Chapter 19: The Jade Bracelet—A Storm of Accusation

Gu Pei looked up at his brother’s resolute, silent back, feeling deeply guilty. He knew that if it weren’t for him, his brother and his comrades would have already gone somewhere safer, instead of risking their lives wandering around the city. All the food they found was given to him and his classmates—people who couldn’t help at all. Brother Qiu Yun even got injured protecting them. Gu Pei could tell the situation was getting worse; going into the city now was extremely dangerous. How could he ask his brother and the others to risk themselves again? But Chen Haitao… he was really pitiful. How could Gu Pei say no to him?

The four boys shared a dorm and were usually as close as brothers. Seeing Chen Haitao getting anxious, Zhao Cheng, who was in the car, couldn’t help but speak up: “Don’t worry, Haitao. They’ll definitely help you find your family.”

“Yeah, aren’t soldiers supposed to serve the people? I’m sure they’ll get us to safety first, then go back to help you. Don’t panic!” chimed in a middle-aged woman next to Zhao Cheng—probably his mother.

Everyone else looked like they agreed.

Qiu Yun raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, but glanced at Gu Xu and stayed silent. Listening to these people’s matter-of-fact tone, Gu Pei clenched his fists and turned to frown at them. “What are you talking about? ‘Serve you’? My brother saving you all—is that just something he’s supposed to do?”

He suddenly remembered: apart from when they were first rescued, when everyone was full of gratitude and praise, after that, all they did was complain and whine, scared of this and that, hiding and screaming at the sight of zombies, and grumbling whenever they weren’t taken care of.

He realized, all of a sudden, that his brother and the others’ efforts and sacrifices were so unappreciated. These people weren’t truly grateful at all—instead, they acted like it was only right.

The middle-aged woman pursed her lips, about to retort, but a man next to her tugged her sleeve, and she fell silent. Zhao Cheng quickly tried to smooth things over: “Don’t be mad, A Pei. My mom didn’t mean it. She only said that because she trusts you guys. We know your brother and his friends are good people.”

Gu Pei wasn’t stupid—he could hear the empty flattery in Zhao Cheng’s words, but no real gratitude. He asked, “Zhao Cheng, do you also think it’s my brother’s duty as a soldier to save your family? That he has to? Didn’t you see how the teachers and security guards at school ran away faster than anyone? And the police in the university district—they were the first to smash up shops and loot things.”

Zhao Cheng’s mother muttered, “Why isn’t it their duty? We pay so much in taxes, it’s not for nothing. You’re just saying all this because you want us to be grateful, right? Fine, we’re grateful, very grateful, okay? Once we’re safe, just name your price!” She curled her lip. “Besides, you’ve got guns and people, you’re so capable—shouldn’t you be helping us weak folks? And you’re a college student—where’s your sense of civic duty?”

Gu Pei’s face turned bright red with anger. “You—”

Before he could finish, the cold barrel of a gun was pressed to the woman’s forehead. Qiu Yun grinned roguishly. “Why waste words on people like this? Wouldn’t it be easier to just shoot her?” He glanced sideways at the stunned crowd. “Gratitude? Don’t bother paying us with money—just give us your lives instead, and free up some space for me to lie down.”

The woman turned pale with fear, and everyone else shrank away from her. “How can you do this? Don’t do anything crazy…”

“Qiu Yun!”

Gu Xu finally spoke up. Qiu Yun curled his lip, withdrew the gun, and leaned against the window in silence. Gu Pei’s lips trembled; he lowered his head in shame. “Sorry, bro.”

“It’s fine. Consider it a lesson,” Gu Xu said. “From now on, remember—not everyone is worth helping, and not everyone wants your help. You have to consider your own abilities, and also who you’re helping.”

He smiled slightly, reaching over to ruffle his little brother’s dejected head. “But don’t let other people’s attitudes become your excuse to back down. Since you promised to help them find their families, a real man keeps his word. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to the city center.” He glanced at Chen Haitao. “You come too. Without you, we wouldn’t know where to look.”

Chen Haitao asked nervously, “Just the three of us?”

“Not enough for you?”

“Boss!” Qiu Yun immediately sat up straight. “No way! Those two are basically useless—it’s too dangerous. At least take me with you!” Shadow also shot a disapproving look.

Gu Xu smiled and patted Qiu Yun’s injured arm, making him wince. “Focus on healing. You four have to protect over a dozen people—think that’s easy? By the way, how’s your wound feeling?”

“It feels like something’s trying to crawl out from inside. My whole body hurts, and I’m burning up. My head’s spinning… Am I going to turn into one of those monsters?” he joked self-mockingly.

Gu Xu’s face turned serious. “Don’t talk nonsense! Get some rest. I’ll talk to you all later.”

It was midnight. The sky was eerily dark, with a sickle-shaped blood moon hanging overhead, casting a faint red glow that shrouded the world in a terrifying shadow.

Unlike the city center, where zombies roamed everywhere, the suburbs only had more zombies on the streets and in residential areas. Around the industrial warehouses, you’d only see a lone zombie now and then, and they’d be taken out by the night watch before they got close.

In one of the many warehouses, the night shift was being kept by Cheng Haijun and Zhou De, who had developed superhuman strength. One wielded a watermelon knife, the other a huge iron hammer. They had just teamed up to kill a female zombie. Panting, Cheng Haijun asked, “Zhou De, don’t you think the zombies are a lot stronger tonight?”

He’d nearly been sent flying by a single swipe. He looked at the scratch on the back of his hand, where the zombie’s nail had torn the skin and blood was oozing out. He frowned hard—if he hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have lost the whole hand. Those nails were sharper than butcher knives.

Zhou De was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He could clearly sense his strength was several times that of an ordinary person, and everyone else thought so too. The admiring, envious looks made him feel great. He’d done most of the work killing the zombie just now. Sure, it seemed a bit tougher than usual, but would he admit that and look weak? He shrugged it off. “Really? I didn’t notice.”

Cheng Haijun frowned, puzzled. It wasn’t just that the zombies seemed stronger—they were also much more aggressive. Four or five had already come to attack the survivors tonight, which hadn’t happened the previous two nights.

He couldn’t help but recall what Bian Changxi had said before leaving: “I have a bad feeling, like something’s about to happen. Starting tomorrow, be extra careful with zombies. Don’t rush in—watch how others handle it first.”

What was going to happen?

Cheng Haijun looked up at the blood moon in the sky, a deep sense of unease settling over him.

Meanwhile, behind the warehouse, three shadowy figures huddled together, whispering.

“…What? You didn’t get the jade bracelet? How useless are you? That Bian girl was out cold and you still couldn’t get it off her?”

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