Everyone gathered in the living room, but no one spoke. It was Boss Li who spoke first: "This time, Li Biao brought some tough guys. They attacked once before, and they'll probably come again this time. Let's discuss a strategy: whether to leave or resist."
“Brother, we have a river and catapults, can we resist?” Li Huaqiang asked.
“They have guns. We don’t know how many there are, but judging from the gunfire last night, there must be quite a few. We’re only relying on catapults; it’s going to be tough,” Li Huasheng said dejectedly.
"Shall we leave?" asked Li Huasheng's wife, Yu Yingying.
“Isn’t that why we called everyone over to discuss this?” Li Huasheng said. “Everyone should share their opinions. I’m afraid it will be too late, and we won’t have time to prepare, or they’ll shut us down.”
"How much of our stuff can we take with us? Where will we go after we get out? There are even more zombies outside, and we might not be able to find a safe place," asked Duan Yuxin, Li Huaqiang's wife.
“It is indeed a problem, but now we have to choose the lesser of two evils,” Li Huaqiang said.
"Should we share our supplies with them for safety?" Li Huaqiang's wife said again. She didn't want to leave; Heart Island was safe. As long as they could stay here long enough, they could wait until the country solved the zombie virus problem. Even if it couldn't be solved, they could stay here for the rest of their lives.
They also learned to grow plants from Ye Yunyi's family. Currently, they can be self-sufficient in vegetables, have fish for meat, and have so many supplies stored at home that they can live comfortably no matter what.
"That damn Li Biao! Ye Yunyi and the others shouldn't have been so soft-hearted last time. They should have shot this menace dead with an arrow. This wouldn't have happened. It's all because they're so soft-hearted and useless," Duan Yuxin muttered.
"What are you saying? Is this the time to complain? Li Biao and his men are probably already at the gate, and you're still complaining? If you're so capable, go and kill her with an arrow." Li Huaqiang said angrily to his wife.
"You, you, you actually spoke up for her! Don't forget, I'm your wife!" Duan Yuxin couldn't help but feel wronged when she heard Li Huaqiang say that about her.
Li Huaqiang didn't want to argue with his wife; it was always the same—she never got to the point. He thought, "Look at other wives shooting arrows at the enemy; my wife only knows how to point a gun at our own family."
"Alright, stop arguing," said Mr. Li, who hadn't spoken until now. "Don't you know what time it is? Stop arguing."
After the old man spoke, everyone fell silent. "Eldest brother, what do you suggest we do?"
“Dad, I’m in favor of leaving. As long as we’re alive, we can always rebuild. Let’s take a boat now and take as much as we can. Hide what we can’t take, or even destroy it, rather than let them get their hands on it. Think about how Li Biao treated those people last time. He didn’t treat them like human beings at all. We have elderly people, young children, and women in our lives. We absolutely cannot fall into their hands,” Li Huasheng said earnestly.
"Then listen to the boss, everyone hurry up and pack, focus on the heavy, valuable, and food items. We'll be too late if we wait any longer," Li's father decided.
Everyone got busy. The Li family was rich, with all kinds of gold and silver jewelry, clothes and ornaments, as well as a lot of food and other necessities. However, they only had one small boat that could carry 10 people, so they couldn't bring much stuff.
Duan Yuxin packed several large bags, mostly containing her own clothes and jewelry. Her daughter, Li Shanshan, carried a large bag of food, and Li Huaqiang also packed some food.
Li Huasheng's family made many sacrifices; aside from the more valuable gold and silver utensils and a change of clothes, the rest was all food.
They also had a basement where they kept all their belongings. Apart from what they took with them, all the slightly valuable items were stored in the basement.
After tidying up, they launched the small boat. The previous bridge had been destroyed, so they could only get to the villa area by boat. Their car was parked in their yard and they couldn't drive it away.
During the day, they anxiously watched whether Li Biao and his men would attack, while simultaneously preparing countermeasures.
As night finally fell and they didn't see any attack from Li Biao and his men, they had a hearty meal, then launched the boat into the water and packed their belongings into the boat.
While loading the ship, Duan Yuxin kept muttering, "They haven't attacked yet, so they might not attack. Do we really have to leave?" She was still reluctant to leave; what a wonderful life it was.
She dared not imagine what it would be like outside; she would be terrified if zombies walked past her.
“Shut up and get out of here. If you want to stay, stay yourself,” Li Huaqiang said.
Duan Yuxin dared not nag anymore, followed them onto the boat, found the best spot to sit down, and tightly hugged her bag.
After everyone was seated, including the two dogs on the boat, Li Huasheng and Li Huaqiang started rowing downstream.
As Duan Yuxin looked at her house before leaving, tears streamed down her face. Yu Yingying held her son, Li Chengxi, while also taking care of Li's parents. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Dad's here, everything will be alright."
"Yes, yes, I will protect you too," Li Chengxi replied firmly, not at all like a 10-year-old child.
Li Huaqiang's daughter, Li Ruirui, watched all this silently, her thoughts unreadable. She was used to it all; her mother never grew up, always arguing with her father, and taking her frustrations out on her when she was in a bad mood. Her aunt, on the other hand, showed her more care than her biological mother. What could she do? She was only eight years old, but what could she possibly do?
Li Huasheng's family left quietly, while Song Ming and Li Biao's family were still fast asleep.
They never expected that the Li family, whom they considered easy targets, would have the audacity to flee their home overnight.
So when they assembled their team and swaggered to Heart Island the next day, they didn't see any movement from Boss Li's family, not even the two dogs barked.
Aunt Li said with a fawning smile, "They must have been scared off by your imposing manner yesterday and didn't dare to come out."
"Boss Li, Boss Song is here! Come out and hand over everything!" Aunt Li shouted at the top of her lungs.
She wasn't afraid. All the zombies nearby had been cleared out, and with so many people behind her, she could use them as a show of force.
Hearing the shout, everyone in Song Ming's team couldn't help but laugh.
"Interesting, interesting, this family is really interesting," Xiao Feng exclaimed again.
Still, no one answered. Aunt Li shouted a few more times, but was met with silence again. Embarrassed, Aunt Li could only laugh it off, saying, "What a bunch of cowards."
Li Biao sensed something was wrong. It didn't look like someone was there.
"You lied to me?" he asked seriously.
This terrified Aunt Li, and her legs went weak, causing her to fall to the ground. "Brother Song, how could I lie to you? I wouldn't dare even if you gave me a thousand lives. Let's go over and see for ourselves."
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