Chapter 113: The Roast Dog Awoke (Today

The baseball cap wearer froze in place—he clearly recognized the others were bluffing—and shook his head. “This is the end times, but even then, you need basic conscience. We invited you to join our safe zone out of goodwill. If you don’t want to go, fine—but why try to extort us?”

“The law can’t touch you, and heaven won’t allow it!”

The baseball cap wearer’s face flushed with emotion.

“Don’t define things based on hypotheticals. Let me tell you this: from this time yesterday until now—less than twenty-four hours—we’ve been attacked by three gangs. The first, just like you, claimed there was a safe zone and tried to seize our supplies. The second stormed my old shop and beat my employees.”

“The third, about an hour ago, stole one of our vehicles in the chaos. So no more talk. Here are your two choices: either leave all the supplies on the vehicle and get out, or leave the vehicle and take the supplies with you. Choose.”

Zhang Su gave them zero room for negotiation. Ever since he saw Zhao Xue being abused, his heart had turned cold. Add to that today’s vehicle theft, and he now understood: in this world, people killed on sight; even if you killed a hundred, the innocent you mistakenly killed would rarely exceed ten percent.

The baseball cap group exchanged uneasy glances. If this weren’t a fabricated story, they couldn’t believe how twisted Zhang Su’s group’s experiences had been.

He looked pained. “Big brother, we just left the safe zone to scavenge—we’ve got almost nothing on this vehicle…”

“Then thank you for the vehicle. We’re short one. You can go.”

Zhang Su waved at them, implying that since there was no cargo, they could keep the car and leave.

Thud!

The woman, who had been silent until now, slammed her fist against the door and snapped, “You’re outrageous! This is no different from open robbery—you’re bandits!”

“Bandits? Foreign bandits? We don’t have time to waste here. Three seconds. Take your things and leave—or watch…” Zhang Su pointed to the center of the road. “Lao Tan, the shark fin on that red Audi!”

Zhang Su pointed to the middle of the road.

Before the baseball cap group even understood what he meant, they saw the fat woman with the crossbow turn sharply—and a bolt shot out with a hiss. Moments later, the shark fin on the overturned A3’s roof exploded.

!!!

Even if she wasn’t a master archer, with that accuracy, escape was impossible. Two crossbows meant two lives easily taken.

When they turned back to Tan Hua, they saw her fumbling as she reloaded the crossbow—her movements awkward. This was deeply incongruous!

“We definitely don’t have five boxes of instant noodles… We only have two cartons of eggs and three bottles of water—and the water’s our ration for today’s scavenging.”

The baseball cap wearer sighed bitterly.

Zhang Su smiled. “I’m not unreasonable. See? If you show sincerity, I’ll gladly accept. But for safety, toss your weapons over first, then send the woman with the eggs and water.”

Faced with a leader like a bandit and marksmen who never missed, resistance was pointless. The baseball cap group obeyed without hesitation.

“These eggs are for our kids’ nutrition. Hope you all get diarrhea after eating them!”

The woman dumped the two cartons—sixty eggs total—into Zhang Su’s hands and spat out a venomous curse.

“Diarrhea’s a blessing—it means you’ve got something to eat. Then I wish you three a prosperous journey and full returns!”

Zhang Su handed the eggs to Zheng Xinyu, then waved toward the driver’s seat of the Pajero.

The baseball cap wearer muttered silently, rolled his eyes, and when his companions were seated, stomped on the gas and drove off.

“What bad luck. Fuck, how could there be such bastards!”

Once the Pajero had driven a distance, the woman in the passenger seat’s eyes reddened. She vented her rage by yanking at her seatbelt over and over.

“No one’s born evil. If what that man said is true, letting us drive away is already generous. At least…”

“Forget it. I say that guy was born evil—look at him, a classic bully who preys on women. Before the disaster, Nurse Zhong couldn’t have been with someone like him. He must’ve met her after the collapse and forced her into submission!”

Chen, the deputy director, cut him off, furious.

“Chen, seriously? What time is this? You’re still thinking about chasing women? Can’t you have some dignity?” The baseball cap wearer glanced at him through the rearview mirror, utterly baffled.

Chen snorted. “Fuck, don’t let me run into that group again—or I’ll make them regret it!”

“You’ll make them regret it? I was terrified just now that fat woman would shoot us. Two crossbows—you think they’re toys? Honestly, I’m grateful their leader didn’t kill us. Didn’t you forget what happened to Xiao Ma and the others?”

At the mention of Xiao Ma, all three fell silent.

“Stop dwelling on that. We need weapons—fast.”

The baseball cap wearer sighed helplessly, mentally scanning for places to find decent weapons. Without them, scavenging would be hell.

Zhang Su’s group had no idea what was happening in the Pajero—but he himself felt uneasy, because Yu Qing was confused by his actions.

“Brother Su, I know you’re the leader and we all follow you, but was it really necessary to do that just now? Those three posed no threat, and I don’t think they were lying. What if those eggs were truly for their kids’ nutrition? What then?”

Yu Wen, already seated in the car, hurriedly got out, apologetic. “Mr. Zhang, my daughter doesn’t understand the world. Please don’t take offense. Come on, Qingqing, get in the car!”

“Dad, I’m just asking. Before, not saving people made sense—we feared wolves at the door. But this situation? Was it really necessary to take their stuff?”

Before Zhang Su could speak, Zhao Xue cut in: “Yu Qing, I saw how hard you fought the zombies with us. But bury that worthless kindness. Zhao and I paid a terrible price for our one act of kindness.”

Zhong Xiao adjusted her hair and added: “I don’t know about their safe zone, but Brother Su was right about one thing: Deputy Chen has serious problems. He doesn’t dare steal big, but he steals small constantly—and has unclear relationships with interns. He’s been reprimanded multiple times.”

“Good people before the collapse turn bad in this shitty world. Do you think the wicked can suddenly become good? I don’t believe it…”

Zhong Xiao shook her head.

Zheng Xinyu clenched her teeth. “Xue and Xiao are right!”

She couldn’t cite specific examples, but she stood by their views.

Yu Wen sighed. “One act of kindness might bring temporary peace to your heart—but it could cost the entire team’s safety. No one can bear that price. Mr. Zhang, you’ve worked hard.”

Some didn’t understand why Yu Wen was thanking Zhang Su—until they reflected and realized.

Zhang Su was playing the villain to secure the team’s welfare.

“Everything sounds so heavy and serious coming from a cultured person…”

Zhang Su waved his hand, then turned to Yu Qing: “Zhu told me you’ve been sick since the start. Your father and he cared for you through the early disaster. So your understanding of this world is limited—I don’t blame you for your kindness. Let me give you two extreme examples.”

“One survivor group’s leader is evil through and through—he burns, kills, and loots other survivors’ supplies just to keep his own people fed and safe.”

“The other group’s leader does the opposite—he constantly gives away the group’s scarce supplies to help other survivors, even if his own people starve. He’d rather kill one of his own to feed a stranger.”

“Don’t consider motives. Which group will hold together? Which will survive this shitty end times?”

Everyone silently answered—including Yu Qing.

“My scenario is extreme, but from now on, Yu Qing, you must change. Civilization has collapsed. Extreme things happen every moment. Every evil in human nature will be amplified!”

Without giving Yu Qing time to process, Zhang Su waved his hand. “Get in the car. Let’s go.”

As he turned away, he heard Yu Wen sternly reprimanding Yu Qing. He felt relieved—thankfully, she had a father who understood timing and circumstance.

“Brother Su, I just heard Teacher Yu say Teacher Yu… do you think Teacher Yu might turn into Song Yijun?”

As the car started, Zheng Xinyu asked, worried.

Zhang Su shook his head. “No. Yu Qing is fundamentally different from Song Yijun. Song Yijun has only a loud mouth and a resentful heart. Yu Qing is kind—but not foolish. She’s active in fighting zombies and doing tasks. I can tell—she’s simply kind. Kindness in a teacher is normal. Too bad it’s ill-suited for now.”

“Uh…” Zhong Xiao hesitated. “Brother Su, I swear I have zero connection with Deputy Chen. We barely knew each other at the hospital—I just knew he existed. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Zhang Su turned to look at Zhong Xiao’s anxious face and smiled. “Relax. I’m not an idiot—I can see what’s what. Don’t think I’m petty.”

“He’s petty as hell—I’m telling you, don’t believe him…” Zheng Xinyu whispered slyly into Zhong Xiao’s ear.

She didn’t know Zhang Su heard every word—his lips twitched slightly.

Zhang Su often listened to his companions’ conversations. Through them, he learned what each person thought, whether they posed a threat, or harbored disloyalty.

…

The area where Yihe Auto was located wasn’t especially bustling, but it was near the city center. The three-story showroom was grand, and most impressive was the several-thousand-square-meter courtyard beside it, filled entirely with luxury cars.

Opposite Yihe Auto was a plot of undeveloped residential land. A construction company had erected fencing, but due to various reasons, only basic excavation had been done—no further progress.

When Zhang Su’s group arrived, they found Yihe Auto’s parking yard intact—with not a single zombie inside.

Since zombies might have followed their vehicles, they didn’t charge through the fence. Instead, they parked beside the wall opposite the road and eliminated the trailing zombies first.

“This area is so quiet—no accidents on the road!”

Lu Yubo stood by the roadside, scanning left and right. Only two or three wrecked cars. Compared to the street where they’d encountered the Pajero, this was paradise—especially since no buildings had exploded, and few windows were shattered.

They’d crossed nearly half of Qincheng’s urban area and now saw a street this peaceful for the first time.

Zhang Su looked around. “This street has no residential buildings. The shops across aren’t restaurants—no gas lines. On the day the disaster hit, hardly any cars passed here. Quietness is normal.”

“Holy shit, I never knew Qincheng had a car dealership this big. All these cars together must be worth a fortune!”

Zhao Dezhu had climbed onto the Prado’s roof and was peering into Yihe Auto’s parking yard.

“Just that row of sports cars is worth forty to fifty million. There’s more inside the showroom—definitely over a hundred million!” Lu Yubo declared confidently.

“I only care if that guy’s Mercedes RV is still here… Can you see it, Zhu?”

Perhaps for waterproofing, Yihe Auto’s parking yard was one or two meters higher than the street. From Zhang Su’s angle, he could only see the front row of supercars.

“Yes! At the back, under the canopy, there are a few big vehicles—like those RVs from TV shows. But I can’t see the logo—don’t know if it’s Mercedes.”

Zhao Dezhu stood on tiptoe, peering inside.

“Fine. Forget it. Let’s go!”

Zhang Su clapped his hands. “Besides me, Lao Tan, and Bozi, everyone else go and open the gate. We’ll drive the car inside. Don’t break anything unless absolutely necessary. Lao Tan, give them the rebar cutter you found at the hardware store.”

Using the rebar cutter to break the lock wasn’t violent destruction—only tearing the gate down counted as that…

Zhao Dezhu took the rebar cutter from Tan Hua. The others grabbed their weapons and sprinted across the road, also dismantling a section of the central barrier to make turning around easier.

Zhang Su, Lu Yubo, and Tan Hua returned to the car, started the engine, and drove across the gap in the barrier to park at the bottom of the courtyard’s slope.

Leaning in the driver’s seat, Zhang Su watched Zheng Xinyu’s group climb over the wall into the yard. He took a moment to light a cigarette, drew a slow, satisfying puff, and began planning the days ahead.

“Get that big RV, swap a few more vehicles, head to Qingshan this afternoon. When night falls, find a…”

Just then, he heard a faint sound behind him. He spun around—a dog’s head had pressed close, and its tongue slapped loudly against his cheek.

Plop.

Zhang Su froze. The cigarette dropped onto the passenger seat before he reacted. He snatched it up, frantically wiping his face. “What the fuck, dumb dog—when did you wake up…?”

“Wang~!”

A Corgi, its head only peeking out of the bag, softly responded. It looked delighted, tongue out, mouth curled like it was smiling.

“Fuck, so much for a nice dog hotpot?”

Zhang Su muttered bitterly. A twenty- to thirty-pound dog, plus potatoes, winter melon, and meatballs—enough for a feast for over ten people!

“Ying ying.”

The moment he spoke, the Corgi’s eyes instantly dimmed. It whimpered pitifully twice.

"Hey..." Zhang Su stared at the Corgi in surprise; its two large ears stood up alertly, and he asked curiously, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

"Wang!"

The Corgi immediately gave an enthusiastic response, its dark eyes gleaming brightly.

But its clever behavior struck Zhang Su as merely dumb and adorable—he completely doubted a dog could understand him. His eyes rolled as an idea came to mind: "Stupid dog, it's dangerous outside, so don't bark, got it?"

To Zhang Su’s astonishment, the Corgi actually nodded its head like a human—and stayed completely silent.

"What the fuck..."

Zhang Su was stunned. He was about to test it again when he saw the gate being pushed open; five or six people were jointly prying the barrier aside and gesturing for them to drive in.

"We’ve got work to do now—if you really understand me, don’t move around!"

Saying that, Zhang Su paid no more attention to the Corgi, gently pressed the accelerator, and drove up the slope into the courtyard.

"Brother Su, we’ve hit the jackpot!"

Before the car even stopped, Wu Lue bounced over to the window, exclaiming: "So many luxury cars! This trip’s turned our old gun into a cannon—hell, we could each get a sports car!"

"What’s the point of sports cars..."

Zhang Su doused Wu Lue’s enthusiasm with cold water, his gaze fixed on several massive vehicles in the distant garage: three RVs, one of them a Mercedes Vario Signature 1200!

"Everyone, go into the store and find the keys—they should be in the boss’s office. Watch out for Zombie Liu! Hey, Xinyu, come here!"

Zhang Su rolled down his window and waved to Zheng Xinyu.

Zheng Xinyu pointed at her own nose in confusion, wondering why Zhang Su had called her over alone. She walked over to the van and asked, "What is it?"

"Get in the car!"

Zhang Su gestured for Zheng Xinyu to come inside to speak.

This odd behavior left Zheng Xinyu baffled—and everyone else equally confused. No one understood what these two were up to so mysteriously. Was it really happening in the car, in broad daylight?

Impossible...

Lu Yu immediately sidled up to Zhong Xiaoshan and whispered slyly, "Sister-in-law, what’s Brother Su and Sister-in-law planning?"

Zhong Xiaoshan gave Lu Yu a strange look and shook her head: "I don’t know."

"Brother Su, what’s going on so... whoa!"

Zheng Xinyu opened the door and sat inside—only to immediately spot a pair of eyes inside the car: dark, gleaming, watching her curiously.

"The Dog Hotpot’s awake—tell me what we should do!"

Zhang Su helplessly pointed at the Corgi.

Hnng.

It seemed the term “Dog Hotpot” had upset the Corgi—it nipped Zhang Su’s shoulder, but only lightly, without biting, as if expressing its displeasure.

"Look at this! The stupid dog’s biting people! I’m done!"

Zhang Su grumpily pushed the dog’s head away.

Zheng Xinyu cooed softly while hugging her bag, then scolded: "If you were going to turn it into hotpot, of course it’d be upset! The Corgi’s smart—its IQ ranks eleventh among dogs!"

"Fine, fine, smart. Teach it all you want—I’m leaving."

Zhang Su shook his head helplessly and got out of the car. He was actually glad the dog had woken up—life in the apocalypse was too grim. A dog livening up the group’s mood was a blessing, if only it listened.

"Little doggy, he’s bad. We ignore him. Sister’s here... ow!"

Zheng Xinyu pulled the Corgi out of her bag—but it leapt straight out, sprinting after Zhang Su with surprising agility and strength, even kicking her thigh painfully!

After getting out, the Corgi’s tail stood up like an antenna, wagging happily as it circled Zhang Su, tongue lolling out in a wide grin.

"Why are you following me? She’s your guardian! Go to her! Shoo!"

Zhang Su kicked the Corgi away irritably.

Zheng Xinyu stepped out, grumbling as she saw the Corgi frolicking with Zhang Su: "Ungrateful little thing—if it weren’t for me, you’d already be in a hotpot! Hmph!"

The Corgi seemed to truly understand Zheng Xinyu’s words—it suddenly sat still, tilting its head with a puzzled look, as if asking: Really?

The last carefree day of the year is over; the coming weeks will be busy. Tomorrow we must start preparing the New Year’s feast—otherwise we won’t finish by the day after. Then we’ll be swamped until the third or fourth day of the New Year. Honestly, this year feels exhausting—none of the old joy remains...

(End of Chapter)