Chapter 145: Chapter 145: The Monkey Has a Gun
After all the trouble of finding a place where everyone could survive, Zhang Aihua was extremely reluctant to leave.
But he was also truly afraid of unknown dangers on this ship.
Then again, if this was an abandoned ship with supplies still on board, they would have hit the jackpot.
Zhang Aihua felt a jolt of excitement, but he quickly calmed down.
’If it were really an abandoned ship, the hull wouldn’t be this clean; it would have been buried under thick snow long ago.’
’There are definitely people here, but my gut tells me there probably aren’t many.’
’If there were a lot of them, they would have sent more people to guard the hot spring.’
’But we camped by the hot spring last night, and no one had come by this morning.’
’That’s enough to conclude that the other party is short-handed and doesn’t dare to disembark rashly.’
Zhang Aihua figured that if the other party was small, they could potentially coexist peacefully... or they could just rob them.
After some thought, he made his decision. "No, let’s scout it out first. This land belongs to everyone now. What gives them the right to occupy this place and not us?"
The men looked at each other, then finally nodded. "Alright, we’ll listen to President Zhang."
If it hadn’t been for Zhang Aihua’s quick wits and his constant caution, they wouldn’t have survived this long.
Following Zhang Aihua’s lead was definitely better than relying on their own judgment.
Lao Er and Brother Qiu had the best skills and were the most agile. As ex-soldiers, they were the most suitable for a reconnaissance mission.
They cautiously approached the large ship while Zhang Aihua led the others back to the hot spring, wary of any tricks or traps.
From a great distance, Qin Shen could see Lao Er and Brother Qiu’s movements.
He told Jiang Si, "They’re here."
Jiang Si nodded. "Will they behave?"
Jiang Si had met Lao Er and Brother Qiu before. They were self-confident and straightforward men.
But after surviving an apocalypse, people change. Who knew if they had a cruel streak now, ready to kill them on sight to keep them quiet.
Qin Shen said, "For now, they’re still wary of us."
Jiang Si’s gaze turned cold. ’If these people knew that only a few of us were holding this massive Icebreaker, with all the supplies in the seed bank, could they really resist the temptation?’
Even Jiang Si herself felt a little swayed by the thought.
Soon, Lao Er and Brother Qiu entered the area where they had laid traps.
Lao Er and Brother Qiu were being quite cautious.
One in front and one behind, they covered each other.
If one of them fell into a trap, the other could provide immediate rescue.
But with Qin Shen’s superhuman predictive ability, how could they possibly escape?
The moment Lao Er’s foot fell into a trap, Brother Qiu reacted instantly, grabbing his hand. But a Snow Monkey suddenly leaped out of a snowdrift and kicked him cleanly into the pit as well.
Brother Qiu landed on top of Lao Er. Fortunately, there were no sharp spikes or barbs at the bottom.
But Lao Er, having witnessed the kick, cried out in surprise, "A monkey."
Brother Qiu climbed off him, and just as he was about to ask what monkey he was talking about, a furry head poked over the edge of the trap.
It was a red-faced monkey!
Lao Er and Brother Qiu exchanged a look. ’Don’t tell me a monkey dug this trap?’
’Are they smart enough to dig traps to hunt people?’
Thinking of the other mutated creatures they had encountered, Lao Er and Brother Qiu looked at each other, the hair on their bodies standing on end.
Brother Qiu fumbled for his gun, about to fire, but then...
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The monkey was holding a gun!
In the instant Brother Qiu froze, Number One fired decisively. The shot precisely hit Brother Qiu’s weapon, and the powerful impact slammed him against the wall of the trap.
The monkey not only had a gun, but it knew how to fire it!
’Damn it, we really have run into a troop of mutated monkeys.’
As Lao Er and Brother Qiu desperately tried to figure out a way to save themselves, an even more terrifying sight appeared.
Above their heads, seven or eight more furry heads popped up. Not only did they look identical to Number One, but each one was also holding a gun.
The model of their pistols was even better than theirs!
’We’re so screwed!’
’We’re going to be shot full of holes.’
Lao Er and Brother Qiu heaved a heavy sigh and resignedly closed their eyes.
’Getting shot to death is better than being bitten to death and eaten alive by a troop of monkeys.’
’I just hope President Zhang heard the gunshot and got everyone to flee in time.’
Just when they were sure they were going to die, a tall, cold, and dangerous-looking man suddenly appeared among the monkeys.
He wasn’t holding a gun, but their instincts screamed that this man was far more terrifying than the gun-wielding monkeys.
Lao Er forced himself to speak calmly. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Qin Shen didn’t answer. He waited patiently, listening to see if Zhang Aihua would choose to come rescue them.
Lao Er and Brother Qiu’s hearts pounded in panic. Their eyes darted to the other, undamaged gun, but they didn’t dare make a move.
In the silent environment, Zhang Aihua, who had been keeping an eye out for Lao Er and Brother Qiu, had naturally heard the gunshot the moment it was fired.
Everyone’s face filled with fear.
They were afraid that Lao Er and Brother Qiu had met with disaster, but also hoped they had just shot some prey.
But the minutes ticked by, and almost half an hour passed.
There was still no sign of Lao Er and Brother Qiu.
Everyone began to stir and whisper anxiously, "They couldn’t be dead, could they?"
Many people had already died along the way.
They had grown somewhat numb to talking about it.
Zhang Yiwen furrowed his brow and tugged on Zhang Aihua’s hand. "Dad, don’t go! Let’s just leave!"
’Leave this place. Don’t go looking for danger.’
Although he was as spoiled as Song Yufang, he still loved his father.
Abandoning them would be like telling the entire group that he would abandon any of them at a moment’s notice if they ran into danger.
Besides, Lao Er’s girlfriend was staring at him with tear-filled eyes, silently begging him.
No matter what, even if it was just to sneak over and confirm that Lao Er and Brother Qiu were dead, he had to keep up appearances.
Zhang Aihua patted Zhang Yiwen’s head and said gently, "Dad will be back soon, just like all the other times. You’re a big boy now. You have to protect your mom, okay?"
Song Yufang covered her mouth, her eyes red as she watched him. She wanted to speak, to stop him, but all that came out were choked sobs.
The group fell silent, and her sobs made the atmosphere even more desolate.
A few of the men stepped forward. "President Zhang, you’ve already done enough for us! We’ll go, you should stay here!"
Zhang Aihua shook his head. "I have to go myself to decide what we should do next." He then looked at the men who had spoken up. "If something happens to me, help me take care of my wife and son."
He loved his wife and son, but more than that, he wanted to maintain his position as leader at all costs.
Some people are just born unwilling to be ordinary.
Everyone choked back sobs as they agreed. Holding Zhang Yiwen, Song Yufang finally couldn’t hold back and began to cry out loud.
’I thought this place would become our home,’ she thought, ’I never imagined it would come to this.’
Zhang Aihua left with five men.
The rest waited anxiously where they were.
And just as Lao Er and Brother Qiu were panicking, a woman with a familiar figure suddenly appeared in their line of sight.
