Chapter 102: 102, Dead love

If Ren Xiaosu were to shout in the town now: "The wolves are coming, the experimental subjects are coming, the monster from the volcano might be coming too, and the human-faced worms have arrived!"

Perhaps half the townspeople would gaze at Ren Xiaosu as if he were a fool, while the other half would be skeptical.

But Wang Fugui was different. He thought, "If you don't even believe the eyewitness, who else could you believe?"

Ren Xiaosu gave Wang Fugui a long, piercing look, and suddenly understood why this old Wang had managed to survive safely until now.

To be honest, Wang Fugui wasn't particularly capable, nor was he especially gifted—only smooth-tongued enough to navigate the egos of the big shots in the Barrier. Yet that alone couldn't explain his longevity.

Even those township gentry who once had closer ties with the Barrier's big shots had been killed.

It had to be said that Wang Fugui possessed a peculiar survival instinct, allowing him to swiftly make the right choice when danger loomed.

Wang Fugui declared solemnly: "Perhaps no one else believes you, but I do. I'll go with you."

Truth be told, Ren Xiaosu was pondering whether he could escape with Wang Fugui. On the path to survival, ordinary people would only become a burden. But Wang Fugui was different—this old merchant, though fundamentally still a businessman, had already shown enough goodwill to both Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan.

Wang Fugui, this shrewd and cunning merchant, seemed to sense Ren Xiaosu's doubts. He said, "I'm not following you for nothing. First, I have money and medicine. Second, my ability to deal with people surpasses yours. I'm not useless trash."

At this critical moment, Wang Fugui immediately asserted his worth—only with value would others be willing to take him along. He didn't expect to rely on past connections to persuade Ren Xiaosu; in his mind, these days, connections were worth nothing.

After considering, Ren Xiaosu said, "I don't care about your money. Hurry back!"

Ren Xiaosu wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue. Given anyone else, he certainly wouldn't let them leave now—what if they tipped off the Qingshi Consortium?

But the goodwill Wang Fugui had once shown Ren Xiaosu convinced him to trust the man this time. Moreover, the Qingshi Consortium probably didn't have the time to target Ren Xiaosu right now, and those lurking outside were no match for him.

Yan Liuyuan and Xiao Yu Jie quickly packed their belongings. Yan Liuyuan handed Ren Xiaosu a copper coin and said, "Mr. Zhang said that when you're at your wit's end, you can find him in Sai Bei. But if you're not desperate, don't go—it's harsh there."

Ren Xiaosu stared at the copper coin and suddenly asked, "What happened before?"

After Yan Liuyuan recounted that night's events, including Luo Lan's attitude toward Zhang Jinglin and some of Zhang Jinglin's words, he added, "Uncle Fugui was the only one who dared to stand up for us that night."

"Hmm, I understand," Ren Xiaosu replied. "Did Mr. Zhang mention his identity?"

"No," Yan Liuyuan shook his head. "I don't know who he is. I asked, but he didn't say. He must be one of the big shots in Barrier 178."

"Hmm," Ren Xiaosu said. "If we're truly cornered, we'll go to Sai Bei to find him."

Xiao Yu Jie said, "Everything's packed. Actually, we don't need to bring much."

Ren Xiaosu glanced over and found that both Xiao Yu Jie and Yan Liuyuan had brought mostly food—even the cabbage Zhang Jinglin had originally planted in the schoolyard had been uprooted...

This was quite like him, too—simple and unpretentious...

"Buns and rice cakes should be brought," Ren Xiaosu said. "But leave the cabbage. We can forage wild vegetables on the way. Hey, what's in that bag?"

"Smoked meat," Xiao Yu Jie replied. "When you left before, you didn't bring any dry rations. I thought I'd get some well-preserved smoked meat so you could take it with you next time."

"Hmm," Ren Xiaosu fell silent for a moment. "Thank you, Xiao Yu Jie. This time, it's just in time."

"Brother," Yan Liuyuan looked up at Ren Xiaosu. "Is it really that dangerous this time?"

"The people in the Barrier can rely on the Barrier, but the townspeople are no match for those creatures—they don't even have a place to hide," Ren Xiaosu said. "Actually, the best solution now would be to have the Barrier open its gates and let everyone in. But I doubt the Barrier people would do that."

"Then let's wait for Uncle Fugui to return and head west-southwest. That's where Barrier 109 is," Yan Liuyuan said.

Ren Xiaosu studied Yan Liuyuan and smiled. "Your face is clean now and quite handsome—like someone from the Barrier."

"Heh," Yan Liuyuan grinned sheepishly.

The two brothers had always been rough-looking, but recently, after Yan Liuyuan fell ill with a fever, Xiao Yu Jie had washed his face clean.

Suddenly, the town erupted into chaos—not the usual clamor of onlookers, but countless cries for help and screams!

The entire town descended into utter pandemonium!

Ren Xiaosu strode out of the school gate. The soldiers on watch, seeing Ren Xiaosu, reached for their guns. The earlier incidents in the town had drawn their attention, so they never expected him to emerge from inside.

But before they could draw their weapons, Ren Xiaosu struck first, firing as he walked out. Not a single one of the watchers escaped—all fell dead beneath his gunfire.

At that moment, Wang Fugui was hurrying toward the school with his foolish son, Wang Dalong. Seeing Ren Xiaosu dispatch six or seven people with such ruthless efficiency, he was stunned.

Though Ren Xiaosu had always been ruthless, he had never been this merciless. It seemed that after his trip to Jing Mountain, he had changed again.

Ren Xiaosu turned to Wang Fugui, whose icy stare nearly startled him—until he recognized Wang Fugui and lowered his gun. "Let's go. We're heading to Barrier 109."

"Wait," Wang Dalong suddenly said. "Can we bring Li Youqian?"

Ren Xiaosu pondered seriously. "...Who is Li Youqian?"

"The sturdy girl from the Li family," Yan Liuyuan added.

"I won't take her with us," Ren Xiaosu shook his head.

Wang Dalong panicked. "You're the substitute teacher at the school. How can you abandon your student? If Mr. Zhang were here, he'd never leave her behind."

Ren Xiaosu looked at Wang Fugui and sighed, "Your son's anxious expression—it's just like love... Come to think of it, they're quite a match."

Wang Fugui was shocked. "What's wrong with you? At a time like this, you're still thinking about that?!"

Without missing a beat, Ren Xiaosu turned to Wang Dalong and said, "Pity I'm not Mr. Zhang."

Wang Dalong's heart sank. He never imagined his love would end so abruptly...

...

Early update today—available at midnight on June 1st. The draft for the outbreak has been prepared. Just waiting for that day.