Chapter 192: Spare Us, Take Us to Your Home
"Spare us, spare us, we won't do it again!"
These five people are physically strong but not lacking in intelligence.
After learning that the polar night was approaching, they began to plan how to avoid going out to collect garbage or earning points by cycling.
The strategy they ultimately devised was to lurk around the points exchange centers and item exchange points, observing the quality and quantity of items each person exchanged.
If a lot of garbage was collected or a substantial amount of food was exchanged, it would indicate that the person's family was wealthy, and they could then act accordingly.
In the dead of night, they were extremely cautious, which is why they hadn't been detected yet.
Of course, they didn't focus on just one person each time. After all, observing took time, and different strategies needed to be formulated for each target.
If they only observed one person at a time, it would not only waste time but also reduce their chances of obtaining valuable items.
Thus, each person had a target.
For people like Meng Ci and Shen Que, who owned cars, they could try damaging their tires. When the owner got out to check, the five could attack them together.
If the owner was cautious, they could offer to repair the car and lure the owner out of the vehicle.
The tall man was a mechanic before the apocalypse, so he wouldn't raise suspicion.
If the owner got out and closed the door, and posed no threat, they would simply take the keys.
If the car owner was tall and strong, they would repair the car and then demand payment as a pretext.
They would take advantage of the moment when the owners were loading their cars to strike.
For those without vehicles, they would follow them closely, trying to figure out their schedules and when their neighbors were at home.
Once the right opportunity presented itself, they would enter and take what they needed.
These five had survived for a long time in the apocalypse, and each one had become increasingly skilled at breaking and entering, which is why they had never been caught.
Since all five lived in the base and occasionally traded the victims' items for points or exchanged point cards for food, they managed to remain undetected.
Earlier, on the seventh day of the polar night, these five followed their plan and successfully obtained a significant amount of loot.
Although they had taken many things, they knew the polar night wouldn't last forever and could end at any moment.
Thus, they did not slack off and continued to observe.
When it came to Meng Ci and Shen Que, they noticed that the two had a car and would always bring two liters of fuel home every day.
Moreover, observing that they lived in a villa area with only two people, they assumed a life of affluence, which led the five to decide to make their move.
However, they did not expect this attempt to fail.
Meng Ci did not heed their pleas for mercy and did not let them go just because of a few words of begging. Instead, he ruthlessly slit the throats of four of them.
The remaining tall man quickly fell to his knees, pleading for his life.
"Big brother, please spare us, both of you!"
"I will never dare to do it again, please spare my life, gentlemen. I am willing to work like a cow or a horse to repay you."
Meng Ci and Shen Que had heard such pleas many times and naturally wouldn't easily spare him.
However, considering that the five had robbed only wealthy families, Meng Ci secretly pondered that there might be valuables hidden in their homes.
So Meng Ci crouched down and placed the knife against the man's neck.
"I can spare your life!"
"Then lead me to your home."
The tall man paused. After all, if he led them to his home and they took everything, he would be left with nothing.
At that point, destitute, how would he survive in this world?
Meng Ci, aware of what the tall man was thinking, had already nicked his neck with the knife.
"You can choose not to lead us to your home."
The tall man thought Meng Ci's words implied he might spare him and looked at Meng Ci with expectation.
Meng Ci, with a cold, emotionless gaze, said, "If you don't lead us, I'll kill you now."
"If you lead us, you might still have a chance to live."
"Consider your options carefully."
Meng Ci stood up, and Shen Que quickly stepped on the tall man's lower back to prevent any sudden attack.
"We don't have much time. I'll give you ten seconds to decide."
Right after, Meng Ci began the countdown.
"Ten."
"Nine."
...
"Three."
Before Meng Ci could say "two," the tall man yielded.
"I'll lead you."
"I'll lead you."
"You can have everything in my home, please spare my life, gentlemen."
The tall man knew clearly that taking Meng Ci and the others to his home would likely mean his death.
But what if they really spared him?
Even if everything in my home is gone, as long as I'm alive, there's always hope.
The foot pressing on his lower back grew heavier as the countdown neared "two," as if intending to crush him.
Thus, the tall man had no other option.
He could only silently pray, hoping that the two would keep their promise.
"If you had agreed earlier, you would have suffered less."
Meng Ci dragged the tall man up, with the knife still pressed against the man's lower back.
Meanwhile, Shen Que picked up the flashlight from the ground to ensure the tall man didn't try any tricks.
The tall man said, his voice trembling, "Guys, the tires are definitely fine."
After all, the five of them had eyed this SUV when they first observed it.
To this end, the tall man had paid close attention to the tire model and specifically found the same type of tires.
Although the tall man said so, Shen Que, as a precaution, still checked everything thoroughly and only stood up after confirming everything was safe.
Then, opening the trunk, Shen Que took out a rope and tightly tied up the tall man, shoving him into the car.
Shen Que put on the night vision goggles and drove forward.
Meng Ci, also wearing night vision goggles, kept the knife pressed against the tall man's waist, while watching for any suspicious movements.
Following the tall man's directions, the SUV eventually stopped outside a residential building.
In the car, Meng Ci had already asked about the floor they lived on and searched the tall man, finding a set of keys.
After obtaining all the information, Shen Que casually grabbed a cloth from the car and, after getting out of the car, stuffed it into the tall man's mouth to prevent him from causing trouble by talking.
Wearing night vision goggles, Meng Ci and Shen Que steadily climbed the stairs in the dark.
The tall man, however, stumbled and nearly fell.
Seeing how steadily Meng Ci and Shen Que moved, the tall man was shocked.
Could it be that these two had some special skills, or some magic tools, that allowed them to move as if on flat ground in the dark?
The tall man regretted provoking these two yet again.
Reaching the third floor, Meng Ci opened the door, and seeing that there was no one else inside, gestured for Shen Que to bring the tall man in.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
The tall man struggled, trying to speak.
Meng Ci and Shen Que did not remove the rag from his mouth; instead, noticing it was loosening, they pushed it in more firmly.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
The tall man couldn't believe it. Weren't they supposed to let him go?
How could they go back on their word?