"Shut up, if you cry again, I’ll beat you to death." The voice got louder, certainly attracting zombies, and He Xianju’s face was grim as she raised her hand and slapped her twice.
The crisp sound of the slap made Xu Mumu look up.
The little girl was so scared that she didn’t dare to cry. Tears kept falling, mixed with blood, making her look utterly miserable.
"Sister-in-law, should we save that little girl?" Yin Chuchu felt extremely uncomfortable in her heart. She had never seen such a scene before.
"How do we save her?" Xu Mumu asked coldly.
"Let’s take care of her," Yin Chuchu said softly.
"That’s enough, Chuchu." Yin Lin was the first to interrupt, "Chuchu, our family is not a refugee camp, saving one person and then another. If you dare to go and save her, do you believe that woman will cling to you immediately?"
"But, but what about that little girl?" Yin Chuchu knew her cousin was right, but seeing such a scene, she felt terribly uncomfortable.
"If you want to save her, go ahead, but you’ll be fully responsible for everything that happens afterward. The people you save will have to rely on you for food and shelter, don’t squander the family’s resources on the generosity of others," Yin Yang said flatly. This sister was too naive; it’s better to let her learn some lessons herself.
Yin Chuchu’s breath caught. She really wanted to save someone, but what did she have? Seemingly nothing at all. Everything she had, whether food or drink, was provided by her brother and sister-in-law.
Now it seemed she had nothing and could do nothing.
Yin Chuchu sat rigidly by the fire, not moving or speaking, almost as if the searing heat from the fire was something she couldn’t even feel.
The others said nothing. Besides Yin Yang and the few from the main family, the rest were all from side branches, and they knew very well how much food they were allocated each day. It was precisely because they followed Xu Mumu, who had enough food, that their days were much more comfortable compared to others who weren’t part of a team.
They chose not to meddle. Their food was barely enough for themselves, so how could they give any to an outsider?
As for having the main family support them, they shouldn’t even think about it. Like Yin Lin said, the Yin Family wasn’t a refugee camp. Saving one person but not another would surely lead to endless trouble.
Moreover, that woman was clearly not a good person. Being so heartless to her own child, willing to trade her body for food, someone with no bottom line, getting involved with her would be the biggest trouble.
Until it was time to leave, Yin Chuchu never glanced at the little girl again; perhaps she felt guilty.
The surrounding zombies were all cleaned up by the Mutant Beasts, and the blood on the little girl’s forehead didn’t attract any zombies.
When they set off again, the sun had just risen, and the weather was already heating up.
The three cars behind continued to follow slowly. When they hit the highway, Xu Mumu frowned slightly. There were various degrees of collapse, but no impassable places yet.
By noon, a section of the road directly ahead broke off, leaving a deep pit below, with the broken road hanging on the edge.
A group of people got out of the vehicles, and Xu Mumu asked Yin Wanqiu to add more Wood Element superpowers around the Mutant Plants, then put two vehicles into her Space Ability. The space could temporarily store plants but not animals.
Watching their cars vanish instantly, the people following behind had a flicker of realization. They had witnessed these people’s superpowers along the way, but they didn’t expect them to have Space Ability too. No wonder their lives were so comfortable; they envied them deeply.
They had to detour now, and Yin Yang observed that the road below was passable, allowing them to continue on the highway after this section.
A mighty group began to march downward, and despite their reluctance to part with their vehicle, He Xianju and her companions eventually followed Xu Mumu’s group downhill.
Below was a wide river, and a small bridge not far away allowed crossing.
Several days of continuous rain had raised the water level considerably, and Xu Mumu, holding two puppies, walked onto the bridge, while a small snake remained wrapped around Yin Chuchu’s wrist.
Compared to saving people, Xu Mumu preferred rescuing little animals. At least these animals were simple-minded, unlike when saving people, where so much had to be considered.
The people following closely mimicked their every step, yet Xu Mumu barely gave them a glance.
Every so often, the cries of that pampered little chubby boy echoed from behind. After crossing the bridge, Xu Mumu suddenly heard a splash of someone falling into the water.
Turning around, she saw the little chubby boy’s hand calmly retracted, while the little girl’s voice was swallowed by the water and quickly disappeared. This water was corrosive.
The chubby boy, as if he had done something inconsequential, urged his mother to hurry up so they wouldn’t fall behind. The dead girl was just a burden, and now he ’solved’ the problem.
Xu Mumu listened to this cold-blooded remark without saying much, merely casting a few more glances into the river.
The river, now devoid of the little girl’s figure, remained as murky as ever.
Yin Chuchu had also witnessed this scene. The darkness of human nature silenced her once more.
"Let’s go, cross quickly. Our car doesn’t have much fuel left, we’ll need to hit a gas station later," Xu Mumu stated flatly, as if nothing had happened, or as if everything had changed.
Yin Chuchu nodded and walked forward in silence.
Xu Mumu sighed softly and followed.
After half an hour, they finally stepped back onto the highway. They retrieved their vehicles, and the group swiftly departed. Meanwhile, He Xianju and the others were still frantically searching for a drivable car.
They didn’t dare to stay outside alone; the prospect of encountering zombies was unimaginable for them.
The other two families quickly found suitable cars, and He Xianju wanted to seize them desperately, but she and her son were outmatched and resorted to crying for sympathy. They realized how clear the others were about her character, having witnessed her conduct along the way, they didn’t want to associate with someone who might backstab them on the journey.
The mother and son were left alone, completely at a loss.
The chubby boy began to cry loudly, then hurled insults at He Xianju. Agitated, He Xianju raised her hand to slap him, this son she cherished drove her mad, if she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have let the old lady raise him.
But the chubby boy, sensing that He Xianju was about to hit him, quickly picked up a stone and threw it at her head.
With a thud, He Xianju fell, her forehead covered in blood, disbelief in her eyes slowly fading as she drew her last breath.