"Nonsense!" Brother Le snapped.
Xiao Mo grinned, showing his teeth. "Isn't that exactly what you mean?" He raised his hand first. "Brother Le leads, we all follow your command!"
Peng Le had intended to ignore him, but a thought suddenly struck him. He pointed at Zhong Yuan. "I don't have those skills. Let him do it."
Zhong Yuan completely ignored them, patiently explaining the true purpose of their journey. Whether for finding relatives or for survival, Chunyu was the most pressing need. Should they give up so easily? Peng Le's words, however, struck a chord: "You lived in the North. How many students and teachers are there inside?"
Zhong Yuan was stunned. He suddenly realized there was a flaw in his thinking. If they had to face tens of thousands of zombies, wasn't this sending people to their deaths?
Peng Le bent over and patted his shoulder. "Stay. You have the brains to lead everyone to survive."
Zhong Yuan looked around. All he saw were hopeful faces. He finally made up his mind. "Alright, let's set the rules first. If we share the same goals, then I'll do it."
"My understanding is simple. We brothers aren't just banding together to be mountain lords. In this apocalypse, we have a four-word bottom line: do not commit evil deeds!"
He then looked at Xiao Mo. "Mountains and seas all have order, Jianghu(the martial world) discusses rules. When acting, we must have some semblance of orders are strictly enforced, right?"
Xiao Mo was greatly displeased. "What do you mean by looking at me when you say that?"
Zhong Yuan simply turned his head and asked Peng Le again, "Brother Le, what do we do about those who insult women?"
Peng Le curled his lip. "Right now? Castrate them!"
Xiao Mo was unhappy again. "Even if you twist your head under the wheels of a car, I know who you're talking about! Can you stop being so wary of me? What makes you think I'm a lecher/rake? If you're always going to be like this, you can leave right now."
Zhong Yuan feigned surprise and glanced at him. "Your comprehension is very high."
"You bastard..." Xiao Mo drew his baseball bat.
Zhong Yuan raised his palm in front. "This is the last rule. Brothers cannot fight amongst themselves. This is a strict rule. Address the issue, not the person. If we can't reconcile, then leave the team on your own. If we meet again, you can kill each other at will."
Xiao Mo awkwardly let go, suspecting he had tied himself up. Amidst the laughter and banter, Zhong Yuan asked Brother Le, "What shall we call our survival team?!"
Xiao Mo stated firmly, "I've thought of the name. It'll be the Osmanthus Battle Team."
Zhong Yuan was still pondering, but Brother Le immediately declared, "Sounds good!"
Peng Le was truly exhausted. He slumped to the side before finishing his meal, falling asleep with his chopsticks in hand. No one woke him. Xiao Ye piloted The Pathfinder onward, while Xiao Mo set the air conditioning to automatic. He lay down on the soft, comfortable bed fully clothed. For a while, thunderous snores echoed all around.
Zhong Yuan sat leaning beside Peng Le. The summer breeze was cool on his face. He gazed at the distant scenery, breathing in the faint scent of grass in the air. His body and mind were enveloped in a long-lost peace, feeling joy and harmony everywhere.
He covered Peng Le with a thin blanket and began to ponder.
Survivors in the apocalypse shouldn't be a minority. Humans have always had the habit of grouping together, naturally forming spontaneous groups of various sizes. Once established and stable, they would inevitably enter the Darwinian law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. In terms of human nature, kindness always has its limits, depending on whether it harms one's own interests. But their baseness can be unfathomable. Those who wish to seize territory and become their own kings in the chaos are by no means few. Therefore, conflicts and annexations between them are highly probable.
As for what comes next, it would be nothing more than replaying the process of human societal development.
So, when they build their own camp, they must focus on scale and resource reserves. They must take advantage of the early apocalypse when resources are still relatively abundant to collect and hoard them at all costs, laying the foundation for survival.
However, relying on the strength of four people to protect the camp is pure wishful thinking. They lack people, food, and weapons right now. Can they truly establish a foothold?
The vehicle wasn't moving fast. Looking at the scattered zombies occasionally passing by, Zhong Yuan felt an urge. He picked up the Ravager and fired a few shots.
He was simply trying it out. Everyone understood the principle. Zhū Xià, one of the three great empires on the neighboring planet, had a land area of 17 million square kilometers after annexing Xiye and Jinhu. Its total population was close to 2 billion. Based on this, the number of zombies was inexhaustible. Therefore, they usually ignored those who didn't aggressively approach. Zhong Yuan hadn't fired a gun in a long time and wanted to get a feel for shooting. The optical sight on this Ravager was mediocre. Even so, after three quick shots, three zombies fell in front of him.
The gunshots were so brief they were barely noticeable. The minimal recoil made the Ravager easier to handle. Zhong Yuan was secretly delighted at its accuracy.
"These are all hollow bullets. When we get back, we'll cast solid lead bullets and replace them. It'll be easy to kill even a Tiger Bear." A rustling sound came from the ladder leading to the top. Xiao Mo came up with two cans of energy drinks and placed them in front of Zhong Yuan, his expression slightly awkward.
"You're awake?" Zhong Yuan gestured for him to come sit.
Xiao Mo smiled, revealing his characteristic white teeth. "I couldn't sleep soundly. You should rest."
Zhong Yuan took a gulp of the drink. "Forget it, you were snoring so loud. Besides, if I'm resting, you give me this stuff?"
Xiao Mo slapped his head, nonchalant. "Then don't sleep, let's chat!"
Honestly, though they hadn't known each other long, they had a telepathic connection, as if they had been brothers for lifetimes. There was a natural closeness, and they had long considered each other confidants.
In Xiao Mo's eyes, Zhong Yuan's steady personality and firm will perfectly complemented his own shortcomings. Moreover, he could truly risk his life for his friends in critical moments, which was not something ordinary people could do. Thinking about it again, he was such a magnanimous person, why had he suddenly become so sensitive? Was it that incident that affected his state of mind, making him afraid Zhong Yuan would look down on him from the bottom of his heart?
No, if Zhong Yuan really left in a huff, where would he find such a brother who would risk his life for him?
Xiao Mo sat down next to Zhong Yuan. Tangled, he took out a cigar and lit it.
Zhong Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. "You can't even bear to throw away a fake one? Better than nothing, right?"
Xiao Mo sighed. "This is a real one. It's from the stock in the car. Want to try it?"
"Sure, give me one. You wouldn't be stingy about this kind of thing anyway." Zhong Yuan patiently watched Xiao Mo prepare the cigar for him. He took a cautious puff, but the inhalation was too strong, sending a spicy taste straight to his head.
"Cough, cough. Tell me about yourself, I want to know."
Xiao Mo stared at the cigar in his hand, secretly pained. He took out a counterfeit from his pocket and took a couple of puffs. "Never mind, we'll talk about that later when there's a chance. I mainly want to apologize. I never consider my words when talking to my own brothers. You'll have to get used to it. After all, we have a long way to go!"
Xiao Mo took two more puffs, then threw the cigar far away. He flicked his tongue and spat, muttering to himself, Who would buy this junk!
He turned and went back into the car. Zhong Yuan was stunned, holding the cigar and looking at it. Was there only one real one left? And you came up just to say that?
"He saw that I was awake and felt embarrassed," Peng Le said leisurely, stretching his arms and looking around. "We're about to reach the river at the border of Gaolin and Nancheng. It's not safe to drive with the flying bridge up. Everyone go to the cockpit. It's as spacious as a small living room inside. We can chat together and help Xiao Ye."
Before he finished speaking, The Conqueror suddenly swerved and braked sharply, nearly throwing Zhong Yuan and Peng Le out. Clearly, they had encountered a problem.