Ch85 Or Else, I'll Bury You Here
"Sister, you really won't tell me?"
"If you really won't, then your life will stay here!"
With that, the little girl scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it into the pit, the snow landing precisely on Mao Xinyu's face.
In that instant, Mao Xinyu's heart froze solid, just like the snow on her face.
As a teacher, Mao Xinyu had always carried a pure heart, embodying virtue and kindness. She cherished her students deeply, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to their well-being.
Yet reality dealt her a crushing blow.
Clutching her foot, Mao Xinyu felt utterly desolate.
Indeed, just as Shen Que had said, in the apocalypse, self-preservation was paramount.
"Cheng Yu, take them away. Don't try to save me," Mao Xinyu shouted.
Meng Ci didn't want to waste too much time here; they had emerged early.
It was only around noon. Lingering too long risked encountering more loggers, inevitably leading to a fierce battle.
The man sneered coldly, "Think you can leave? We'll decide that."
"You won't leave today without telling us where you live."
The group of six men had also come out to chop wood for warmth.
Meng Ci and the others had caught the men's attention the moment they arrived.
Seeing that Meng Ci and his companions were warmly dressed and didn't look as gaunt
and emaciated as they did, the men concluded their house must be stockpiled with supplies, Indicating a comfortable life. Seeing they were also young, he assumed they were kind-hearted and willing to help.
So, the man gathered his group, dug a pit here, and carefully covered the entrance.
Afterward, he buried his daughter in the snow. He and the others covered themselves with snow, lying still on the ground, waiting for these people to fall Into the trap.
"Why all the talk? If you want to fight, fight. If you want to kill, kill."
Meng Ci gripped a long sword in one hand and an axe in the other, his voice fierce.
In this apocalyptic age, what good was all this useless chatter? Action was the best solution to every problem.
Shen Que also tightened his grip on his long sword. As soon as Meng Ci gave the order, he would follow without hesitation.
Duan Yan still hesitated, after all, Mao Xinyu was still in their hands.
Cheng Yu murmured reassurance: "It's fine. Only three of them are combat-capable males."
"When the time comes, I'll handle those three alongside Meng and Shen."
"I'll keep an eye on the two women. You just focus on pulling Teacher Mao up."
"Understood." Duan Yan agreed.
Light snow began drifting down again. Staying any longer would only make the return journey harder.
Meng Ci didn't hesitate. He charged forward, blade raised..
Shen Que and the others quickly followed.
The five men on the other side were already on high alert.
Meng Ci lunged directly at the leader, driving his blade heavily into the man's shoulder. The man hadn't expected this seemingly frail boy to be so ruthless.
The blade was razor-sharp, and Meng Ci's full force sent a deep gash across the man's shoulder.
Clutching his wound, the man raised his arm and clashed with Meng Ci.
Shen Que and Cheng Yu faced similar confrontations.
However, the man fighting Shen Que was mediocre, quickly losing ground.
The two women guarding Mao Xinyu, seeing the situation turn sour, charged forward with knives. One locked horns with Shen Que, the other tangled with Duan Yan.
The little girl, watching her father, mother, uncle, and aunt struggle while she couldn't help, grew frantic.
Spotting Mao Xinyu struggling to escape from the pit, the girl's face turned cold. She grabbed a nearby shovel and began digging through the snow, intending to bury Mao Xinyu alive.
"Sister, tell them to stop fighting right now."
"Or I'll bury you."
Mao Xinyu remained silent.
The snow melted from Mao Xinyu's repeated climbing and falling, only to freeze solid again quickly in the bitter cold. This made escaping even harder.
With temperatures so low, everyone was bundled up thickly. The blows from the knife, strike after strike, barely caused any damage.
So Meng Ci could only aim for the man's vulnerable spots-his hands, face, and neck.
Each time Meng Ci struck with fury, the man proved resilient, swiftly evading the blows.
After ten minutes of combat, the man bore only a single wound on his face and another on his hand.
Meng Cl, however, had a cut across the back of his right hand and another on his left arm, sustained while shielding his face.
The heavy clothing made Meng Ci gradually gasp for breath. As they faced off, the man radiated formidable energy.
"If you can't beat me, just surrender!"
"Surrender?" Meng Ci chuckled softly. Surrender was out of the question. Raising his blade, he charged forward once more.
But the instant he closed in on the man, Meng Ci instantly switched the weapon in his hand.
"You..." Blood spurted from the man's mouth. He couldn't believe Meng Ci had a gun.
Meng Ci knew continuing the fight offered little chance of
victory.
Thus, taking a desperate gamble as he closed in, he had swapped his long sword for the silenced pistol stored in his spatial pocket.
The trigger pulled, ending the man's chance at survival.
Returning the pistol to his pocket, Meng Ci switched back to his sword. He then thrust the blade along the bullet's trajectory.
Following the man's collapsing motion, Meng Ci slowly crouched down.
He thrust the blade forcefully, driving the bullet deeper into the man's body.
The blade twisted, covering the scorch marks left by the bullet's entry.
The little girl beside them, witnessing her father's death at Meng Ci's hands, grabbed a shovel and charged at him.
Meng Ci showed no mercy. He drew his long sword and thrust it toward the little girl's neck.
Blood flowed, staining the snow-covered ground.
Neither the man nor the little girl closed their eyes as they died, their gazes locked upon each other.
With their leader dead, all but the man's wife scattered in flight.
Shen Que had already broken the legs of the man he was fighting, his face and hands covered in wounds.
He picked up a piece of wood from the ground and hurled it at the man. As the man fell and scrambled to his feet, Shen Que closed the distance with long strides and slit his throat with a single stroke.
Cheng Yu also finished off the man he was fighting, then came over to help Duan Yan deal with the woman.
The little girl's mother, who had been fighting Cheng Yu, saw her husband and daughter killed by Meng Ci. Screaming, she swung her blade at Meng Ci.
Her husband hadn't been a match for Meng Ci. How could a woman possibly defeat him?
One slash fell, and the family of three lay together in a neat row.
The snow grew heavier, burying the crimson bloodstains on the ground.
Soon, the bodies would be completely buried by the snow, and no one would ever know what had happened here.
Cheng Yu and Duan Yan approached, attempting to pull Mao Xinyu out of the pit.
But the pit was too slippery, and the two had expended too much energy fighting moments before. Their repeated attempts failed.
Meng Ci and Shen Que had no choice but to come over and help.
Meng Ci grabbed a scrap of rope, tossed it into the pit, and instructed Mao Xinyu to tie it around his waist. With concerted effort, they pulled him up.
Exhausted from the struggle, they collapsed onto the snow, gasping for breath as flakes settled on their faces.
Even the lifeless bodies lying nearby, their eyes still wide open, couldn't deter their need for rest.