Chapter 85: Chapter 83: Enemies and Relatives
The dozen or so people on the shore were still watching them from a distance. If Niu Niu fell into their hands, there was no telling what would happen!
Everyone’s expression turned grim in an instant, especially Shen Baoying’s. She was beside herself with self-blame.
If only she had paid a little more attention and told Niu Niu not to get off the boat under any circumstances, this wouldn’t have happened.
Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen, gesturing for him to find Niu Niu’s scent. He didn’t disappoint. "She’s on the shore," he said. "She hasn’t been found. She must have been smart enough to hide and is waiting for us to pick her up."
Jiang Si breathed a sigh of relief and comforted everyone. "Don’t worry. First, we’ll use the drone to find Niu Niu’s location. Then we’ll go ashore quietly to avoid attracting their attention, which could put her in more danger."
"Okay."
The drone was equipped with a camera. Following Qin Shen’s guidance, they quickly found Niu Niu’s location.
She was hiding in the crevice of a huge rock, still holding a piece of sugarcane. The sight made Lu Zhifeng’s heart tremble, and his eyes grew red.
Seeing that Niu Niu was currently safe, everyone breathed another sigh of relief.
At the same time, the drone detected that the group wasn’t giving up. They were gathering firewood, looking like they were settling in at the small fishing village.
Jiang Si thought for a moment and decided to circle the boat around the fishing village to bring Niu Niu back on board quietly, avoiding a confrontation with those people as much as possible.
After all, a direct conflict with the Northern Base would be a huge problem.
The only place to dock was the pier in front of the fishing village; anywhere else, the boat would run aground or hit a reef.
Lu Zhifeng could swim. He said hastily, "Niu Niu and I both know how to swim. I can just swim over with her."
Jiang Si shook her head. "There’s a jet ski on the ship. It’s faster and more convenient. I know how to ride one. I’ll go bring Niu Niu back."
Everyone said in unison, "I’ll go with you."
In the end, Jiang Si chose Lu Zhifeng. He was nearly mad with worry over Niu Niu. It would be torture for him if she didn’t let him go.
Jiang Si and Lu Zhifeng rode the jet ski and quickly reached the shore. Following the location transmitted by the drone, they went around a small hill. Just as they were about to reach Niu Niu’s hiding spot, they suddenly heard her scream.
Lu Zhifeng’s mind went blank. He raised his gun and quickened his pace. Soon, on the hillside, he saw Niu Niu surrounded by several men.
Niu Niu was holding a machete, her eyes filled with tears. But the moment Lu Zhifeng appeared, she calmed down, giving the men no chance to notice.
Lu Zhifeng swung his axe, striking one of the men’s arms. Blood trickled out. The men jumped back to dodge, then grabbed their weapons to strike back at him.
Lu Zhifeng had survived the life-and-death battles of the apocalypse, and with guidance from Jiang Si and Qin Shen, his skills were comparable to a special forces soldier. In just a few moves, he had them all on the ground.
If Niu Niu hadn’t been physically harmed, and if he wasn’t afraid that a gunshot would attract others, Lu Zhifeng would have killed them all.
Seeing Lu Zhifeng appear like a hero, Niu Niu hugged him excitedly. "Dad! I was so scared!"
Lu Zhifeng kissed her cheek, his palm trembling slightly, still feeling the lingering fear. "They didn’t do anything to you, did they?"
Niu Niu immediately tattled, "They said they were going to sell me."
Jiang Si and Lu Zhifeng’s gazes instantly turned dark. People who trafficked girls were all scum.
The man on the ground saw that the situation was bad and quickly said, "It’s all a misunderstanding! We weren’t going to sell her. We just saw she was all alone and thought she was in trouble. We wanted to find her a place to settle down, really, we meant nothing else."
Niu Niu said angrily, "They’re lying! They also tried to strip my clothes off!"
Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Si had originally intended to let them off, but now, they weren’t going to hold back.
Jiang Si pulled a nail gun from her clothes. "BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG—"
With a few consecutive shots, the men who were still begging Jiang Si and Lu Zhifeng to spare them were shot precisely in the temple by Jiang Si. They didn’t even have time to scream before they collapsed heavily to the ground.
Lu Zhifeng’s face was grim. He looked at Niu Niu and said to her, word by word, "If someone tries to bully you, you must stay calm. Don’t act rashly. But once you find an opportunity, you have to strike like a cheetah, viciously, and tear them to shreds. Never show mercy. Understand?"
Niu Niu nodded firmly. "Mhm, I’ll be just like Sisi. I won’t let a single one go."
With Niu Niu found safe and sound, they needed to hurry back to the yacht.
As they reached the coastline, they discovered that their hidden jet ski had been found.
But there were only two people, a man and a woman. The man even had a limp.
Seeing they didn’t have guns, Jiang Si relaxed slightly and walked over. "That’s our jet ski!"
The man and woman turned around, revealing faces so familiar that Jiang Si was filled with the urge to kill them on the spot.
Shen Fu and Sun Xiu!
Her mother’s adoptive mother and brother, with whom she shared no blood ties.
Shen Fu and Sun Xiu’s faces were covered in weathered lines and scars. Who knew what they had gone through to survive until now.
Just as Jiang Si recognized them, Shen Fu and Sun Xiu recognized her too.
Seeing that Jiang Si looked well and was properly dressed, their eyes lit up with excitement. "Sisi, where are your parents?"
Jiang Si didn’t answer, her expression filled with disgust. Shen Fu immediately lost his temper. "I’m your uncle, and she’s your grandma! What’s wrong with you? You won’t even acknowledge us?"
Jiang Si sneered. "’Uncle’ and ’grandma’ my ass. My mom has been an orphan her entire life."
"The five hundred thousand bride price back then made it crystal clear that all ties were severed."
A bride price of five hundred thousand over twenty years ago was no small sum.
Jiang Linhai had just returned from the army and couldn’t possibly afford it. To be with Shen Baoying, Jiang Chengwu went into the mountains to gather the most precious medicinal herbs and honey. He took out family heirlooms passed down through generations and sold them, but it still wasn’t enough. He had to borrow some from his old army buddies before he could finally bring Shen Baoying home.
Despite the five-hundred-thousand bride price, Shen Baoying had no dowry. Shen Fu, however, used that money to buy a house in the city center and get married.
’If it weren’t for the apocalypse, Shen Fu and Sun Xiu would never have deigned to speak to me. What’s more, in my past life, when we met at the base, they cut flesh from Mom’s body to trade for food. The only reason I haven’t killed them instantly is because I’m holding back.’
Shen Fu met Jiang Si’s icy gaze and couldn’t help but shudder. But then he decided a little slip of a girl was nothing to be afraid of and pressed on, "Can family ties really be severed with money? Besides, if your dad hadn’t paid that five hundred thousand, would he have treated your mom so well? A man knows to cherish and dote on a wife he paid a fortune for."
"Besides, that’s all bad blood from the previous generation. It has nothing to do with you. Your parents are probably dead, right? Poor thing. Come back to the base with your uncle. I’ll take care of you."
If Jiang Si went back with them, they would have one more person to earn points to support them. Both Sun Xiu and Shen Fu had diabetes. Besides food, the most important things for them were insulin and medicine, which was why they were risking their lives out here scavenging.
