A deathly silence fell both inside and outside the house. After a long while, a woman's soft laughter drifted through the air.
"Open the door. I know there are people inside. The outside has been cleaned up. Don't worry, we mean no harm."
Although Zheng Yecheng had never heard Zuo Ling speak, for some reason, he suddenly thought of the three siblings at the base entrance and slowly relaxed.
He lowered his voice and said to his daughter:
"Daddy is playing hide-and-seek with Tongtong. Remember, Tongtong can't make a sound until Daddy comes to find her."
When Tongtong was very young, Zheng Yecheng consciously gave his daughter similar training. Tongtong, with her bright eyes sparkling, nodded repeatedly, her playful spirits piqued.
Open the wardrobe and pull out a hidden door. The space inside is small, only big enough for one person to hide.
He gestured for his daughter to shush, closed the wardrobe, tiptoed outside, and whispered:
"Who...are you? What do you need?"
Another soft laugh followed. "We're fine. You're the one in trouble."
Having spent many years navigating the social world, Zheng Yecheng had long since developed the ability to read people's expressions and demeanor. He did not detect any hostility in Zuo Ling's tone.
After a moment's hesitation, he opened the door a crack. The starlight outside was dim, but he could still tell that it was the three siblings he had seen during the day.
Besides, several other people were lying on the ground.
Zheng Yecheng recognized those people; he had seen them when he went to the food factory to look for someone.
The probing gaze swept over Zuo Ling and her brother several times. The boy was expressionless, revealing no emotion; the younger one looked childish; and the woman smiled, showing no malice.
The door was wide open. "Come in."
Zheng Yecheng led the way, and with a wave of his hand, Zuo Ling made the people on the ground disappear instantly.
To make things easier for both the tenants and himself, Zheng Yecheng's detached house was renovated.
He and his daughter lived in a room on the east side of the first floor, where the original window had been replaced with a door.
Upon entering, there is a small hall, with a small but exquisite bedroom on each of the left and right sides.
The courtyard housed a well, kitchen, and bathroom, which were moved to a side room on one side of the courtyard.
All the other vacant rooms were rented out, and at its peak, his family housed more than 20 tenants.
But now, it's empty, without a single tenant.
The three siblings looked around. Everyone they had passed by and seen lived in cramped conditions. Living conditions like Zheng Yecheng's family were extremely rare.
The room was pitch black. Zheng Yecheng lit a kerosene lamp, which was usually used for emergencies. He and his daughter went to sleep after dark and rarely lit it.
There wasn't much lamp oil left. Zheng Yecheng sighed subconsciously. After sighing, he realized there were still guests at home, so he turned around:
"Gentlemen, is there something you need so late at night?"
Zuo Ling smiled:
"We have troubled you because of us, and we are here to return the favor."
The three siblings saw everything clearly during the day, and the burly man's instructions to his men did not escape their notice.
If you don't know, that's fine; but if you do know, how can you ignore it? Good people deserve good rewards.
Zheng Yecheng gave a bitter smile:
"Even without you, they would have targeted me, but I never expected them to be so ruthless as to try to burn me alive."
Before the end of the world, Zheng Yecheng was a very successful businessman with a group of brothers under his command.
Thanks to his exceptional intelligence and the connections he had built up, he was much more at ease than most people when the apocalypse first arrived, and he lived a pretty good life.
Later, resources gradually dried up, and life became increasingly difficult. His men scattered and left, leaving only two brothers who lived nearby to make a living with him.
Six months ago, the base's food factory was recruiting, offering excellent conditions including food and accommodation.
The food factory used to hire people, and after feeding them themselves, they could save a few to supplement their household income.
Therefore, many people are desperate to get into food factories, and those who can't get in are looking for ways to get in.
This recruitment drive has broad eligibility criteria, open to men, women, and children of all ages, and is hiring more people than usual.
Upon receiving the news, the two brothers happily went to register.
Zheng Yecheng would have gone too if his daughter hadn't been so young.
Strangely, the two of them never returned after they left.
Zheng Yecheng went to the food factory to find someone, but the factory had strict security and not only refused to let him find them, but also kicked him out.
Zheng Yecheng became suspicious.
His two brothers, one of whom is all alone, and the other has an elderly mother who is unable to move around easily. That brother takes great care of his mother and it is impossible for him to go so long without going home even once.
Zheng Yecheng took note and made inquiries from various sources, and was surprised to find that in the past six months, the food factory had been recruiting workers almost every two weeks.
He was a local and knew many people. After making some inquiries, he discovered that none of the people who had been recruited to the factory in the past six months had returned, which was highly unusual.
Zheng Yecheng found several people whose families had members working in food factories. He expressed his suspicions, which aroused suspicion in many people.
A few days ago, they gathered a group of people to go to the food factory to demand the return of their employees.
The food factory replied that the people they hired had gone to build factories in distant places and wouldn't be back in the short term.
Threatening the families who came to demand their loved ones back, saying that if they continued to cause trouble, the person would be fired, many families became frightened and immediately gave up their desire to get their loved ones back.
Only Zheng Yecheng and a few others who had doubts about the matter insisted on dismissing the factory and demanding that the factory hand over the personnel.
The commotion lasted for a long time, and more and more people gathered around, all wanting to see what the outcome would be.
Finally, the top leader of the food factory arrived and promised to give them a month to transfer the people back.
Since that's what they said, Zheng Yecheng's family didn't press the matter any further.
But before the person returned, the arsonists arrived.
But this also proves that his suspicions were correct; something really did happen to his two brothers.
After listening to Zheng Yecheng's account, Zuo Ling said, "If it doesn't work the first time, there's always next time. What are your plans?"
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