A hazy gray haze hung in the sky, and every corner was filled with deathly silence and desolation.
Wan'er nestled beside Junjue, her unease and anxiety hard to calm, her eyes revealing fear and helplessness about the future.
An hour later, Junjue took Wan'er on a motorcycle to Pingzhou City, and they arrived in just over ten kilometers.
Suddenly seeing a lot of broken glass, nails and other sharp objects on the road, Junjue quickly stopped his motorcycle.
Junjue frowned, sensing danger. He quickly put Wan'er down and looked around warily.
The area around here is an abandoned building district, with dilapidated houses, abandoned vehicles on the streets, and black mud left by the receding floodwaters, making it look desolate and bleak.
Why would there be such an obvious trap in a place that should be deserted?
Junjue frowned in thought, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
He knew all too well how difficult it was for everyone to survive after various natural disasters, and that every action had to be taken with utmost care.
He had faced countless life-or-death situations, and his sensitivity to danger was ingrained in his very being.
"Lord Jun, what's wrong?" Wan'er asked with some concern, looking at Jun's expression.
Although she was young, she learned to distinguish between danger and safety thanks to the extensive knowledge that Junjue had given her.
Junjue gently patted Wan'er's head and comforted her, "It's nothing, I just feel like something's not right here." His tone was reassuring.
The Duke carefully observed the traps on the ground and found that these sharp objects were arranged quite cleverly.
Broken glass was scattered on both sides of the road, while nails were all in the middle of the road. These things were small and hard to notice, and anyone else would have been hit by them long ago.
However, his most dangerous sensitivity alerted him from afar that something was wrong. His motorcycle wasn't afraid of these things, but if the front wheel of an ordinary motorcycle came into contact with these sharp objects, it would cause serious consequences.
"Lord Jun, why are there so many nails and broken glass in front of us? Who is so wicked? What should we do?" Wan'er stared at Junjue, a hint of unease in her eyes.
After a moment's thought, the ruler decided to take cautious action.
He took out a thin bamboo pole from his spatial storage and carefully extended it towards the ground.
He used the bamboo pole to touch nearby sharp objects, trying to detect if there were any hidden traps nearby.
When the bamboo pole comes into contact with a sharp object, it makes a crisp striking sound.
The Duke keenly observed the reactions nearby, but nothing seemed amiss.
"Seeing that these traps weren't set to trigger automatically, and there weren't any other traps around," the Duke breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he remained vigilant. He realized that this trap might have been set up for a specific purpose.
The Duke was experienced; he knew that all sorts of forces existed in natural disasters and even the apocalypse, and that some human beings were even more dangerous than zombies.
An ominous premonition welled up in the Duke's heart; he sensed some kind of danger lurking nearby. He stopped and looked around at his surroundings.
Suddenly, a group of people who had been lying in ambush on both sides of the road appeared and surrounded them.
"Don't move, or we won't be polite." Two bald men walked up and placed a knife against Junjue and Wan'er's necks.
Upon seeing the two stray dogs, more than a dozen people were practically drooling.
Wan'er was stunned for a moment; they had not expected such an unexpected turn of events.
She looked around in horror, feeling the cold blade against her neck, and her hand unconsciously clenched the Duke's sleeve.
Junjue's eyes were fixed, and he warily observed the crowd around him.
These people were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces showing exhaustion and despair, but their eyes revealed a bloodthirsty glint and a thirst for survival.
Junjue already knew in his heart that, if he was not mistaken, these people had committed many heinous and immoral acts after taking the people back.
After all, he had seen many similar things in his previous life. Most of them were just variations on the same theme, with the underlying issues being roughly the same.
"What should we do?" Wan'er asked nervously, realizing that the other party was not a benevolent person, as this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
"Wan'er, don't worry, I will protect you." Junjue comforted her softly.
"Okay!" He held Junjue's hand tightly, not daring to let go, hoping to find some peace of mind.
Several bald middle-aged men stepped forward and snatched the motorcycle keys from Junjue's hand.
They didn't speak, but stared at Junjue and Wan'er with cold, hoarse eyes.
What do you want to do?
After Wan'er finished speaking, she swallowed. She knew she was in danger, but the fact that her boyfriend had superpowers made her feel much more at ease.
"Stop talking nonsense, you'll find out soon enough." A bald man glanced at Shangguan Wan'er with a lewd look and replied with an evil smile.
"It's been more than four months since the natural disaster, and you guys seem to be doing pretty well! You've even taken such good care of your two dogs, their fur is so smooth and soft." Another bald man looked at the two mongrel dogs, his mouth practically watering.
Seeing the look in the other person's eyes, Junjue really wanted to use his lightning powers to kill him instantly.
But thinking about the other party's evil deeds, he wanted to go in, find out the situation, and then kick them all out.
Finally, Junjue and Wan'er were blindfolded and led in a maze of twists and turns to an unknown location. In the end, they were forcibly pushed into an abandoned apartment building.
When they stepped into the hall, the sight before them made them gasp in shock.
More than a hundred people were gathered in the hall. Everyone was pale and thin, their clothes were tattered, some had many wounds, some were weak, some were desperate, some were in pain, and some were crying as they waited.
The stench was overwhelming, and the ground was littered with garbage, making it unbearable.
Pain and despair were evident in everyone's eyes, as if they had given up hope for life.
The scene before them left them speechless.
Wan'er felt as if her heart had stopped beating. How could they have so many people arrested?
When were they captured by that group? Fear and anger intertwined in her heart; she couldn't accept the cruel reality before her.
Wan'er gripped Junjue's hand tightly, her voice weak and trembling: "What do we do? Why did they capture us?"
She bit her lip, trying to suppress her inner unease.
They needed to remain calm and consider the possibility of escape. They observed their surroundings, looking for any opportunity they could exploit.
With a calm and composed expression, the nobleman gently comforted her, "Wan'er, I will protect you. Let's find out the situation here first, and then make further plans."
"It's only been four months since the natural disaster struck! Has humanity and morality already collapsed like this?"
"What are those people trying to do? Why are they bringing so many people here?" Shangguan Wan'er asked in fear.
"Wan'er, there will only be more and more incidents like this in the future. We can only do our best to protect ourselves, and we'll help others as well if we can," Junjue said gently.
After all, he's not some kind of savior, but if something is really too outrageous, he'll help if he can.
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