Chapter 67: Chapter 65: Exchanging Children for Food

Zhang Qingfang leaned in and asked, "Sisi, are we going to save them?"

All along, they had stuck to the principle of not getting involved in others’ affairs. But hearing the miserable whimpers of those people was deeply unsettling.

Jiang Si took out her infrared binoculars and carefully scanned the villa across from them.

It was too far to see clearly inside. Going at night would make them vulnerable to an ambush. Even if they were going to attempt a rescue, it would have to be during the day.

They couldn’t risk their own lives for others.

Jiang Si said, "We’ll go check it out tomorrow. Everyone’s exhausted from today. Let’s rest for now."

Jiang Si’s willingness to check tomorrow meant she was going to save them. Looking at Jiang Si’s face, cast in shadow, Zhang Qingfang suddenly felt she shouldn’t have bothered asking.

’Even if Jiang Si hadn’t planned on saving them, she would do it for my sake.’

’If there was no danger, it would be one thing. But if they ran into trouble, I would never be able to live with myself.’

Jiang Chengwu noticed her inner conflict and softly reassured her, "Sisi has her own way of thinking. If she runs into danger, she can always hide in the space. You don’t need to worry so much."

Zhang Qingfang felt a little better and went with Shen Baoying into the women’s section of the RV.

When Niu Niu saw them come in, she immediately sat up and looked at Zhang Qingfang with pleading eyes. "Grandma Jiang, can I sleep with you guys?"

The women’s section of the RV had two slightly oversized bunk beds, so Niu Niu would have to sleep with them.

Zhang Qingfang stroked her little head, as if seeing an image of a young, adorable Jiang Si. She picked Niu Niu up and said affectionately, "Of course you can."

"Thank you, Grandma."

There was no running water in the RV, and the water they carried was only for drinking. Jiang Si glanced at the swimming pool, shimmering in the dim night light. She found a pipe in the wall and used it to fill the RV’s water tank.

She was the one who secretly refilled their daily drinking water supply, ensuring it was always safe to drink.

Early the next morning, Shen Baoying got up and made sandwiches for everyone in the RV.

After drinking a cup of instant lotus root soup, Jiang Si said to Qin Shen, "I’m going to check out the villa across the street. You stay here and protect everyone."

Qin Shen’s combat skills were even more formidable than hers; he could take on an army by himself. With him staying behind, Jiang Si felt at ease.

But Qin Shen said, "I’ll go."

’I can’t just let Qin Shen charge into every dangerous situation.’

They were a team now. Jiang Si shook her head. "No, I’ll go."

Lu Zhifeng also felt it was wrong to always let Qin Shen and Jiang Si take the lead, and he and Jiang Linhai said in unison, "I’ll go!"

Jiang Linhai, for his part, felt he couldn’t live under Jiang Si’s protection forever.

’I’m her father. I’m supposed to be the one protecting her. Even if I’m not strong enough, I have to have the courage and take responsibility.’

With everyone clamoring to go, Jiang Si gave a helpless smile. "Why don’t I go today, and we can take turns from now on? How does that sound?"

Since Jiang Si had put it that way, they had no choice but to agree.

Qin Shen stood at a window in their villa, gun in hand, providing cover for Jiang Si as she swiftly entered the building across the way.

The villa was grim and foreboding, filled with signs of destruction and littered with trash.

This villa was the same size as the one Jiang Si’s group was occupying, with a nearly identical layout.

She followed a faint thumping sound, climbing floor by floor. When she reached the third floor, her boots crunched on broken glass. The sound was terrifyingly loud in the dark, silent interior.

The sound from the room at the end of the hall suddenly stopped.

Jiang Si held her breath and crept closer, step by step. Then—BANG! She kicked the door open.

Terrified whimpers immediately erupted from within the room.

The sight that met her eyes was horrifying.

Dozens of emaciated people with numb, frightened eyes were crammed into cages. Their hands and feet were bound, their mouths gagged. They reeked, and the floor beneath the cages was covered in filth. They were human beings, yet they were being treated like livestock awaiting slaughter.

But the scene nearby was even more sickening.

A human head rested on a chopping block, and a blood-drained corpse was hanging from a butcher’s hook.

Jiang Si’s stomach churned. ’I’m so glad Jiang Linhai wasn’t the one to come and see this grisly scene.’

As Jiang Si stepped forward, the people instinctively shrank back into the corners of their cages.

Jiang Si could also see several very young children huddled in the center of the crowd.

Even though they could barely fend for themselves, they were still instinctively protecting the children. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As Jiang Si drew near, their faces filled with despair. Their resigned compliance was heartbreaking.

CLANG—

One after another, Jiang Si shattered the iron chains with her axe. The cages now had openings leading to freedom, but surprisingly, no one dared to approach.

Jiang Si held out her hand to them. "Come out. I’m not going to hurt you."

The man nearest the door hesitated for a long time before tentatively rising and moving toward Jiang Si.

True to her word, Jiang Si didn’t harm him. She pulled the gag from his mouth and cut the ropes binding him.

The man’s wrists were covered in bloody ligature marks. The moment his hands were freed, he raised them and stared in disbelief.

He had been certain he would die, but now Jiang Si had saved him.

He covered his face, weeping with joy, then dropped to his knees with a THUD before Jiang Si, incoherently thanking her for saving his life.

More people flooded out of the cages, and Jiang Si freed them one by one.

The first instinct for some, once freed, was to flee this hellish place.

But having been starved for so long, they would take a few steps, collapse to the ground, and then crawl back, begging Jiang Si for something to eat.

Everyone looked at Jiang Si, pleading desperately for food. Recalling the supplies she’d seen the captors hoarding on the second floor, she led them there. "Eat," she told them, "then get out of here as quickly as you can."

’A huge meteorite fragment had landed just a few miles from them last night. They were moving too slowly.’

The people were wolfing down the food, and Jiang Si couldn’t tell if they had even heard her. She didn’t bother to check, simply turning to leave.

Seeing Jiang Si leave, the ravenous survivors acted as if their last lifeline was being snatched away. They shot to their feet and ran after her, still clutching food, pleading, "Take us with you! Please, take us with you!"

’Jiang Si was able to save them. She not only had a gun, she had to be powerful. Plus, she didn’t ask for anything in return. She was kind. We’re willing to follow her.’

’How could I possibly let myself be saddled with such a large group of people?’

’Human nature is unpredictable. I’ve seen it too many times: a small kindness is appreciated, but a large one can breed resentment.’

Jiang Si turned and looked at them coldly. "I am not taking you with me. Don’t follow me. Be warned—I won’t be gentle."

As soon as Jiang Si stepped out of the villa, she saw Qin Shen waiting for her, with the RV already running.

The people who had been trailing her, intending to follow from a distance, broke into a frantic sprint when they saw her about to get into the vehicle. "Wait for us! Wait for us!"

Qin Shen pulled the trigger, spraying a burst of bullets at their feet.

They covered their heads and scrambled back in terror, watching helplessly as Jiang Si pulled open the door and leaped inside.

Shen Baoying handed Jiang Si a towel to wipe her face before asking, "What was it like in there? You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?"