Chapter Fourteen: Li Mo

Qin Yu, accompanied by her so-called gang of followers, fought their way through the horde of zombies and finally reached the main route leading to S City. Along the way, they also swept through a supermarket, yet strangely, they encountered no other survivors.

After nearly a day of relentless slaughter, Qin Yu felt exhausted and leaned back in her seat to rest. Meanwhile, Zhao Mo was busy bonding with Bing, though in truth it was merely Zhao Mo boasting, with Wang Bing absentmindedly agreeing to whatever she said.

From the outset, Wang Bing knew this young lady was not one to sit quietly, but he hadn't expected her to be quite so talkative. Compared to her, the other young woman seemed so gentle—sitting quietly by herself. Women, he mused, ought to be serene as water. Clearly, he had forgotten how fierce Qin Yu was when killing zombies.

“Boss, there are people ahead. Should we check it out?” someone suddenly asked Wang Bing.

Wang Bing, desperate for an excuse to escape Zhao Mo’s relentless chatter, immediately nodded in agreement.

Zhao Mo frowned at the scene but said nothing. Qin Yu, however, opened her eyes and muttered, “Annoying.”

Wang Bing felt awkward upon hearing Qin Yu’s remark. He had forgotten who was truly in charge now, but the words were already spoken, and his men had gone off to investigate. It was too late to stop them, so he decided to see how things unfolded. If the newcomers kept out of trouble, he could offer help; otherwise, he would not be so courteous.

Li Mo had been waiting for nearly a month for Qin Yu to call him for help, but she never did. So he resolved to seek her out himself, only to awaken one morning to find the world had changed. Left with no choice, he joined others in fleeing.

Given his family background, Li Mo should have been well protected. Yet, after hearing that his family had encountered trouble, his father dispatched most of their men to S City, leaving only a few behind, all of whom went to protect someone else. The thought of that person made Li Mo grind his teeth in anger—especially after hearing that the fellow had awakened supernatural powers. Li Mo resented himself for not developing any abilities; otherwise, those people would never be his match.

Li Mo planned to seek his father in S City, but the journey from his home was fraught with zombies. Luckily, some soldiers led them out, but there were simply too many undead. Their vehicle was destroyed, supplies were scarce, and despair loomed. Just then, two cars appeared ahead, barely damaged. Li Mo’s heart leapt—perhaps they were saved!

“Brothers, I’m from the Li family in B City. If you safely deliver me to S City, I’ll reward you handsomely!” Before the soldiers escorting them could speak, Li Mo hurriedly addressed Wang Bing and his group as they stepped out of their vehicles.

Zhao Mo regarded the disheveled yet arrogant man with a cold smile. At a time like this, a reward? How useless.

Qin Yu leaned against the car, saying nothing. She felt the man before her looked familiar, though she couldn’t recall meeting him. Worse still, she disliked him intensely, wishing she could tear him to pieces.

“Sorry, brother—I don’t make the decisions here. The ones in charge are those two,” Wang Bing said, gesturing toward Qin Yu and Zhao Mo.

Li Mo shifted his gaze to Zhao Mo, frowned, then looked at Qin Yu. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—was it really Xiao Yu?

“Xiao Yu! It’s me, your brother Mo! Imagine that, you’re their leader—no wonder I always knew you were special!” Li Mo quickly moved to Qin Yu’s side, attempting to pat her head, but she dodged him. Li Mo assumed she was angry with him for not caring enough and resolved to comfort her later. That way, he could get the car—and the food inside, which he’d already noticed. Thinking of that, he licked his lips.

“Brother Mo?” Qin Yu was confused. She didn’t recognize this man at all, and besides, how could such an ugly man compare to her beloved Brother Li? Hmph!

Li Mo thought Qin Yu was addressing him and eagerly replied, “That’s right, Xiao Yu! Quick, give me some of that food from your car—I’m starving!”

Zhao Mo felt furious seeing such shamelessness. Couldn’t he tell Xiao Yu didn’t know him? Brother Mo, indeed—pathetic!

“Xiao Yu, ignore him. He’s just a sleazy uncle,” Zhao Mo whispered, pulling Qin Yu aside—though her words were loud enough for everyone to hear.

Li Mo’s face darkened, and he glared at Zhao Mo in anger.

At that moment, Zhang Kuang, leader of the soldiers who had saved Li Mo and his companions, stepped forward. Addressing Qin Yu, he said, “Miss, we’re from Company Eight, Squad Two. We were on duty when this apocalypse struck, saving people along the way. Now our ammunition and supplies are depleted. Would you be willing to share some food with us? We can escort you to S City in return.”

Qin Yu stared at Zhang Kuang for a long moment. Seeing his resolute expression, she turned to Zhao Mo and said, “Feed them.” Zhao Mo twitched at Qin Yu’s phrasing, grateful that she was used to such words—otherwise, others might have thought Qin Yu meant to devour the group.

“Since Xiao Yu agrees, I’ll give you some food. But you don’t need to escort us—worry about yourselves,” Zhao Mo replied, handing some provisions to Zhang Kuang. Then she addressed Wang Bing and his group, “The show’s over, let’s go.”

With that, she and Qin Yu reentered their vehicle. Li Mo tried to follow, but Wang Bing firmly pulled him back, having long since realized the two leaders had no intention of bringing the young master Li along.

Li Mo watched the car vanish into the distance, hatred burning in his eyes. One day, he vowed, he would make them beg before him.

Zhang Kuang glanced at Li Mo and at the departing car, a strange smile twisting his lips.