Ordinarily, Jiang Linhai would have definitely extended a helping hand to his close friend, letting his family stay with them.
But this was the apocalypse!
If they moved in, they would inevitably cause trouble. Jiang Si's space and the layout of their house would almost certainly be exposed.
Even if they were good at hiding things, two different families living under the same roof would inevitably clash.
Seeing how well the Jiangs were doing, they could even become intensely resentful and turn into the greatest potential threat to the family.
Jiang Linhai's expression was grim. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Fang scrambled forward a few steps on her knees, banging her head on the ground—THUD! THUD!—to cut off his refusal. "Lin Hai, you and Dingtian have been good friends for so many years! Please, just help us this one time! We won't take a room, we can even stay in your garage. Just give us a place to stay. As soon as the heatwave breaks, we'll repair our house and move out immediately!"
Seeing Zhao Yun acting so humbly, Zhang Dingtian's eyes reddened, and his knees buckled as he started to kneel.
Jiang Linhai quickly grabbed him, but he couldn't stop Zhang Dingtian's parents from dropping heavily to their knees. Through their tears, they pleaded, "The two of us are old, we've lived long enough. It doesn't matter if we die. Lin Hai, please help them! You're a good man, and you'll be rewarded for it. We're begging you!"
Jiang Si's sharp gaze swept to Zhao Yun, who guiltily avoided her eyes. 'She's probably had this planned all along, just waiting for a chance to freeload off us.'
Jiang Linhai felt awful, but he truly couldn't agree.
"I can give you some supplies. The frame of your house is still standing. Tidy it up a bit, and you can still live there."
His words were a clear rejection.
A look of despair washed over Zhang Dingtian's face, but he understood Jiang Linhai's position. At least he was still willing to offer some help.
Zhao Yun and Zhang Jing, however, grew frantic. Even before this, their house had felt like an oven.
Now that the house was a burned-out wreck, with no basic protection, the indoor temperature would reach at least fifty degrees. It was completely unlivable. Fleeing to the city for shelter was an even worse idea; with no rescue operations, it was every man for himself.
'They couldn't transport their hundreds of pounds of grain, either. If they moved into Jiang Linhai's house, then even if they ran out of food, Jiang Linhai would never have the heart to let them starve. Plus, his family had a stash of medicine; they could get treatment if anyone got sick.'
'If they couldn't get into Jiang Linhai's house, no one else would be willing to take them in or help them.'
'Besides, Zhao Yun was afraid that after Jiang Linhai gave them a few supplies, he'd start avoiding them like the plague.'
Zhao Yun became a snotty, tearful mess, begging loudly, "Lin Hai, we can give you all of our remaining food! Our house is burned to a crisp, anyone can just walk right in! If we move in with you, our whole family can work for you! We can help defend against outsiders, letting you fetch water and gather firewood without any worries. Just give us a place to stay! It's so hot... if you don't take us in, I'll be letting down my whole family! I'll... I'll kill myself right now!"
With that, she snatched a rock from the ground and raised it to smash against her own head. Zhang Jing managed to stop her just in time, shouting wretchedly, "Mom, don't do this! Uncle Jiang will definitely take us in!"
His 'good friend' was being heartless. Zhang Dingtian, seething with suppressed anger, forced himself to speak for the sake of his family. "Lin Hai, how about we just stay for one month? Is that okay? Once I've made some temporary repairs to the house, we'll move right out! Just one month!"
'It's easier to invite a demon in than to exorcise it,' Jiang Si thought. 'Zhao Yun is already scheming. Once they're through our door, who could possibly guard against all her little tricks?'
Her father was too soft-hearted to do what was necessary, but she wasn't.
Jiang Si took a step forward and addressed Zhang Dingtian. "We are willing to provide your family with what help we can. Uncle Zhang, you shouldn't keep making things difficult for my father. Your house may be destroyed, but it's not impossible to clear out a room for temporary shelter. You people insist on moving in with us... you know perfectly well what you're really after! Don't make me spell it out for you!"
Zhao Yun had assumed that after her performance, Jiang Linhai would be too concerned about appearances to refuse and would surely give in.
Who would have thought Jiang Si would suddenly jump in and throw a wrench in the works.
She struggled to contain her fury, putting on a pitiful expression. "Jiang Si, you've misunderstood. If we could really clear out a room right away, we wouldn't be shameless enough to bother you. You and Jingjing grew up together! And your Uncle Zhang has always been so good to you, always thinking of you whenever he had a tasty snack or something fun. We truly have no ill intentions!"
In the apocalypse, promises were the most useless things in the world.
Jiang Si's dark eyes glinted with a chilling light. "There are five of you, all perfectly healthy. Instead of wasting your energy on emotional blackmail, you should be fixing up your house!"
Jiang Linhai frowned. "Dingtian, you have a family to protect, and so do I. I hope you can understand."
Jiang Linhai's stance was firm. Zhao Yun shot to her feet, no longer bothering to hide her true feelings. "Jiang Linhai! You're so heartless! Having a friend like you is the worst damn luck a person could have!"
Jiang Si kicked over a nearby water bucket, her piercing gaze locked on Zhao Yun. "He's the one with the worst damn luck for having a wife like you! This is what happens when you try to help people. Good thing we didn't let you in. Otherwise, who knows what other ugly faces you would have shown us!"
Zhao Yun clutched her chest, putting on another life-or-death act. The rest of the Zhang family rushed to hold her, all of them a crying mess. When they looked up again, Jiang Si and Jiang Linhai were already gone.
Zhao Yun's performance stopped abruptly. She turned to Zhang Jing and Zhang Dingtian in a panic. "Quick! Follow them and get the supplies!"
She deeply regretted her outburst at Jiang Linhai, terrified that now they wouldn't get any supplies at all.
Zhang Dingtian and Zhang Jing quickly ran after them.
Jiang Si and Jiang Linhai moved with incredible speed. By the time Zhang Jing shouted after them a few times from a distance, they had already disappeared behind their iron gate.
Zhang Jing cursed under his breath. His gaze swept around and landed on the house next to the Jiangs'. A sudden idea lit up his face. "Dad! We don't need to beg them! Let's break into Qin Songming's house! It might be a little run-down, but the basic stuff should still be inside!"
Zhang Dingtian didn't want to grovel anymore either. His eyes lit up. "Good!"
Jiang Si had been watching, wary that the Zhang family wouldn't give up so easily. When she saw them climbing the wall into Qin Shen's property, she hesitated, wondering if she should warn him. But a look through her binoculars showed that Qin Shen wasn't home.
Zhang Jing easily vaulted into Qin Shen's courtyard and opened the gate from the inside. "Dad, quick, come in!" he said excitedly.
The words had barely left his mouth when Jiang Si spotted Qin Shen emerging from the woods behind the house, a huge wild boar slung over each shoulder!
Even if one boar weighed over a hundred pounds, the two of them together would be well over three hundred!
'That kind of strength is terrifying!'
What's more, Qin Shen's steps were steady and quick. He reached his front gate without the slightest sign of strain.
Zhang Dingtian and Zhang Jing were still trying to pry the lock with a pair of kitchen knives.
THUD—
The wild boars hit the ground with a heavy thud. The father and son spun around just as a black shadow flashed before their eyes. The next second, Qin Shen rushed them. A punch, so fast it was a blur, sent one of them crashing to the ground, followed instantly by a vicious side kick to the other's gut.
Zhang Jing and Zhang Dingtian were sent flying into the wall, where they curled up like shrimp, groaning in agony.
Suddenly, Qin Shen lifted his head. His cold, fierce, black eyes locked onto her position like a predator spotting its prey.
A jolt of alarm shot through Jiang Si. She yanked the window shade down in a flash.
'I've survived ten years of this apocalypse, and even I'm not as fast as him! And that level of awareness...'
'He's too dangerous!'