Chapter 152: Understanding This Cruel World

Zhang Su's words instantly chilled the blood of Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Xiu.

"Big brother, big sister, we didn't do anything! We were barely trying to escape, and we treated Uncle Tan and Lanlan well before!"

"Captain Jia, say something! You know I gave Lanlan a pack of sanitary pads—tell big sister!"

Jia Shiqin saw their pleading eyes, heard himself know nothing of the matter, and couldn't bring himself to lie—he stammered, avoiding their gaze.

"If either of you says another word, I'll cut off a finger!"

Zhang Su had seen all kinds of people; from their instant betrayal of Xiang Wei alone, he knew these two women were no good.

"I…"

"Good. One word!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, Tang Xiaoxiao regretted it. Seeing the towering figure approaching, she waved her hands frantically, casting pleading glances at the nearby members of the self-rescue team.

"Brother Zhang… sigh… nothing."

Jia Shiqin couldn't bring himself to speak, wanted to say something, but ended up saying nothing—only frowned and turned away.

Thud.

Zhang Su kicked Tang Xiaoxiao from behind, sending her sprawling, then planted one foot on her back, seized her bound hands, and twisted a leg between her fingers.

A flash of cold steel—the little finger fell to the ground.

"Wu… wu… wu…"

Tang Xiaoxiao wept from the pain but dared not make a sound, shaking her head desperately to suppress it.

"Ah…"

The hairstylist beside her gasped softly, staring at Zhang Su with fear; when he looked her way, she waved her hands wildly and shrank back several steps.

Tan Hua saw Zhang Su act without hesitation and knew something was amiss. She turned to her daughter and asked: "Lanlan, did they do anything to you?"

"They were always mean—stole my canned food, and… and took my clothes and two packs of sanitary pads. After yesterday's incident, they followed Xiang Wei, helped him do evil, pressured me to agree to his demands, and secretly plotted to kill Grandpa, then tie me up and hand me over to Xiang Wei for his bed."

Mo Qianlan recounted their crimes calmly—she wasn't the mastermind, but she was unquestionably an accomplice.

Tan Hua's eyes turned red with rage; anyone seeing her might have thought she'd turned into a zombie!

She turned to the two women, still sobbing and shaking their heads in pleading, her chest heaving violently.

"All three of you deserve to die. You all deserve to die!"

"Big brother, please spare me! Big brother, I was a top technician at Jinxi Foot Spa—I'm excellent at my craft. I'll serve only you from now on, I'll make you feel wonderful, big brother, save me!"

Tang Xiu crawled to Zhang Su's side, no longer caring about one word, one finger—this was life or death. She knew that if anyone here could save her, it was this man; she longed to please him utterly right now.

"Get lost! What does Brother Su need with your trash? Pfft!" Zheng Xinyu kicked Tang Xiu hard, sending her rolling across the floor.

She knew exactly what kind of woman Zhang Su wanted—never a piece of trash like this.

The searing pain of her severed finger made Tang Xiaoxiao's face pale, and for once, she laughed: "Hmph, hahahaha—why beg him? Will begging help? You think he's their leader and can save you? He won't. He has to protect his team's interests, protect his own position—he'll let that fat cow kill us!"

Her words sent a ripple through the crowd. Some things are better left unsaid—speak them, and you lose your friends.

Yu Wen adjusted his glasses and said: "Miss, your words are unfair. Mr. Zhang has shouldered immense moral burdens, prioritizing team safety, comrades' lives, and future survival—he punishes wrongdoing, rewards merit, and naturally, exacts vengeance."

"Heh… Yu teacher, you're making my skin crawl—hahaha." Zhang Su waved his hand.

"My brother always puts the team first. How dare you sow discord, you bitch? Laozi, pfft!"

Zhao Dezhù spat a thick glob of phlegm directly onto Tang Xiaoxiao.

"Brother Su led us out with real weapons and real blood. How dare you slander him, you trash? Do you think I won't tear your mouth apart?" Zhong Xiaoshan's eyebrows snapped up, revealing rare ferocity.

The others said nothing, but their expressions spoke volumes—companions who had shared life and death could not be divided by a few words. Others might be swayed, but never Zhang Su!

Zhang Su looked at Tang Xiu, lying on the ground weeping: "You don't need to beg me—you're worthless in my eyes. Old Tan…"

"Brother Su… you decide. Whatever you think should be done to these three, I'll follow your orders!"

Tan Hua thought Tang Xiaoxiao's words were cruel, but had some truth. She couldn't let her personal vengeance fracture the team, nor could she make Zhang Su's position harder—he was her savior.

"I think?" Zhang Su rubbed his chin. "I think we should wake up Xiang Wei, then let all three of them walk the same path—may they have company on the road to the netherworld."

Without heeding Tang Xiu's pleas or Tang Xiaoxiao's curses, Zhang Su led the group out. He left the rest to Tan Hua—no need to waste words on the dying.

"Brother Su!"

Tan Hua called out to stop him: "Could you… please take my daughter out first…"

"No, Mom, I'm not leaving."

Mo Qianlan stood firm beside her. She wasn't foolish—she knew what was coming. She wanted to stay, yet feared it. But a voice inside told her: she must stay, must face it bravely.

Zhang Su said: "Old Tan, your daughter's fifteen. Even if she were five, she needs to learn how cruel this world is."

He looked at Mo Qianlan and smiled: "Little beauty, learn well from your mom—she's amazing. Listen to her."

Mo Qianlan, startled that the team leader spoke to her, nodded stiffly and murmured, "Yes."

The first-floor floor was damp. Zhang Su led everyone upstairs, standing on the corridor, and asked Jia Shiqin: "Jia master, what are your plans now?"

"Brother, I want to join you! I can run, I can fight, I'm hardworking and obedient—will you take me?"

Before Jia Shiqin could speak, the delivery boy Qi Xiaoshuai burst out excitedly, jumping and bouncing, even doing a backflip to show off his abilities.

"Your captain hasn't spoken, and you're already trying to switch teams?" Zhang Su studied Qi Xiaoshuai with amusement.

"Brother Zhang, don't call me captain—I've been a lousy one. If you'll take Qi Xiaoshuai and Lu Leiyan, I'd be grateful. One's tough and fierce, the other's meticulous. I saw they were good material, but I didn't know how to train them. Under you, they'll surely improve!"

Jia Shiqin spoke with sincere earnestness.

"Ah… uh…"

At that moment, a wretched scream echoed from Tianliang Hongmu downstairs, followed by desperate pleas and curses—everyone knew Tan Hua had begun.

"Cough…" Zhang Su wasn't surprised. He turned to Jia Shiqin: "Jia master, you recommended them—what about you?"

"Me?" Jia Shiqin suddenly smiled with relief, looked up at the pitch-black furniture mall, and said: "I'm tired of running. This place is fine. I'll stop here and rest."

"Captain Jia, don't say that! There's no food, no water, nothing here—how can you stay?"

Qi Xiaoshuai looked anxious.

"Running has no end. I'm truly exhausted." Jia Shiqin gazed sadly at the dark shops around him, already mentally planning which ones to loot next.

Zhang Su rubbed his nose. The delivery boy and the hairstylist were useful, but what truly interested him was Jia Shiqin's electrical skills—vital for building a future base.

"Old Jia, if you rest now, you might rest forever. Have you thought this through?" Zhang Su asked calmly.

Jia Shiqin sighed, said nothing—his silence spoke volumes.

"Old Jia, I'll be honest—my team has people from all walks of life, but no electrician. We need your skills. How about joining us? Don't let your talent go to waste."

Jia Shiqin blinked, embarrassed, scratching his head: "Brother Zhang, there's no electricity anywhere now—what use is an electrician? Don't fool me…"

"No electricity now doesn't mean no electricity later. We have solar panels on both of our RVs, and a fuel generator. Once we find a place to settle, won't those be power sources?"

Zhang Su truly thought Jia Shiqin wasn't cut out to be a leader—how could a leader be so passive? Could such a team survive?

"Huh? Brother Zhang, you're planning to build a safe base somewhere?"

Jia Shiqin's interest stirred after hearing Zhang Su.

Zhang Su spread his hands: "You don't think we're just driving three vehicles around aimlessly, do you? Back at the Nonghua Glass Factory where we met you, further ahead is a bridge to Qingxian—it was blown up. Otherwise, we'd have settled in the mountains long ago, and you'd never have met us…"

"Then Tan Daqi wouldn't have gotten her revenge!" Zheng Xinyu's face wore a strange expression.

"They say life is unpredictable. But I think everything's predestined. Brother Zhang, thank you for seeing potential in me—I'll join your team as a lowly electrician, how's that?"

Recognition fulfilled a deep emotional need—Jia Shiqin felt profoundly satisfied.

"Excellent. No need for more introductions—let's all welcome our three new members."

Zhang Su began clapping softly.

The others accepted Jia Shiqin and his two companions. Their desertion at Jinyuan Mall was understandable—fault lay with Jia Shiqin for being careless. Beyond that, they were decent—admitting their mistakes already put them ahead of many survivors.

"Good. Since you're part of the team now, I'll ask straight: Jia, how the hell did you end up as a self-rescue team leader? You didn't drag your team into the ditch—how?"

Zhang Su pulled out a pack of cigarettes, passed them around, lit one, and drew a deep breath.

"I… sigh." Jia Shiqin smiled bitterly. "Brother Zhang, when the disaster first hit, I wasn't like this. I was active—even my child's and wife's deaths didn't break me."

"But I don't know why, as days passed, I saw no hope. Suddenly, I just gave up. My will weakened—and that led to the accident. I truly deserve to die."

As he spoke, Jia Shiqin fell into self-reproach again.

Zhang Su flicked his cigarette ash and said to those around him: "Hear that? If you ever see me slumping, wake me up—or replace me. Understood?"

"Brother Su, don't joke. Your mental strength? You'll never slump."

Lu Yubo laughed carelessly.

"He's heartless—what's there to hide? Blacker than this furniture mall!" Zheng Xinyu shot back, then softened: "But only someone this heartless could spot Xiang Wei's treachery right away. If it were us, we'd have been screwed."

"Big sister's right. I was totally confused at first—thought Brother Zhang was just being brutal, tying up everyone. Later I learned those bastards were evil—damn!"

Zhao Dezhù spat angrily.

"Bro… Brother Su… work injury. I got a work injury."

Wang Xin, arm wrapped in gauze, looked miserable.

Zhang Su stared at Wang Xin in disbelief: "That's not a work injury. How did he break free with so many watching? Don't even dare complain. Next time, ask Xiaoshan for extra meat jerky as compensation."

As he spoke, Zhang Su saw Tan Hua and her daughter emerge from Tianliang Hongmu downstairs. Others couldn't see it—he noticed the dagger was in Mo Qianlan's hand. His heart leapt—had Tan Hua already started training her daughter?

The upper limit's lifted—lots of new readers, thank you all for your support.

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(End of chapter)