The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the base. People in the slums hid in their dormitories, while those in the inner city were ready to flee.
Ye Zhou stood on the windowsill, looking at those leaders who used to show off their power in the base and were ordering people to move the luggage into the car, and some were even preparing to drive away the RV.
Although the RV was powered by solar panels, Ye Zhou did not refill their gasoline. The oil in their own "tank" was not enough to start the RV, so no matter how hard they tried it was just a waste of time.
Someone has already left.
Ye Zhou had no other feelings except to sigh that it was outrageous.
After fighting for more than three hours, the gunfire outside the base finally became much quieter.
Zhao Qing was covered in sweat. He felt like he was swimming. There was not a dry spot on his body and every inch of his skin and flesh was aching. He had brought out more than a thousand people in total, and a quick glance at the people still behind him showed that less than half of them were left.
He lay on the ground gasping for breath. The exoskeleton saved him from fatal injuries, but it also put a huge burden on him.
Zhao Qing felt as if his body was no longer his own.
This was his first time actually going to the battlefield, and also the first time he stood in front of everyone.
When he charged just now, he was overwhelmed by a strong desire and even forgot his fear. Now that both sides have ceased fire, the hidden fear has resurfaced.
Zhao Qing felt a little regretful.
He is the boss of the base. He should stay in a safe place and watch others fight hard, just like every time before.
"Boss!" The man used all his strength to help Zhao Qing up, "Go back first! Go back and rest! They won't fight for the time being!"
This step is just right now. Zhao Qing nodded and said in a deep voice: "Go back first!"
The remaining 500 people hurriedly retreated.
The people from Risheng did not act rashly. They suffered heavy losses. More than half of the hundreds of cars that arrived had punctured fuel tanks and tires, and most of the dead were buried by the yellow sand, making it impossible to tell how many people they had lost.
Zhao Qing had no strength left and could only passively walk at the back, blocking the sporadic bullets.
They entered the slums and found a safe place to sit down. Zhao Qing took off his helmet. The moment he took it off, he felt the coolness that shouldn't have been felt outdoors. Zhao Qing immediately took off his exoskeleton. The thugs next to him couldn't help but gasp when they saw Zhao Qing's appearance.
His entire body was wet and red, as if he had just crawled out of a furnace. There were dozens of bruises on his body where he had been shot. The exoskeleton blocked the penetration of the bullets but could not block the impact.
"Boss..." It was the first time that the young man realized that Zhao Qing was so tall and majestic, at least taller than the leader he followed.
Zhao Qing looked down at his body and was frightened by his own appearance. When he was beaten, his adrenaline surged and he only felt a dull pain. Now seeing his miserable state, the pain immediately penetrated from his skin and flesh into his bones.
But Zhao Qing held back. He took a deep breath and said, "Don't lose heart! As long as we beat them back one more time, we will win."
"For those who survive, I will provide you with accommodation, food and drink from now on!"
This is the best time to win people's hearts. Zhao Qing: "I will also treat the families of those who died well. At least I won't let them fall into the slums. Don't think too much. We have to survive, and they must die."
As soon as Zhao Qing finished speaking, Wu Yan and Cao'er drove over.
Piled behind the cart were countless bottles of water and food.
"Don't be in a hurry!" Zhao Qing quickly ordered a few people to unload the goods and unload the water first. Everyone poured water into their mouths and even washed their heads with water. Although it was wasteful, no one cared about them at this time.
Cao'er also took a box of painkillers and said to Zhao Qing: "Our boss asked me to prepare this in advance. You haven't taken it before. Just take one pill. It's very effective."
Zhao Qing took the medicine, put one into his mouth, and then asked the thugs to distribute the medicine.
Cao Er frowned and asked, "Boss Zhao, what's the situation now? If you come back like this, won't they rush in?"
Zhao Qing calmed down a lot. The medicine worked. He didn't know whether the painkiller was really that powerful or it was just a psychological effect. Anyway, Zhao Qing didn't feel any pain anymore. He pretended to be relaxed and said, "They won't rush in. There are probably about 600 of them left now, and there are still many children inside."
"Although the total number is larger than ours, more people died, at least more than a thousand."
Zhao Qing took a deep breath and said, "So many people died. No matter what, I will have some concerns."
Cao'er had never fought a battle like this before. Although she didn't understand why Zhao Qing was so confident, confidence was always better than despair.
"Then you guys take a rest first." Cao'er said, "We still need to send someone to observe Risheng's movements."
Zhao Qing nodded.
Cao'er added: "Many people have already fled from the inner city."
After these words were spoken, before Zhao Qing could say anything, the thugs went crazy.
Cao'er reported the names of several people who escaped with an expressionless face.
"Brother Gan is gone?!" This was Brother Gan's subordinate. He almost collapsed and shouted, "How could he leave? How could he leave at this time? What should I do? What about the rest of us?!"
"We fought hard in the front, and they escaped?"
"Then why did you choose us?!"
Zhao Qing glanced at Cao'er, who nodded at him. After the thugs vented their anger, Zhao Qing encouraged their morale again: "Why are you in such a hurry?! If they want to leave, let them go. No matter what the base becomes in the future, they can't come back! If they want to come back, I won't allow it even if you promise me!"
"They ran away, leaving their seats vacant. You will take their place from now on!"
"So what if you escaped?"
It was just right that the group of people who threatened his rule left. After they left, Zhao Qing's own people could take over, and he would finally have the carrot hanging on the donkey's head.
It’s just right for winning people’s hearts.
With the experience of advancing and retreating together, Zhao Qing's prestige was unprecedented. The thugs looked at this not-so-strong boss and for the first time willingly acknowledged him as the boss.
After replenishing his water and food, Zhao Qing knew he had to strike while the iron was hot. He put on his exoskeleton again and led a small team of people out, catching the enemy off guard. Before Risheng's people could counterattack, he immediately retreated.
Risheng had never seen this kind of fighting style before and soon lost its composure.
"We're running out of bullets!" the strong man at the head of the Risheng shouted, "Boss! We can't fight anymore!"
Every time someone inside rushed out they would immediately fire indiscriminately, but under the cover of the yellow sand, most of their bullets missed. Although the other side didn't hit them, they wasted too many bullets.
Strong man: "I only have six bullets left, boss!"
But after a long silence, the Sunrise boss said, "We can't retreat."
Their base has been destroyed, and they have invested so many weapons and lives here. If they take it down, they still have a chance of survival. If they fail, they will die. Whether they retreat or die here, the outcome will be the same.
In that case, there is only one choice.
The people at the Sunrise Base said nothing, but held their guns and looked nervously ahead, worried that someone would jump out and shoot them again.
The standoff lasted until dusk, when Zhao Qingcai finally ordered another charge.
"They've been out in the sun all day, and we stand a good chance of winning if we go out now!"
Zhao Qing shouted before rushing forward: "Don't look back! Kill them!"
This time, Zhao Qing once again led the charge.
The thugs followed behind Zhao Qing. They looked at Zhao Qing's back and thought that this was what it looked like to be a boss.
What kind of boss is it if he hides behind his subordinates?
·
"Is it almost over?" Ye Zhou took the boy and Sarah into the gate of the dormitory wall after dark.
Wu Yan rushed over. He had been observing the battle outside. When Ye Zhou asked him, he immediately said, "The other side probably won't last until dawn."
Ye Zhou nodded and said to the boy and Sarah, "Don't go too far."
The boy said "hmm" and walked straight to the dormitory.
After the boy left, Sarah turned into a bat and observed the battle from high above under the cover of night.
Both sides were exhausted, but neither wanted to be the first to bow.
Zhao Qing has supplies, but Risheng is facing a life-and-death situation. As long as Zhao Qing can hold on until tomorrow, even if it's just dawn, he will be sure to win.
"After this incident, Zhao Qing can be said to have turned a disaster into a blessing." Ye Zhou said to Wu Yan while sitting on the steps.
But Ye Zhou still sighed: "But today, I have to blame Zhao Qing."
The entire base had no defense measures. Zhao Qing could only watch the lower-class people starve to death or be tortured to death, but he was unwilling to give them a little water and food to allow them to build defense facilities. It was not that he had no water or food. The ice he wasted every day was enough to keep the people in the slums alive.
Although all his actions are aimed at consolidating his rule, they will not bring any benefits to the people at the bottom.
Zhao Qing is better than other bosses in the base, but only to a limited extent.
It's just the difference between being too cruel and being cruel; the degree is different, but the essence is the same.
Wu Yan went to get Ye Zhou a bottle of water, but Ye Zhou didn't drink it. He just held it in his hand and looked at the night sky outside the base.
"My god, after I finish my work here, I want to go back." Wu Yan whispered, "I have discussed this with my child's mother."
Ye Zhou nodded: "Okay."
Wu Yan's daughter is still drinking milk...
Ye Zhou sometimes felt a little amused and helpless when watching this. Babies are different from children who already have the ability to think. Even after so much time, Wu Yan's daughter still can't speak and only knows how to eat, drink, defecate and urinate.
Other children can wait—their bodies may not have grown, but their minds are there.
If Wu Yan's daughter waits any longer, Wu Yan and his wife will be driven crazy.
Wu Yan asked quietly, "Does the Immortal want to go back and take a look too?"
Ye Zhou: "It's a good time to take a break. Let's go back and take a look. I'll pick you up after we're done."
For Wu Yan, it would take more than ten years to raise a child, but for Ye Zhou, it only takes time to adjust the plane jump.
Wu Yan was obviously relieved. He wanted to raise his daughter, but that didn't mean he wanted to lose this "job".
After seeing the wider world, he did not want to return to the Daliang Dynasty. Many even wanted to live and die in the Daliang Dynasty.
The idea of returning to one's roots that I had before is now gone.
The boy walked past the dormitory door and finally saw the person he was looking for.
Yang Yue also saw the boy. She squeezed out of the crowd and walked out of the dormitory door with some difficulty.
"Why are you here?" Yang Yue didn't agree with the boy coming here at this time. She frowned and said in a rare serious tone, "Do you know that it's dangerous here now?"
Boy: "Ye Zhou brought me here."
The boy had never called Ye Zhou before, and he didn't talk much. Now that he was willing to speak, he called Ye Zhou by his name.
Fortunately, the supermarket employees didn’t think there was anything wrong, and Ye Zhou himself thought it was normal.
Only Yang Yue whispered: "How can you call the boss by his first name?!"
Yang Yue sighed: "You want to get closer to him. Calling him boss is too distant. It's better for you to call him brother in the future."
The boy looked at her expressionlessly, expressing his emotions with his eyes - he was unwilling.
Yang Yue didn't know what the boy was being stubborn about: "What's wrong with calling me brother? If someone was so nice to me, I could call him dad."
boy:"……"
"By the way, I remember you don't have a name yet." Yang Yue, "You can ask him to help you come up with a name!"
"That's good, this way you two will have a connection."
Yang Yue felt that she was worrying about the boy.
And the boy rarely refused: "Yeah."
Yang Yue did not return to the dormitory. Even though the temperature in the dormitory was low, it was full of various smells. She would rather stay outside in the heat.
No one could sleep the whole night.
Gunshots could be heard occasionally, and the smoke finally cleared at dawn the next morning.
The people at Sunrise Base retreated.
They got nothing except a pile of corpses.
"We won?"
“We won!”
The people from the slums ran out of the dormitories, and this group of once numb people cheered, shouted, and hugged each other.
“We won!!”
They ran out of the wall and headed towards their original residence, and saw Zhao Qing and his group returning exhausted from outside the base.
People stopped cheering again and looked at them in horror.
People are afraid of invaders, but that doesn't mean they are not afraid of Zhao Qing and his group who stand at the top of the base and oppress them.
Zhao Qing doesn't care much about the people in the slums. He needs the support of the people, but the poor people in the slums obviously do not have the support of the people.
Only those who have guns in their hands, have fighting power, can oppose him and shake his rule can be considered the people.
So Zhao Qing just glanced at the people in the slums and turned to the remaining 300 thugs and said in a friendly manner: "Go back and rest. I will have someone send you medicine later. The RVs should be empty now. You can go to the RVs to enjoy the air conditioning. Your wounds will not easily become inflamed or festered."
At this moment, Zhao Qing was just like a loving father and mother. Although his voice was loud, he was still gentle.
The thugs have been completely subdued. As long as they are not dead and can get benefits, they don't care about those who died.
After watching Zhao Qing and his thugs leave, the people in the slums rushed back to their homes with their belongings.
The apprentices cleaned their dormitories, and Cao'er and the others could finally go back to rest.
Ye Zhou said to them, "Let's take a break for the next two days. We are all tired today. Let's take a break for three days. The supermarket doesn't need to be open."
After the danger passed, the people at the base suddenly had something to do - burn the bodies. Too many people died this time, and it was not like before when they could bury them on the spot. In order to prevent the plague, all the bodies had to be burned far away from the base.
Zhao Qing was finally willing to pay some money. Not only did he pay Ye Zhou a large sum of money, he also squeezed out some money from his teeth to pay the wages of the people who transported the bodies for cremation.
The banknotes in the base had been printed long ago, and the amount issued was determined based on the stored and existing potatoes.
As for the pricing of potatoes, Zhao Qing asked Ye Zhou directly.
In order to allow people in the base to quickly accept the banknotes issued by the base, the most important thing Zhao Qing did after repelling the invaders was to get entangled with Ye Zhou so that Ye Zhou's supermarket could also accept currency payments.
Ye Zhou had no problem accepting this. After all, the value of these currencies was stable, and the system recognized them once they were entered into it.
But Ye Zhou didn’t want Zhao Qing to be so successful, after all, Zhao Qing was almost ascending to heaven.
Of the twelve leaders, only five remained, and seven fled the base.
Probably because they found out that there were no Risheng people to take down the base, they came back one after another on the third day after the battle.
The black smoke outside the base has not dissipated these days and has been burning.
Ye Zhou has been reluctant to go to the slums recently because every time he goes there, he can smell the smell of burning corpses.
He went there twice and almost vomited each time, so he had to stay in the inner city for the time being.
"When something happened, they ran faster than anyone else. When everything was fine, they came back." Cao'er told Ye Zhou about the situation outside. She looked disdainful. "They used to show off their power in the base and all the benefits were theirs. Now when something happened, they just ran for their lives."
"You're still saying they contributed a lot, how can you say they didn't contribute?" Cao'er rolled her eyes, "Bah! You're using other people's lives as bargaining chips, and you still have the nerve to open your mouth!"
Ye Zhou was marking the boy's homework. He asked, "What did Zhao Qing say?"
Cao'er: "Don't tell them to come in, but don't tell them to leave either."
“Maybe they want the supplies they took away?” Cao’er was even more angry. “Boss, you don’t know that they took down all the solar panels on the RV when they left!”
Ye Zhou put the corrected paper aside, preparing to explain the questions to the boy later.
After listening to Cao'er, Ye Zhou was not too angry: "Zhao Qing rented the RV from me. If anything goes wrong, he will pay for it."
"Besides, no matter what Zhao Qing does, he will still scrape off a layer of skin from those who escape."
This is why he didn't just drive the person away.
Cao'er thought about it and agreed.
People like Zhao Qing will never suffer any loss.
"Can we reopen the supermarket tomorrow?" Ye Zhou asked Cao'er for her opinion. "If you can't accept the smell, you can just take a rest. People in the slums don't lack water and food."
Because of the Sunrise Base, the people in the slums now have jobs. Even the elderly can go to collect firewood, and their daily water and food are guaranteed. Zhao Qing also knows that now is an opportunity to develop the base. In the past, he let the people in the slums starve to death, but now he is finally willing to let them eat bran.
But overall, Ye Zhou's pressure was much less.
Employees don't have to be so tired.
Cao'er said quickly, "It's nothing. We can still tolerate the smell. It's not a big reaction. You take a rest, Immortal. I'll go over first."
Ye Zhou nodded: "Go ahead."
After Cao'er left, Ye Zhou took the test paper and went to find the boy.
After explaining every wrong question clearly, Ye Zhou prepared to take a shower and rest.
But when he turned around, he found that the boy was staring at him, as if he wanted to say something.
"What's wrong?" Ye Zhou asked curiously, "Is there anything unclear about the question I just explained?"
The boy shook his head. After a moment's silence, he said, "I don't have a name."
He was always called a brat. All the children in the slums were called this name. Children were not considered living people. No one cared about anything about them except their parents. Some of them were not even cared about by their parents.
The boy never thought he would have a name. Although he was fighting for his life, he didn't think he could live to adulthood.
But suddenly he had a friend—Sarah, although he didn't like her very much and she didn't like him either.
He now has a "home", although until now he still doesn't think this home really belongs to him.
For so long, he always thought that Ye Zhou had recognized the wrong person, but he never asked Ye Zhou for fear that the other party really had recognized the wrong person.
He was not afraid of hardship. He had been through it for so many years and was used to it. He was afraid that Ye Zhou would say to him, "You are not the one I'm looking for. Go away."
The boy seldom dreams, but whenever he does, he will always dream of this scene.
And in every dream, he had to leave and return to the slums, and could only occasionally see Ye Zhou going to the supermarket.
He didn't even dare to say hello.
He was afraid that the other party would see him in such a miserable state.
It was as if there was a knife hanging over his head, and he didn't know when it would fall, and he could only passively accept it, unable to even resist.
The boy looked up at Ye Zhou, carefully examined his face, and finally made a request that seemed particularly greedy to him: "I want a name."
Ye Zhou was stunned. He also looked at the boy, and seeing his serious expression, he smiled and said, "Okay."
Boy: "I want to take your last name."
Ye Zhou: “…”
But your last name is Zou!
"I think there is a surname that suits you better than Ye." Ye Zhou said gently, "Zou, how about it?"
Ye Zhou also wrote this word on the paper.
The boy pursed his lips, obviously not satisfied, and asked in a low voice: "Can't I take your last name?"
Ye Zhou was immediately overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of guilt, but he quickly changed direction and said softly: "If you have my last name, others will think you are my son."
boy:"……"
"Zhao Lei also has the same last name as Zhao Qing."
Ye Zhou immediately said: "So they don't have a good relationship."
The boy was silent for a while and then said, "Then go for it."
It seemed that he was still not satisfied with this surname, but Ye Zhou didn't know how to persuade him, so he could only pretend that he didn't notice it and continued: "Zou Ming, how about it? A Ming that makes a big splash."
As he said this, Ye Zhou ruffled the boy's hair and said, "One day, you will become an extraordinary person, so the obstacles in front of you will no longer be obstacles. You will grow into someone that others will look up to."
Ye Zhou leaned over and looked at the boy.
The two looked at each other and Ye Zhou smiled at him.
The boy saw his own face in Ye Zhou's eyes, and he murmured: "Zou Ming..."
He has a name.
It was taken by Ye Zhou.
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