Chapter 43

No one had ever intended to hurt anyone, let alone kill. Not even Chen Deqing had ever had such thoughts. They never considered the guns in the other party's hands to be mere decorations, nor did they think that they could gain the upper hand with just sticks and knives. However, as their requests were repeatedly rejected, the desire to eat and sleep grew stronger, eventually dominating their thoughts. Rationality was consumed by a raging fire, and impulsive actions, devoid of any consequences, became the rulers of their logic.

The newcomers instinctively believed that Chen Kun would not fire a shot. Wasn't that right? Murder was a crime. This place was not a vault or a military zone. The people inside the walls looked ordinary, not even police. A beating to vent their anger, followed by some apologies and compensation with valuables, would be enough.

Their minds were still stuck in the civilized era of over a month ago. It was impossible to determine who started the fight, but it didn't matter. Chen Kun's body bore the footprints of everyone, and Su Hao viewed all outsiders outside the camp as enemies.

The surroundings were silent, and the anger and panting gradually subsided. The blood in their bodies and the impulses in their minds cooled, and the eyes that had been glaring with fury now showed fear. They wanted to say something to prove their innocence but found the armed team members around them with cold, unmasked expressions of killing intent.

Chen Deqing, with heavy legs, slowly walked out of the crowd. He looked innocent, almost pitiful. "We... we didn't mean to."

He struggled to find suitable words for the occasion, but they sounded dry and lacked any persuasiveness: "We just wanted the same treatment as others, water and food, nothing more. I... I'm very sorry."

Su Hao stared into his eyes. At such close range, Chen Deqing saw that the handsome face was almost as wild as a savage, fierce and terrifying. The strange transformation was entirely due to anger, distorting the beautiful into something horrifying. Chen Deqing's heart trembled, then beat wildly, and he even felt an impulse to turn and run.

"Sorry?"

Su Hao's tone was strangely odd. He was surprised that the other party would say such a word at this moment. Chen Kun was almost beaten to death, and if the guards on the watchtower had noticed a few seconds later, he might have been killed on the spot. Such a serious matter was explained away with a few light words.

Did they not know the consequences of their actions? Were these people all fools and idiots?

"We are willing to compensate."

A tall, thin, middle-aged man with a hint of arrogance stepped out of the crowd and stood in front of Su Hao. He removed the thick gold chain from his neck and said in a cold, unapologetic tone: "If you think gold is useless, we can work for you for a few days. I regret what happened, and I didn't expect it to turn out this way. Regardless, we were wrong first, but your actions were also wrong. We just wanted food and shelter, but you were aggressive. We had no choice, I hope... you can understand."

Under the moonlight, a faint silver glow appeared on Su Hao's skin. He wondered why he hadn't immediately smashed the other man's proud head.

Yes, the middle-aged man was apologizing, but without any sincerity, and his words were filled with obvious sarcasm. It was clear that he was well-maintained, with branded clothing and a gold chain that ordinary people couldn't afford. But this was the Black Era, and past status and wealth meant nothing. Billions of dollars couldn't buy a steamed bun, and the military recycled gold only for industrial use.

Did these people really think that murder and violence were still as trivial as before? That trampling on others' dignity went unpunished? That a few hundred thousand dollars could buy a life?

How were they any different from the wild nomads of the future world?

Su Hao felt a chill all over his body, especially in his heart, which was cold like ice. "Is this what you call the civilized era?"

He muttered, his eyes narrowing. The gaze from his pupils was not only cold but also sharp like a knife.

Not just him, but all the team members standing around showed the same coldness, and the anger in their eyes grew more violent.

"Bang——"

A gunshot rang out behind him. A bullet, visible to Su Hao, traced a path through the air and accurately drilled into the middle-aged man's head. The intense energy exploded, blowing off the skull and causing the man to fall backward, face up.

Xin Yan, holding a slightly warm pistol, stepped forward, blocking Su Hao and staring at the terrified crowd of outsiders. She fiercely ordered the team members standing around: "Kill them all——"

Gunshots rang out one after another, breaking the calm of the night.

Chen Deqing heard himself shouting, roaring, and begging. His face turned red, his lips opened but couldn't breathe, and the veins on his neck strained. The sounds of gunpowder and screams drowned out his ears. He felt his body becoming heavier, and the bullets piercing his chest and abdomen were destroying his internal organs. He wanted to dodge but couldn't move his legs. The discomfort quickly spread throughout his body, causing him to tilt slowly and fall heavily.

More than twenty bodies lay on the ground, emitting a strong smell of blood.

Lu Nuer and others stood at the camp entrance, watching the massacre from a distance. She felt her heart being tightly gripped by an invisible hand and had to take several deep breaths to calm down. She turned her head with difficulty and saw that the people standing next to her were similarly tense, their faces pale like corpses, and their breathing almost frozen.

The anger in Xin Yan's eyes slightly subsided. She removed the magazine, took a few bullets from her pocket, and forcefully loaded them. She stepped back to Su Hao's side and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You are the team leader and must maintain a positive image. From now on, I will handle these matters."

Her words were brief but conveyed a lot of information. Su Hao felt a warm current surrounding his cold heart, thawing him.

He had always thought that his relationship with Xin Yan was just mutual affection, supporting each other in the death-threatened Black Era, warming each other.

Now, he was sure that this feeling was deeper.

Perhaps, it was love.

...

That night, many people did not sleep well, some even stayed up all night.

The morning air was cool and fresh, with a pale golden sunlight filtering through the pine forest, illuminating the dewdrops and creating a shimmering rainbow of light. Birds flew out of their nests, perched on branches, and began their first morning songs. Occasionally, they would fly down and hop around the stiff, cold bodies, curiously observing these long-dead people.

Dong Guoping directed two workers to drive the excavator out of the camp and dig a deep pit at the edge of the forest several hundred meters away. Except for the guards on the watchtower, the rest of the team members loaded the dead bodies onto a truck and transported them to the pit for burial.

The air still carried a faint smell of blood. Last night, the scent had attracted about a dozen zombies from the forest and the road. They ate happily, but the guards had seen everything. The people used iron bars and machetes to kill the monsters and threw them, along with the dead outsiders, into the pit.

Steam still rose from the kitchen, and the smell of porridge and steamed buns was no different from usual. People stood on the open ground near the residential building, silently watching the excavator's engine rumble in the distance. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, and no one felt hungry or thirsty.

Xin Yan stood next to Su Hao, her expression somewhat gloomy. After the rage in her mind subsided, she suddenly realized she had gone too far. Although everyone outside the camp had participated in the chaos, not all had harmed Chen Kun. At least... some were innocent.

Su Hao counted the people standing in front of him, a total of forty-six, all of whom had accepted the conditions and were allowed to enter the camp yesterday afternoon.

Looking at these people, Su Hao said calmly, "Today, is there anyone willing to continue working here?"

No one answered. Even Lu Nuer pursed her lips, her body trembling slightly.

"Everyone has different views on the same matter. I don't require your approval, nor do I expect you to stand on my side."

Su Hao's voice sounded distant but was loud and firm: "My people were injured and almost killed. The cause of the dispute was simple: the outsiders wanted to come in, to get shelter and food. I don't want to talk about morality or justice, nor do I force you. You are free to come and go, with no restrictions. The conditions are the same as yesterday: those willing to work will have food and shelter. If you find me difficult to get along with or unable to communicate, you can leave now."

A long silence followed.

A gray-haired, somewhat elderly man was the first to step forward. He looked at Su Hao with a mixture of fear and hatred, his lips trembling, and said in a low, angry voice: "How can you do this? They weren't unreasonable; you could have talked to them. I believe they would have understood. We came from far away, and everyone wanted to rest. You could have agreed to their request and made them work today. I believe..."

"If the guards on the watchtower had noticed a few seconds later, my people might have been beaten to death last night——"

Su Hao rudely interrupted him: "When their demands are not met, they resort to murder and chaos. No one in any era would agree with this. If a beggar stood at your door demanding food and threatened to kill you if you didn't give it, what would you do? Call the police? Grab a kitchen knife? Or welcome him like a king and serve him respectfully?"

"You can't kill people!"

The old man roared: "Everything must be governed by law. You have no right to kill anyone, nor do you have the right to occupy any shared property. The land under your feet belongs to the state, not to you——"

This statement caused a significant reaction among the onlookers, and a considerable number of people nodded slightly. They whispered and discussed, and a few were eager to step forward and argue with Su Hao, but they were deterred by the guards on the watchtowers and the fully armed team members, waiting to see how things would develop.

Su Hao's gaze grew colder. Looking at the man who felt morally superior, he suddenly smiled, exuding an extremely eerie charm.

"Law? Hahaha..."

He maintained his smile, his voice trembling and cold: "There is no law here, only rules."

Su Hao turned his gaze to the crowd behind the man, his tone very serious and authoritative: "My rules are simple: no one can harm my people. As you saw last night, anyone who dares to do this, or even tries, will be killed."

"Arrogant——"

The old man almost shouted: "Who gives you the right to act so recklessly? This is a rule-of-law country, not your independent kingdom. I... I will report you! And the woman next to you. I saw clearly last night that she fired the shots!"

Xin Yan's eyes kept twitching, and she bit her lip hard. These words stung her like a whip, and she found it difficult to immediately find a rebuttal.

Su Hao noticed the change in the woman's emotions. He held Xin Yan's hand, tightened it, and coldly stared at the excited old man, pointing to the camp entrance: "Go ahead! The door is there, and no one will stop you."

He turned and looked at the gathered outsiders, saying calmly: "You have five minutes to decide. Stay, and you will have food and shelter. Leave, and I won't stop you."

Almost everyone hesitated, and a few with determined expressions stepped forward and joined the old man. The crowd quickly split into two distinct groups, and every word they spoke was related to "food," "hot water," "safety," and so on. The voices grew louder, and the discussions more intense. If not