Chapter 20: The Yan Family of Haicheng

The factory gates swung open as dusk approached, and Li Ye and his group returned inside. In their hands, they dragged several blood-soaked sacks filled with already butchered meat. Most of it came from the dogs drawn in by the lingering stench of blood. Among them, the strongest was none other than "Wu Bei Suo Hao."

Workers inside the factory, hearing the commotion, gathered around the newcomers. Some of them had a hungry gleam in their eyes, greed and fear mixing as they stared at the bloodied sacks. The red mist had persisted for two and a half days. Those brave enough to venture out could at best find a few tender wild grasses or twigs to stave off hunger. Prolonged anxiety and fear had emptied most people's stomachs completely.

When starving people see food, madness ensues—and madness is contagious.

“Meat, it’s meat!” someone muttered low in the crowd.

The throng erupted like burning white phosphorus, spiraling out of control.

“Miss, you won’t finish all that meat, can’t you spare some for us?”

“How can you have meat? There’s still plenty of food in the warehouse!”

“Hurry and distribute the food from the warehouse! How dare a few people hoard so much?”

Suo Hao’s face twitched with anger at their shameless remarks.

“Hmph! What meat we have is none of your business! If you’ve got guts, go hunt yourselves!”

His voice grew louder as he gestured to his bandaged half-body.

“This was earned with my life; I nearly died out there. Why should I hand it over to you?”

The crowd quieted for a moment but soon erupted again.

“Kid, don’t you understand the principle of sharing what’s found?”

“Greater ability means greater responsibility. You went hunting for us, didn’t you?”

“Why make such a big fuss? We just want some meat.”

Before Suo Hao could roll up his sleeves to fight, Li Ye stepped forward. With a casual gesture, he lifted four or five of the loudest troublemakers into the air.

“Of course you can have meat. If anyone kills these few before dawn, meat will be plentiful!”

The factory fell silent, a strange atmosphere settling over the crowd.

Kill someone, get meat?

...

“Yezi, are you really going to give them the meat?”

Inside the warehouse, Suo Hao set down the sacks and couldn’t help but complain.

“You’ll see when you go out tomorrow morning.”

Li Ye grabbed two large barrels of formalin from the wall but made no effort to explain to Suo Hao.

“Stop spacing out. Go fill up more water from under the fire pump.”

“You’re so dead set on bossing me around,” Suo Hao grumbled but still obeyed, carrying two half-height empty plastic buckets.

The factory’s water pump was typically used for washing raw materials and processing water treatment. The finished goods warehouse lacked such pumps, relying only on the seldom-used pre-apocalypse fire pump room.

When Suo Hao returned, Li Ye poured both barrels of formalin into the water buckets. Then, he immediately untied the sacks, unleashing a wave of bloodstains and stench.

They had about twenty pounds of meat. Li Ye cut off four pounds of dog meat with a wave and threw the excess into the diluted formalin solution.

Seeing the curious looks from the three others, Li Ye gave a childish yet mischievous smile.

“Let me show you a magic trick.”

Using his power, he suspended the meat in midair. The small space around it glowed with an orange-red light.

They watched as if witnessing an invisible cosmic microwave oven cooking for them.

In less than ten minutes, Li Ye laid down the roast meat, its surface charred to black. Crimson blood dripped onto the floor, and the rich fat emitted no pleasant aroma—instead, it was nauseating.

Lu Xuening and Aunt Lu covered their noses, grimacing at the gruesome-looking roast.

More than food, this chunk resembled an entire animal carcass.

“Hao, your time has come.”

Li Ye remained cheerful, showing no hint of defeat.

“Why?” Suo Hao, weary from the day, leaned against the wall, eyes wary.

Whenever he spoke first, it never boded well.

“Your ‘Fragrant Breath Palm Control’ has awakened, right? Use it to benefit us all.”

“Oh, you brought it up yourself. Didn’t you say my ability was strong and impressive? How come it’s a skunk’s power now, huh?!”

Suo Hao now sounded like a fluffed-up kitten whose tail had been stepped on, yowling loudly.

“Oh, this ability is so practical. Not only does it enhance survival, but it also improves our quality of life. You’re the real reason we eat!”

Li Ye’s tone was serious and earnest, while Lu Xuening and Aunt Lu hid behind him, giggling quietly.

After much coaxing, Suo Hao finally used his power on the charred carcass, infusing it with the aroma of pre-apocalypse roast chicken.

But every ability has its limits.

Once in the mouth, the pungent, gamey smell still lingered.

...

When facing overwhelming danger, social creatures instinctively gather with their kind. In Jiangning city, the closer to the Fallen God’s location, the fewer zombies there were.

Many unaware of Xiangliu’s existence had settled here, forming various survivor factions.

Places like large supermarkets and convenience stores had been occupied early on.

...

In a relatively concealed alley in the city center stood a modest convenience store.

Today, it welcomed its first visitors since the apocalypse.

Three figures dressed in black changpao appeared at the door and knocked.

Leading them was Zheng Chengping, the man who had warned Li Ye to be wary of the Qin family.

After three measured knocks, Zheng Chengping fell silent, standing quietly outside.

After a while, the door creaked open, and a wave of hot air poured out, nearly colliding with the trio.

Zheng Chengping was the first to enter, followed swiftly by the other two.

Inside, the shop was sparsely furnished. The goods on the shelves were mostly years-old leftovers, hardly worth a glance.

Yet everything was neatly arranged—even the edges of snack bags were smoothed out by the shopkeeper’s care.

Zheng Chengping crossed the red mist and headed to the back of the store.

Surprisingly, the small shop had a courtyard.

A long-haired figure reclined in a lounge chair, swaying gently.

“Did the old man send you?” a young male voice called from the figure.

Zheng Chengping and his companions bowed and replied,

“Jiangning’s situation is far worse than expected. The patriarch is worried.”

The long-haired man rose from the chair and waved his arms twice. Powerful gusts swept through the courtyard, forcibly parting the thick red mist to create a small clear space.

Without the mist’s barrier, the two behind Zheng Chengping could finally see their young master’s striking appearance.

With phoenix-shaped eyes, sword-like brows, crimson lips, and a jade-like face, he was exquisitely handsome.

His clear, autumn-water-like eyes seemed almost expressive. His shoulder-length hair and plain white clothes rendered his gender indistinct.

“Has your father ever forged ties with the Dongming military district?”

“No,” Zheng Chengping pondered briefly before shaking his head.

“That might be troublesome.”

“Are you considering negotiating cooperation with Dongming? I hear their strategist Shen is a cunning old fox.”

The young master smiled and asked abruptly,

“Have you seen the monster lurking near the university town?”

“Yes. When it appeared, the three of us were nearby.”

“What about Qin Wu?”

“Dead.”

“Huh?!”