Lin Feng's icy gaze swept over each woman, causing them to tremble involuntarily as they recalled the bloody night before and the tragic death of their companions.
"Take them away," Lin Feng said succinctly.
Yang Li and the others dared not resist, or rather, they simply did not have the strength or courage to resist. Under the "escort" of Qin Lan and the others, they stumbled their way to Lin Feng's wooden house.
In the cold wind, Lin Feng sat upright on a simple wooden chair, looking expressionlessly at the group of emaciated women with dirty faces.
"Tell me, what is your background?" Lin Feng's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
As the leader of this group, Yang Li took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in her heart, and roughly recounted how they had inexplicably traveled to this world, how they were starving and freezing, and how they discovered the wooden house and broke in.
Of course, she deliberately concealed the details of their breaking the lock and causing extensive damage inside the house, only saying that they were too cold and hungry and had no other choice.
After listening, Lin Feng nodded, his face still expressionless: "I see. Like us, you appeared here inexplicably."
Yang Li nodded quickly, trying to gain sympathy: "Yes, sir, we are all pitiful people. We are all in the same boat, and we should help each other."
Lin Feng glanced at her and said coldly, "Since that's the case, I can temporarily let bygones be bygones on your trespassing, damaging my things, and frightening my pets. However, starting today, I'm setting a few rules that you must strictly abide by."
He paused, then his voice suddenly turned stern: "First, without my permission, none of you are allowed to approach within one hundred paces of my cabin. Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"
Upon hearing this, a younger but equally overweight woman behind Yang Li, wearing ill-fitting ripped jeans, immediately shrieked: "Why? Such a nice house, why should it belong to you alone? We are people too, we also need a place to live! This is not fair!"
Lin Feng's eyes instantly turned as cold as ice. He slowly turned his head, stared at the woman, and said, word by word, "This house was built by my own hands, brick by brick. Every piece of wood and every stone here embodies my sweat and blood. The food here was hunted at great personal risk. And what have you given in return?"
The woman felt a chill run down her spine under Lin Feng's gaze, but she still stubbornly retorted, "Who knows if you're telling the truth! Maybe you just happened to find this place!"
Lin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile of extreme disgust: "A woman like you, besides lying in bed ordering takeout, scrolling through Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform), and fantasizing about getting something for nothing, what else can you do? You'd find it too tiring to move a rock, wouldn't you?"
The woman's face turned pale and then red as she listened to what he said, but she was powerless to refute him.
Seeing this, Yang Li quickly put on her signature fake yet friendly smile, the kind she often used on stand-up comedy stages: "Mr. Lin, please don't be angry. The young girl is ignorant, and you are very magnanimous. Since we have come to such a strange and dangerous place, we should unite, help each other, and get through this together, shouldn't we? After all, we probably can't go back now."
After realizing that this might not really be Earth, and that the hope of returning home was slim.
Yang Li's unrealistic fantasies were shattered, replaced by a strong will to survive.
The powerful man before them was undoubtedly the key to their survival.
Lin Feng glanced at her, his eyes full of sarcasm: "I know you, Yang Li, a somewhat well-known stand-up comedian. I've also heard about your 'malign' remarks."
Upon hearing this, Yang Li's face immediately lit up with a hint of pride and surprise. She assumed Lin Feng was one of her fans: "Oh? So, Mr. Lin, you've seen my performance too? That's truly my honor. It seems we have a lot in common."
Lin Feng gave a cold laugh, interrupting her fantasy: "Don't you always boast on stage about the so-called 'infinite power of women' and promote the idea that 'women's suffering is all caused by men'? Don't you believe that men oppress you and limit your development?"
He paused, his tone becoming even more sarcastic, "I completely agree with your ideas."
Yang Li's smile widened; she felt her chance had come: "Mr. Lin is indeed a reasonable man! It seems you also support women's independence and self-reliance!"
“That’s right.” Lin Feng nodded slowly, then changed the subject, his eyes becoming playful: “Since you so admire women’s independence and strength, and since you believe that the existence of men is a constraint and oppression on you, then now, the opportunity has come.”
He pointed to the vast, desolate, and lifeless world of ice and snow around him: "Here, there is no other adult male besides me. I don't want to see your disgusting faces again."
"Therefore, from this moment on, this vast wilderness is the best stage for you 'independent and powerful' women to unleash your potential and build your ideal kingdom!"
"Go, show your strength, create your glory! I believe in you!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Li and the group of women behind her were all dumbfounded. The smiles on their faces froze instantly, replaced by endless fear and despair.
They stared blankly at the endless snowfield around them, the biting cold wind almost freezing their bones.
Survive here? On their own? How is that even possible!
Yang Li's face turned ashen. She hurriedly protested, "Mr. Lin... you... you must be joking. We... we are women, after all, powerless. How could we possibly survive in this desolate wilderness? You... you can't abandon us!"
Lin Feng's sneer deepened: "Oh? Now you don't call yourself an independent and powerful modern woman? Now you don't say that men's help is 'oppression' and 'charity'?"
"What? Without men, you can't even survive on the most basic level? Were all those impassioned speeches just empty words to gain clicks and tips?"
Yang Li was rendered speechless by Lin Feng's retort, her face turning red and white in turns, looking extremely unpleasant.
The women behind her also looked at Lin Feng with pleading eyes, hoping he would take pity on her.
But Lin Feng had already seen through their true nature and had no interest in their performance whatsoever.
He said coldly, "I don't care whether you're truly independent or not. My rule is this: don't come near my cabin, don't touch anything of mine. Otherwise, kill me without mercy! As for your lives, that's none of my business."
At this point, Yang Li and the others were completely desperate.
They knew this man was determined not to help them. They could only nod tremblingly in agreement to Lin Feng's terms.
Lin Feng stood up, no longer glancing at them, and said to Qin Lan and the others, "Alright, now, you 'sisters' should catch up and exchange survival experiences."
After saying that, he turned and went into the wooden house, slamming the door shut and shutting out the women's wails and curses.
After Lin Feng left, Yang Li and the others immediately vented all their resentment and anger, cursing loudly in the direction of the wooden house with foul language.
"That damned, filthy man! Cold-blooded and heartless! He deserves to die a horrible death!"
"Who does he think he is! He can only build a dilapidated house, what's so great about that!"
"Once we recover, we'll definitely teach him a lesson!"
Their curses immediately provoked Tang Bao's strong dissatisfaction.
This little girl, who idolized Lin Feng, bravely stood up and pointed at Yang Li and the others, angrily rebuking them: "You're not allowed to insult Lin Feng! He's a good person! It's you who are shameless, breaking into other people's homes and trying to steal their things! You're the bad people!"
Yang Li was furious when a little girl pointed her finger at her and scolded her. She pointed at Tang Bao and shrieked, "You little traitor! You ungrateful wretch! What did he give you to make you defend him like this? You're a woman too, how can you help a man bully us women? You're a disgrace to women!"
Qin Lan glanced coldly at Yang Li, shielded Tang Bao behind her, and said in an icy voice, "Ms. Yang, now is not the time for words. The fact is, we can't go back. We can only try to survive in this godforsaken place."
“Mr. Lin has already given you a chance. If you still want to continue making a scene here, then no one can save you. We will not support a bunch of good-for-nothings who only know how to eat and curse.”
Su Wanqing, Qian Xiaoxiao, and others also cast disdainful and disgusted glances at Yang Li.
After months of brutal survival, they had long understood that in this world, tears and complaints are the most useless things, and only strength and labor can earn the right to survive.
Yang Li's tricks, which used to incite conflict and grab attention in the past, simply won't work here.
Yang Li was both shocked and angry when she saw that Qin Lan and the others were clearly not on their side.
She had assumed that, as women, they would be united in their hatred of the enemy and fight together against Lin Feng, this "oppressor."
Unexpectedly, Qin Lan and her ilk were so "clueless" that they were willing to submit to men.
But circumstances were beyond their control. Yang Li knew that with just the few of them, they definitely wouldn't survive more than three days in this wilderness.
Suppressing her anger, she forced a fake smile and said to Qin Lan, "Sister Qin Lan, you can't say that. We're all women, after all, and in this desolate place, we should support each other. Look, there's strength in numbers. If we can join you and work together to find a solution, things will definitely get better, won't they?"
Qin Lan stared at her coldly, her eyes unwavering: "Join us? Fine. But we don't tolerate idlers here. If you want food and shelter, you must work and follow the rules. Can you do that?"
Yang Li and the women behind her exchanged bewildered glances.
Labor? They're used to being pampered in modern society. They wouldn't even bother hunting or chopping wood, let alone cooking a meal.
What they excel at most is typing on the keyboard online, giving opinions, and criticizing men.
"Of course!"
Yang Li reluctantly agreed, "Although we may not be the strongest, we have brains and wisdom! We can come up with ideas!"
Qin Lan remained noncommittal, simply saying indifferently, "Then let's give it a try."
Over the next few days, Qin Lan tried to involve Yang Li and others in their daily tasks such as picking, fishing, and processing game.
However, the result was disastrous.
Yang Li and her group of "leftover women" fans perfectly exemplify what it means to be "ambitious but incompetent, lazy and ignorant of basic agricultural knowledge."
When asked to pick edible wild vegetables and fruits in the nearby woods, they either complained about the dirt and fatigue, or they brought back a bunch of poisonous plants, almost causing a fatality.
When we took them fishing by the stream, they stood on the bank gesturing and complaining that the water was too cold, the fish were too slippery, or that they would accidentally fall into the water and need someone to rescue them.
As for the bloody task of processing prey, they avoided it like the plague, covering their noses and staying far away, complaining about the unpleasant smell.
Their only "contribution" was to gather together during breaks to complain about Lin Feng's cold-heartedness and Qin Lan and the others' "indifference," while fantasizing about how to gain something for nothing or how to "conquer" Lin Feng, become the mistress of the cabin, and live a life free from worries about food and clothing.
Qin Lan and the others' patience with them finally reached its limit.
This group of women not only couldn't offer any help, but instead acted like a bunch of overgrown babies, constantly draining their already strained resources and energy.
After a conflict in which Yang Li and others slacked off, causing the carefully set animal trap to be destroyed and almost injuring Tang Bao, Qin Lan finally snapped.
"Enough!"
Qin Lan pointed at Yang Li, her voice icy cold, "From today onwards, you'll have to find your own food! We won't provide you with anything anymore! If you want to stay here, take care of yourselves; otherwise, get lost and never show your faces in front of us again!"
This completely ignited the conflict between the two sides.
Yang Li also lost her temper, pointing at Qin Lan and cursing, "Qin Lan! You cold-blooded woman! How could you stand by and watch us die! We're all women, how could you treat us like this?"
She tried to incite the other women behind Qin Lan: "Sisters! You've all seen it! This woman has been completely brainwashed by that jerk! She's become his lackey! We can't follow her anymore! We should unite and take charge of our own lives!"
However, Su Wanqing, Qian Xiaoxiao, Ruan Mengtian, and Shen Jiaqi, and even the youngest Tang Bao, all firmly stood by Qin Lan's side.
Having personally experienced the hardships of the past few months, they deeply understand what Qin Lan's leadership and Lin Feng's "favor" meant to them.
Yang Li's vague and ethereal words seemed so pale and powerless in the face of cruel reality.
"Ms. Yang, we have different paths, so we cannot work together."
Su Wanqing said coldly, "We choose to live by our own hands and Mr. Lin's rules. Since you are so 'wise' and so 'capable,' then please do as you please."
And so, the women who came into this world were completely divided into two factions.
One group is led by Qin Lan and includes Su Wanqing, Qian Xiaoxiao, Tang Bao, Ruan Mengtian, and Shen Jiaqi.
They depended on Lin Feng, exchanging food and relative shelter for providing him with various services.
They have adapted to the rules of survival here and have become pragmatic and resilient.
The other group was led by Yang Li and consisted of five other "leftover women" of advanced age.
They remained immersed in their past fantasies and resentments, unwilling to put in any effort yet yearning for something for nothing, and filled with hatred towards Lin Feng, Qin Lan, and others.
The two groups were clearly distinct, and conflicts and friction quietly began to unfold on this cold wasteland.
Lin Feng, on the other hand, watched all of this with indifference.
He didn't care about the women's infighting; all he cared about was that they didn't disturb his peaceful and orderly life.
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