Chapter 42: Waiting for the Rabbit by the Stump
Li Tie looked at Li Yu and asked, "Big brother, where should we go now?"
Li Yu heard this and felt something was slightly off about what Li Tie just said.
It was as if he had heard someone mention that word before.
Without much further thought, Li Yu looked back at the zombies and asked, "How long will it take to get to the gas station from here?"
Li Tie replied, "Based on our current speed, about 10 minutes, but if we speed up, probably less than 7 minutes."
Li Yu thought for a moment and said, "First, drive slowly towards the highway, then take the exit from the highway.
Then speed up and hurry back to the gas station, trying to get there before the half-hour deadline they set."
Hearing this, Li Tie roughly gauged the situation, maintaining a speed that would allow the zombies to follow without being able to reach the car.
Li Yu turned back to look at the two in the rear, thought for a moment, took out two compressed biscuits and two bottles of water from his backpack, and handed them over.
The woman and the boy took them, tore open the compressed biscuit packaging, and began to devour them frantically.
The boy ate too fast and choked. The woman said anxiously at the side, "Xiao Tian, eat slower!" while patting the boy's back.
Finally, after the boy gulped down two mouthfuls of water and slowly exhaled, he managed to catch his breath.
The boy looked at the woman and said, "Sister, I am so hungry...", after hearing the boy's words, the woman's eyes reddened, full of guilt. The boy looked to be in his teens, the very age for growing and eating well. But now...
Sigh.
The people in the car felt uneasy watching this scene. The compressed biscuits were actually not tasty, and the boy's hurried eating clearly indicated he hadn't had food for a long time.
They felt somewhat fortunate that they had plentiful food in the base, not only could they eat warm meals, but also had the assurance of three meals a day.
With such a stark contrast, their determination to protect the base only grew stronger.
Soon, the car was on the highway ramp.
With the increased power of the car, the zombies that had been closely following were quickly left behind.
They could only watch the car drive away, roaring helplessly.
After exiting the highway, they hurried back to the gas station they had just passed.
After arriving at the gas station, Li Yu and the others got out of the car.
The pair who seemed to be siblings also got out.
Li Yu helped them untie the ropes and then took out half of the food from his backpack and gave it to the siblings.
The siblings looked at Li Yu, who had a stern face but was genuinely helping them.
They wanted to thank him, but seemed unable to find the words.
Li Yu checked the time, with half an hour left, he saw the siblings still standing there, seeming lost, and said impatiently, "Go on, find a safe place to stay."
The woman initially wanted to follow Li Yu and his group, but realizing he didn't seem to plan on taking them, she no longer said anything.
She looked deeply at Li Yu and the others and said solemnly, "Thank you, thank you all, those people are very cruel, be careful."
After saying that, she quickly pulled the boy towards another direction on the national road, clearly not towards the county.
On the run, the boy looked back several times, as if to memorize the faces of the group.
Watching the two disappear from their view, everyone's mood was not good. However, Zhao Dapao's look towards Li Yu seemed to contain an extra trace of recognition.
Li Yu patted Li Tie, signaling him to drive the car into the middle of the gas station, then they all squatted and took cover inside the empty convenience store.
Time ticked away, and indeed, in less than half an hour.
A roar of car engines was heard, followed by a voice: "Dafa, Bo male, Baldy, where did you all die?" The voice was sharp and piercing, filled with frustration and anger.
Li Yu and Yang Tianlong exchanged a glance and cautiously moved toward the entrance of the convenience store.
The voice grew closer, and they saw that the group was about to reach the car.
Peering through the convenience store's display window, Li Yu noticed that the men weren't armed with firearms, which gave him some peace of mind.
Li Yu turned back and gave his four companions a look, gesturing with his hand the signal to charge.
According to the plan they had discussed earlier, they were to first disarm them. If anyone dared to run, they would shoot.
Li Yu and his group charged forward, guns in hand, with Long Knives on their backs and Daggers strapped to their legs.
"Don't, don't, don't shoot!" cried out the man with the sharp voice upon seeing them, but as the Village Chief's son caught his first glimpse of Li Yu, he hurriedly tried to run backwards.
Bang!
Zhao Dapao fired a shot, hitting the Village Chief's son precisely in the calf.
"Ah!"
Under the force of inertia, the Village Chief's son fell forward, face-first onto the concrete floor that was covered with gravel and dust due to long-term neglect.
The Village Chief's son's face was grazed, leaving a large bloody mark, and his elbows were skinned. But what caused him the most pain was the bullet that had pierced through his calf!
"My leg! My leg!" The Village Chief's son wailed as he sat on the ground, holding the penetrating wound with his right hand.
Seeing this, the rest of the group dared not resist or run away any longer. They dropped their weapons to the ground and naturally raised their hands—a sequence of actions that was oddly well-practiced.
Li Yu gave Zhao Dapao a thumbs up, glad that the Village Chief was not killed, which aligned with his own wishes.
Li Yu and his team approached and kicked the weapons laying on the ground aside, beginning their interrogation.
The questions asked were basically the same as those posed to the bald man earlier.
However, the difference this time was that the location of their headquarters was also said to be Lianhua Building.
This once again confirmed the truth of what the young man had said earlier.
Li Yu looked down at the Village Chief's son wailing on the ground and said indifferently, "Didn't I spare you before? Why come looking for trouble again?"
The Village Chief's son looked up at Li Yu with a resentful gaze and angrily said, "You think I didn't see the 'good' things you've done? At Rock Mountain! You killed so many people, do you think you are any kind of good person!"
Li Yu didn't speak; he admitted this deed. But Yang Tianlong and others beside him were somewhat confused, not understanding what they were talking about.
Seeing Yang Tianlong and the others looking puzzled, the Village Chief's son said mockingly, "You think Li Yu is a good person? He didn't save the people of the village, not only did he not save them, he even killed many of the villagers! Heh!"
Yang Tianlong and Zhao Dapao looked incredulously at Li Yu, while Li Tie and Li Gang scoffed, seemingly not believing a word.
Li Yu watched their reactions, his heart stirring, curious to see how they would respond.
In the end, Yang Tianlong still chose to believe Li Yu and said fiercely to the Village Chief's son, "Stop slinging mud, Yu is not that kind of person!..."
Before he could finish, Li Yu said, "The people, I didn't save, and the people, I also killed!"
It was as if Yang Tianlong had choked up, unable to utter the words he intended to say next.
On the side, Li Tie also looked at Li Yu in disbelief, "Big brother, is what he's saying true?"
Li Yu nodded, and Zhao Dapao and Yang Tianlong's eyes widened in disbelief. They found it hard to believe that the man they had been eating with, training with in the early morning runs, and escaping from hordes of Zombies with...
How could he recklessly kill the innocent?
Silence, the atmosphere seemed to grow tense and oppressive.
...