Chapter 27: Chapter 25: Extreme Heat, Rescue Team

Jiang Si was right. The shelter couldn’t protect everyone.

Lu Zhifeng was also afraid. If they went, their guns would be confiscated. He and his daughter would have to live at the mercy of others for the rest of their days, with no real security.

The food Jiang Si had traded them would last the father and daughter at least three years if they were frugal.

As long as they found a water source, they could figure out a way to grow some food in the watchtower.

Life could slowly get better.

After careful consideration, Lu Zhifeng asked Niu Niu, "Do you want to stay here?"

Niu Niu smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents as bright as the moon.

"I’ll be wherever Dad is, but I like our home more!"

Lu Zhifeng smiled and patted her head, then looked at Jiang Si. "We’re not going either!"

Qin Shen hadn’t shown the slightest interest in the rescue team from the very beginning.

Only after everyone had agreed did he speak. "Then let’s go."

A few steps later, Qin Shen stopped, his gaze deepening. "They’re here."

A jumble of footsteps closed in on them. Jiang Si immediately said, "Into our house, now!"

Jiang Si led the group, carefully guiding them around the traps in the yard. The moment they stepped inside, a group of men and women in uniform appeared at the broken-down gate.

Jiang Si shouted, "Don’t come in!"

The rescue team’s captain, Song Hui, came to a halt. The people behind him stopped in unison, their feet landing just a step away from a trap.

Before Song Hui could speak, a panting Lin Zu said, "Captain Song, it’s them! They’re hoarding guns and ammunition! They shot my grandfather and killed a lot of people! You have to get justice for us! You have to bring them to justice!"

Jiang Linhai roared in rebuttal, "You’re full of shit! It was self-defense! Were we just supposed to let them kill us?!"

"That still makes you murderers!"

Song Hui shot Lin Zu a glance. "We are only responsible for rescue."

Lin Zu leaped up in anger. "They’re murderers! If you won’t do anything, who will? Don’t tell me you’re planning to bring these murderers to the shelter!"

"Exactly! You have a cushy government job, so why won’t you get justice for us common folk? They killed people, they should be executed!"

In times like these, it was impossible to easily distinguish the good from the bad.

Song Hui raised his impassive eyelids and repeated, "We are only responsible for rescue."

His detached tone, backed by the rifles held by the team members behind him, carried an undeniable authority.

Lin Zu fell silent, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Song Hui called out to the house, "We’re the South City Rescue Team. If you’re coming to the shelter, come out now. We don’t have time to waste."

Jiang Linhai’s booming voice immediately rang out. "We’re not going!"

Since the people inside didn’t want to go, Song Hui couldn’t be bothered to persuade them further.

If they couldn’t get back to the shelter before dawn, they would be in danger, with nowhere to hide from the solar radiation.

Suddenly, several survivors collapsed.

Luo Yong clutched his weak wife and daughter, breaking down in tears. "Comrade! Sir! My wife and daughter haven’t had any water in two days! Please, just give us a little water!"

"My husband is about to collapse! If he doesn’t eat soon, he’ll starve to death."

"You’re the rescue team! Where’s the food? The water? We have no strength left, you’ll have to carry us back!"

"Water... water... give me water, quick..."

Some people collapsed to the ground, their mouths agape, hallucinating that they were gulping down water.

The crowd grew agitated. Even those who had been holding on started clamoring for food and water, looking as if they would snatch the canteens from the team’s belts if Song Hui refused.

His orders from above were clear: don’t abandon anyone in need of rescue.

Song Hui ordered his team members to take out their canteens and personal compressed biscuits and distribute them.

Those who weren’t truly starving, afraid of missing out, put on a more convincing act of collapse than those who had actually fainted, tricking the rescue team out of their food and water.

As a result, some ended up full and reinvigorated, while others, left with nothing, were now truly at death’s door.

Having survived this long only to finally see a glimmer of hope, who would be willing to just lie down and die?

They crawled to Song Hui’s feet, their emaciated hands grabbing his ankles. Their hollowed cheeks looked like skulls opening their mouths. "Com... Comrade... save us... save..."

Song Hui couldn’t conjure food out of thin air. He was just about to order his team to carry these people and rush them back to the shelter.

A sinister glint flashed in Lin Zu’s eyes. He pointed at Jiang Si’s house and said, "I saw it with my own eyes! They robbed other families of lots of bottled water and food. If you make them bring it out now, everyone can be saved!"

Lin Zu’s words were like a stone dropped into a still pond, sending ripples through the crowd.

"Why do they get to live freely after killing and robbing, while we’re on our knees begging you for help and you do nothing? It’s not fair! It’s not fair!"

"Make them bring out the food and water! Bring it out!"

"If you don’t care whether we live or die, we’ll file a complaint against you as soon as we get to the shelter!"

Song Hui frowned. His deputy captain, Jiao Weisong, glanced at his watch and said anxiously, "Captain, based on the length of the night yesterday, if we don’t leave now, we won’t make it back in time. How about we just have the people in the house bring out some food and water?"

Song Hui glanced at him, then at the agitated survivors, and finally nodded. "Fine. You go and negotiate with them."

Shen Baoying said indignantly, "And here I thought this captain was a decent man. I can’t believe he’s falling for their bullshit!"

"Those people wanted to kill us and rob us! If we hadn’t fought back, we’d have been devoured with nothing left!"

If Jiang Si’s group lost their food and water, it would be a disaster for Lu Zhifeng as well. He raised his gun and asked, "Are you going to give them anything?"

Jiang Si’s eyes darkened. "Like hell we will!"

’I’d like to see them try and take it by force,’ she thought.

Jiao Weisong took a step forward, and the ground suddenly gave way. Song Hui’s reflexes were sharp; he grabbed Jiao Weisong’s belt and yanked him back.

Once Jiao Weisong was steady, he saw the sharp, gleaming barbs lining the pit. A wave of fear washed over him; he had almost been turned into a pincushion.

Song Hui carefully inspected the ground. It was smoothly covered, but he suspected there were several more traps.

Going forward to negotiate was no longer an option.

Song Hui’s expression darkened. He shouted, "I am Song Hui, captain of South City Rescue Team 5. We’d like to borrow some food and water. I guarantee I’ll have someone bring it back to you tomorrow night."

Hearing Song Hui’s shout, everyone turned to Jiang Si, waiting for her decision.

Jiang Si shook her head. "It’s a classic case of trying to get something for nothing. Who’s to say they’ll pay us back? I don’t trust them, even if they are the authorities."

"Besides, why should we be exploited just because we still have supplies? We’re victims of this disaster, too."

"Then what do we do?" someone asked. "They have so many guns. If it comes to a firefight, we might not win."

Jiang Si glanced toward the stairs. "We’ll retreat through the attic in the back. If we’re not here, let’s see how they plan on ’borrowing’ anything."

Everyone’s eyes lit up. "Good idea!"