translator: xiin
editors: juurensha & Macabre
After being held up for so long, the sky had already begun to brighten. They had lost hundreds of people while making their way through the tunnel. Zhang Qiucheng was so tired he wanted nothing more than to lie down, but the ants just kept coming.
“Put explosives inside and collapse the tunnel.” Zhang Qiucheng was very angry, and at this point, no matter if there were still people in the tunnel or not, he stopped and directly ordered them to block up the ants’ route. Strangely, none of the people who had escaped objected to this cold-hearted order.
Bai Jing declined to comment on this and seemed to have rather expected it. As early as during his previous life, he had already seen what people were like and how lightly they regarded feelings during the end of the world. Although he and Xiao Sa were some distance away, he had continuously kept an eye on the situation. Those who had managed to escape towards the end did not live up to their name as cannon fodder. They were full of panic and couldn’t tell friend from foe. They would do anything in their power if it meant they could live. He watched from a distance as some people pushed their companions into the ants’ mouths in order to survive. The world was this cold and hostile now; how could people’s hearts not become indifferent? It was really not worth feeling any sense of righteousness or conscience for those who have already gone mad.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” With several loud noises, the rocks shook, the ground trembled, and smoke and dust rose from the tunnel exit. The rocks inside the tunnel tumbled down as the supports broke, and the tunnel collapsed.
Zhang Qiucheng did not turn to look back. He went straight to a cross-country car and shouted, “Go!” to nobody in particular.
Bai Jing pouted but did not mind it. He had basically recovered, and joked around with Xiao Sa while getting into the car, easily keeping pace with the troops. They travelled approximately thirty kilometers until they could no longer see any hint of the ants, and then Zhang Qiucheng ordered a stop.
After that, they first counted the number of people remaining. There were only 500 people left of the original group of over 600 people, which included over 100 disabled, elderly, and infirm. This was actually pretty lucky; if Zhang Qiucheng and the others had not been the ones opening up the way, perhaps more people would have died.
After eating and drinking, the group settled down. Bai Jing looked around, and his intuition told him something was wrong. If he had guessed correctly, they should be able to meet up with Yan Gang’s army as they travelled along the national highway. Zhang Qiucheng must be planning something for him to order a stop here. Bai Jing very reluctantly admitted that when it came to brainpower, he really had no way to keep up.
Xiao Sa could tell what he was thinking from his expression. He found it amusing and patted Bai Jing on the head, “Don’t worry. In any case, it has nothing to do with us. We’ll know if it’s good or bad for us soon enough.”
Bai Jing looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes. Based on his speculations, Zhang Qiucheng was probably going to put on some sort of act again.
Sure enough, the man gave them an indifferent glance, then turned his eyes to the group that had gathered together as they made their way here, and spoke with great righteousness. “We have made great sacrifices this time, and I am extremely sorry that I was unable to protect you all due to my inadequacy. There are military forces up ahead, and I cannot block your path to survival. Anyone who wants to go head should hurry up and do so. I only hope that when we meet again in the future, we won’t be hostile to each other. Nobody thought that this would happen today, and we all did what we could for the sake of survival.”
The crowd boiled up after his words. Only now did everyone learn that the army was not far from them, and some people stood up, anxious to go ahead and look for them. There were others who swallowed and hesitated; they obviously wanted to leave but were worried that Zhang Qiucheng would make trouble for them. It wasn’t until they confirmed that nothing would happen did they express their thanks and prepare to leave, treating him like a good person and completely forgetting his previous cold-hearted orders.
Before long, people from the crowd began to leave in twos and threes, and the group of 500 eventually dwindled to 300. Zhang Qiucheng looked on indifferently and did not concern himself with it at all, but several of his subordinates were furious. They had worked hard to look after these people as they went through the tunnel, but now they were patting their buttocks and leaving without another word.
“Don’t be upset. Brother Cheng must have some plan in mind. I really want to see if they’re able to get what they want.” Those who were smarter used their brains and could scent the taste of conspiracy. They didn’t need to say things clearly, but those who understood Zhang Qiucheng all knew that Brother Cheng would never freely hand out benefits. Since those people didn’t listen or try to clarify the situation and only wanted to climb up onto other people’s high branches, when they encountered danger in the future, they would not be able to say anything about regret. Not to mention, this world was not so kind to the wounded and disabled. They had only just escaped from the tiger’s mouth, and everyone was in a terrible state. Since they did not have enough power, nor did they have enough supplies, even if they wanted to join the army, it would still depend on whether the army was willing to accept them or not!
Regardless of what others were thinking, Bai Jing understood the situation very well. Amongst those who were leaving, some were also Zhang Qiucheng’s core subordinates. It didn’t seem right; in fact, it seemed very wrong. Bai Jing did not believe that Zhang Qiucheng had any good intentions, nor did he think that the army would help the refugees. Yan Gang had a suspicious nature, and although the group of over 200 people was not big, their showing up at this point in time was very suspicious. If they weren’t able to explain themselves well, they might even end up as splatters of blood on the spot.
Xiao Sa held his hand, his gaze a little dark. He impassively turned his head and watched coldly as Zhang Qiucheng came over.
“Thank you for your help today, otherwise… Alas…” By now, Zhang Qiucheng had already restored his usual calm as he sighed and shook his head. Although his words sounded very sincere, it was a pity that he could not continue.
Bai Jing smiled sarcastically and paid him no heed. Xiao Sa naturally spoiled him; his wife took precedence over everything. Zhang Qiucheng was slightly embarrassed by the cold shoulder and found it rather difficult to keep his smile on. He swore that ever since he first met these two people, he hadn’t felt comfortable at all. However there was no other way, the other party’s fists were bigger and didn’t play cards according to established card theory. Even though he was cunning, he thought it over, and then said straightforwardly, “I’ve already sent people over to create chaos. Do you think…”
It was a sentence that came out of nowhere, but Bai Jing’s eyes brightened as he immediately understood what he meant. He had known early on that Zhang Qiucheng was not well-intentioned, but he hadn’t expected that he would use over 200 lives as a gamble to create chaos. “You…”
Zhang Qiucheng nodded his head and did not speak, nor did he concern himself over Bai Jing’s attitude. To him, anything was fine as long as it was efficient.
“I see. Tell me your plan.” Xiao Sa picked up the topic and patted Bai Jing’s shoulder. He wasn’t too bothered by Zhang Qiucheng’s behaviour. Although he didn’t agree with it, he didn’t criticize it. He wasn’t putting on airs; in fact, they were all the same. The difference was that he would not take the initiative to scheme against others, but he would still watch on as others died without stepping in to save them.
Zhang Qiucheng spread his hands and said indifferently, “I have sent people ahead to explore the way. They have bombs on them and will set up an ambush after the fork in the road in the canyon ahead. General Yan has many enemies, and I believe that the people in the army aren’t united. I will bring people into hiding soon and won’t be able to interfere with the the actions the two of you take later on.”
Bai Jing pulled his lips up into a sneer. Zhang Qiucheng was making it clear that he was only giving orders without involving himself and sitting on the mountain as he watched the tigers fight. Their success or failure would have no impact on him.
Xiao Sa nodded calmly. He hadn’t expected anyone to help them; Zhang Qiucheng’s plans had been within his calculations, and it was enough that people had been sent ahead to create chaos.
