Seeing Jing An hesitate, Jing Shu added softly, "Think of mom. What if she had been taken hostage? Think about whether these people would come back to retaliate if they escaped."
The peaceful era was over. Laws would not take effect again until after the next major restructuring. For this half-year, when humanity's morality had all but collapsed, killing was not a crime.
Jing An resolutely took the knife, gritting his teeth as he gave a heavy nod.
He ended the pinned man's life with one swift strike. The feeling of killing someone with his own hands was not as bad as he had imagined. Strangely, his body released a surge of adrenaline. His heart raced, his body warmed, and shockingly, there was a flicker of excitement.
The wounded men lying on the ground, seeing this, began to beg. "Please, don't kill me! I just ran out of food at home and came to borrow some!"
"I haven't eaten in two days. Please, just a little food!"
"We're all from the same community. We only came because we heard you had plenty of supplies. Please, spare us!"
Just as Jing Shu thought her father's compassion would flare up again, Jing An coldly finished them off one by one. The last man realized the danger and used all his strength to crawl away. But as he tried to flee, Su Lanzhi stepped out of the car and thrust her knife into the back of his neck.
Jing Shu sighed. For someone untrained, stabbing blindly like this was only torture, not mercy.
She strode forward, delivered a swift killing blow, pressed on the wound to prevent blood from spraying, and then retrieved Su Lanzhi's knife from the body, wiping it clean before handing it back to her.
Su Lanzhi clutched Jing Shu tightly, her body trembling faintly.
Jing Shu patted her mother's back gently. She would get used to it. Jing Shu had been just as terrified the first time. Back then, Su Lanzhi always comforted her, saying everything would be alright. And wasn't everything better now? Compared to the life of suffering and misery in her previous life, this time they had food, clean water, and a safe home. They were already in the middle tier of the apocalypse's pyramid of survival.
"Let's go."
Luckily, the energy car was undamaged. They moved the barricade and the bodies out of the way. The family drove on in silence, no one speaking. Jing Shu carried the spiked mace, walking alongside. Each person was adjusting to this apocalypse in their own way. Only Jing Shu, the outsider who had lived this once before, remained detached, watching events unfold as if on repeat.
Jing Shu reported the attempted robbery to Wang Qiqi, who soon posted in the group chat:
[Wang Qiq]i: "@Everyone, there was another attempted robbery in the community just now. The five attackers were all killed. Half a year ago, over 130 people came to collect water. Now, only about 80 come daily. Instead of robbing others and throwing your lives away, think of practical solutions."
Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "Kids these days! We older folks go strip bark from trees every day. There are plenty of grasses on the hill. Clean them, put them in a rice cooker with some rice, pressure cook for an hour, and it's edible!"
[Fat Girl, No. 25]: "The grasshoppers up the hill are plump. Roast them, they're delicious."
[Wang Qiqi]: "Don't be afraid to ask experienced folks in the group. Nobody has food now. The government will distribute its first batch of vegetables soon. Hold on a little longer!"
…
The second attack came while they were on the way to drop Su Lanzhi off at work. At a corner near the Planting Industry R&D Management Department, large stones were set up in the road. "Energy cars are worth a fortune now. Let's steal theirs and trade it for food!"
Suddenly, more than a dozen men with clubs and cleavers rushed out. Jing An, now more experienced, floored the accelerator, reversing into a group of them and knocking them down. Then he spun the car in a sharp 180-degree turn, slamming into another cluster.
Some clung to the car doors, and others smashed at the windows with sticks.
Pong!
A car window shattered, shards scattering near Jing Shu.
In chaotic motion, with obstacles everywhere, a crossbow was clearly less effective than a gun.
Jing Shu grabbed one of the sticks thrusting inside with one hand and fired with the other, popping off shots—bang, bang, bang—wounding three men. Screams erupted, and the crowd panicked, scattering.
"They've got a gun! Run!"
"That bitch lied! They have a gun!"
Jing Shu hefted the spiked mace, leaped out of the car, and struck down three men in a flurry of blows. Jing An turned on the high beams, aimed them at fleeing attackers, and ran them down with a stomp of the pedal.
The one-sided battle ended before it had even begun. In the darkness, Jing Shu's eyes glowed terrifyingly. She raised her gun and fired precise shots, one after another, cutting down every fleeing attacker. None escaped.
She grabbed the man who had shouted earlier and pressed the barrel of her gun under his chin."Who lied? What exactly did that person tell you?"
"T-that woman from this office. She said there were two weak women riding this car every day. Told us to hit this route, steal the energy car, and trade it for food."
Just then, the shuttle bus that brought employees to and from the Planting Industry R&D Management Department arrived. The driver stopped, and first out were a dozen security guards, followed by a group of employees.
Security captain Huang Long checked on Su Lanzhi first, then asked, "Director Su, what happened here?"
Driver Master Liu was shaken. "W-what happened to all these people lying on the ground?"
Jing Shu smirked coldly, yanked Yu Caini from the crowd, and dragged her out. "Is it her? Repeat what you just said about her."
The man stammered, "Y-yes, it was her," then repeated the accusation.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Didn't expect Deputy Director Yu to stoop this low."
"Deputy? She's been demoted three ranks. She's in retraining now."
"She should be arrested, or at least fired."
Yu Caini glared at Jing Shu, gritting her teeth. "This doesn't count as evidence. Su Lanzhi, let me tell you something. You only have authority over personnel transfers. You cannot fire me. My post is in the new district's administration. You have no power there."
Bang!
A shot rang out, making everyone jump.
Yu Caini collapsed to the ground in terror.
Jing Shu released her grip on the man, letting him fall heavily beside Yu Caini. "Is evidence really that important sometimes?" she asked, blowing on the smoking barrel.
Yu Caini shrieked, sobbing, a foul smell spreading around her as fear overwhelmed her. "You can't kill me. I'm a government employee! If you kill me, you'll be arrested!"
"I hope you remember your place. And for the next few days, don't be alone with anyone." Jing Shu chuckled, hefted a boulder from the barricade, and hurled it aside with a boom. The heavy crash made Yu Caini tremble again.
Su Lanzhi stepped forward. "Given Yu Caini's poor retraining performance, I demote her to staff level and extend her retraining by a year. Yu Caini, since you love this job so much, stay. I'll personally train you."
It was time Su Lanzhi stood tall. People always chose the softest persimmon to squeeze.