Chapter 261: He fainted from hunger, I have sweet potatoes here

A snort came from opposite, and the look in Ye Heng's eyes grew colder.

"You just want to find laborers? I despise people like you the most, pretending to huddle for warmth and mutual support, but actually you just want to imprison us survivors and freelancers to drive us around for your amusement; we'd rather freeze or starve to death, die in the mouths of zombies, than become your slaves!"

"I see your face isn't too bad, I won't hold it against you—get lost!"

After he finished speaking, the burly man lifted the rack again.

Take this back, disassemble it—the planks can block the wind, the poles can be used as weapons.

The few teammates beside Ye Heng frowned, exchanging glances; this guy's words are too unpleasant—how could they be that kind of person?

However, seeing the team captain say nothing, they all chose to stay silent; arguing verbally is useless.

Ye Heng sighed; he knew convincing these scattered civilians to join the shelter wouldn't be that simple.

As he knew, many shelters were indeed as he described—civilians without contribution lived worse than livestock.

Initially, everyone built the shelter perhaps truly just to huddle for warmth.

But as the apocalypse shifted into the wasteland era, a new order gradually took shape, and within those shelters new ecological rules emerged.

Some tasted the sweetness of power, becoming local emperors and exploiters in the wasteland.

Civilians, to survive and for this hard-won refuge, either endure in silence or, if they can't fight back, join.

Nowadays, those survivors who remain unaffiliated with any organization mostly are people who resist the shelter's rules.

The other party, seeing someone of similar age who could protect those three youths in such harsh conditions, must have some ability, and naturally is even less willing to submit to others.

Ye Heng thought for a moment, then temporarily refrained from casually speaking to detain them.

He also needed to devise a way to make these people willingly follow him.

Zeng Yan carried the large rack to the bus just moments ago, looked up and said, "Come down, let's go."

Soon, three heads poked out from the bus roof, curiously staring at Ye Heng's group not far away.

"Uncle, who are they?"

Zeng Yan turned his head, glanced again at Ye Heng, and frowned, saying:

"Another shelter person trying to invite me to join them."

One of the boys immediately became anxious upon hearing that.

"Uncle, you must absolutely not agree—they harbor no good intentions!"

Zeng Yan nodded: "Rest assured, I, Zeng Yan, keep my word—once I say I won't abandon you, I won't; hurry down, if we return late Grandpa and Grandma will worry again."

As he spoke, the three boys leapt down from the bus, one making a face at Ye Heng's group, then left with Zeng Yan.

Seeing this, Ye Heng immediately understood—this older brother apparently worries that the shelter only wants him, not the other weak members of the team.

He guessed this had happened before; after many such experiences, he grew ever more averse to shelter people.

In this man-eating age, everyone knows the incapable are not just burdens; they also take others' supplies, adding no labor but another mouth to feed.

For survival, most people are unwilling to accept such burdens, yet one cannot say they are necessarily great evildoers.

"Uncle, that person is still staring at you—let's hurry."

Zeng Yan naturally also knew Ye Heng's group hadn't left, but they hadn't obstructed them either; at least they were more reasonable than those previous shelter people.

"Hurry up—I haven't hunted any zombies today; after returning the rack, I'll go out again to hunt some zombies, then in a few days head to the trading zone to exchange for supplies."

The three boys followed closely, feeling completely safe under Zeng Yan's protection.

But just then, one of the boys' faces gradually turned pale, and fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Immediately after, his vision went black and he collapsed.

"Oh no, Third Brother has fainted from hunger!"

Zeng Yan quickly set down the rack to check on Xiao Lao San; seeing his lips pale and cold sweat pouring out in waves, he knew it was truly a hunger-induced faint.

This was already the fifth faint this month; he knew it was malnutrition-induced low blood sugar, but there was nothing to do—their stored food was scarce, far from enough to share.

Xiao Lao San also has a sister and an elderly grandmother; each time he secretly gives part of his rations to his family, which is why he keeps fainting.

If this continues, they might not survive the extreme cold.

"Captain, that child seems to have fainted from hunger—should we go check?"

Ye Heng thought, an opportunity had arrived.

He led his people forward, and Zeng Yan immediately became alert.

"Stop, don't come any closer!"

Ye Heng complied, not moving forward, and showed full sincerity.

"Brother, I see this little friend has fainted from hunger; if we don't replenish his energy soon, he could go into shock."

In such extreme weather, shock would mean only death awaits him.

How could Zeng Yan not know that?

Another boy beside him looked up at Ye Heng, somewhat indignant.

"We certainly know we need to find food for him quickly, but you speak lightly—any useful supplies on the street have been scavenged clean by your shelter people; where are we supposed to find more?"

Speaking of this, the two boys grew very indignant, yet could do nothing about it.

If it weren't that most of their team are the old, weak, sick, and disabled, they wouldn't be in such a dire state.

Uncle Zeng Yan has never abandoned them, but they also know that if Zeng Yan joined the shelter, he would certainly live better than now.

He's just too kind-hearted to cast aside these burdens.

Ye Heng felt somewhat moved upon hearing that.

He too had experienced the misery of not eating enough or staying warm, where moving would make him see stars and his legs tremble.

After thinking, Ye Heng looked at Zeng Yan and took out a hot sweet potato from his space.

The sweet potato's aroma isn't strong normally, but in this food-scarce wasteland where everyone is like starving ghosts, even a hint of food scent can be infinitely magnified.

Soon, Zeng Yan and the two boys' gazes snapped toward him in unison.

When they saw what Ye Heng was holding in his hand, they all widened their eyes.

"Take it, just consider it my act of kindness; let that boy eat it while it's hot."

Even the sweet potato would be fine, but it's actually still steaming!

At this moment, Ceng Yan's heart was overwhelmed with shock.

"Are you a spatial ability user?"

Ye Heng nodded, not denying it.

Seeing Ceng Yan still shocked, he didn't reach out to take it, but personally went to the fainted boy's side and shook him awake.

"Don't sleep, get up and eat something."

Perhaps it was the sweet potato's aroma stimulating him, or perhaps the instinct to survive driving him; the boy quickly opened his eyes and, holding Ye Heng's hand, bit the sweet potato cleanly.

Seeing the sweet potato gone, the other two boys licked their lips, feeling extremely envious.

They had never eaten sweet potato before, and it was said to be very sweet.

"How about it, Third Brother, is that thing tasty? What flavor is it?"

The boy called Third Brother licked his lips, repeatedly savoring the sweetness in his mouth, thinking that if this was merely a fantasy before his death, it would still be worth it.

Being able to taste such delicious hot food before death makes the Yellow Springs road less bitter….