Chapter 130: Who moves, dies

"Nonsense!"

The villagers at the edge of the field were itching with rage. They knew exactly what the situation was like at Pang Dakun's home; where could all these relatives have popped out from? It was pure nonsense.

"Thief, you really are a beast who forgets his ancestors. Not only do you steal things yourself, but you've also colluded with outsiders to steal from the village. Your grandfather won't be able to rest in peace even in death!"

Someone in the crowd pointed at Pang Dakun and cursed.

Immediately, someone else chimed in: "Pang Dakun, where did you bury your grandfather? I'm going to go tell Old Man Pang about the good deeds you, this shameless beast, have done!"

"I..."

Just as Pang Dakun was about to speak, Zhang Su pressed down on his shoulder and said, "If you have hands and feet, don't just rely on your tongue. Look at this street; we cleared it out. If you have the ability, go clear out the other streets yourselves. If you don't have the skill, then get the hell out of here!"

The villagers looked at the dismantled barricade, their expressions complex. They knew these people weren't lying, but relying on their numbers, there was no way they would let them drive away with several trucks full of grain.

"Seeing as you've worked hard, we can let you take some grain—three hundred catties, no more. Give the rest back to us!"

Da Tie, the leader, carried a pickaxe on his shoulder and sneered, saying what he considered to be reasonable.

"We aren't tired at all, and we certainly don't need your charity. Since we had the ability to clear out a street, we'll take as much as we want. To borrow your words from just now: if you don't get lost, I'll make sure none of you leave!"

Zhang Su found that there was absolutely no way to reason with this group of people; he had lost his patience.

If these villagers had seen people clearing out zombies and come over to help, they would be friends. If they had come to negotiate or trade supplies, they could have talked. Even if they had just stood by and watched, it would have been a case of "you stay on your side, I stay on mine." But with this attitude, there was nothing to discuss.

Originally, Zhang Su had been wondering if he could use the 【Loyalty Brand】 to control their leader, Da Tie, and further recruit the others—they were, after all, decent muscle.

But based on his observations, the villagers only listened to Da Tie on the surface, or rather, they only pushed him forward as a spiritual leader. Everyone had their own ideas; they were far from a united front.

A team like this had no meaning even if he controlled the leader; they were still just a pile of loose sand!

The villagers thought Zhang Su was just making empty threats, but everyone on his team—except for the newcomers Zhang Ya and Pang Dakun—knew that things had escalated. Zhang Su never spoke empty threats; he only did ruthless things.

Yu Qing was burning with anxiety. She was the one who least wanted to see a conflict, because once one broke out, there would inevitably be casualties.

She tugged on her father Yu Wen's clothes and gave him a look.

Yu Wen, of course, knew what his daughter was thinking, but he just frowned and shook his head; the meaning was clear: don't meddle!

He then stepped forward a few paces and said, "Mr. Zhang, would you allow me to try talking to them?"

Zhang Su looked at Yu Wen, saw his serious expression, and nodded, saying, "Give it a try."

Yu Wen stepped forward again, greeted the other side very politely, and then spoke several passages, trying to move them with emotion and reason.

However, the group on the other side was completely impervious to reason. Not only did they not take in a single word, they even cursed Yu Wen out.

Zhang Su looked at the frustrated, dirt-faced Yu Wen and patted his shoulder: "You've worked hard..."

"Sigh..."

Yu Wen sighed, walked back into the ranks, and gave Yu Qing a "see what I told you" look.

"Sending an old man out to plead for mercy—are you all idiots?"

Da Tie hoisted his pickaxe onto his shoulder and grinned, saying, "You think a single crossbow scares us? I'll say it again: you won't take a single grain of rice from Water Hollow Village. If you don't behave, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

"Guess how many bolts you can fire in the time it takes us to charge over and slaughter you? One? Two? There are seventeen of us. So what if two or three get hit? That piece of junk can barely hit a bird, let alone kill a man. When it comes to a real fight, my pickaxe is a life-taker!"

As he spoke, Da Tie swung his pickaxe around impressively. It was quite a sight, and one couldn't help but imagine the severe consequences of being hit by that thing—death or serious injury!

"That's right. If you're smart, leave the stuff and get lost. Otherwise, none of you will live to see another day. In this world, I don't think anyone cares if a few people get killed, right?"

Immediately, villagers began to chime in. Their voices were loud, for fear that Zhang Su's team wouldn't hear them.

"Of course no one cares. Kill them all, dump them in the village, who would know?"

"Old Qiu, you're overcomplicating it. No need to dump them; just let them rot here, no one will care. Do it, let's finish them!"

"Do it, they dare to rob our grain, finish them!"

"Finish them!"

The chorus followed. The seventeen villagers felt victory was in their grasp; each of them brandished their weapons, incredibly agitated, their emotions at a fever pitch.

"Haha..." Zhang Su grinned and said, "Since the disaster broke out, do you know what kind of people I hate the most? Not the cowards who tremble at the sight of zombies, nor the beggars kneeling for food. It's you pieces of trash who don't dare kill zombies, but act like bullies when you meet humans, only knowing how to fight among yourselves!"

"Tan Hua-jun! That pickaxe-wielding bastard!"

At Zhang Su's command, just as he raised his crossbow again, a whistling sound passed by his ear.

*Whoosh. *

Before the villagers could react, Da Tie, the leader, stiffened. His neck jerked back, and the crowd watched in horror as a crossbow bolt pierced his forehead. His half-ton frame slowly toppled backward, his eyes wide open, dying with his grievances unavenged.

"They've killed someone! Charge! Kill them to avenge Da Tie!"

Someone shouted, and they saw people stepping over Da Tie's corpse and rushing toward the fertilizer shop.

*Swish, thud. *

"Ah!"

Just as the villagers were taking their first steps to charge, another person was hit by a bolt. This time, it wasn't the forehead, but the abdomen. It was agonizing but not immediately fatal. That person was ruthless, clutching his stomach and continuing to charge.

Just as Zhang Su had said, these people were extremely vicious when facing their own kind, but when it came to dealing with zombies, they became timid.

Tan Hua-jun reloaded her crossbow quickly as she fired the second bolt while the villagers were charging twenty meters forward!

*Swish. *

*Thud. *

Another person fell with a bolt in their head; the accuracy was astonishing.

Even though two had already fallen, the villagers showed no sign of retreating. Their emotions had been ignited; there was no turning back. They roared as they charged toward Zhang Su's team, looking as if they wouldn't stop until they had torn the men, women, and children to pieces.

On Zhang Su's side, the rest of the team was ready for battle. There were no cowards in the group. The only one who was hesitant was Pei Lan, who had her arm in a sling; she was standing on the roof of the fertilizer shop, picking up a red brick, waiting for the enemy to get close enough to "reason" with them.

Yu Qing, who harbored kindness, didn't want to see anyone get hurt, but she wasn't about to sit still and be slaughtered. On the contrary, to reduce the pressure on her father and Zhao De-zhu, her fighting spirit was soaring.

The most inconspicuous one, the Corgi Lucky, had already snuck into the weeds on the side. Its eyes were cold, and it bared its teeth in a rare display of aggression. It was coiled tight, ready for a fatal strike at any moment.

Zhang Su and his partners were different from the villagers; not only did they dare to fight zombies, they weren't afraid of their own kind. Especially in a head-on clash—just do it!

Unfortunately, Zhang Su didn't give the others a chance to "do it."

After firing his crossbow, he didn't reload like Tan Hua-jun. Instead, he quickly slung the crossbow over his shoulder, lifted the hem of his shirt, pulled out a pitch-black USP, and pulled the trigger without hesitation at the person charging in the front.

*Bang! *

The crisp gunshot echoed between heaven and earth, ringing in their hearts, shaking their very souls.

Everyone froze. The villagers subconsciously slowed their pace. Zhang Su's team was also startled; no one knew that Zhang Su had already chambered a round...

*Bang, bang, bang, bang-bang... *

Once the trigger was pulled, it wouldn't stop easily. By the time he emptied the thirteen rounds in the magazine, five villagers had fallen in disbelief.

Hearing the empty slide lock back on Zhang Su's pistol, the remaining villagers, who were about to charge again regardless, were horrified to see him pull out another gun—an identical one...

In the era of peace, two villages fighting over water could lead to armed conflict; let alone in the apocalypse, where they were fighting over resources. It was no child's play. From the villagers' aggressive attitude, Zhang Su felt a thick intent to kill. He didn't doubt his comrades' combat effectiveness, and he was confident they could win in close-quarters combat, but there would inevitably be injuries, or even deaths.

That was not something he wanted to see!

"Who moves, dies!"

Zhang Su didn't pull the trigger again this time, but spoke coldly. His voice wasn't loud, but it shook the hearts of everyone in the quiet environment.

From the start of the charge to the distance of only about ten meters, seventeen people had been reduced to ten. Seven lives were enough to wake the remaining ten from their hot-blooded excitement.

Seeing the pitch-black muzzle, the remaining villagers stopped in their tracks, having basically lost the courage to advance again.

As the scene fell silent, the howling of the zombies in the village drifted over. The gunshots had been too loud, acting like a zombie magnet, attracting even those a hundred meters away.

(End of chapter)

(End of Chapter)