Chapter 534: Chapter 534

One of the men furrowed his brow, clearly skeptical. "You’re kidding us..." he said, about to go down and check how much food was actually left on the minibus.

The atmosphere grew slightly tense.

Hong Bin bowed slightly. If these people dared to come near, he could knock them out in an instant. He glanced at Lu Liu, as if asking, Make a move or not?

Before Hong Bin received a response, another man, who seemed more refined, stopped Guo Tou. "Alright, Guo Tou, don’t act on your own. We’re only here for food."

Wen Jun subtly sized up the group. Unlike Guo Tou, he noticed their brazen stares, which suggested they had backing. Moreover, these people were dressed in clean clothes, had rosy complexions, and possessed enough gasoline to drive around the mountains. They’re clearly not to be trifled with, though their purpose here is unknown...

Guo Tou sounded somewhat resentful. "I get it, Wen Jun. I just wanted more food. Do you know how long we’ve been eating that damned stuff? It’s been ages since we’ve seen other living people..."

Lu Liu handed the Compressed Biscuits to a few men on the boat and asked, "We’ve given you food. Now, what about my companion?"

"What else? We take him back with us and get the egg out of his body," Guo Tou grumbled.

"Can we accompany him?" The egg was still inside Yang Yang, so Lu Liu spoke very politely.

Guo Tou said impatiently, "There’s no room for anyone else on this boat. Don’t worry, we just want some food for a change. That juvenile egg is far more precious than this weakling, and we don’t eat people."

Yang Yang squinted, his mouth curling up further. Soon... soon I’ll show them...

"I’ll use planks to make a bridge," Lu Liu said, pointing to two large wooden planks nearby. They were the same ’rafts’ Yang Yang had used, both having been dismantled from the minibus doors.

"You can’t go," Wen Jun stated assertively. He swept his flashlight around and pointed at Jing Shu, who looked the most harmless. "You go." This woman is bundled up so tightly she can barely move. Even if she has some skills, once pushed into the mire, she’ll be as easy to handle as a donkey laden with sponges falling into water.

Jun Bao then volunteered, slightly raising his hand. "I’d like to go too, may I?" He looked frail.

He clearly looks like a sickly young master, and so flamboyantly dressed too, some of the big men thought. Should we kidnap this fool as well and extort some more from them? But Xiao Wei would definitely forbid it. Sigh, it’s the apocalypse; what’s the point of being kind when we’re already in such a wretched state ourselves?

Losing patience, Guo Tou began to paddle back. "Come if you want, but our boat can’t take any more people. I’m warning you, don’t try any tricks. We’re not to be trifled with; we have abilities you can’t even imagine. If you’re not afraid of becoming food for monsters, then feel free to try us."

Food for monsters? Eggs? What exactly is it? Jun Bao was now filled with eager anticipation. If this monster can be eaten, wouldn’t that solve the food problem in the apocalypse? This update ıs available on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽

What do people who survive in these mountains actually eat? Jun Bao mused. Oh, I have a bold idea!

"Of course," Jun Bao declared confidently. He was already deftly on the wooden planks in the mire, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Jing Shu, as if to say, Hurry up and paddle! Let’s catch them!

The big men’s small boat moved slowly through the mire. Jing Shu struggled to navigate by constantly shifting the two large wooden planks. When she was alone, it was manageable, with each plank only taking on a little muddy water. However, with an extra person, the instability caused large amounts of muddy water to nearly submerge the planks.

Muddy water soaked Jing Shu’s pants. Soon enough, Jun Bao’s white trousers and cloak were also stained with mud. Panicked, Jun Bao started hopping on the plank, but the more he jumped, the more mud splattered, so he eventually gave up.

The mire wasn’t very large. As they reached its center, Jing Shu felt a power that caused a spatial reaction, which excited her. Perhaps the black liquid is beneath this mire, she thought. But how can I get down there? How deep is it? I could use a stick to probe. If I touch the black liquid, I can collect it.

Jing Shu wanted to investigate properly, but this wasn’t the right opportunity. She felt an itch of impatience.

While Jing Shu was contemplating, Jun Bao had already struck up a conversation with one of the big men.

After they exited the mire, Jing Shu felt a little regretful. Wen Jun and one of the men walked at the front, with Jun Bao trotting beside Wen Jun. Yang Yang and Jing Shu were in the middle, while Guo Tou and the other big man walked at the rear, guarding them.

"Are you natives of these mountains? How many of you are there? How long have you lived here? Do you have food in the mountains? What do you rely on to survive? Why haven’t you reported to the local government? They would definitely give you food supplies. It would surely be better than living here... Oh, right! We came to these mountains looking for someone. Unfortunately, we searched for a long time and didn’t find them. Thankfully, we ran into you..."

I never knew this guy was such a chatterbox, and at the completely wrong time too.

Yang Yang shot a resentful look at the back of Jun Bao’s head. What’s wrong with him? I’m the one who’s been kidnapped, and they haven’t even let me go yet. How can he be so friendly? Whose side is he on anyway?

Guo Tou remained irritably silent.

Wen Jun, however, answered a few questions neutrally. "We used to live in a small village north of Wucheng State. Half a year ago, these mountains suddenly closed in from all directions, trapping us here."

"Didn’t you think of calling for help? Or escaping the mountains to get help?" Jun Bao pressed.

"All network communication is down. We wanted to call for help at first, but..." Wen Jun sighed. "Our food supplies were cut off too. The survivors wanted to leave, but unfortunately, none of them made it out. Several groups tried, but they all died on the way. After that, we gave up on escaping." He added quietly, "Everywhere is the apocalypse, isn’t it? As long as we can survive, it’s just clinging to life, no matter where we are."

The outside world is no different from here.

Jun Bao’s eyes lit up. "So, you found a food source?"

"Mhm," Wen Jun grunted noncommittally, saying no more.

The surroundings were still mountainous but distinctly different. Guo Tou hadn’t spoken to outsiders for a long time. Now that people had entered their village, he couldn’t resist pointing things out as he might have before the apocalypse. He gestured towards an area that was now an indistinguishable ruin, saying:

"That area was originally our village’s Hope Primary School. It was instantly crushed between two large mountains. Over here was our square; now only a pavilion is left. Most of our village’s houses were squeezed flat between the mountains. Only these broken tiles and bricks remain. It’s a pity... so many people were crushed to death in their sleep, not even their bodies were left. Oh, maybe they became nourishment for something."