepidation, fumbling in her pocket to pull out a few banknotes, trembling as she handed them over, her face full of fear, yet she still shouted with a semblance of righteousness: "I... I'll pay, I'll pay for it."

"Money is useless—"

As Su Hao cursed, he strode toward the distant truck, opened the door, and grabbed a few red hundred-yuan bills from his backpack. He rushed over and fiercely threw them in the woman's face, roaring angrily: "Now, I'll pay. Spit out everything you've eaten and drunk these past few days. Just like you said: they belong to the state, to the people."

His terrifying appearance and sharp words instantly broke the woman's resolve. She began to sweat, her hands flailing around, gasping for breath, and involuntarily stepping back... Finally, she fell heavily, like a woman who had been slapped in the street and spat on, wailing loudly.

Su Hao strode over, grabbed her hair, and growled in a low voice: "Zombies are wandering around outside. If you don't want to die, shut up now—"

The moment he released her hair, Su Hao felt an indescribable emptiness, as if all his strength had been drained from his body, leaving him a soulless, zombie-like shell.

Tao Yuan's injuries were not fatal. His enhanced physique would allow him to recover quickly.

However, the scene in the toilet had frightened Su Hao—had the discovery been a few seconds later, or the shot fired a few seconds slower, Tao Yuan would have been dead.

Enhanced humans were not invincible.

The distant lights cast Su Hao's bloodstained face in a red glow, making him look fierce and tragic.

He had saved these people, and they wanted to kill him.

Su Hao was never afraid of enemies, whether near or far, open or hidden. Even the giant, formidable opponents of the future world did not scare him. However, he now had to face the reality he was most unwilling to accept. Pain, helplessness, numbness...

"Go away!"

He couldn't see the bloodshot eyes in his own reflection, but he could hear the hoarse voice emerging from his throat, his mood low. He looked around and calmly said to everyone: "I'm giving you a choice. You can leave or stay. I won't force anyone."

The crowd became restless again.

The woman who had been sitting on the ground stood up, wiping away her tears, and glared at Su Hao with venom: "What are you up to? Everyone knows the night is more dangerous than the day. Leaving now is tantamount to suicide—"

"You can leave tomorrow. For now... do whatever you want! Just stay away from me."

Su Hao's voice was soft. He felt tired and didn't want to waste time and energy on this issue.

The whispers and discussions grew louder, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Since the matter had been laid out, staying to watch the bodies made no sense. It was late, and the problems could be dealt with the next day.

For now, they needed to go back to sleep.

Some people, including Chen Kun, didn't leave. They silently watched Su Hao, slowly approaching and continuously trying to comfort him.

Standing next to the bodies, the two men and women who had been captured in the chaos shakily walked over, pleading and saying a lot of regretful words. They blamed all the responsibility on Li Yongxiang and the other deceased. To clear themselves, they even revealed the entire plan, detailing every aspect clearly. Finally, with a fawning smile, they begged Su Hao to let them go, allowing them to leave the next day like everyone else.

Looking at their tear-streaked, dirt-covered faces, dominated by fear and hope, Su Hao felt a lingering heaviness and disgust.

"You... actually still want to leave?"

His voice had a strange, altered tone, and his cold laugh was frightening.

"Please, please let me go!"

The man swallowed hard, suppressing his growing fear, and stammered: "I, I won't cause you any trouble. I don't need to wait until tomorrow, I'll leave now... now."

As he spoke, he took a few panicked steps back, not waiting for Su Hao to speak, and quickly turned to run toward the camp exit.

Su Hao stared at the rapidly shrinking figure in the darkness, his eyes releasing a fierce and determined light. Without any warning, he suddenly rushed forward, chasing at an unimaginable speed, and struck the man's back with his left fist. The immense force instantly penetrated the flesh, and his entire fist was buried in the man's body. The man screamed, his head tilting back, his body twisting like a cooked shrimp, spewing blood. His screams were interrupted by the blood gushing from his throat, sounding like choking.

Blood covered the man's chest and mouth. He felt a hand rummaging inside his body, perhaps searching for his heart... This terrifying thought made his mind sluggish. He slowly turned his head, staring blankly at Su Hao behind him, and trembled: "I... I know, I was wrong. Please, please... let me go..."

Before he could finish his last word, the ferocious Su Hao had already crushed his heart. He coldly threw the body aside, tore a piece of cloth from the man's clothes, and wiped the blood and flesh from his hands. He turned and walked toward the woman still standing by the bodies.

She was already scared stiff, curled up on the ground, unable to speak.

Su Hao stared at the woman for a few seconds, pulled out a dagger, and cleanly cut her throat.

Chen Kun watched this scene, feeling his hands and feet turn cold, the strong smell of blood making his nose itch. He nervously glanced around, noticing that others had similar expressions, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

"I won't be soft on my enemies. If they had asked to leave earlier, I wouldn't have stopped them. But they chose violence and extremism. This is war. I won't stand by and watch my companions get hurt, nor will I let those who want to kill us go because of pity. If you act, you must pay the price. The world has changed, and everyone is both the maker and enforcer of the law. You can control your own fate, or you can hand the decision over to someone else, letting them decide your life and death. Don't ask about fairness; shouting and begging are signs of weakness. Strength is what ultimately decides everything."

After saying this, Su Hao forcefully exhaled the pent-up frustration in his chest and turned to leave.

...

The sky was bright.

A dozen people gathered on the open ground in front of the tents, discussing heatedly. They had already decided to leave yesterday, but they were waiting for other reasons.

A middle-aged, overweight woman with glasses stood in the middle of the crowd. Due to lack of sleep, her eyes were puffy, and her hair was disheveled. Perhaps because she had many supporters around her, she glared at Su Hao with hatred and venom, as if he were a despicable man who had taken her virginity, left no words or money, and quickly left after the deed.

They wanted a certain amount of food and water—saying "leave" was easy, but no one knew where their destination was or how far they had to go.

Su Hao was silent for a moment, frowning, and asked strangely: "Do you think I'm a philanthropist?"

No one spoke. The silence was a clear "no."

"Why should I give you food? You no longer belong to this camp, and nothing here has anything to do with you. If you want to leave, do it now. You're not welcome here."

Su Hao's words were sharp, filled with undisguised sarcasm. This caused anger in the crowd of those who wanted to leave, but no one dared to challenge him face-to-face.

Six large pits had been dug outside the camp, and the decomposed bodies would make the soil more fertile. Su Hao didn't have the habit of hanging bodies near the camp to show his power. It would attract a large number of zombies and make the air stink. However, the bloodstains in the courtyard were still there, like shocking paintings, constantly reminding those with ill intentions to give up their dangerous thoughts.

Su Hao looked at his watch and said calmly: "You have ten minutes to pack your personal belongings and leave."

A man of medium build hesitated, looking around at the people and then at Su Hao, speaking sincerely: "We don't need much. A few bags of rice or flour would be enough. There's plenty of food in the tents; this request isn't unreasonable. I think..."

"Nine minutes—"

Su Hao looked at him coldly, taking off the assault rifle from his shoulder.

The threat was obvious, and the crowd instantly fell silent. They looked at Su Hao, their eyes filled with fear, cowardice, and a hint of hatred. A few people at the edge turned and left, and others couldn't resist the urge to follow. Seeing the crowd thinning, the middle-aged man leading them also felt the urge to leave, but the pressing food problem made him hesitate.

"Please... I'm begging you. Without food, we might starve to death."

His throat was dry, and he forced himself to say this.

"What does that have to do with me?"

Su Hao glanced at him sarcastically and continued: "Eight minutes and twenty seconds."

"Wait, you... you can't do this."

"Eight minutes."

"Then, then change the request. Give us some clean water, at least that's possible, right?"

"Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds..."

The negotiation broke down completely.

The crowd moved in small groups toward the camp exit. They walked slowly, constantly looking back, hoping someone would stand up and loudly stop them from leaving, or that someone would continue arguing with Su Hao.

Maybe, the young man with the cold expression would soften.

They were ultimately disappointed—those who stayed gathered at the camp gate, their expressions cold, even somewhat gleeful. This made those who chose to leave feel angry and gradually doubt their decision.

"Maybe we shouldn't leave."

A woman with a fearful expression whispered: "We all saw the bodies on the road. Leaving here might be a mistake. There's food here, and people to protect us... Honestly, the work, though dirty and tiring, isn't impossible to accept. We're idle anyway, so why not..."

Immediately, a voice of opposition sounded: "That Su kid is a liar. I don't believe what he says. When disaster strikes, many people take advantage of the situation for personal gain. We should leave now, follow the road north, and we'll definitely find other rescue organizations. The Red Cross, One Foundation, and volunteers... We'll find them, and everything will be fine."

Su Hao stood alone by the truck, silently watching the crowd leave, until they disappeared at the end of the road.

...

Around eleven in the morning, Old Song and Xin Yan drove two trucks loaded with supplies into the camp.

Without being asked, those who stayed gathered around, helping to unload the cargo. At first, the atmosphere was somewhat somber. As a few packs of candy and cigarettes were opened and distributed among the crowd, people's faces slowly showed friendly smiles.

Tao Yuan's injuries were not serious, but he needed to rest in bed for a few days.

Xin Yan walked to Su Hao's side, took out a tissue from her pocket, and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I heard what happened yesterday."

Xin Yan's long, smooth fingers gently brushed over Su Hao's face, feeling soft and very comfortable. She smiled and said: "Don't take it to heart. It's not a big deal. Some people leave, and some are willing to stay. It's not your fault."

After a long silence, Su Hao opened his mouth, speaking to himself: "I gave them a chance to live, but they didn't want it. The situation is clear: leaving means certain death. Why don't they believe me?"

Xin Yan thought for a moment and said: "They haven't experienced it, so they don't believe it."

"But they have eyes and ears. They can see! They can hear!"

"Many people refuse to accept reality."

"Why?"

Xin Yan laughed, smoothing her slightly disheveled hair, and said: "I'm not an expert on this issue. Everyone has their own independent thinking. However, this is actually a good thing: because only those who believe in you will choose to stay."

Su Hao looked up, staring at her, and asked seriously: "What about you? Will you leave me?"

Xin Yan's smile deepened. She extended her finger and playfully scratched Su Hao's nose.

"Hehe! You guess?"

...

The foundation pouring was progressing smoothly, and the shortage of manpower was alleviated because the concrete needed time to dry. Including Chen Kun, a total of sixteen people chose to stay, eleven men, and five women.

They were divided into two groups, led by Su Hao and Old Song, rotating between the city and the construction site in the wild every week.

The long journey back to the city from the wild camp was still the same, and the people in the truck showed obvious anticipation on their faces.

Before leaving, Su Hao gathered everyone for a meeting.

He wanted to hear their opinions and understand what they needed.

The answer was surprisingly consistent: "We want to go home and see our families."

Su Hao suddenly realized he had overlooked something. However, it was not too late to make amends.

They spent a night in the small building. The next morning, the first batch of eight new team members, divided into pairs, were led by Du Tianhao, Han Jing, Cao Rui, and Su Hao to their respective homes.

...

The off-road vehicle drove through the empty, desolate streets, raising a cloud of dust.

Su Hao held the steering wheel, silently observing the city that had become desolate.

Zombies still roamed the distant streets, and the low, terrifying howls of the creatures could be heard from the alleys and houses. The bodies he had seen the last time he left were still in the same place, and the wreckage of the vehicles had not changed.

They were, after all, dead things.

The team's core members' combat skills had rapidly improved through prolonged hunting. The large amount of silver bones they had harvested had strengthened each of them to the second stage. Last night, Xin Yan had given Su Hao a bulging small bag containing 800 milligrams of silver bones.

Including the ones he had taken before, the total amount of silver bones was enough for Su Hao to break through the limit and become a fifth-stage enhanced human.

There were two other passengers in the car—Chen Kun in the passenger seat and Zhou Chen in the back.

Among those rescued from the bathhouse, Zhou Chen was particularly special. He was thirty-two years old, tall, and thin. His broad shoulders supported his clothes, but the lack of muscles on his chest and back made him look hollow. His skin was very pale, and he had a kind and somewhat melancholic appearance. He rarely spoke and always had a faint smile on his face.

He had saved Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing, and because of this, he was severely beaten by the thugs who had taken over the bathhouse. After being rescued, he stayed in the small building to recover, not participating in the subsequent events or going to the wild camp for construction.

Chen Kun and Zhou Chen both had steel pipes next to them, covered in blood and partially rotten flesh.

Like the core members when they first joined the team, those who chose to stay also had to undergo combat training. They engaged in close combat with zombies in the trap yard, eliminating their inner fears through fighting. Su Hao and others assisted and guided them, teaching them how to use weapons and helping them when they became careless. This naturally instilled a sense of gratitude.

Life slowly passed through the repetition of training and trips to collect supplies.

People began to understand Su Hao and gradually realized why he had become so ruthless on the night Tao Yuan was injured. It was a very complex, hard-to-describe feeling, one that only comrades who covered each other in battle could truly understand.

(The character "Zhou Chen" in this section is played by Listen~breath. Applause! Flowers! Saliva... Additionally, if you want to play a character, please post in the top thread in the review section, do not start a new thread, and avoid using internet names or overly creative names. The setting of this book is modern, and a certain number of foreign characters are needed. Chinese names should be realistic. As for "Ximen Chuixue" and other such characters, please don't join in. That's the saying: This is a world of zombies and viruses. No matter how high your martial arts skills are, one shot will still take you down.)

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