Meanwhile, inside the villa community.
At the villa where Brother Zheng was staying, the courtyard was now packed with people.
Surrounding the courtyard were more than a dozen men holding various kinds of guns. In the center of the courtyard stood a group of men, women, and children of all ages.
There were more than twenty people in this group. They looked completely ordinary, and quite a few of them were even still wearing their pajamas. Some stood alone, while others stood in groups of two or three. Without exception, all of them wore frightened and uneasy expressions on their faces, their eyes darting restlessly among the armed men surrounding them.
The men around them were also staring greedily at the group, simply because there were two beautiful women among them.
More precisely, one of them could only be considered a girl. At this moment, the girl was being tightly protected in her family’s arms.
The other beautiful woman was not nearly as lucky. She stood all alone, her slender nightgown accentuating the curves of her body, which could be vaguely seen through the thin fabric.
The armed men around her watched her like wolves, occasionally letting out lecherous laughter in her direction. She was trembling with fear, tears filling her eyes as she looked at the people around her with a pleading gaze.
However, the people around her deliberately kept a certain distance from her, either intentionally or unintentionally. She stood there all alone, her body trembling slightly, making her especially conspicuous among the crowd.
Although the armed men around them all showed desire toward the women, they did not actually make any moves.
It was as if they were waiting for something.
After a long time, as the people in the center grew increasingly terrified and uneasy, the last warmth of the day gradually faded with the setting sun. The previously silent villa door finally opened with a creak.
A tall, muscular man walked out. His eyes swept across the crowd, gleaming sharply.
“Good evening, Brother Zheng!”
The armed men surrounding them shouted in unison.
Brother Zheng nodded slightly, while Old Wu followed closely behind him and walked out of the house as well. However, Old Wu was holding a very thick iron chain in his hand. As he walked, he impatiently gave the chain several hard tugs.
With each pull, several mournful “whimpers” came from the end of the chain.
After a while, everyone gradually saw clearly what was attached to the chain.
More accurately, it was a person.
A balding, middle-aged man had a thick iron chain fastened around his neck. Completely naked, he knelt on the ground on all fours, struggling to crawl forward.
His fattened belly dragged along the ground, jiggling with every movement. A gag ball had been stuffed into his mouth, and saliva continuously dripped from the corners of his lips. The entire scene was ugly and utterly disgraceful.
Most importantly, his body was almost completely covered in various wounds, and half of his face was horribly swollen.
Although the bald man had been beaten beyond recognition, most of the people still recognized him.
At this moment, Brother Zheng cleared his throat, took the iron chain from Old Wu’s hand, and pulled the bald man, like a dog, to his feet.
“Good evening, everyone! Don’t panic. I asked everyone to come here because there are a few things I need to inform and explain to you. Don’t be afraid. We’re here to protect everyone. As long as—you can properly follow the rules I’ve established, we will definitely be able to guarantee your safety.”
As Brother Zheng spoke, he paused and looked around at everyone.
Not a single person among the group in the center dared to make a sound.
They had been dragged from their homes at gunpoint early that morning. Anyone who resisted along the way had been shot and killed without hesitation. Whenever they encountered those monsters, these men had also shown no fear whatsoever and simply killed the monsters.
They looked cold and brutal. They showed no emotion in the face of bloodshed, and every single one of them looked as though this was not their first time killing someone.
How could anyone not be afraid?
In this courtyard, surrounded by hungry wolves, the people who had been forced to stand under the blazing sun all day had not even been given a drop of water.
Even though today’s weather was not as abnormally hot as it had been over the previous few days, it was still enough to exhaust them physically and mentally.
At this moment, both their bodies and minds had reached their limits.
And this was exactly the result Brother Zheng wanted.
Brother Zheng actually did not want to kill people, because he needed manpower now. He needed labor.
Therefore, what he needed was obedience.
Absolute obedience!
All communication devices and electronic equipment had completely stopped functioning ever since the apocalypse broke out. He believed that it would not take more than a few days before the water and electricity supplies were cut off as well.
Outside were monsters filling the streets. Only this place, relying on its geographical advantages and sparse population, was now like a paradise isolated from the rest of the world.
That was why these cowardly and lazy parasites of society had still been able to hide comfortably in their homes and enjoy themselves over the past few days, relying on the food they had stored.
That would not do!
The world had already changed, and order needed to be established anew.
Brother Zheng now had people and guns. Naturally, he was going to claim this territory for himself. Naturally, he was going to rule this place, forcing these people who had once held themselves high above others to kneel at his feet and serve him.
They said that heroes emerged in times of chaos.
Brother Zheng felt that this was not some apocalypse.
This was an opportunity bestowed upon him by Heaven.
He was not afraid of those slow and stupid ugly monsters outside at all. Weren’t they just zombies? Who hadn’t watched a few episodes of Resident Evil?
He did not merely want to claim this territory. He also wanted to use this place to slowly build an independent kingdom that belonged solely to him.
If he could steadily develop and grow stronger, perhaps one day in the future, he would even have the ability to contend for the entire world.
Therefore, besides territory, he also needed people.
Useful people.
People who could build defensive lines for him and even become fighting forces.
Moreover, he believed that as long as someone was human, they would have their own use and value.
It was merely that their “use” and “value” were different.
For example, that woman standing in the crowd, trembling and crying in fear, could become a tool for stabilizing the morale of his men.
Brother Zheng kicked the bald man beside his feet and continued, “Him. I believe everyone must know him. He’s a frequent visitor to the headlines on the front pages of newspapers, the biggest real estate developer in S City, and once a powerful figure who could make the wind and rain in S City.”
“Look at him now. See how obedient he is.”
“Of course, there is a reward for being obedient. For someone completely useless, becoming a dog and providing entertainment for everyone by staying at my side—that is his value. As long as he has value and can contribute that value, of course I’ll keep him alive. I won’t kill him.”
“Likewise, every one of you has your own value.”
His hand swept around the entire crowd.
“As long as you obey, follow orders, be like him, and find your own value so that you can fulfill your responsibilities, I guarantee that I will protect everyone’s safety.”
“And in the future, I’ll provide you with food and water as well.”
“I believe everyone has seen it. The world outside has descended into chaos.”
Brother Zheng put on a concerned, earnest expression.
“There are monsters everywhere outside that eat people. I’m sure you’ve seen them too. Some of you even have family members who have become those terrifying monsters.”
“So, congratulations. You’re very lucky. You survived, and you encountered me!”
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You can all call me ‘Brother Zheng.’ Just remember that title. From now on, I will be the one who controls all of your fates.”
“Back to the point. I asked everyone to come here so that I can arrange things collectively.”
“First, it ensures everyone’s safety. Second, it will make resource allocation easier. Third, I will assign each of you your own tasks.”
“I hope everyone can clearly understand that the world has changed. No one can get something for nothing anymore. Those who want to get something without working will lose their value as human beings, and there will be no need for them to stay alive.”
“Does everyone understand what I’m saying?”
Brother Zheng shouted the last sentence.
“Understood!”
The roar came loudly from the armed men.
The people standing in the center, however, looked at one another in dismay, trembling with fear, and still did not dare to make a single sound.
Brother Zheng let out a cold laugh, snatched a pistol from Old Wu’s hand, and fired into the sky.
The group was startled again. A middle-aged woman was so frightened that she immediately crouched down, covered her head with both hands, and screamed loudly, “Ahhh!”
The woman’s scream was somewhat irritating.
Brother Zheng frowned unhappily, forcibly suppressing the urge to shoot her dead immediately. Just as he was about to speak again, he heard the roar of engines approaching from far away.
The armed men immediately became alert.
Their movements were fairly orderly, unlike those of an ordinary rabble.
After Brother Zheng nodded, they immediately raised their guns and took up their positions, adopting defensive stances. The crude roadblocks they had prepared in advance were also quickly dragged out and placed at the entrance to the villa.
The sound of the vehicles grew closer.
Then, the leading Jeep stopped in front of the roadblock, while the two vehicles behind it slowly came to a stop as well.
While still in the vehicle, A-Tao extended his hand out the window and made a gesture.
Someone on this side immediately reported to Brother Zheng, “Brother Zheng, Brother Tao has returned.”
Brother Zheng nodded.
“Let him in. Ask him what’s going on with the vehicles behind him.”
The little lackey who had delivered the report immediately ran toward the roadblock.
Not long afterward, A-Tao hurried over and leaned close to Brother Zheng’s ear, whispering a few words to him.
After listening, Brother Zheng smiled. He nodded and patted A-Tao on the shoulder.
“Not bad. Well done. All those things I taught you in the past weren’t wasted. Don’t worry. Since you’ve made a contribution, you’ll be the first one to receive tonight’s ‘reward.’”
A-Tao’s cheeks flushed with excitement upon hearing this. He could not help rubbing his hands together.
“Thank you, Brother Zheng. Thank you, Brother Zheng. As expected of Brother Zheng—your vision is far-reaching, and your guidance is excellent.”
“All right.” Brother Zheng smiled. “Go bring them all inside.”
“Yes!”
A-Tao answered loudly and even gave a strange-looking military salute before running back toward the road where they had come from.
Before long, a group of people slowly entered from the road.
It was Quan Xiaoyu and the others.
Earlier, at A-Tao’s insistence, everyone had gotten out of the vehicles and walked over. The doctor habitually walked at the very front, revealing just how strong his desire for control and leadership was.
Quan Xiaoyu was holding the gun, intending to catch up with the doctor, but Chu Tian suddenly pulled him back.
He immediately turned around and saw Chu Tian blinking at him.
“Give me a hand, will you? Bai Mingxi is too useless. With him supporting me, it’s practically the same as walking by myself. My foot hurts.”
Bai Mingxi’s eyes widened as he pointed at his own nose, clearly unwilling to accept the accusation and about to argue.
In the end, however, Chu Tian and Quan Xiaoyu did not even spare him a glance.
He could only angrily lower his finger and hide behind the two of them, sulking.
Author’s Note:
“My hand slipped yesterday. When I was looking at the comments on my phone, I accidentally touched something and deleted two of my little angels’ comments… I don’t even know which comments I deleted. I only know that the number decreased.
So I’m saying sorry here. The author is both clumsy with her hands and technologically illiterate. I didn’t do it on purpose.”