Chapter 6: Atlanta Falls, The Convoy Assembles!
A deafening sound of bombing came from up ahead.
The drivers on the road were stunned for two seconds, then burst into absolute panic.
Some abandoned their cars and ran back, while others honked their horns furiously and cursed. The entire Route 72 was in complete chaos.
Ling Feng watched the growing flames and the mushroom cloud rising into the sky in the distance, not stopping for even a second.
"Stop watching!" Ling Feng turned his head and roared at Carol and Lori, who were still dazed. His voice was so loud it shook them back to their senses. "Get in your car immediately and leave this place!"
Carol snapped out of it, clutched Sophia tightly, and ran toward the blue station wagon nearby.
Lori's face was as pale as paper. She pulled Carl's hand and backed away repeatedly, her face full of panic.
"Go!" Ling Feng had no time for small talk. He turned around and strode toward his parking spot.
Against the chaotic crowd, not far ahead, a man in plain clothes with an extremely muscular build was pushing through the crowd, sprinting desperately toward Lori and her son.
No need to guess, it was definitely Shane.
But there was no time to deal with him now. He would worry about that after settling down.
"Ling!"
Before he even reached her, Andrea had already leaned half her body out of the car window, anxiously slapping the car door. "What is going on ahead? Did something huge happen?"
"The military is dropping incendiary bombs. That city is finished." Ling Feng pulled open the back door. "Go to the back seat. I'll drive."
Andrea clearly understood the severity of the situation. Without a word, she opened the door and got out.
Ling Feng slid into the driver's seat and tossed the heavy M200 tactical gun case onto the leather passenger seat.
He yanked the seatbelt and buckled it, gripped the steering wheel tight with his left hand, and slammed the gear into drive with his right.
"Hold on tight!"
He floored the gas pedal.
The engine roared like a beast. The road ahead was already blocked into a pile of scrap metal, and Ling Fenghad no intention of taking the conventional route.
He wrenched the steering wheel hard to the right. The tires ground harshly against the curb, the car let out a grating metallic screech, and it charged straight into the overgrown wasteland beside the road.
The car jolted violently, with weeds and mud flying everywhere.
The two women in the back seat screamed in terror.
Amy clutched the back of the front seat tightly, while Andrea was thrown against the car door, nearly dropping the glock 17 in her hand onto the floor mat.
"You're crazy! There's no road here at all! We're going to flip!" Andrea screamed.
"Shut up and hold on."
Ling Feng ignored her completely.
His gaze pierced through the windshield, scanning the undulating terrain ahead with focus. In this kind of uneven grassland, as long as he didn't hit hidden ditches or abandoned vehicles, charging through wouldn't be a problem.
The car sped through the wilderness for four or five hundred meters.
On the Route 72 beside them, the road was a long, deadlocked line, filled with desperate, crying people and figures abandoning their cars to flee.
Just then.
"Ling!"
Ling Feng's ears twitched. The sound was faint amidst the noisy environment, but he heard it clearly.
He immediately rolled down the window and looked toward the right front in the direction of the voice.
Across a shallow depression, on another parallel dirt road, a line of cars was driving forward desperately in a single file.
Leading them was an old, dilapidated Ford pickup truck, followed by a large RV in the middle, and several private cars behind.
That shout just now had come from that familiar blue station wagon.
Carol leaned half her body out of the passenger window, waving that plaid shirt desperately, afraid Ling Fengwouldn't see her.
In the Jeep ahead of the station wagon, Lori was also pressed against the window, looking over.
"At least you have some conscience." Ling Feng chuckled and honked the horn twice. Two crisp beeps served as his response.
This group was likely heading to the Quarry to establish a Camp, as per the original plot.
Following the main cast would not only allow him to control the plot's direction but also keep all those women in his grasp; it was the perfect place to grind for points.
He jerked the steering wheel.
The front of the car dove straight into the deep depression.
"Ahhh!" Amy shut her eyes in fear.
A strong sense of weightlessness hit them. Ling Fenggripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, never letting off the gas.
The undercarriage scraped hard against the edge of the depression, then the tires gripped the mud, and a surge of power pushed the entire car up the slope, leaping directly onto the side road.
He settled in steadily right behind Carol's station wagon.
The whole maneuver was seamless.
In the back seat, Andrea was panting heavily, her eyes staring blankly at the broad back in front of her.
She had thought the car was about to flip into the pit, but this man had not only pulled the car out but also merged into the convoy with incredible stability.
Amy recovered, leaning forward from the back. She didn't care about the danger at all, gripping the back of the driver's seat, her chin nearly touching Ling Feng's shoulder.
"Ling, you're amazing! I thought we were going to die just now!"
The young girl's crisp voice was filled with blind adoration, and even the heat of her breath against Ling Feng's neck felt incredibly real.
"I told you, I would take you away safely." Ling Feng freed his right hand, not even turning his head, and skillfully pinched Amy's soft cheek.
"Mmm." Amy blushed and shrank back half an inch, but she didn't pull away, instead letting him take liberties with her face.
[Ding! Intimate physical contact detected, Pleasure Points+100!]
Ling Feng was in a great mood. He took the opportunity to pat Amy on the head, making the little girl blush even more.
Andrea took all of this in.
A few hours ago, she definitely would have drawn her gun and pressed it against this rogue's forehead.
But now, she only felt her throat go dry and leaned back in her seat without a word.
In these few minutes as the world collapsed, without this Asian man, the two sisters would probably still be waiting to die on that road of death.
The convoy sped along this remote road toward the suburbs.
In the rearview mirror, the sky over downtown Atlanta was completely shrouded in rolling black smoke.
The deafening bombing sounds gradually faded into the distance, replaced by the monotonous hum of engines.
The car was strangely quiet.
Ling Feng held the steering wheel with one hand, pulled a marlboro from his pocket, put it in his mouth, lit it with the car's cigarette lighter, and took a deep drag.
Smoke dispersed in the car.
Only then did he have the leisure to size up the convoy ahead.
Shane was in the leading pickup truck; he was undoubtedly the core backbone of the convoy.
The large RV behind it had to be that meddlesome old man, Dale.
Further back were a few cars driven by nobodies.
As long as he followed this team to the Camp, his combat skills and this heavy sniper rifle in his hands would definitely make a splash in this small group.
By then, not only Amy, but Lori and Carol could be slowly developed...
Compared to doing things openly, he preferred the feeling of doing them in private—a sense of sneaking around, full of excitement...
Lori and Shane shouldn't be an item yet; there was a good chance. According to his guess, they only hooked up after staying at the Quarry for a long time.
As for Carol? A weak woman suffering from domestic abuse was the best target to take advantage of. Thinking about it, it seemed Andrea was the hard one to deal with...
Take it slow.
The scenery on both sides of the road became increasingly desolate, gradually replaced by tall forests and hills.
They had driven about ten kilometers or so.
The leading pickup finally hit the brakes. The taillights lit up with a harsh red glow, and the entire convoy began to slow down, pulling over to the gravel shoulder one by one.
Finally stopped.
Ling Feng exhaled the last puff of smoke and slammed the brakes to a stop, pulling the handbrake. Before the car had even fully settled, the doors of the cars in front were opening one after another.
The door of the large RV opened. Dale, wearing his signature bucket hat and clutching a pair of binoculars, looked anxiously toward Atlanta.
Shane jumped out of the pickup truck, carrying a Remington shotgun in his hand, and walked to the side of the road with a grim expression.
Lori took Carl's hand and walked quickly to his side. The group gathered together, discussing something in urgent tones.
Carol also got out of the car, holding Sophia.
Ed, that fat pig, slowly wiggled out from the driver's seat, still cursing. Apparently, the bumps along the way had made him very unhappy.
"Are we here?" Amy peeked out the window. It was the middle of nowhere, with no buildings in sight.
"It's probably just a temporary rest. Let's get out first." Ling Feng pushed the car door open.
He pulled out the car keys, turned around to grab his weapon from the passenger seat, and slung it onto his back.
Andrea said nothing. She tucked the glock 17 into the back of her waistband, pushed the door open to get out, and followed closely behind Ling Feng, holding Amy's hand tightly.
In the open space not far away, everyone's gaze was drifting toward Ling Feng from time to time.
A completely unfamiliar SUV, an Asian hunk who had suddenly burst out of the massive traffic jam, and who was also carrying two beautiful women—it was just too eye-catching.
"Ling!"
Carol set Sophia down and walked over quickly. She seemed somewhat excited; the thrilling escape from just moments ago still had her heart pounding.
"It's a good thing you followed us, otherwise we probably would have been separated." Carol said with deep emotion, though she didn't know why herself.
Little Sophia beside her also poked out half her head and gave Ling Feng a shy smile.
"It's good that everything went smoothly." Ling Fengreplied casually, then reached out and rubbed Sophia's blonde hair, a gesture so natural it couldn't be faulted.
At this moment, Lori also led Carl over.
"Ling, the way you were driving just now was too crazy, but I really want to thank you for warning us." Lori took a deep breath and tucked some messy hair behind her ear.
She turned to look at Shane, who had followed behind her. "Shane, this is the man I mentioned to you earlier. He helped Carol a lot."
Shane stopped two meters away, looking Ling Feng up and down. His sturdy frame, built from years of being a police officer, was full of oppressive presence in front of ordinary people.
But the man he was facing now was half a head taller than him, carried a heavy sniper rifle on his back, and had an untamed look on his face.
"Pal." Shane's tone carried a professional interrogation style and a hint of undisguised vigilance. "Lori told me what happened on the road just now. Thanks for helping Carol."
"Just a small thing." Ling Feng said, hands in his pockets, his tone flat. "I just couldn't stand some trash polluting the air."
He said that, but Ling Feng was muttering to himself: You don't even know Carol, why are you thanking me?
Ed, standing in the back, happened to hear this. His face immediately turned the color of a pig's liver, but he stiffly shrank his neck, not daring to make a sound.
Shane nodded along with Ling Feng's words, his gaze naturally falling on the weapon on Ling Feng's back.
"That thing of yours looks like it has heavy firepower." Shane pointed, his chin slightly raised. "The world is in chaos now. Since you're going to follow us, we need to lay our cards on the table. What's your name? What did you do for a living?"
This was an investigation, and also a show of authority.
Lori and Carol to the side pricked up their ears, and even Andrea stared intently at Ling Feng, wanting to hear what this crazy man's background was.
Ling Feng raised an eyebrow, not even taking his hands out of his pockets, looking down at the arrogant deputy sheriff.
"Ling Feng." He curled one side of his cheek, his voice low but filled with arrogance. "As for what I did for a living, you don't need to worry about that. You just need to know that the gun on my back isn't for answering moronic questions."
Chapter 7: Merle Looking for Trouble? One Kick and Cut the Crap!
"That thing of yours looks like it has heavy firepower." Shane pointed to the gun case behind Ling Feng, "The world is in chaos now. Since you want to follow us, everyone needs to lay their cards on the table. What's your name? What did you do before?"
Ling Feng had his hands in his pockets and didn't even raise an eyebrow.
"Ling Feng. As for what I did, you don't need to worry about it. You just need to know that the gun on my back isn't used to answer retarded questions."
As soon as those words came out, the atmosphere in the clearing instantly dropped to freezing point.
The muscles on Shane's face twitched violently, and the veins on his neck bulged. Having worked in the county police department for so many years, truly no one in this area had ever dared to disrespect him so openly to his face.
He stepped back half a step with his right foot, his hand instinctively reaching for the holster at his waist.
Seeing that the gunpowder smell was about to explode, a pair of fair hands suddenly pressed down on Shane's wrist.
"Shane." Lori squeezed over from the side, blocking half her body between the two of them.
She deliberately kept her back to Ling Feng, winked at Shane, and lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear.
"Don't be impulsive. This guy just helped Carol out of a tight spot earlier. He definitely isn't some thoroughly rotten person; at least he has a bottom line in what he does."
Lori quickly weighed the pros and cons, "Listen to the commotion over in Atlanta. The military has even started bombing the city. What does that mean? It means the situation is terrible! Every extra person we have now is an extra ounce of strength, not to mention he has that kind of heavy firepower in his hands."
Shane clenched his back teeth, his chest heaving violently a couple of times.
Swallowing this anger was really frustrating, but what Lorisaid made sense.
Getting into a gunfight in a godforsaken place like this with a tough guy of unknown background carrying a large sniper rifle was just utterly stupid.
"Fine." Shane took a deep breath, lowered his hand from his waist, and stared fixedly at Ling Feng for a second.
He had already made up his mind in his heart.
I'll endure you for the moment. Once things settle down, there will be plenty of opportunities to teach this arrogant Asian a lesson.
Seeing that the fight didn't break out here, Dale, who had been standing on the RV step, quickly took the opportunity to smooth things over.
He pushed down his bucket hat, walked over holding binoculars, and gave a dry chuckle.
"Aha, don't let your tempers be so high. The world is looking like it's going to fall apart. Since we've gathered together, we'll definitely have to help each other out in the future. Why don't we all lay our cards on the table so it's easier to address each other, right?"
Nobody answered. Dale had to start first, "My name is Dale, a lone wolf. I drive that old buddy around everywhere, and usually I know a bit about auto repair. If anything goes wrong with your cars, you can look for me."
Having an out, the remaining women also took the opportunity to break the awkwardness.
Carol hugged Sophia's shoulders, her voice as small as a mosquito's, "Carol, this is my daughter Sophia, and um... that person over there is my husband Ed."
Lori smoothed her hair, "Lori, and my son Carl."
Shane snorted coldly and spat out two words, "Shane."
As soon as the few people finished reporting their names here, an impatient voice came from behind.
"What are you chatting about? Making it look like a matchmaking event."
A rough and hoarse voice came over.
Two men walked out from the shadows, one after the other.
The one walking in the front wore a sleeveless vest with bulging muscles, and carried a black recurve crossbow on his back.
"Daryl, hunter." The crossbow-carrying man didn't even look at the crowd, casually tossing out a few words.
As for the man following behind him, he had a completely different style.
This man had messy short hair, a stubbly beard, and was toying with a folding knife in his hand.
What was most eye-catching was his undisguised aggressive gaze, just like a starving stray dog looking for food everywhere.
Merle.
As soon as he walked out of the woods, those turbid eyes accurately caught Andrea and Amy standing not far away.
These past few days, everywhere were dusty refugees. Women with curvy figures and fair skin like these two sisters were rare to see.
Especially Amy, whose tight spaghetti-strap top clearly outlined her wonderful assets on her chest.
"Ooh ooh ooh—"
Merle let out two exaggerated strange cries and directly blew an extremely lewd whistle.
He didn't care at all how many people were around. While toying with his folding knife, he swept an extremely frivolous gaze over Andrea and Amy from head to toe, finally fixing his sight dead on Amy's chest.
"What a piece of fresh meat." Merle licked his dry lips, not concealing the dirty meaning in his words at all.
Amy felt her whole body crawl being stared at by such a gaze, getting goosebumps all over.
She instinctively shrank back, her hands tightly grasping the hem of Ling Feng's clothes in front of her.
Andrea's anger instantly rushed to her head, and her hand immediately felt toward the glock at her lower back.
But when she saw Merle's fierce scars all over his face and his sturdy build, her heart inexplicably started drumming.
Somehow, Andrea's feet extremely honestly moved half a step to the left, also retreating behind Ling Feng's broad back.
Although she had just been cursing this man as a lunatic, at this very moment, this lunatic's back unexpectedly turned out to be the only thing on the entire scene that could give her a sense of security.
Shane stood a few paces away with his arms crossed, watching this scene unfold.
He had zero intention of stopping Merle.
Both of these men looked like troublemakers. It was just right to let this man go bump into this hard nail named Ling Feng—dog eat dog, and he was happy to watch the show.
"Use those dog eyes of yours to scan around randomly again."
A deep male voice sounded without warning.
Ling Feng turned around, completely shielding the two sisters behind him, his gaze crashing straight into Merle's turbid eyes.
"I don't mind digging them out and stepping on them like bubbles."
The surrounding air seemed to be suddenly sucked dry.
Carol was so scared that she quickly buried Sophia's face in her arms.
As for Lori, her heart pounded wildly. She found that this man named Ling Feng was simply wildly arrogant beyond measure; whether facing the police or this kind of local ruffian, he didn't know what backing down meant at all.
Merle was stunned for a moment upon hearing these words.
He stopped the blade tricks in his hand, tilted his neck to size Ling Feng up twice, and then suddenly raised his hands exaggeratedly, his face piled with a hypocrite's fawning smile.
"Ooh boy, such a big temper? Don't rush, don't rush, brother." While speaking, Merle hunched his back, putting on a posture of backing down, but his footsteps were quietly closing the distance forward, "Sorry, is an apology okay? I just saw this little sister looking so tender and pretty, no other me—"
Before his words finished.
Merle, whose waist was still hunched just a moment ago, suddenly dropped his right shoulder, exerted force with his feet, and lunged forward like a bull.
That hypocritical smiling face instantly turned ferocious and vicious, his right fist bringing a gust of wind from bottom to top in an extremely vicious uppercut straight for Ling Feng's chin!
This sneak attack was played to perfection, obviously real skills honed from fighting dirty street brawls. The force was immense; if it hit solidly, it could shatter a person's jawbone on the spot.
"Watch out!" Andrea exclaimed.
Shane, who was watching the show, widened his eyes abruptly.
But in Ling Feng's eyes, this movement was too slow.
The Intermediate Combat Skill rewarded by the system had long since turned into muscle memory deep in the bone marrow.
Just at the instant Merle threw his punch, Ling Feng didn't even blink an eye, his right hand forming a claw, slashing downwards like lightning.
"Crack!"
A dull sound of flesh colliding resounded across the entire clearing.
Merle's powerful uppercut was forcefully stopped mid-air by just one of Ling Feng's hands.
Five slender fingers were like iron-cast hydraulic pliers, tightly enclosing Merle's fist.
No matter how red-faced Merle got as he exerted force, that fist remained completely motionless, unable to advance even half an inch.
"Not bad strength." Ling Feng mockingly raised an eyebrow, "Is that all you've got?"
Ling Feng lifted his left leg, moving so fast it left an afterimage.
A fiercely vicious kick right to the chest landed squarely in Merle's abdomen.
"Bang!"
The sturdy man weighing close to two hundred pounds was like a tattered punching bag, his feet leaving the ground entirely as his whole body flew backward through the air for a full two meters.
Merle heavily smashed into the gravel ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Ugh—" He dropped to his knees, his hands tightly clutching his stomach, his face as pale as paper.
The acid in his stomach mixed with undigested food vomited right out, saliva drooped uncontrollably down, the veins on his forehead twitched and twitched, and even inhaling couldn't make a sound, he could only open his mouth dryly on the ground like a fish out of water.
One-shot kill.
Complete unilateral suppression.
Lori tightly covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from crying out. Her look at Ling Feng had already changed from initial surprise into some kind of indescribable awe.
Not only was this man ridiculously heavy on firepower, his physical combat skills were also this brutal, instantly giving rise to a certain thought in her heart!
Amy and Andrea behind him were even dumbfounded. Amy tightly clutched the hem of Ling Feng's clothes, stars almost popping out of her eyes.
It wasn't over yet.
Daryl beside him suddenly turned his head. Seeing his own biological brother beaten into a dead dog kneeling on the ground vomiting acid water, the murderous intent on his body instantly exploded.
"Looking for death!"
Daryl snatched up the recurve crossbow on his back, moving extremely quickly to turn, string, and aim.
The cold-glinting metal arrow tip directly aimed at Ling Feng's chest. As long as he pulled the trigger, the arrow shot by this high-poundage recurve crossbow would definitely be able to pierce right through a person on the spot.
The atmosphere suddenly tightened to the extreme.
But the moment Daryl's finger touched the trigger, his vision suddenly blurred.
Ling Feng's speed burst to a terrifying degree, stepping out two paces to directly close in right in front of Daryl.
Daryl was greatly startled, just wanting to back up to create distance, when a broad palm had already crossed the string of the crossbow.
Ling Feng's index and middle fingers steadily jammed into the gap behind the crossbow's trigger.
Just like jamming an iron bolt.
Daryl's index finger hooked down desperately, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, but the trigger was as if it had been welded to death, unable to be pressed down even a fraction.
The distance between the two faces was less than half a meter.
In Daryl's cold, beast-like eyes, for the first time, an unmaskable shock was reflected. Having hunted in the jungle for so many years, this was the first time someone had disarmed him in such a bizarre way.
Ling Feng wasn't in a hurry to make a move.
Regarding this pair of crossbow brothers, he distinguished them very clearly. The local ruffian Merle was a rotten person, but the Daryl in front of him was truly a god of war in the later stages, and he quite appreciated him.
A half-smiling expression hung on Ling Feng's face. Meeting Daryl's bloodshot gaze, his fingers continued to tightly jam the trigger.
"That's about enough."
Ling Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear in the quiet clearing, "Your brother's mouth is cheap and his hands are even cheaper. Not dislocating his hands is already showing mercy. If you continue to hold this thing and point it at me, you're really getting a bit annoying."
Chapter 8: Severely Beating the Mad Dog Merle! Target: Quarry!
"Damn yellow-skinned monkey!"
Merle, who was sprawled on the ground, finally caught his breath.
Enduring the turbulent, agonizing pain in his stomach, the old rascal pushed himself up with both hands on the gravel-filled ground, crawling up like an enraged wild boar.
His fierce, scarred face twisted together in agony, looking extremely ugly.
He recklessly rushed forward while brandishing his sandbag-sized fist, stirring up a gust of wind as he aimed straight for the back of Ling Feng's head.
Ling Feng didn't even turn his head.
He casually leaned his upper body backward, and the fist whistled past the tip of his nose by a hair's breadth.
At the same time, his fingers stuck on the crossbow mechanism didn't loosen a bit; instead, he calculated in his heart how to give this mad dog an unforgettable lesson, preferably crippling this obnoxious fellow right on the spot.
Just as Ling Feng was about to turn around and deliver a heavy blow...
"Enough!" Daryl on the side suddenly roared with a raspy voice.
Daryl knew very well that the Asian man before him moved shockingly fast; if he really went for the kill, his older brother would definitely bite the dust here today.
He decisively let go of the crossbow, exerted force with his feet, lunged forward, and tightly wrapped his arms around the waist of Merle, who was still trying to lunge forward from behind.
"Let me go! You wimp! Together, let's fuck this scum up!" Merle still refused to give up, kicking wildly on the ground with saliva flying everywhere, letting out unbearable profanities from his mouth like a machine gun.
Ling Feng didn't make another move.
He weighed the snatched black recurve crossbow in his hand twice; the feel was surprisingly good, and this weapon was indeed not bad.
Afterwards, he supported the crossbow with one hand, pointing the coldly gleaming metal arrowhead straight at Merle's glabella.
"This is the last warning." Ling Feng half-squinted his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Merle's stinking face, his voice pressed extremely low, "If that rotten mouth of yours spits out another half a dirty word, I don't mind sending you to meet God."
Pointed at closely by that sharp arrowhead, Merle's Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and his arrogant cursing abruptly stopped.
Seizing the opportunity, Daryl tightly covered Merle's mouth, dragging and pulling him toward the edge of the woods while lowering his voice to quickly warn him to behave.
This farce filled with gunpowder smoke could finally be considered barely brought to an end.
Andrea, who had been hiding behind Ling Feng the whole time, let out a long breath of foul air.
Having witnessed with her own eyes Ling Feng crushing these two men with absolute strength, her confidence inside instantly grew ample.
This man's combat power was simply unreasonably high; following him maxed out her sense of security directly.
Andrea walked out from behind Ling Feng's broad back, looked around, and shouted in a raised voice: "The fight is over, and the spectacle has been watched enough! Shouldn't we prioritize discussing business now? Where are we going next?"
It was a wake-up call for everyone.
The crowd, who had just been watching the show, instantly looked at each other in dismay, their expressions quickly replaced by confusion and panic.
Yeah, where to go?
Not far away, the direction of Atlanta was still blazing with fire, and muffled explosions could be heard from afar. That only interstate highway had been completely blocked by traffic, and entering the city was tantamount to courting death.
"I... I want to check out the surrounding county towns. My aunt lives there, maybe it's fine over there." A fat man wearing glasses timidly raised his hand.
"Bullshit! Right now outside is full of abnormal infected people. Are you running to the county town to deliver takeout to them? We must find a place protected by the military!" Another uncle with a Mediterranean haircut immediately retorted loudly.
Everyone knew nothing about the surrounding terrain, arguing noisily into a mess, and no one could convince anyone else.
Just as the scene was about to get out of control...
"Hey, everyone stop arguing for a moment!" Dale stood on the RV's step, clapped his hands hard, and squeezed out a comforting smile on his wrinkled old face, "I happen to have a complete road map of Georgia in my car. We can spread it out and take a look; it's better than guessing blindly here."
Finished speaking, the old man turned and dived into the RV, swiftly pulling out a large paper map and spreading it directly onto the wide hood of the Ford pickup.
Shane, Lori, Carol, and others immediately crowded over. Ling Feng casually slung the crossbow over his shoulder and lazily led the two sisters to gather around the front of the car.
The map was densely marked with various towns and highway networks.
The fat man who had just clamored to go to the county town pointed again at an area to the north: "Let's go here. There's a small town, a supermarket, and a gas station here. We can find supplies to sustain life."
This proposal immediately won the echo of a few people; modern people simply couldn't imagine surviving in the wild.
Hearing this, Ling Feng directly spoke up to interrupt their fantasies.
"Even a southern central metropolis like Atlanta ended up having to be cleared by incendiary bombs, what makes you think those small places without even a few people in the police station can remain intact?" Ling Feng's voice was not loud, but every word hit the nail on the head, "Going to a place like that has no meaning other than serving as extra meals for piles of monsters."
The fat man opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word of rebuttal. The facts were right before his eyes; the military's defense line had long since completely collapsed.
Shane, standing nearby, keenly seized this opportunity.
Having had his face made to lose by Ling Feng just now, he was worried he couldn't find a way out, and right now was the best time to establish his absolute leadership position.
Shane coughed heavily twice, slammed both hands onto the hood, and pulled everyone's attention back to himself.
"He's right!" Shane raised his tone, his tone extremely agitating, "We must never go to cities and densely populated places! It's too dangerous. If we want to survive, we must find a wilderness far away from the city!"
As he spoke, his fingers slid rapidly across the edge of the map. Suddenly, his finger paused, heavily pressing on a marginal area marked on the map.
"This!" Shane's eyes lit up.
Several people stretched their necks to look over, and Carolsoftly read out the place name label: "Quarry?"
"Yes, it's the Quarry." Shane turned around, facing everyone, and began to analyze the pros and cons, "This place is deep in the mountains, far away from those main roads, and hard to be discovered by infected people outside. Most importantly, the Quarry usually only has a single access route, with a dead end and high mountains behind it. This means as long as we guard that only entrance, we don't have to worry about being ambushed. This is definitely a perfect natural Camp."
It must be said that having been a police officer for so many years, Shane indeed had some tricks up his sleeve in tactical choices.
Seeing this, Lori immediately stood by Shane's side to assist: "Shane has dealt with quite a few emergencies before, and he is very experienced. I think what he said makes a lot of sense, what does everyone think?"
This woman was truly shrewd; Ling Feng watched Lori's maneuver from the side and evaluated silently.
She knew very well how to elevate Shane's prestige at this time.
With Lori taking the lead, Dale also nodded in agreement. Hearing that this place was both safe and defensible, the rest of the people who had no opinions to begin with immediately expressed their agreement one after another.
"Alright, since no one has any objections!" Shane waved his big hand with a rather commanding and grandiose posture, "Everyone get in the car immediately. Before it gets completely dark, we must reach the Quarry!"
With the order given, the crowd quickly dispersed and ran back to their respective cars.
Ling Feng led Andrea and Amy toward the off-road vehicle.
Pulling open the passenger door, Ling Fengunceremoniously threw the crossbow onto the leather seat, then sat in the main driver's seat himself and turned the key to ignite the engine.
The two sisters crawled into the back seat, one on the left and one on the right.
As soon as the car door closed, the complaints Andrea had pent up burst out directly.
"What on earth gives that Shane the right?" Andreacrossed her arms, leaned her entire body against the seatback, and rolled her eyes to the heavens, "What does 'He's right' even mean? Stepping on your words to find a sense of presence for himself, looking like an arrogant leader, it's truly sickening to watch."
Leaning forward and grabbing the back of the driver's seat, she stared at Ling Feng's profile with utter incomprehension: "And you, Ling! You are clearly so capable of fighting, why didn't you just seize the command authority just now? Why let that control-freak cop order us around?"
Ling Feng put the car in gear, released the handbrake, and steadily followed the taillights of the pickup truck ahead.
Hearing Andrea's complaint, Ling Feng let out a light chuckle.
"Being the leader of a crappy team like this, what substantive benefits are there?" Ling Feng controlled the steering wheel with one hand, glanced at her through the rearview mirror, and said in an extremely casual tone, "Every day you have to worry about what everyone eats and drinks, whose family lost half a piece of bread, and you still have to go play judge. When danger hits, you're the first one to rush up and die."
Andrea was choked up for a moment: "But this is power..."
"Only fists are power." Ling Feng interrupted her, his attitude exceptionally clear, "In this damn world, as long as your strength is strong enough and your firepower is fierce enough, whether you are the nominal leader makes no difference at all. No matter who sits in that position, when big things happen, won't they still have to look at my expression in the end?"
This was the route he had set.
Go be a mother hen? It's better to save energy to deal with the system, specifically targeting valuable women to fleece Pleasure Points.
This naked philosophy of survival completely baffled Andrea. After thinking about it carefully, she actually found it to be flawless.
"Did you hear that, sis? This is called great wisdom!" Amysmiled brightly on the side, her body pressing directly against the back of the driver's seat, her two little hands very naturally embracing Ling Feng's shoulders.
Resting her chin near Ling Feng's shoulder, the little girl's warm breath blew onto Ling Feng's neck: "I think what Ling said is so right. Why should we manage those irrelevant people? As long as he can protect us well, that's enough."
Watching her own biological sister's clingy, infatuated appearance, Andrea despairingly patted her forehead.
It's over; this girl has been completely brainwashed and is utterly hopeless.
However, Andrea didn't argue anymore, obediently leaning back against the seat, with a little more anticipation in her heart for the future Camp life.
The motorcade drove away from the wide highway and turned into a dilapidated dirt road.
As they went deeper, the forests on both sides became denser and denser, the branches and leaves blocking the sky and the sun, completely shutting out the meager remaining evening glow.
The road surface was uneven, and the off-road vehicle climbed upward all the way amidst the bumps.
More than half an hour later, the view suddenly opened up.
Ahead appeared a huge circular Quarry pit, surrounded by steep rock walls and dense forests. The huge pit below was filled with water, forming a lake, and as for whether there were fish, one would only know after fishing.
Just as Shane said, this place backed against high mountains, with only that one narrow road that they had just entered through, and its concealability was extremely strong.
Chapter 9: Settling into Camp, Another Asian? There's No Comparison!
The off-road vehicle crushed through the mud covered with dead branches and leaves, stopping steadily.
On the relatively flat open space ahead, Shane was already directing everyone to pitch tents and set up Camp.
Several dilapidated cars formed an irregular semicircle, temporarily serving as a cover.
Ling Feng had no intention of going over there at all.
Turning the steering wheel hard to the left, he drove the car directly twenty meters away from the vehicle convoy.
This area was sandwiched right between several thick pine trees, offering an exceptional location that allowed him to see the movements over there clearly without being easily disturbed.
" Click. "
He pulled out the car key and pulled up the handbrake.
Ling Feng pushed the door open and got out, reaching back to pull open the rear door.
The two sisters stepped out of the vehicle cabin one after another, stretching their sore necks.
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest, turned her head to look at the group not far away who were hurriedly and clumsily pitching tents.
Carol was sticking her butt out as she hammered tent pegs into the ground, while Dale had set up a large sun umbrella beside the RV.
" So, where are we sleeping tonight? " Andrea turned her face, her gaze falling on Ling Feng.
Having fled in such a rush, aside from two pink suitcases filled with a change of clothes, their other survival supplies were practically zero.
Ling Feng spread his hands. " In the car. "
" In the car? " Andrea rubbed her temples, looking somewhat headache-ridden. " Don't you have things like tents? With a place this small in an off-road vehicle, how are three people supposed to squeeze in? "
" Don't expect too much from me; I ran out here on a moment's notice myself. Where am I supposed to conjure up tents for you? " Ling Feng leaned against the car body, felt out a marlboro and lit it. " But if I go out scavenging for supplies in the future, I'll keep an eye out for tents. As for now, we'll just have to make do. "
Before Andrea could complain, Ling Feng's fingers holding the cigarette tapped twice against the dark black car window glass.
" The only good news is that I've applied a high-light-transmittance one-way reflective film to this car. You can see outside clearly from the inside, but if anyone outside wants to look in, they'll only see a bunch of tree shadows. "
Ling Feng exhaled a pale blue puff of smoke, walked over to the driver's side, opened the door, and fiddled with the control panel on the side of the seat.
" Besides, this car has enough space. "
Along with the subtle hum of the motor turning, the backrests of the front driver and passenger seats slowly tilted backward, seamlessly splicing together with the rear seat cushions.
The originally narrow cabin instantly transformed into an extremely flat, large leather bed.
" Stuffed the luggage under the floor mats, and three people lying flat won't be a problem at all. " Ling Fengpatted the leather seat.
Seeing this scene, both sisters stopped talking.
Actually, if you really think about it, sleeping in a car is definitely much better than sleeping in a tent.
Out here in the remote wilderness, sleeping in a flimsy canvas tent, any slight rustle outside could scare someone half to death.
But staying inside this thick iron shell, as long as you press the central lock and keep the doors and windows tightly shut, that sense of security from being protected is irreplaceable.
" I think it's pretty good. " Amy was the first to express her opinion.
The little girl didn't feel any awkwardness at all about three people sleeping in the same space. Instead, she eagerly ran to the back of the car to get the luggage, ready to rearrange the space inside the cabin.
Ling Feng walked over to lend a hand, helping to pick up the bulky pink suitcase.
The two of them grasped the suitcase handle at the same time. Ling Feng's fingers naturally covered the back of Amy's hand, taking the opportunity to gently stroke her fair skin a couple of times.
Amy's hand shook abruptly, two flushes of red instantly blooming on her cheeks. She didn't pull her hand back, just lowered her head and muttered softly, " I, I'll take it... "
" Hey! Hello! "
Right at this moment, a somewhat timid voice came from the side of the car's front.
Ling Feng turned his head.
The person arriving was a young Asian youth wearing an old baseball cap backwards, clad in a delivery uniform printed with a pizza shop logo.
This person was rubbing his hands together, his face carrying a bit of curiosity and obvious nervousness.
Glenn.
Andrea and Amy were also attracted by the voice, looking over together.
After noticing the other person's appearance, Amy leaned close to Andrea's ear, her voice lowered: " Sis, look, this person is like Ling, he's also Asian. "
Andrea looked Glenn up and down.
His skinny build, timid posture, and that washed-out pizza shop uniform further exuded an aura of someone who could be bullied at any moment.
" Give it a rest. " Andrea rarely spoke ill of Ling Feng, instead curling her lip disdainfully at a moderate volume. " Just look at this kid's demeanor, can he compare to Ling? They're completely not on the same level. "
Having witnessed the brutal scene of Ling Fengdismantling Merle's joints with one hand and kicking a two-hundred-pound strongman flying with a single kick, Andrea's evaluation criteria for men had skyrocketed straight up.
The delivery kid in front of her standing together with Ling Feng had absolutely no comparison.
Amy nodded decisively in strong agreement. " There's indeed no comparison. "
The two women thought they were speaking very quietly, but the open space around them was quite quiet, plus the distance between the two cars wasn't far to begin with, so these disparaging words completely fell into the ears of Glenn and Ling Feng.
The air suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
Glenn's hands had originally been rubbing the corners of his clothes, but now they froze mid-air, neither putting them down nor holding them up.
He chuckled awkwardly with a full face of embarrassment, wanting to pretend he didn't hear, but the tips of his ears were already completely red.
Being compared like this face-to-face and being belittled to worthlessness—although he felt somewhat displeased in his heart, he couldn't refute it.
After all, Ling Feng's solid muscles and the exaggerated sniper rifle on his back carried an overwhelmingly strong sense of oppression; even if he were given three sets of guts, he wouldn't dare talk back to him face-to-face.
" Something? " Ling Feng ignored the two women whispering to each other and looked down condescendingly at Glenn.
Glenn quickly snapped back to his senses, pointed toward the Camp over there, and tried hard to make his tone sound friendly: " Um... I'm Glenn. Earlier I saw you guys didn't go over to pitch tents, so I came over to see if you needed any help. "
" Not needed. " Ling Feng directly refused.
" Oh... " Glenn awkwardly scratched the back of his head, not walking away. Instead, emboldened by curiosity, he asked what was on his mind: " Buddy, judging by your looks, are you also from Kimchi Country? "
As soon as these words came out, Ling Feng's brows instantly knitted into a knot.
What he hated most was others associating this face—which possessed supreme orthodox Eastern aesthetics—with that country that even stole kimchi everywhere.
" Stop right there. "
Ling Feng extended a finger, making no effort to conceal the disgust in his tone: " Don't lump me together with a country like that. I am a pure-blooded Long Countryman. "
Glenn was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, his tone exuding thick envy: " Long Countryman? Wow, I've always heard from friends who have been there that Long Country is extremely prosperous, with high-speed rails and delicious food everywhere, a really magical place! I always wanted to save up money to go see it, but unfortunately in this ghost of a world right now... "
Speaking to the end, Glenn's emotions noticeably dipped. Looking at his own filthy delivery uniform, he sighed helplessly.
With the world practically ending, traveling to the East had completely become an extravagant hope for the next life.
Ling Feng took a step forward, his broad palm patting directly onto Glenn's slightly thin shoulder.
This forceful and heavy pat almost made Glenn kneel onto the ground.
" Since you don't have the chance to go, stop thinking about so much useless stuff. " Ling Feng withdrew his hand. " What you should be considering right now is how to survive until tomorrow in this wilderness where people can die at any second. "
Glenn rubbed his aching shoulder, nodding dryly over and over, completely daring not to talk back anymore. He turned around and scuttled dejectedly back to the main group.
" What did he come for? " Andrea leaned against the car door, watching Glenn's receding figure.
" A kind-hearted person. " Ling Feng couldn't be bothered to evaluate this delivery kid who currently wasn't of much use. He turned around, preparing to continue arranging the space inside the car.
The sun was about to set at this moment, and dusk filled the entire sky.
Chapter 10 Lori's Little Schemes
Night completely swallowed the last trace of twilight at the Quarry.
Inside the off-road vehicle, the fully flattened seats pieced together an extremely spacious double bed.
Andrea sat cross-legged in the back half of the carriage, watching her younger sister, who was still fiddling with throw pillows and completely immersed in the joy of decorating their "new home", as the anger in the depths of her heart surged upward.
Her younger sister was completely bewitched by this man.
"Ling, there is a most realistic problem facing us right now." Andrea knocked on the middle armrest box, "What are we going to eat tonight?"
She asked with righteous confidence.
Since this guy had already treated Amy as something in his pocket, taking on the responsibility of protecting and providing food was a matter of course, and she couldn't let someone go hungry to spend the night with him in this barren wilderness.
Ling Feng was leaning against the main driver's seat smoking.
Without even turning his head, he directly raised a finger to point in the direction of the trunk: "Amy, pull that black suitcase next to you over and open it."
Amy obediently responded, crawling over hands and feet to drag the slightly heavy black travel suitcase.
The moment the zipper was pulled open.
Inside, neatly stacked were a dozen cans of pork and beans stew, several bars of high-calorie compressed biscuits, and a few bottles of unopened mineral water.
Although the amount of food could not be considered lavish, it was enough for the three of them to steadily eat in this wasteland for two days.
Seeing these things, Andrea's tense shoulders visibly relaxed.
She directly picked up a pack of biscuits, tore open the packaging, and shared half with Amy.
Ling Feng reached into the box to fish out a can of meat, pulled the pull-tab open with one hand, took the spoon handed over by Amy to eat a few casual bites, and quickly frowned.
"This thing really tastes awful." Ling Feng placed the can on the center console.
As a heavy carnivore, eating this kind of mush full of preservatives and starch was simply torturing his stomach.
"Right now it's the early stage of the disaster, and this deep mountain forest is temporarily quite safe, without those monsters biting everywhere." Ling Feng pulled a tissue to wipe his hands, "Tomorrow morning I'll go into the mountain, hunt some game, and get some real fresh meat back to improve our diet."
Hearing that Ling Feng was going to leave the car and act alone, Amy's hand holding the biscuit suspended in mid-air.
"Will we encounter any danger in the forest?" Amy looked at Ling Feng's broad back with full worry, "How about we go with you?"
Andrea immediately chimed in, with a very straightforward attitude.
"Amy is right, everyone must act together."
Andrea directly threw the biscuits in her hand back into the bag, "This hastily put-together Camp is not safe at all, no one knows the background of those people, especially that foul-mouthed Merle. To leave the two of us completely defenceless women here would be equivalent to delivering fat meat directly to their doorstep."
Andrea saw things very thoroughly.
Now that the legal system has collapsed, a glock pistolsimply couldn't stop the wolf-like refugees outside.
Only by closely following Ling Feng, this baneful star, could there be absolute safety.
Ling Feng turned around, his gaze sweeping across the two women.
Leaving these two moving "point ATM machines" alone in the Camp indeed carried risks; just in case some blind scum touched them, who would he go to reason with? Although he already knew that most of the people in this Campwould be protagonists in the future, it was still the early stage, and he hadn't seen many of them yet.
"Fine." Ling Feng reached out and very naturally pinched Amy's delicate cheek, "Then let's just casually eat something to get through the night, and tomorrow morning you guys will follow me into the mountain."
A startlingly smooth and tender sensation came from his fingertips.
Amy's cheeks grew hot from the pinch, but she didn't dodge. Instead, following the force, she gently rubbed against Ling Feng's palm.
[Ding! Intimate physical contact detected, Pleasure Points+50!]
In a great mood, Ling Feng leaned back and comfortably closed his eyes to rest.
At the same time.
In the center of the open space twenty meters away from the off-road vehicle, the atmosphere was so oppressive that people could barely breathe.
Large pieces of firewood were stacked together, and the orange-red campfire was burning with a crackling sound.
T-Dog, the strong Black man who had just patrolled the surrounding area, was struggling together with Glenn, who was wearing a delivery uniform, to drag a few dead tree branches and throw them into the bonfire.
The firelight illuminated a circle of dirt-covered faces around them.
Everyone sat around the bonfire, each person only being distributed a pitifully small amount of snacks and a few mouthfuls of dry bread, and even drinking water had to be swallowed sparingly.
Compared to that quiet, well-stocked off-road vehicle not far away, this side was simply a standard refugee shelter.
Lori sat on a severed piece of dead wood.
With one hand, she tightly hugged her stepson Carl, who was still gnawing on hard biscuits, while her gaze crossed the leaping flames, undisguisedly hovering over that off-road vehicle.
Shane held a tree branch, casually poking at the bonfire, and then sat down next to Lori.
Lori immediately made a move.
Her body leaned over toward Shane extremely naturally, her shoulder seemingly brushing against Shane's sturdy arm without fully leaning on it, which stirred Shane's attention. Her voice was lowered very low: "Shane, how do you actually plan to walk the road ahead?"
The movement in Shane's hand paused for a moment.
"Survive tonight first." Shane responded muffledly, "Tomorrow at dawn, I'll arrange for a few people to check out the perimeter situation, and by the way, look for water sources and edible wild fruits. As long as we guard this entrance, we are temporarily safe."
Lori was not satisfied with this conservative answer at all.
"Take a close look at what kind of people are in this Camp." Lori directly pointed out the pain point, "Aside from old men, there are women and children; there is simply no combat power capable of fighting."
She leaned closer, her lips almost touching Shane's ear, her tone revealing absolute shrewdness.
"If you truly want everyone to survive, and even more to consolidate your leadership in this Camp, you must go and cooperate with that man named Ling."
Lori was very clear about the rules by which this world operated.
Shane possessed the identity of a police officer, was accustomed to giving orders, and could steady the hearts of this group of civilians.
And that arrogant Asian man held highly destructive heavy firepower and overwhelming combat skills in his hands.
As long as Shane stepped forward to win over Ling Feng, and the two of them partnered up, this team's survival probability would definitely increase exponentially.
As for herself, as long as she tightly tied down Shane, she could continue to enjoy the highest level of protection in this doomsday.
Hearing these words, Shane's brow instantly twisted into a dead knot.
The scene of Merle getting beaten up in the afternoon was still playing on a loop in his mind; that man named Ling Feng was simply an untamable beast.
Having him actively win over a thorn that had made him lose face was more painful than killing him.
But Lori's words were blunt and realistic; if this group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled really encountered a large horde of infected, they would all die.
Shane stood up with a gloomy face.
He did not directly answer Lori's proposal, instead forcefully patting the dust off his trouser legs with both hands, and strode to the very front of the campfire.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Shane raised his hands high and clapped forcefully.
The crisp applause was particularly piercing in the quiet dark night.
"Everyone stop what you're doing first! Look over at me!" Shane raised his voice.
The people sitting around the campfire successively raised their heads, their gazes all concentrated on this temporary leader, and even Dale, who was drinking water, put down his kettle.
On the outermost fringe of the crowd, in the shadows where the firelight couldn't reach.
Merle was leaning sideways against the tire of the pickup truck, listlessly toying with that folding knife in his hand, the blade flipping back and forth between his fingers.
Watching Shane's posture of standing on high and preparing to give orders, Merle let out an undisguised sneer.
He used his elbow to heavily bump his younger brother Daryl sitting next to him, lowering his voice with a full expression of watching a show.
"Look at that pretentious cop, really treating himself like the President of America." Merle spat a mouthful of saliva, "I bet there's definitely a good show to watch next."
Daryl was intently stringing his crossbow.
He was long used to his older brother's cheap mouth that loved nothing more than chaos.
Daryl didn't even raise an eyelid, completely treating Merle's words as wind passing by the ear, silently lowering his head to wipe the cold-glinting arrowheads.
In front of the bonfire, Shane looked around all around.
He deliberately lingered his gaze on that off-road vehicle in the distance for two seconds, then cleared his throat.
"Since we've camped in this ghost place, if we want to survive until rescue arrives, we can't run around blindly like headless flies." Shane threw out his decision, "Starting tomorrow, everyone must obey commands to be assigned tasks, no one gets to be a freeloader, and the first thing that must be done is to clarify the rules of the Camp!"
The crowd instantly whispered among themselves, and the atmosphere began to ferment.
Shane raised his hand to point at the only entrance and exit of the Camp, his voice sharply rising: "Tomorrow morning, I'll call out a few people's names to go directly to the fringe area of downtown Atlanta, and bring back some usable supplies. As for the person leading the team..."