Chapter 152

Zhang Su's words immediately made the blood of the two women, Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Xiu, run cold.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, we didn't do anything. We were too busy running for our lives, and we were actually quite good to Uncle Tan and Lanlan before!"

"Captain Jia, say something, you know everything. I even gave a pack of sanitary pads to Lanlan, tell Big Sister."

Seeing their pleading gazes and hearing about things he knew nothing about, Jia Shiqin couldn't bring himself to lie. He stammered, his eyes darting away.

"If you two say one more word, I'll chop off a finger!"

Zhang Su had seen all kinds of people; just from how they betrayed Xiang Wei without hesitation, he could tell these two women were definitely no good.

"I..."

"Good, one word!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, Tang Xiaoxiao regretted it. Seeing the tall figure walking toward her, she waved her hands repeatedly, casting pleading looks at the members of the self-rescue team beside her.

"Brother Zhang... sigh, never mind."

Jia Shiqin really couldn't bring himself to do it. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, just turned around with a frown.

Thud.

Zhang Su kicked Tang Xiaoxiao over from behind, stepped on her back with one foot, grabbed her bound hands, and wedged a dog-leg knife into the gap between her fingers.

A cold glint flashed, and a little finger hit the ground.

"Wuwuwu..."

Tang Xiaoxiao cried from the pain but didn't dare make a sound, shaking her head repeatedly, trying her best to restrain herself.

"Ah..."

The hairstylist to the side gasped softly, his gaze toward Zhang Su filled with fear. Seeing the other party look at him, he waved his hands repeatedly and shrank back several steps.

Seeing Zhang Su take action without hesitation, Tan Huajun thought there must be more to this. She turned to her daughter and said: "Lanlan, did they do anything to you?"

"They were usually quite fierce. They snatched my canned food, and... and they snatched my clothes and two packs of sanitary pads. After the incident yesterday, they followed Xiang Wei, helped him do evil, urged me to agree to Xiang Wei's demands, and even secretly discussed killing Grandpa, then... then tying me up to send to Xiang Wei to warm his bed."

Mo Qianlan recounted their evil deeds. They weren't the masterminds, but they were definitely accomplices.

Upon hearing this, Tan Huajun was so angry her eyes turned red; anyone who didn't know better would think she had turned into a zombie!

She turned her head to look at the two women who were crying and shaking their heads, begging for mercy, her chest heaving violently.

"All three of you deserve to die, all of you deserve to die!"

"Brother, Brother, spare me. Brother, I used to be a gold-medal technician at Jinxi Bathhouse. My skills are great, I'll serve you alone from now on, I guarantee I'll make you feel comfortable, Brother, save me."

Tang Xiu crawled on her knees to Zhang Su's side. She no longer cared about the "one word, one finger" rule; it was a matter of life and death now. She knew that if there was anyone in this place who could save her life, it was likely this man. She was dying to suck up to him right now to make him feel good.

"Get lost, what would Brother Su want with a trash can like you? Ptooey!" Zheng Xinyu flew up and kicked Tang Xiu, sending her rolling on the ground.

She knew very well what kind of woman Zhang Su wanted; it could never be a piece of trash or a burden like this.

The excruciating pain of her severed finger made Tang Xiaoxiao's face extremely pale, and she laughed in a way that was contrary to her usual self: "Hehehe, why beg him? Is begging him useful? You think just because he's the leader of this group he can save you? He won't dare. He has to protect the interests of his team members, protect his own status, so he will definitely let that fat woman kill us!"

These words shocked everyone present. Some things are better left unsaid; once said, there are no friends left.

Yu Wen adjusted his glasses and said: "Miss, your words are biased. Mr. Zhang bears many burdens of conscience alone, prioritizing team safety, putting the lives of his companions first, and basing everything on future development. He punishes faults, rewards merits, and naturally, he also repays grudges!"

"Heh... Teacher Yu, you're saying things that even my thick skin can't handle, haha." Zhang Su waved his hand.

"My big brother has always put the team's interests first. You bitch, you dare to sow discord? I'll—heh, ptooey!"

Zhao Dezhu very rudely spat a glob of phlegm onto Tang Xiaoxiao.

"Brother Su has led us out through real blades and guns. You bitch, how dare you slander him? Do you believe I'll tear your mouth apart?" Zhong Xiaoshan raised her eyebrows, revealing a rare ferocity.

Although the others didn't speak, the expressions on their faces said it all. Partners who have shared life and death cannot be divided by a few words. Perhaps others could be swayed, but it could never be Zhang Su!

Zhang Su looked at Tang Xiu, who was sobbing on the ground: "You really don't need to beg me, because in my eyes, you're completely useless! Old Tan..."

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

Tan Huajun felt that although Tang Xiaoxiao's words were venomous, they did have some truth to them. She couldn't let her personal vendetta affect the unity of the entire team, and even more so, she couldn't make things difficult for Zhang Su, because Zhang Su was her savior.

"I think?" Zhang Su stroked his chin and said: "I think we should wake Xiang Wei up, then let the three of them go on the road together, so they can keep each other company on the Yellow Springs road."

After saying this, Zhang Su ignored Tang Xiu's pleas and Tang Xiaoxiao's curses, and led his people outside. Leaving the rest for Tan Huajun to handle herself was enough; there was no need to waste breath on the dying.

"Brother Su!"

Tan Huajun called out to stop Zhang Su: "Um, could you please take my daughter out first..."

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

Mo Qianlan stood to the side, somewhat stubbornly. She wasn't a fool; she knew what was about to happen. She wanted to stay, but she was indeed a bit afraid. However, a voice in her heart told her that she must stay and face all of this with strength.

Zhang Su said: "Old Tan, don't say your daughter is already fifteen; even if she were five, she should be made to recognize the cruelty of this world!"

After saying this, he looked at Mo Qianlan and smiled: "Little beauty, learn well from your mom. Your mom is very capable, be obedient from now on!"

Hearing the team leader speak to her, Mo Qianlan nodded somewhat reservedly and said "Oh."

The ground floor was damp, so Zhang Su led everyone up to the second floor. Standing in the hallway, he said to Jia Shiqin: "Master Jia, what are your plans for the future?"

"Brother, I want to join you. I can run, I can fight, I'm diligent, I'm obedient. Can you take me in?"

Before Jia Shiqin could speak, the delivery guy Qi Xiaoshuai spoke up very excitedly, jumping and leaping, even doing a backflip, trying his best to show off his capabilities.

"Your captain hasn't even spoken yet, and you're already in a rush to jump ship?" Zhang Su looked at Qi Xiaoshuai playfully.

"Brother Zhang, please stop calling me captain. I've been a captain like a piece of dog shit. If possible, I hope you can take Qi Xiaoshuai and Lu Leiyang. One of them can fight and struggle, the other is meticulous in his work. I saw early on that they were both good material, it's just a pity I didn't know how to cultivate them. Under your leadership, they will definitely get better and better!"

Jia Shiqin said very sincerely.

"Ah, uh..."

Just at this moment, everyone heard a miserable wail ring out from the Tianliang Rosewood shop on the first floor, accompanied by continuous pleas and curses. Everyone knew that Tan Huajun had taken action.

"Cough..." Zhang Su wasn't surprised by this result at all. He looked at Jia Shiqin and said: "Master Jia, you recommended those two, but what about yourself?"

"Me?" Jia Shiqin suddenly revealed a smile of relief. He looked up at the pitch-black furniture mall and said: "I'm tired of running. This place is not bad, I plan to stop here and take a rest."

"Captain Jia, don't do that. There's no food or drink here, nothing at all, how can that work?"

The delivery guy Qi Xiaoshuai was a bit anxious.

"The days of fleeing have no end. I'm really tired." Jia Shiqin looked desolately at the dark shops all around, seemingly already starting to plan which shop to start scavenging supplies from next.

Zhang Su rubbed his nose. The delivery guy with decent combat power and the meticulous hairstylist were certainly helpful to the team, but he was more interested in Jia Shiqin's electrician skills, which would be of vital help for establishing a base in the future.

"Old Jia, you want to rest. If you rest now, a whole lifetime might pass by. Have you thought it through?" Zhang Su asked calmly.

Jia Shiqin sighed and said nothing; everything was understood without words.

"Old Jia, to be honest with you, I have people from all walks of life in my team, but I don't have an electrician yet. We really need your skill. How about it, come with us, don't let your craft go to waste."

Jia Shiqin was stunned and scratched his head embarrassedly: "Brother Zhang, there's no electricity anywhere now, what would you need an electrician for? Don't pull my leg..."

"Just because there's no electricity now doesn't mean there can't be in the future. Both of our RVs have solar panels, and we have a fuel generator. Once we find a place to settle down, aren't these all devices that provide electricity?"

Zhang Su really didn't think Jia Shiqin was cut out to be a captain; what kind of leader was this negative? Could this team ever be any good?

"Hmm? Brother Zhang, are you planning to find a place to establish a safe base?"

Jia Shiqin seemed to become interested after hearing Zhang Su's words.

Zhang Su spread his hands and said: "You don't think we just plan to drive three cars around outside aimlessly, do you? A bit further ahead from the Nonghua Glass Factory where you met us, there's a bridge leading to Qingxian. That bridge was blown up, otherwise, we would have already settled down in some mountain, and you wouldn't have run into us..."

"Then Sister Tan wouldn't have been able to get her revenge either!" Zheng Xinyu had a strange expression on her face.

"They say the world is unpredictable, but I think everything is destined in the dark. Brother Zhang, thank you for thinking highly of me. I'll join your team as a little electrician, how about that?"

Being recognized is a high emotional need; Jia Shiqin's heart felt extremely satisfied at this moment.

"That's great. No need for further introductions, everyone, let's welcome the three of them to the team."

Zhang Su took the lead and clapped lightly.

The others also accepted Jia Shiqin and the two others well enough. Their fleeing from their posts at Jinyuan Mall could be considered excusable; if anyone was to blame, it was Jia Shiqin for not being careful enough as a captain. Besides that, the three were still quite good, at least they could frankly admit their mistakes, which already surpassed many survivors.

"Good, since you've become members of the team, I'll ask what I need to ask. Old Jia, how did a zombie-like character like you end up as a self-rescue team captain? It's really not easy that you didn't lead the team into a ditch!"

Zhang Su took out a pack of cigarettes, passed them around, lit one, and took a puff.

"I... sigh." Jia Shiqin gave a bitter smile and said: "Brother Zhang, actually, when the disaster first broke out, I wasn't like this. I was very proactive, even the deaths of my child and wife didn't make me give up."

"But I don't know why, as the days went by, I couldn't see any hope, and I suddenly became decadent. It was also because my willpower declined that the accident happened. I really deserve to die."

Speaking to the end, Jia Shiqin began to blame himself again.

Zhang Su flicked his cigarette butt and said to the people around him: "Did you hear that? If you ever see me becoming decadent, hurry up and cheer me up, or replace me with someone else to take charge, got it?"

"Brother Su, stop joking. With your black heart... oh no, your psychological quality, you won't become decadent."

Lu Yubo laughed heartlessly.

"He is black-hearted, what else is there to be afraid of saying? He's blacker than this furniture mall!" Zheng Xinyu sprayed without hesitation, then her tone shifted: "But only a black-hearted guy like him could see at first glance that those three had problems. If it had been us, we might have suffered a huge loss!"

"Big Sister is right. I was confused before, wondering what the big brother meant, tying people up as soon as he saw them—it was too brutal. Later I found out that the dog-brained bastard was too evil, damn it!"

Zhao Dezhu spat a glob of phlegm viciously.

"Su, Brother Su... work-related injury, I have a work-related injury."

Wang Xin had gauze wrapped around his arm, looking depressed.

Zhang Su looked at Wang Xin speechlessly: "That's a fart of a work-related injury. So many people and you still let him break free, and you have the nerve to say that? Fine, next time go get an extra pack of meat jerky from Xiaoshan to make up for it."

As he was speaking, Zhang Su saw Tan Huajun leading her daughter out of Tianliang Rosewood downstairs. Others couldn't see it, but he could see the dagger was in Mo Qianlan's hand. This made his heart jump, thinking to himself: Tan Huajun started training her daughter so quickly?

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(End of chapter)