Chapter 006: Crisis

Ren Chu's face lay on the ground pretending to be dead, while Jia Lan jumped over the tree wall. The deceased, shot in the ribs, fell to the ground, and the small-caliber rifle was thrown a considerable distance away. This small-caliber rifle is still usable

The three individuals immediately perked up; the damp wooden bed was uncomfortable to sleep on, and over time it could easily lead to health issues. They were in urgent need of bedding and mosquito nets to prevent insect bites

The fuel tank of the off-road vehicle is not on this side, and the people inside the car are clearly terrified. He clumsily opened the door on the other side and scrambled out.

The fat man heard Yun Zheng's voice, and he knew he had no chance to act. He pressed the remote control in his hand, and flames erupted from the off-road vehicle

Screams mixed with cries echoed as Jialan stared at the car and said, "The people inside the car, come out, or I will blow up the fuel tank"

The gunfire rang out, and bullets shot through the tree wall. If they had not been lying on the ground, they would surely have been hit by the bullets. Ren Chu felt weak in his limbs, crawling forward on the ground with his hands and feet while carrying a heavy backpack.

The prices in the scenic area are high, and there are valid reasons for this. The transportation of food here is inconvenient, and storage is even more challenging. The price of sealed rice is high, but it has a long shelf life, making it the best supply for Ren Chu and his companions.

The mountain path is long, and walking it alone takes more than two hours. It is impossible to carry everything back at once, so we can only adopt the method of ants moving, making multiple trips.

Unable to bear this irritation, Ren Chu said while looking at the scenic area through binoculars: "They have retreated, the ant swarm has withdrawn"

There lies a dead snake on the ground, with a long gash on its belly. It is likely the same snake that passed through the snake path last night. After Ren Chu and the others left, this snake entered the cave

Ren Chu held the compound bow, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, while He Tushu and Yun Zheng appeared much more relaxed. Jia Lan softly called out, "Over here"

Yun Zheng guessed correctly, or rather, his analysis was accurate. In the storeroom, they saw several boxes. There were also people hiding here, but unfortunately, the thin metal security door had been gnawed through by an army of ants, and the refugees inside, along with the scattered food, had been completely consumed.

Ren Chu could not help but turn to look at Jia Lan, who then punched Ren Chu in the eye. Ren Chu angrily exclaimed: "Will taking a glance cost me a piece of flesh?"

Yun Zheng kicked Ren Chu and Ren Chu asked with a sidelong glance, "What’s the matter?"

Jialan made a gesture, and as they rushed out, an off-road vehicle came barreling up the winding road. The people in the vehicle saw Ren Chu and the others holding crossbows, and one person inside the car rolled down the window and fired a shot into the sky above Ren Chu and the others.

In the desolate silence akin to a no man's land, Jialan moved with utmost lightness. She reversed her grip on the dagger and opened a door, glancing inside before quickly closing it.

Yun Zheng said: "I am hungry. If you do not dig for me, I will snatch it from your mouth"

The cries of the person injured under the ribs ceased, and the shouts of the fat man also stopped. Ren Chu lay on the ground, staring blankly at the floor; had he gone over to rescue the two injured individuals just now, he would have become a charred corpse.

This time, Ren Chu did not need anyone to push him; he directly crouched behind the tree wall, as the searing flames propelled shards of glass whistling overhead

Jialan fired two shots and rolled forward, then quickly crawled a dozen steps before kneeling again, raising her gun. The muzzle was aimed at the direction of the car over the low tree wall, where two individuals inside the vehicle were pointing small-caliber rifles at the direction from which Jialan had just fired.

Yun Zheng swallowed hard, the plan of quick in and out had failed, and there was still no water source near the library, she was thirsty as well. Yun Zheng stood up and pushed aside Ren Chu, who was licking the wound on the tree bark with his tongue.

Deliberately playing tricks on oneself, one incites while another takes the opportunity to strike, it is truly malicious. Ren Chu used a bone knife to pick out a plump root of a mutated small grass and chewed it in his mouth, finding it sour and sweet. The apocalypse is not so bad; with the Devouring Heaven and Earth system, one will definitely not starve to death.

Yun Zheng stood up and looked at the still burning wreckage of the car, saying: "The best course of action just now would have been to shoot that fat man directly. To teach you a lesson, I gave him the chance to detonate. Chef, stop thinking only about food; consider women and think about how to survive."

Yun Zheng licked his lips and said, "Jia Lan, the taste of the tree sap is quite good. You should have a couple of sips as well. I wonder how long we will have to endure this."

When he came out, he did not carry any food or water. Time passed slowly, and in the late summer, the air was dry and hot. Ren Chu arrived in front of a mutated giant tree, used a bone knife to peel back the bark, and leaned in to drink from the wound in the bark, savoring the sweet flow of tree sap.

Yun Zheng stared at the injured fat man and said: "Something happened in his hand."

The sound of the brakes screeched, and Jialan suddenly sprang up, gripping the gun tightly and pulling the trigger in the direction of the car. The people in the vehicle were clearly taken aback; they only saw the crossbow and did not expect that these two men and one woman were also armed with guns.

Yun Zheng and Jia Lan's gazes met, with Jia Lan's eyes filled with shyness. Yun Zheng's gaze was obscured, as sunglasses concealed those enchanting phoenix eyes, likely brimming with mischief.

Ren Chu and Yun Zheng rushed into the cave in a panic. Ren Chu despised Yun Bian Tai and secretly spied on Jia Lan. However, Aunt Zhang had replaced the image of his mother and the *illustrated* books in his heart, making him feel particularly close to this kind and benevolent aunt.

Ren Chu not only did not anticipate these events, but also did not expect the darkness of human nature. Just because they saw that their side had bows and crossbows, the people in the vehicle recklessly opened fire. They had not considered that in the face of an apocalypse, survivors should help one another

Ren Chu jumped up in anger, and Yun Zheng said: "Clean up the battlefield; some sealed food will definitely not be ruined by ants"

Thinking of the future generations suffering from hunger, Ren Chu felt a pang of compassion; however, food would never be relinquished. Those who love to eat can never be free from the fear of hunger. Ren Chu believed it would be better to keep it for oneself.

Ren Chu did not dare to openly look at Jia Lan, his eyes slightly bruised. Ren Chu had learned his lesson; from now on, no matter how much Yun Zheng, that perverse man, tried to manipulate him, he would remain steadfast in his beliefs

Yun Zheng's foot pressed firmly on Ren Chu's backside as he shook it, saying: "The feel is average, but the foot sensation is quite good"

They worked hard to transport bags of sealed rice and canned goods to the foot of the mountain. Jialan climbed up and pulled them up with a rope, Yunzheng tied them at the bottom, and Ren Chu carried them back and forth.

In the next room, Jialan gave up; the closed solid wood door would be gnawed through by ants, and it was certain to be filled with bloodstains. Only those rooms with open doors held the hope of finding clean bedding, as ants would not invade unoccupied rooms to forage.

Parting the concealing wisteria, Jialan raised her hand, drew out a dagger, and stealthily slipped into the cave. A few breaths later, Jialan shouted: "Aunt Zhang is in trouble"

Ren Chu and Yun Zheng sprinted after Jia Lan, rushing into the side of the tree wall. Jia Lan tripped Ren Chu, and Yun Zheng pressed Ren Chu's neck, whispering: "Hurry and crawl"

Jialan cleared away the traces of the transport, hiding most of the supplies from www.hetushu.com at the top of the mountain, only bringing back a sealed bag of rice and selected bedding and mosquito nets to their hideout

The sound of a car roaring suddenly erupted, startling the three individuals. Hadn't the car been out of service for a long time? Who had repaired the car to rush here?

Aunt Zhang's face was pale and bruised; she had been bitten by a venomous snake. Before she fell unconscious, she used Ren Chu's bone-cutting knife to sever the snake's head. At this moment, the severed head, with its sharp and elongated fangs, was still clamped onto Aunt Zhang's calf.

Ren Chuchong rushed over, using a bone knife to pry open the snake's head, leaning down to suck the poison from Aunt Zhang's wound. Jialan roughly pushed Ren Chu away and coldly said: "There is no hope."

Canned and vacuum-sealed rice is well preserved, and the intelligence of ants is not high enough to detect sealed food

In a room with an open door, there were neatly stacked bedding. Ren Chu quickly opened his backpack, compressed the bedding tightly, and stuffed it inside.

Jialan remained silent, and Yunzheng said: "Ants consume food, while we require daily necessities such as bedding and mosquito nets. We will wait for the ants to leave and then act according to the situation."

Visitors to the scenic area will continue to come, unaware of the terror of the ant army, and will naturally regard this place as the best refuge. The food left behind is equivalent to handing it over to others, which is absolutely intolerable.

Ren Chu felt a chill run down his spine. He had seen the slaughter of pigs, dogs, and even cattle many times in his childhood, but this was the first time he witnessed a murder, especially the two injured individuals lying on the ground, their cries were utterly heartbreaking.

Ren Chu engaged in a silent treatment, and after searching for a long time, he unearthed a large, thick root and tossed it into Yun Zheng's arms. Yun Zheng, leaning against the hillside with Jia Lan, leisurely peeled away the tender skin of the root that was stained with dirt, savoring it with satisfaction

Jialan gestured to Yun and Shuzheng, while Yunzheng slowly stood up with the crossbow in hand. The fat man, who had escaped from the other side of the car, was sprinting while using the vehicle as cover. The bolt from the crossbow shot out, piercing through the fat man's thigh, causing him to roll on the ground and wail in agony.

Jialan calmly pulled the trigger, and the person on the right had their head explode in a spray of blood, falling sideways. Another person dropped to the ground, and Jialan's gun lowered, the bullet whistling past and striking beneath that person's ribcage

Jialan growled, "Hurry."

Over a ton of rice, along with more than one hundred cans of fruit and meat, and relatively fewer amounts of salt and other seasonings, transporting these items to the foot of the mountain left Ren Chu utterly exhausted

Jialan led the way ahead, while Ren Chu and Yun Zheng followed at a distance behind. As they stepped onto the stone path of the scenic area and saw the bloodstains on the ground and the unchewed bones, Ren Chu's palms were drenched in sweat

The fat man's thigh was pierced by a crossbow bolt, yet he held onto the object in his hand tightly. Yun Zheng once again drew back the crossbow string, and as Ren Chu opened his mouth, Yun Zheng placed the crossbow bolt into the track, aiming it at Ren Chu's mouth, and said: "Do you think he is pitiful? Then go over there and see what consequences await when you get close to this vehicle"

The air is thick with the smell of blood, and those who could not escape are left with only fragmented bones gnawed by ants, along with tattered clothing riddled with holes

Someone has escaped from the scenic area, and the people in this vehicle will definitely inquire about the news. They still dare to drive up the mountain, which clearly indicates a certain level of confidence. When dealing with the army of ants, there is no weapon more effective than fuel; however, Ren Chufang had not considered this point at all.

Ren Chukang was furious, and what angered him was that he felt somewhat impulsive upon seeing Yun Zheng stick out his tongue. This pervert was trying to provoke him; it was utterly despicable.