Chapter 11: Camp Infighting! Watching the Show from the Car with a Great Feel
"As for the person leading the team..." Shane's words were still hanging in the air when Merle, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly let out an extremely ear-piercing, strange laugh.
The laugh instantly tore apart the serious atmosphere that had just begun to brew around them.
With a snap, Merle folded his pocketknife and stowed it away, then casually pulled half a dry biscuit from his tattered jacket and tossed it straight into Daryl's arms beside him.
"Hey! Pal!" Merle wobbled as he stood straight up, cracking his neck while rolling his eyes up and down at Shane, his face brimming with unabated hostility. "You want to boss me around? With those bullshit official speeches of yours? Or with that small-town sheriff title? I don't think that crap works out here!"
Having his face publicly humiliated by Ling Feng earlier today, along with being kicked onto the ground and vomiting bile, Merle had long been harboring a belly full of rage.
He couldn't beat that Asian guy with freakish martial skills, but couldn't he put down a pompous cop? In this godforsaken place, whoever had the bigger fist had the say. Who the hell did Shane think he was?
The surrounding people instantly went dead silent, none daring to chime in. Lori pulled Carl back a couple of steps, while Dale silently placed his hand on the tool belt around his waist.
Shane's face darkened instantly.
He slowly unbuttoned his police uniform jacket and casually tossed it onto a nearby hood, revealing the tight gray short-sleeved shirt and solid muscular outline underneath.
"You're overthinking it, Merle." Shane took two steps forward, his voice dripping with unmistakable tension. "I never intended to use my sheriff status to press anyone down. Out here in the wilderness, the rule is simple: whoever has the skill leads, strength speaks! If you're unhappy with my rules, feel free to turn around right now and get the hell out the way you came. Nobody's stopping you!"
The distance between the two had narrowed to less than three meters. Sparks erupted from the dry firewood in the campfire, pushing the tension to the absolute boiling point in an instant.
Meanwhile, inside the off-road vehicle twenty meters away from the Camp, the atmosphere was completely different.
A dim reading light was turned on inside the cabin.
Because the seats were fully reclined, the entire space had turned into a large bed.
Amy curled up beside Ling Feng like a docile kitten, her fair small hand held playfully inside Ling Feng's large palm, occasionally letting out suppressed giggles.
Andrea had been kneeling with her back to them in the rear section tidying up blankets, but hearing the voices outside suddenly raise, she immediately turned around.
Looking through the window lined with one-way reflective film, she could clearly see the standoff beside the campfire outside.
"Ling, come look!" Unable to hold back her curiosity, Andrea reached out and nudged Ling Feng, who was half-reclining beside her.
Pushed by the force, Ling Feng sat up with the momentum.
The overhead clearance inside the car was limited, so Andrea was currently in a slightly forward-leaning, kneeling posture.
Her tight jeans outlined the dramatic curves of her waist and hips, especially those firm, plump buttocks swaying right below Ling Feng's line of sight.
You brought this upon yourself.
Without even hesitating, Ling Feng raised his right hand and smacked down shamelessly on that full curve.
"Slap!"
The crisp sound of flesh colliding echoed loudly in the quiet cabin.
The thick denim could not block that astonishing elasticity at all; an overwhelming sensation traveled from his palm straight to Ling Feng's nerve endings.
Fantastic feel! Ling Feng marveled silently in his heart.
[Ding! Detected host's intimate physical contact with story female character Andrea!]
[Pleasure Points +100!]
The wonderful mechanical voice chimed in sync in his mind. With free points plus this amazing feel, Ling Feng couldn't suppress the corners of his lips from curving up as he gave a rogue whistle.
"Ah!"
Andrea trembled all over, jumping up abruptly like she had been electrocuted.
This sudden movement caused the back of her head to bump into the padded roof lining, but ignoring the pain, she turned around and glared fiercely at Ling Feng, her chest heaving violently.
"What are you doing?!" Andrea growled in a low voice, her cheeks flushing bright red, and even her slender neck blushing pink. Her intensely fierce eyes glared wide, looking as if she wanted to swallow Ling Feng alive.
Beside them, Amy was also startled, staring blankly at the two, completely unaware of what had happened in those brief two seconds.
Ling Feng slowly pulled back his right hand, raised it to his nose for a quick sniff, and then spread his hands, grinning like an absolute rascal. "You can't blame me for this. You were leaning way too close in that position just now. It's purely a man's natural reaction."
Though he said that, Ling Feng's eyes never left Andrea's face for a second.
He was testing her boundary. If she truly felt violated, with Andrea's fiery temper, she would already be reaching for the handgun under the floor mat.
But she didn't.
Not only did she make no move for the gun, but even her defensive body language seemed weak and feeble.
On her flushed face, besides shock and embarrassment, there was surprisingly little actual disgust.
This woman wasn't resistant.
Ling Feng understood clearly in his mind.
The display of formidable combat power in this apocalyptic setting, combined with that formidable sniper rifle holding down the fort, had long stunned this former elite lawyer. Her supposed anger was merely an act to maintain the last shred of adult dignity.
Sure enough, after her chest heaved a few times, seeing Ling Feng's shameless stance, Andrea gritted her teeth and edged half an inch closer, her tone stern yet hushed.
"Listen here, Ling." Andrea held up a finger. "I'm not a naïve little girl like Amy who hasn't experienced society. Don't get touchy-feely with me as you please, and don't make this kind of joke ever again!"
Only a verbal warning?
Ling Feng almost laughed out loud. He understood mature women's mindsets all too well—playing along was second nature to him.
He immediately wiped the rascal look off his face and nodded cooperatively. "Got it, got it. Just this once, won't happen again."
This straightforward concession instead made Andrea feel stifled. She stared fixedly at Ling Feng for three seconds without finding a single fault to pick at, so she could only let out a heavy snort, turning her head back to lean against the window to watch the drama.
However, due to the episode just now, her breathing was noticeably off rhythm.
"Beat that bastard to death... preferably beat his brains out..." Andrea kept muttering under her breath, her fingers subconsciously scratching the door handle.
Ling Feng leaned back against the seat rest again, looking at her profile with a faint smirk. As for whether the "bastard" this woman was cursing referred to the arrogant Merle outside or himself who took advantage of her just now, only she would know.
Meanwhile, near the Camp campfire, the situation exploded completely.
Merle didn't care about martial ethics at all. Listening to Shane, he lurched half a step forward, feinted with his left hand, and launched his right leg straight toward Shane's groin from below. It was entirely the dirtiest street-brawling trick.
But Shane had been a county deputy for over a decade, frequently dealing with drunks and gang fights, giving him rich practical experience. The moment Merle's shoulder twitched, he guessed the opponent's intention.
Shane stepped back with both legs, easily dodging the kick. Seizing the momentum, he swung his right arm, landing a heavy hook solidly on Merle's left cheek.
"Bang!" Knuckles striking cheekbone produced a dull thud.
The blow snapped Merle's head to the side, and he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
But his ability to take a hit was extremely strong. Instincts honed in his past military service kicked in; instead of retreating, he lunged forward, slamming headfirst into Shane's chest and launching a vicious elbow strike targeted right at Shane's ribs.
The impact was solid. Shane let out a muffled groan, his brows knotting in pain, feeling as though his ribs were nearly cracked.
He simply gave up on defense. Leveraging his weight advantage, he locked his arms around Merle's shoulders and executed a textbook police tackle, slamming Merleviolently onto the gravel-covered ground.
The two instantly tumbled into a heap on the gravel ground. Without Ling Feng's dimensional-suppression technical dominance, this fight was a raw, fist-to-flesh, close-quarters American brawl.
Merle flipped over to mount Shane, swinging his fists to slam into Shane's face.
The first punch grazed the corner of Shane's eyebrow, blood instantly spilling into his eye.
Before the second punch could fall, Shane violently surged with his hips, reversing the disadvantage with a quick roll and pinning Merle underneath him.
"Is that all you got?!" With bloodshot eyes, Shane jammed his knee into Merle's chest and pounded his right fist like a pile driver straight into Merle's face repeatedly.
After two punches, Merle's nose was smashed crooked, blood smearing half his face, and his arrogant cursing turned entirely into painful groans.
Daryl, who had been watching cold-eyed from the side, could no longer stand it. He took a step forward, reaching toward the crossbow on his back.
But Lori immediately screamed out, and several survivors holding crowbars rushed over to surround Daryl in the middle.
The brawl on the ground reached its conclusion.
Shane grabbed one of Merle's flailing arms, spun his body, and skillfully locked him into an armbar.
The joint was bent backward to its absolute limit; the searing pain of impending bone breakage made Merle let out a horrific scream, rapidly tapping his free left hand on the ground to submit.
"Now, are the rules clear enough?" Shane locked Merledown tightly, his bloody face looking terrifying in the firelight. He didn't release him immediately, instead raising his voice so every single person in the Camp could hear clearly.
Merle broke out in cold sweat from the pain, unable to squeeze out even a single tough word, only nodding frantically.
Seeing this, Shane finally released the joint lock, stood up, and backed away two steps.
He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his eyebrow, his chest heaving violently as he panted heavily.
Inside the vehicle, Ling Feng looked at Shane standing like a victor and muttered softly, "Boring!"
"Let's rest early. We're setting off early tomorrow morning!" As he spoke, he pulled out an air-conditioning blanket from the luggage pile beside him—3 meters long, 2 meters wide, just barely enough to cover all three of them.
Chapter 12: Sleeping in the Back Together! A Midnight Temptation
The reading light in the SUV was casually switched off.
The car interior instantly plunged into darkness, with only a faint, weak orange glow from the distant Camp bonfire barely illuminating the car's contours.
The back seats were fully reclined, and while the space wasn't small, it still felt cramped with three adults squeezed in.
Ling Feng pulled over the thick air-conditioning blanket, three meters long and two meters wide, shook it open, and tossed it over.
Andrea and Amy had already taken off their cumbersome jackets.
Amy obediently huddled in the very middle, while Andreadeliberately pressed herself against the right car door, her entire body tense, trying her best to leave some distance in the middle.
Just as Andrea thought she could get through tonight with her heart pounding.
Ling Feng casually unclipped the tactical buckle on his belt, tossed the heavy glock aside, then swung his long leg over, directly climbing from the driver's seat and landing steadily in the back row.
"What are you doing here!" Andrea shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She clutched the edge of the blanket tightly with both hands, her upper body suddenly propped up, her eyes in the darkness staring intently at Ling Feng's broad back.
Ling Feng rolled his eyes dramatically, completely unfazed by her questioning.
"Although the front can be reclined, there are gaps where it connects to the back seat; sleeping there for one night would break your back." Ling Feng patted the leather cushion beneath him, replying righteously, "It's so spacious in the back, completely enough to sleep. I don't have that masochistic tendency to make myself sleep in the front."
With that, he completely ignored Andrea's murderous glare, lay down directly to Amy's left, stretched out his long arm, and pulled the other end of the air-conditioning blanket over himself.
Andrea opened her mouth, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She wanted to point at Ling Feng's nose and curse him for being a pervert, wanted him to immediately roll back to the front.
But the words caught in her throat. Reason frantically hammered at her nerves: this car was Ling Feng's, the blanket was Ling Feng's, even the canned meat they just ate was provided by Ling Feng.
In this desolate wilderness with no police, no laws, what did she have to drive away a car owner with overwhelming combat power?
Her and her sister's safety now depended entirely on this man. Pushing her luck would only make her seem ungrateful. If she truly angered him and he kicked them out of the car, that would be a dead end.
Finally, Andrea bit her teeth and swallowed her anger, turning her back petulantly, facing the car window, leaving only a stiff and resistant back to the two of them.
As Andrea fell silent, the car interior plunged into an eerie quiet.
Amy, sandwiched in the middle, didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
Though America girls were inherently uninhibited, it depended on the person.
The man's body heat on her left continuously transferred through the blanket. That extremely aggressive male hormone made the little girl's entire body feel hot.
On this first day of the apocalypse, where death could strike at any moment, this powerful body so close gave her an indescribable, fatal sense of security.
A few minutes later, Amy moved.
Blushing, she quietly turned over, now facing Ling Feng.
In the darkness, the little girl tremblingly reached out a hand. Her fingertips first touched the edge of Ling Feng's firm abs, then very carefully clutched the hem of his shirt.
Like a drowning person grasping at their only straw, she held on tightly.
Ling Feng was never a gentleman like Liu Xiahui, who could sit by a beauty without being tempted.
Since a beauty proactively delivered herself, why would he leave her hanging?
He didn't hold back at all. He simply raised his right arm, slipped it under Amy's slender neck, and his large hand gripped her other shoulder, possessively pulling her towards him.
"Mm." Amy let out an extremely soft whimper.
A plump, soft body perfectly nestled into Ling Feng's embrace.
Amy's figure wasn't gaunt or weak; rather, it possessed the fullness and fleshiness unique to young girls.
This tangible sensation, transmitted through thin clothing, severely tested one's self-control.
Just as the atmosphere in the car was rapidly heating up.
"Sigh..."
On the far right side of the car, a long sigh suddenly broke the silence.
Andrea hadn't fallen asleep at all; everything had fallen into her ears without missing a beat.
She knew exactly what was happening; her foolish sister had completely become a lamb thrown into a tiger's mouth.
She saw everything, heard everything, but she didn't turn around to stop it.
This sigh contained despair over the collapse of the world, and also helplessness over her sister's 'giving herself away' behavior.
Hearing this sigh, Ling Feng not only didn't restrain himself at all, but instead smiled silently in the darkness. This self-proclaimed clever female lawyer had, after all, lowered her proud head in the face of reality.
Since you choose to pretend to be asleep, don't blame me for taking an inch and wanting a mile.
The phrase 'audacious' was being demonstrated to its extreme by Ling Feng at this moment.
His left arm was still tightly embracing Amy in his arms, but his free right hand audaciously reached out. That large hand went over Amy's shoulder, silently extending towards the stiff back on the right.
In the darkness, Ling Feng's fingers precisely pinched Andrea's cheek!
The rough pad of his thumb unceremoniously gave that delicate, taut skin a firm squeeze.
[Pleasure Points +100!]
The crisp electronic sound exploded in his mind. Ling Fengfelt great. This thrill of crossing the line to tease the older sister right in front of the younger sister was even more intoxicating than simply earning points.
Andrea, whose face was suddenly pinched, trembled violently.
Andrea's mind buzzed, and her heart almost leaped out of her throat.
She instinctively turned her head, and in the extremely faint light, she saw Amy's back. The little girl was burying her face deeply in Ling Feng's embrace, completely immersed in her own world, totally unaware of the horrifying scene behind her.
Andrea gritted her teeth in anger, her cheeks burning hot.
She wanted to loudly question him, wanted to slap this bastard, but she didn't dare.
She was completely at this man's mercy!
Ultimately, Andrea could only suppress her shame and indignation, suddenly raising her hand under the blanket and forcefully slapping away Ling Feng's mischievous large hand.
"Slap."
A soft slapping sound echoed in the car.
Ling Feng chuckled softly. Not only wasn't he angry, but he also took advantage of the push to smoothly retract his right hand.
He understood the principle of knowing when to stop. He had already taken enough liberties with Andrea today. A bottom line, after all, was meant to be tested and broken repeatedly.
Pushing too hard would be counterproductive; this kind of slow torture, mixed with panic and compromise, was the most interesting.
His hand was withdrawn, but not idle.
Ling Feng simply refocused his attention on Amy in his arms, his right hand slipping through the blanket's gap and slowly sliding down along the curve of Amy's waist.
Voluptuous.
Only this word could describe the sensation beneath his hand.
Without any fabric obstruction, Ling Feng's broad palm finally rested on her smooth thigh, his fingertips, with an undeniable firmness, wantonly caressing that soft, warm area.
Amy's whole body stiffened, but she didn't resist at all.
Not only did she not resist, she even buried her head deeper into Ling Feng's chest.
Biting her lower lip tightly, she suppressed the strange sounds that were about to escape her throat. Her body trembled slightly from tension and an unprecedented stimulation, yet she obediently allowed that large hand to linger on her.
The air inside the SUV became extremely thick.
Chapter 13: Want to eat fish? Trade wild rabbits for Daryl's favor!
The morning Quarry carried a cool moisture.
The off-road vehicle door flew open.
Amy stretched lazily and jumped out of the car, with Andrea following behind, her complexion slightly haggard and her eye sockets a bit dark.
Clearly, some unruly large hand last night had kept her from sleeping peacefully for most of the night.
Ling Feng walked at the very front, carrying two bottles of mineral water and toiletries in his hand, walking straight toward the huge accumulated water lake at the bottom of the pit.
The surface of the water was as flat as a mirror, surrounded by a thin layer of mist.
Amy cupped water to wash her face, the coolness refreshing her greatly.
She stared at the clear bottom of the water for a moment, her blue eyes flickering with anticipation, and leaned close to Ling Feng full of yearning: "Ling, do you think there will be fish in such a big lake?"
Andrea was wringing out a towel nearby, and upon hearing this, she also perked up her ears.
She was truly tired of eating compressed biscuits and canned beans; if there was fresh grilled fish to fill her stomach, it would definitely be an improvement to their lives.
Ling Feng's action of wiping his face with the towel stopped.
In the original plot, this group of people, in order to fill their stomachs, squatted by the lake for several days with broken tree branches and fishing lines, but ended up not even catching a single fish scale, which was purely a waste of time.
"Put away your greedy little thoughts." Ling Feng draped the towel over his neck, "This is a Quarry pit, and the lake water here is entirely accumulated through ordinary rainwater and underground water seeping from the mountain. It is completely a stagnant water pit."
Amy blinked, not quite understanding what this had to do with whether there were fish or not.
"Unless some kind-hearted person with nothing better to do braved the scorching sun to run here and specially dump a few baskets of fry, otherwise, besides water weeds and rotten stones, even a tadpole would struggle to survive in here." Ling Feng mercilessly shattered their fantasies.
"Ah..." Amy's pretty face instantly collapsed, disappointment written all over her face, "I thought we could eat the fish you grilled at noon."
Watching the little girl's aggrieved appearance, Ling Fengfound it amusing, and his broad palm directly covered her golden head, rubbing it forcefully a couple of times.
"Don't look so gloomy. There are no fish in the lake, but there is plenty of game in the mountains."
Amy's hair was ruffled from the rubbing, but instead of getting angry, she took the opportunity to hug Ling Feng's arm and nuzzle against it, regaining her lively vigor.
Andrea wrung the towel in her hand until it creaked, her gaze fixed tightly on the intertwined arms of the two, let out a heavy snort, and turned to walk back.
After finishing washing up and returning to the off-road vehicle, the two women opened the pink suitcase in the trunk and began rummaging through it for clothes to wear into the mountains today.
Two minutes later.
Ling Feng leaned against the front of the car smoking a cigarette, turned his head to look, and almost choked on the smoke.
Amy had changed into a cool white spaghetti-strap tank top, paired below with a pair of denim hot pants so short they almost pinched the base of her thighs, her dazzlingly white, long legs making people dizzy.
Andrea hadn't worn much more either, wearing a gray sleeveless tight top matched with tight shorts, fully revealing the plump curves of a mature woman.
Standard Southern America summer hot girl attire.
"Are the two of you preparing to attend a beach party?" Ling Feng flicked away the ash and pointed at the large mountain behind.
"Is there a problem? The temperature today is almost thirty degrees, and wearing long pants is just too hot." Amylooked down at her own outfit and triumphantly spun around a circle.
"No problem, there's no problem at all." Ling Feng crossed his arms, "The adult palm-sized venomous mosquitoes in the mountains, as well as the thorn-filled bushes, will definitely love this outfit of yours. By the time you walk around and come back, those two white legs of yours will probably turn into swollen hornet nests."
Andrea's expression changed slightly.
She was a lawyer who had lived in the city since childhood, and she had never considered the details of wilderness survival at all.
"Go change, long sleeves and long pants, wrap your ankles up tightly for me." Ling Feng laid down the law with a firm tone, "If you dare wear shorts into the mountains, you will stay behind to guard the car."
Without waiting for the two women to retort, he directly turned around and went to the trunk to get the equipment.
Andrea was very displeased in her heart with this man's tone of issuing commands, but reason told her that Ling Feng was right, so she could only reluctantly pull Amy into the compartment to change clothes again.
When they came out again, the two women had already changed into wear-resistant utility long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and even their feet were replaced with high-top sneakers.
Wrapped up tightly, their good figures still couldn't be concealed.
"Let's go, go get some real meat back." Ling Feng tucked a machete into his tactical belt, holding the black crossbow captured yesterday in his hand, and took the lead walking into the dense woods behind the Camp.
The morning forest air was stuffy, and everywhere was the smell of rotting fallen leaves.
The three of them climbed upward for about ten-odd minutes when a rustling noise suddenly came from the bushes ahead.
Ling Feng instantly stopped his footsteps, his right hand resting extremely naturally on the grip of the glock at his waist.
Andrea behind him immediately pulled out her pistol, and Amy nervously grabbed the back hem of Ling Feng's clothes.
Pushing aside the broad leaves blocking the way in front, a muscular back wearing a sleeveless vest was squatting under a large tree, pulling a thorny vine in his hand and skillfully tying a slipknot.
It was Daryl.
Hearing the movement behind him, Daryl turned his head sharply, the folding knife in his hand instantly reversed and held in front of his chest like an alert wild wolf.
Seeing clearly that the incoming people were the three of Ling Feng, his tense muscles relaxed slightly, but that face still stank like a block of stone.
Enemies meeting each other are especially full of hatred; when Andrea saw clearly that it was Daryl, the anger stirred up by Merle last night instantly surged up.
"Yo, isn't this that mad dog's younger brother?" Andreashoved her gun back behind her waist and spoke sarcastically, "Early in the morning, instead of staying down there accompanying that acid-spitting brother of yours, you ran up here messing with a few broken branches, acting quite diligent."
Daryl didn't pay any attention to her mockery at all.
With a flip of his wrist, he plugged the folding knife back into its sheath, turned around, and continued to fiddle with the trap knots on the ground.
"The snacks we brought will eventually run out one day; if you don't want to starve to death, make plans early." Daryldidn't even raise his head, his tone devoid of any fluctuation, completely not putting Andrea in his eyes.
This dismissive attitude made Andrea even angrier, and she took a step forward ready to continue acting up.
A broad palm directly wrapped around her waist from behind.
Ling Feng's fingers pinched the soft flesh of Andrea's tight waist in an extremely covert manner, forcefully blocking back the words she was about to curse out.
[Pleasure Points + 100!]
"Shut up, cause less trouble." Ling Feng leaned down and whispered in Andrea's ear.
Andrea shivered all over, her cheeks instantly turning completely red, and she glared fiercely at Ling Feng, but her footsteps obediently retreated back to her original position.
Ling Feng didn't pay attention to Andrea's awkwardness.
Toward this pair of brothers, he distinguished them very clearly.
Merle was a pure punk and a worthless scumbag who didn't know what's good for him, but the taciturn Darylbefore him was the character with the top survival skills and the heaviest sense of loyalty in the entire show.
In the doomsday, if someone who gets things done like this could be brought under his own command, they would definitely be an extremely sharp blade.
Daryl secured the slipknot under the tree roots, patted the mud off his hands, and stood up.
His gaze lingered for two seconds on the crossbow held in Ling Feng's hand, then shifted toward the exaggerated gun case on Ling Feng's back.
"Are you guys also here to hunt?" Daryl asked in a hoarse voice.
"Otherwise what? Come to the mountains to look at the scenery?" Ling Feng felt for his cigarette case from his pocket, pulled one out, and tossed it over.
Daryl accurately caught the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear.
"The disaster has just broken out now, and the big cities are the hardest-hit areas. This deep mountain forest hasn't been occupied by those wandering monsters yet for the time being, making it relatively safe."
Ling Feng lit one for himself, exhaled the smoke, "Taking advantage of the peaceful days we still have now, stockpile more jerky and fur; it will be hard to find such opportunities in the future."
A trace of surprise flashed in Daryl's eyes, and then he nodded in agreement.
That group of people down at the Camp were still fantasizing that the National Guard would drive armored vehicles to save them, while the Asian man in front of him who beat his own older brother into a dead dog was not only freakishly strong, but his brain was also terrifyingly clear-headed.
"Not a bad thought." Daryl patted the dust off his legs, his gaze falling back onto the black recurve crossbow in Ling Feng's hand, "It's a pity I only have a crappy little knife in my hand; this thing is okay for catching a few squirrels, but when encountering big game, it can't take them down at all."
He paused, gritting his teeth as if making a very difficult decision before speaking: "Let's discuss something."
"Speak."
"That crossbow." Daryl pointed at the cold-glinting weapon in Ling Feng's hand, "It's a high-end item I paid for out of my own pocket. Merle provoked you and deserved to be beaten like that; I don't blame you. But in this place, without a weapon, it's hard to take a single step. Name your price, what do I need to do to trade it back?"
If it were an ordinary person, having captured such a good cold weapon, they would definitely never spit it out.
Daryl was just holding a mentality of trying it out; at worst, he would find materials in the forest later to make a simple bow himself.
Ling Feng weighed the crossbow in his hand with one hand.
This thing's draw weight was indeed not small, but to him, with intermediate combat skills and that M200 sniper rifle for self-defense, a crossbow was at best a toy.
It would be better to do a favor and completely pull this future God of War into his own network of relationships.
"Two wild rabbits." Ling Feng held up two fingers, "Cleaned, skinned wild rabbits. If you can bring them, this crossbow is yours."
Daryl was stunned.
He even suspected that something was wrong with his ears.
This top-grade recurve crossbow could sell for at least several thousand US dollars on the market before the disaster, and now in the doomsday, it was an even more priceless treasure.
Two wild rabbits? How was this any different from giving it away for free?
"What? Can't get them?" Ling Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Before evening, I will personally throw two wild rabbits on your car hood." Daryl didn't say a second word and directly agreed.
Ling Feng tossed it casually, throwing the crossbow along with the quiver directly over.
Daryl hurriedly reached out to catch it, feeling the familiar metal texture, and his emotions toward Ling Fengunderwent an extremely subtle change.
This man did things in a way that was simply inscrutable, yet sufficiently magnanimous.
"Thanks." Daryl slung the crossbow back onto his shoulder, turned around with gratitude in his gaze, and burrowed into another patch of woods to work.
He was now a person in debt of two rabbits.
Although it wasn't difficult for him at all.
Chapter 14 Wild Vegetables Everywhere, Absolutely Thrilling!
Daryl ducked into the dense woods along the other end of the vines, his retreating figure quickly blocked by large broad leaves.
All around was only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the tree crowns.
Amy moved closer to Ling Feng, tilting her head to scrutinize his profile as she reached out to tug at the cuff of his work jacket.
"What is it?" Ling Feng turned his head.
"Your attitude toward that guy carrying the crossbow is completely different." Amy only reached Ling Feng's chest. At this moment, she tilted her face up, full of curiosity. "Yesterday you beat his brother into such a state, and just now you were actually willing to return such a good weapon to him. Do you think highly of him?"
This lass usually looked muddle-headed, but her ability to read people and situations was not bad at all.
Ling Feng chuckled, reaching out to pinch Amy's fair and tender cheek and pulling it outward slightly, prompting a few soft protests from the little lass.
"This is called making the best use of talent." Ling Feng let go of his hand and took the opportunity to pat that smooth cheek twice. "That guy named Merle is purely a mad dog that bites people at random, but Daryl is different. Anyone who dares to set traps to catch living creatures in these wild mountains using just a few broken vines has real skills in his hands."
He turned around and continued to clear the path ahead.
"This kind of person doesn't like nonsense and only sticks to dead principles. Giving him some sweetness to win him over means that in the future, when going out to risk one's life or keeping watch, he will definitely be an extremely handy and good blade. In this broken world, a trustworthy capable person is more valuable than anything else."
Andrea stood to the side, curling her lips in deep displeasure. Her mind was filled with Daryl's fierce, murderous look from yesterday, and she simply couldn't connect the word 'trustworthy' with the younger brother of such a hooligan.
The three of them continued to climb upward.
The deeper they went, the more humid and stuffy the air in the woods became. Various unnamed vines and bushes intertwined, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of decayed leaves. Stepping down felt soft and spongy, and the path became increasingly difficult to walk.
Ling Feng walked at the very front, holding the machete he had swiped from the Camp, occasionally slashing open thorny branches blocking the way.
With Intermediate Combat Skill as his foundation, his physical strength and perception far exceeded ordinary people's, and any slightest disturbance around him couldn't escape his ears.
Suddenly, Ling Feng stopped in his tracks, his gaze locked tightly onto a small, weed-grown, shaded slope ahead.
"Wait a moment."
He put away the machete, strode up the slope in two steps, and squatted directly in front of a patch of plants with jagged leaves.
Pushing aside the wide leaves, clusters of extremely lush green tender leaves grew from the rhizomes underneath, with sparkling dewdrops still hanging on the blades.
Not far away, a patch of bright red wild raspberries hung, growing as big as a finger pad.
Wild amaranth! Wild celery! Wild sweet potatoes and berries!
Ling Feng was practically overjoyed.
This forest was far away from the city and was basically an undeveloped natural treasure house.
In his past life, as an orphan growing up in an extremely harsh environment, he had often gone to the back mountain to dig up these things to fill his stomach, and he was more than familiar with these edible good things.
"Hurry up, bring the bag over." Ling Feng beckoned to those below.
Amy immediately took off the canvas bag from her back and handed it over.
Without even wearing gloves, Ling Feng used his nimble fingers to pinch off the tender shoots at the very top of the amaranth, stuffing them into the bag handful by handful.
After picking the amaranth, he moved to the nearby raspberry bushes, specially selecting the thoroughly red fruits and stripping them down.
Andrea stood at the bottom of the slope, using her hand to fan away the venomous mosquitoes flying around wildly while irritably watching Ling Feng squatting there pinching wild grass.
Having stepped into a mud pit just moments ago, her expensive sneakers were caked with black mud, and at this moment her temper was at its absolute worst.
"What on earth are you doing?" Andrea raised her hand and struck her neck hard, killing a mottled mosquito the size of a fingernail, her palm stained with blood marks. "We ran into this mosquito nest early in the morning, wasn't it to catch hares or shoot birds? What are you making a fuss over these broken weeds here for? If we wanted to eat grass, we could just find any lawn and munch on it!"
Once her impatient streak flared up, the lawyer's aggressive and sharp attitude all came pouring out.
Ling Feng stopped what he was doing, turned his head, and looked down at her from above.
Although Andrea had changed into long pants and long sleeves today, because it was simply too hot, she had undone the top two buttons of her shirt.
From Ling Feng's current angle, he could just see a deep expanse of curves, along with the alluring traces of sweat sliding down her collarbone.
Ling Feng didn't rush to snap back. Instead, he casually threw a few freshly picked raspberries into his mouth and chewed them twice; the sweet and sour juice burst open in his mouth, tasting extremely authentic.
He clapped his hands, stood up, and strolled slowly down the slope.
Seeing him walk over, Andrea's aura instantly weakened by a few fractions, and she instinctively took half a step back.
"You think hunting is like going to the supermarket's refrigerated case to grab packaged meat?" Ling Fengclosed in directly, the distance between the two of them instantly shortening to less than a foot.
He raised his hand, his thumb and index finger unceremoniously pinching Andrea's delicate chin, forcing her to raise her head.
Andrea trembled all over, wanting to duck back, but the powerful force coming from her chin made it impossible for her to move at all.
[Pleasure Points + 50!]
The wonderful electronic voice announced on schedule.
"Just eating those compressed rations and canned meat, if you really ate them back-to-back every day, in less than a week your gums would rot away due to lack of water and vitamins. These broken weeds in your mouth are good things that can save your life in the woods." Ling Fenglowered his voice, his scorching breath hitting directly on the tip of Andrea's nose covered in fine sweat.
His thumb's rough pad scraped and rubbed punitively along the woman's tender jawline.
"Don't use that spoiled young lady temper of yours from sitting in an office in the city to challenge my patience. If you dare yell at me again, I'll directly strip off your clothes and tie you to a tree to feed the mosquitoes. I mean what I say."
Andrea was scolded until her face and neck turned red, yet she couldn't squeeze out a single word of rebuttal. The sensation brought by having her chin pinched, mixed with absolute suppression and strange stimulation, made her breathing fall out of rhythm, and she could only stare wide-eyed at the arrogant man in front of her.
Ling Feng let go of his hand with satisfaction, ignored her further, and turned around to continue scavenging for good things on the slope.
Leaving Andrea standing in place, her fingers tightly clutching the corner of her clothes, her chest heaving violently. It took her a long time to swallow that breath, but she obediently shut her mouth.
Completely different from her older sister's irritability, Amywas full of interest in these plants she had never seen before.
She eagerly climbed up the slope and squatted directly beside Ling Feng.
"Ling, can this red fruit be eaten directly?" Amy pointed at the raspberries hanging on the branches and swallowed her saliva. She had only gnawed on a small piece of hard, dry biscuit in the morning, and she was suffering from hunger right now.
"Open your mouth." Ling Feng casually pinched off the largest and reddest one.
Amy obediently opened her mouth.
Ling Feng directly stuffed the berry into her mouth, his fingertips brushing against her moist and soft lips with extreme naturalness.
[Pleasure Points + 50!]
This bit of wool-shearing went without any resistance.
Amy didn't care about these trivial details at all. The moment she bit into the berry, her facial features instantly wrinkled together from the sourness, but they immediately smoothed out again, her face full of surprise.
"Sweet and sour! It's so much better than those strawberries wrapped in plastic wrap sold in the supermarket!"
"If it tastes good, pick more, and keep it to take back and eat with roasted meat to cut through the grease." Ling Feng casually pinched a handful of wild celery and threw it into the bag.
Amy nodded vigorously and began helping to pick, imitating Ling Feng's actions.
"Don't touch that thorny one." Ling Feng was quick of eye and hand, grabbing Amy's little hand just as she was about to touch a half-man-tall poison sumac tree.
His large palm completely enveloped the little lass's soft and tender fingers within his palm.
"If this thing touches the skin, it will cause large patches of red rashes that itch unbearably. Once scratched open, it will ulcerate and become infected." Ling Feng took the opportunity to pinch the back of her hand before letting go.
Startled, Amy hastily pulled back her hand, two flushes of red flying onto her cheeks. Afterwards, she clung even closer to Ling Feng, completely transforming into a ruthless harvesting machine—she would pick wherever he pointed.
In less than half an hour, the two coarse cloth bags they brought were stuffed to the brim with various wild vegetables, berries, and wild mushrooms.
Ling Feng patted the residual leaves off his hands and looked at the "vegetable patch" in front of him that hadn't been completely ruined yet, feeling full of reluctance in his heart.
Little veggies, grow up well. I'll come find you again after I finish eating this batch.
This feeling of zero-cost stocking up on food gave one's inner hoarding tendencies immense satisfaction.
"Alright, they can't fit any more." Ling Feng lifted the two heavy bags and walked down. "Today, just these side dishes will be enough to eat for several days."
Andrea, who had finally managed to calm her emotions at the bottom of the slope, finally caught another opportunity.
"You've picked enough weeds, so where is our meat now? You wouldn't really expect Daryl, that foul-mouthed younger brother, to catch any wild rabbits, would you?" Andrea pointed at the surrounding woods, which were so quiet that not even a bird's chirp could be heard, her tone carrying obvious mockery. "We've wandered around all morning and haven't even seen a single live mouse."
Chapter 15: Ruthless Destruction of the Flower! AndreaCompletely Submits!
"You've pulled enough weeds, so where is our meat now? Don't tell me we have to eat those preservative-filled canned goods again at noon!"
Andrea wasn't just complaining; she also kicked a moss-covered stone away in extreme irritation, then slapped her arm heavily, killing a blood-sucking poisonous mosquito.
The stifling heat and humidity of this deep mountain forest had long since exhausted her patience.
Even if Ling Feng had a good temper, being subjected to this woman's cold sarcasm time and again made it hard for him to suppress his anger.
He finally understood: the sense of superiority deep in Andrea's bones couldn't be broken by the little bit of discipline he gave her in the car last night. This female lawyer's arrogance needed a heavy dose of medicine to be shattered directly.
Ling Feng threw the cloth bag filled with wild vegetables onto the ground and turned to look at Amy, who was standing to the side with an innocent face.
"Amy." Ling Feng's tone was extremely flat as he pointed to the slope a few dozen meters away. "Go to the shaded area over there and find some more wild mushrooms. Don't go too far, just stay within my line of sight."
Amy blinked, keenly sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere.
She looked at the expressionless Ling Feng, then turned to look at her sister, who was full of vigilance. This tense, sword-drawn situation was clearly not as simple as a mere quarrel.
"Oh, okay." Amy nodded obediently, without the slightest hesitation.
She carried the cloth bag and walked toward the slope, muttering to herself as she went.
What on earth is my sister going crazy about? Ling has clearly arranged everything so well—not only providing food but also safety and protection. Why does my sister always insist on provoking him?
If Ling gets angry and abandons the two of them in this dangerous deep mountain forest, with their survival skills, they won't even live to see tomorrow's sun.
Thinking of this, Amy had no heart to look for any mushrooms.
She stopped behind a dense bush. Although she was randomly fiddling with the broad leaves, most of her attention was fixed behind her. She even quietly turned her body to peek back through the gaps in the leaves.
Seeing Amy walk away, Andrea not only didn't restrain herself, but instead stood up straight.
She lifted her chin slightly, her hands naturally crossed over her chest.
Because she was wearing a tight, sleeveless shirt today, this cross-armed posture directly squeezed her already substantial bosom, making them look even more ready to burst out. The deep cleavage was blatantly exposed at the neckline, creating a powerful visual impact.
"Speak up. Now that you've specifically sent my sister away, what do you want to say to me?" Andrea's tone remained overbearing, even carrying the posture of a lawyer cross-examining a suspect in court.
Ling Feng stared at her and was simply laughed out of anger.
This woman actually still treated the apocalypse like her Los Angeles office building.
He couldn't even be bothered to say a word of nonsense. He strode forward with his long legs, stepping on the dead branches and fallen leaves as he approached Andreadirectly.
His tall figure cast a large shadow under the trees, completely enveloping Andrea.
Andrea was startled by Ling Feng's sudden movement and instinctively stepped back.
But she only took two steps before her back slammed directly into a large camphor tree that would take several people to embrace. There was simply no way out.
Before she could make her next move, Ling Feng crossed the distance in a few steps.
His left arm shot out, domineeringly wrapping around Andrea's slender waist. With a sudden burst of strength, he yanked her forward.
The two bodies collided without a gap between them.
Andrea only felt a scorching heat at her waist. The grip of that large hand was terrifyingly strong, and the highly aggressive masculine scent of the man instantly filled her nostrils.
"Let me go!" Andrea scolded in a low voice, her hands pushing desperately against Ling Feng's broad chest.
She couldn't push him.
Ling Feng's body was as solid as a rock, not moving an inch.
His right hand moved. His index finger and thumb struck out like lightning, precisely gripping Andrea's sharp chin with enough force to make her gasp, forcing her to lift her head.
"Listen well." Ling Feng lowered his head, his scorching breath hitting Andrea's face, his voice filled with undisguised wildness. "Put away this high-and-mighty attitude! The world is already over. There is no court for you to litigate in, and no rules to protect you! This posture of yours, just barely holding on, only makes people think you are weak and easy to bully!"
Andrea's jawbone ached from the grip, and the competitive spirit in her bones was completely ignited. Her lips trembled as she wanted to fight back.
"I don't accept this! What right do you have to lecture..."
The rest of her words were forcibly blocked back into her throat.
Ling Feng didn't play by the rules at all. Without waiting for her to spit out her rebuttal, he lowered his head and fiercely kissed those two stubborn lips.
No prelude, just direct plunder.
A boom went off in Andrea's brain, completely shattering her thoughts, and her mind went blank.
Her eyes went wide. She had never expected this man to use such an extremely rough method to shut her up.
After realizing what was happening, she began to struggle violently, her hands balled into fists, striking randomly at Ling Feng's back and shoulders, while whimpering sounds of protest came from her throat. She even raised her knee, wanting to launch a sneak attack.
Ling Feng was prepared. He stepped forward with his right leg, extremely roughly wedging it between her legs, completely locking down the movements of her lower body.
Immediately after, Ling Feng's left arm tightened again, almost as if he wanted to knead her into his own body.
The right hand that was originally gripping her chin slid downward.
With a clear goal, it covered the area that was squeezed extremely upright because of her crossed arms, without any hindrance.
Without any courtesy, he gripped it directly.
His large palm completely wrapped around it, and his five fingers tightened forcefully.
The astonishing elasticity changed shape instantly under the extreme kneading.
"Ding! Detected that the host has engaged in transgressive intimate interaction with a plot female character!"
"Pleasure Points +200!"
"Pleasure Points +200!"
"Pleasure Points +100!"
The mechanical notification sound in his mind began to scroll wildly, exploding with points three times in a row.
Feeling the excellent sensation under his hand, Ling Feng's rhythm of attack became even more violent. He forcefully pried open her tightly closed teeth, driving straight in, completely stealing away her right to breathe.
Under such absolute masculine strength and extremely domineering teasing, Andrea's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
The fists that were originally pounding on Ling Feng's shoulders lost more and more strength.
Her tightly clenched fingers gradually loosened, eventually turning into a limp grasp on Ling Feng's collar.
She felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away, and her legs were going weak. If it weren't for Ling Feng holding her waist tightly, she would have absolutely collapsed onto the mud-covered ground full of rotten leaves by now.
That pair of eyes, which had just been full of hostility and vigilance, had unknowingly become stained with a layer of hazy mist. Even the whimpering sounds of resistance had changed tone, revealing a submissiveness she hadn't even noticed herself, and she even began to awkwardly reciprocate.
Behind the bushes in the distance.
Amy saw this scene clearly through the gaps in the leaves.
The little girl opened her mouth in surprise, covering her own mouth tightly with both hands, afraid to make even the slightest sound.
She watched her usually arrogant, irritable sister who wouldn't submit to anyone, now completely transformed into an extremely submissive little woman, being wantonly molested by Ling Feng against the tree trunk. She even saw that extremely excessive hand of Ling Feng.
Amy felt her cheeks burning hot, and her heartbeat was so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.
She quickly crouched down, leaning her back against the tree trunk, breathing heavily.
Doesn't my sister hate Ling the most? Why isn't she pushing him away? Not only is she not pushing him away, but in the end, her arms were even hanging around his neck!
A sour feeling of jealousy inexplicably welled up in Amy's heart. Last night in the car, Ling was so gentle with her, but today he was so domineering toward her sister.
Under the tree, this suffocating deep kiss finally ended.
Ling Feng took the initiative to lift his head, their lips parting.
He looked at the woman in his arms who had been completely kissed into a daze, and his thumb unhesitatingly wiped away the moisture from the corner of her swollen lips.
Andrea was gasping for fresh air, the rise and fall of her chest was surprisingly large.
She looked extremely disheveled now. Her originally sharp shirt was crumpled, a button had popped off, her eyes were glistening with moisture, and she had completely lost her usual edge.
She didn't try to push Ling Feng away again, nor did she shout or curse.
She just turned her head away, not daring to meet Ling Feng's teasing eyes, biting her lower lip tightly, her hands uneasily smoothing out the hem of her clothes.
Then, with a posture of grievance she had never shown before, she squeezed out two low words from the depths of her throat:
"Bastard."
The curse was soft, without any lethality at all.
After saying this, Andrea went completely quiet.
She didn't try to escape again; instead, she leaned against the tree trunk as if resigned to her fate, letting Ling Feng's hand still rest on her waist, using it to calm the surging heat inside her body.
Ling Feng grinned with satisfaction.
This female lawyer's temper had been completely broken. After the prickly thorns were stripped away, what remained inside was soft flesh waiting to be kneaded.
500 Pleasure Points were easily credited. This wave not only felt great but also earned points—it was an absolute profit.
Ling Feng was just about to let go to give her some buffer time, and maybe tease her a bit more.
Just at this moment.
"Ah—! Ling! Help!"
An extremely sharp and miserable scream exploded from behind the slope ten meters away, sounding incredibly jarring in this originally quiet forest!
It was Amy's voice!
Ling Feng's expression changed abruptly, and the muscles all over his body instantly tightened.
Andrea, who was still panting, was so scared that she shivered all over. The haziness in her eyes was instantly dispelled by terror, and she turned her head sharply toward the direction the scream came from.
"Amy! Something happened to Amy!" Andrea's voice changed pitch, and she grabbed Ling Feng's arm tightly with her backhand, her whole body trembling.
"Stay here and don't move!"
Ling Feng shook off Andrea's hand, his right hand lightning-fast as he drew the glock pistol from the holster on his outer thigh, while his left hand gripped the machete in his palm.
Without any hesitation, his legs erupted with terrifying speed, and he rushed up the slope, stepping on the dead branches and fallen leaves as he sprinted toward the direction of the scream.