Chapter 51 Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland 14
The 30-minute countdown has ended.
Zhou Jue withdrew his gaze from his personal terminal and swept his eyes over the survivors in front of him.
An old woman, a family of three, a fit man, an SOS girl, and this talkative Zhao Dezhu.
There were seven people in total.
Including the eight people from the hospital, that makes fifteen. We're still far from the main quest goal of one hundred people.
But she wasn't in a hurry.
"Walk."
One word, concise and clear.
Zhou Jue turned around and walked towards the hospital.
The survivors didn't dare to delay and immediately followed.
Zhao Dezhu clung tightly to Zhou Jue's back, afraid of being left behind, and kept muttering, "Big Boss, slow down, are you tired? You were so cool just now..."
Just then, a window on the second floor of the office building next door was suddenly pushed open.
"Hey! Hey! Over here! Help!"
The middle-aged man who had been wearing a suit and looked emaciated from hunger was now clinging to the window frame, desperately waving in Zhou Jue's direction.
When he saw that Zhou Jue and his group were really leaving, the expression on his face instantly changed from anticipation to panic.
He hadn't gone downstairs before; he had been waving his arm out the window, trying to get Zhou Jue to come upstairs and save him. He thought, if she wanted to save him, why not come to her door? She was so capable; wouldn't it be easy for her to come over?
Zhou Jue did not pause in his steps, as if he had not heard his shout at all.
The other survivors glanced back instinctively, their faces showing a complex mix of emotions: sympathy, relief, but mostly fear. No one dared to plead for the man.
They all clearly remembered the last four words on that note: "No more waiting after the deadline."
This woman is not joking.
"Stop! I told you to stop! Didn't you hear me?!"
As Zhou Jue and his group walked further and further away, the middle-aged man's voice became shrill, filled with exasperated anger.
Seeing that waving and shouting were useless, he simply changed his strategy.
"I order you to come back and save me! Do you know who I am? I'm the vice president of Tengfei Group! I'm rich! I have connections! If you save me, I guarantee you'll be set for life!"
"I can invest in you! I can find you the best resources! Do you hear me?!"
Zhou Jue still did not turn around.
Investment? Resources? In this world where human life is worth less than a dog's, what meaning do these things have?
These were never what she wanted.
Seeing that threats and inducements were ineffective, the man completely lost his temper and began to hurl insults.
"You cold-blooded monster! You stood by and watched someone die! You'll get your comeuppance!"
"You think you're so tough? How many can you take on by yourself? You have no order, no organization, you're just a brute! Let me tell you, the official rescue team is on their way! When they arrive, I'll make you pay for what you did today!"
"Look, everyone! This woman is standing by and watching us die! She clearly has the ability, yet she just stands by and watches us die! She's a monster!"
The man's roar echoed through the quiet street, sounding particularly jarring.
He seemed to be trying to morally blackmail Zhou Jue and incite the emotions of the other survivors in this way.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated.
The survivors following behind Zhou Jue did not waver; instead, they quickened their pace, wanting only to get as far away from that madman as possible.
They had witnessed firsthand how Zhou Jue killed zombies and experienced the harshness of the apocalypse firsthand. They knew very well that the only person they could rely on now was the powerful woman before them.
As for that vice president?
Who cares what his identity is? In the apocalypse, an identity that can't be converted into combat power is just a piece of waste paper.
"Boss, don't pay him any mind. The CEO is in this neighborhood? He's probably just kidding..." Zhao Dezhu was afraid of upsetting the boss.
"Heh...heh heh..."
The man's shouts did not stop Zhou Jue and his group; instead, they successfully attracted something else.
Some zombies that had been wandering from a street corner further away were drawn by the continuous sound and began to stagger toward the office building.
There were only a few, about seven or eight.
[Warning: Continuous high-decibel noise is attracting nearby infected entities.]
A system notification sounded in Zhou Jue's mind.
She turned around and gave the office building a cold glance.
The man was still shouting and cursing wildly by the window, completely oblivious to the danger gathering below. His face was twisted with jealousy and resentment.
"At the beginning of the apocalypse, there were zombies right outside my door! I couldn't get out at all! Why wouldn't you come up and save me! It's just a few steps away! You damn..."
Zhou Jue withdrew his gaze and ignored him.
She is not a saint and has no obligation to save all living beings.
Besides, there were no zombies in the stairwell. If he had just opened the door or looked through the peephole, he would have found that there was nothing at the doorway.
She gave everyone a chance, the same chance. They chose their own path, and naturally, they must bear the consequences.
"Speed up."
She gave the order in a low voice.
The group immediately started running and quickly left this place of trouble.
After turning the street corner and completely out of sight of the office building, Zhou Jue paused slightly.
She raised her hand, and a hummingbird drone, no bigger than a thumb, silently took off from her palm, turned around, and flew towards the office building. It finally hovered in a hidden corner, pointing its camera at the man who was still cursing and the growing number of zombies below.
She wanted to see how this vice president of Tengfei Group would wait for the "official rescue team" he mentioned without her.
After doing all this, Zhou Jue led everyone to continue walking towards the hospital.
Zhao Dezhu followed behind, panting, and glanced back at the guy next to him. He whispered to the muscular man beside him, "Dude, do you think that guy's out of his mind? The big boss gave him a chance, but he wouldn't come down and even cursed at people. Isn't he just asking for trouble?"
The muscular physique, carrying a baseball bat, replied in a deep voice, "Some people are used to being high and mighty, thinking the world revolves around them. They don't understand that times have changed."
The young man in the couple said with lingering fear, "That was terrifying. Luckily we came down. Otherwise, we might be the ones surrounded by zombies now."
The mother holding her child tightened her embrace, saying nothing, but the lingering fear in her eyes said it all.
Only the elderly woman with white hair remained calm throughout, silently following the group as if nothing in the outside world concerned her.
Zhou Jue took in all their reactions, gaining a deeper understanding of their personalities.
Soon, the group followed Zhou Jue to the entrance of the shelter.
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