Chapter 17: To Save or Not to Save?
At the base, after Li Yu and the others left, Uncle Li and Li's father were on guard duty at the entrance.
Li's father lit a cigarette and casually tossed one to Uncle Li.
The two chatted idly while puffing away.
"Brother, I'm a bit worried about Little Yu. He seems to have changed a lot," Uncle Li suddenly said.
Li Hongyuan's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this, and he took a deep drag of his cigarette.
"It's all for our own good," Li Hongyuan said in one breath. "It's the apocalypse now. Who knows what evil intentions outsiders might have? Just like those good-for-nothings the other day - they clearly wanted to force their way in. If they got in, would they have treated us well?"
After saying this, remembering Li Yu's decisive and ruthless demeanor, he looked worriedly in the direction they had left.
"I'm not saying what he did was wrong. I'm worried about him bearing such a heavy burden. I'm concerned it's taking a toll on him emotionally. As his elders, we should be the ones shouldering this responsibility. Ah, we should help him more!" Uncle Li said, also feeling troubled.
"This cursed world!" Uncle Li flicked away his cigarette butt with some resentment.
Uncle Li had worked in Nansheng Province for many years. In recent years, he had invested his savings to open a small circuit board factory.
Relying on his years of experience, keen eye, and catching the market trend,
His business was just about to take off when
The apocalypse came, and everything was gone!
Indeed,
With the apocalypse, everything was gone!
All that remained were family members.
Fortunately, most of the family was still here!
Uncle Li felt somewhat emotional - this could be considered a blessing amid misfortune.
Although Uncle Li had become somewhat slick and shrewd from years of doing business elsewhere,
He was genuinely sincere towards his family.
Whenever he returned home, he would bring gifts for the younger children.
Including the computer for Li Yuan's university studies, and the electric foot bath for grandpa and grandma.
Li Hongyuan looked at his brother, three years his junior.
He vaguely recalled that this brother of his had always been full of mischievous ideas since childhood, and in the blink of an eye, he was now in his forties.
As the two were chatting, a group of people approached from the direction of the woods.
Uncle Li noticed first and patted Li Hongyuan beside him.
"Brother, people are coming," Uncle Li Hongqian said.
Li Hongyuan narrowed his eyes, "It's the village secretary, and some villagers behind him."
At the base of the gate, the village secretary and his group approached.
The group was in a sorry state, covered in dirt and grime.
Their clothes were stained with mud and blood.
The seven or eight people in the lead were carrying kitchen knives from their homes,
Some held hoes, while others carried fire pokers
Upon seeing Li Hongyuan on the watchtower, the village secretary's expression instantly turned to joy.
"Li Hongyuan, I knew you all would be alright!" The village secretary's tone carried concern.
"Village Secretary, are you all okay?" Li Hongyuan, sensing the village secretary's concern, responded.
"Not good at all. There are man-eating monsters everywhere. A few days ago, there was even a heavy downpour. Heavens, I've never seen such heavy rain in my life! We have nowhere to go now."
"Look at the state of us, sigh. Big Zhuang's family is left with only this little seedling."
The village secretary pulled forward a little girl from behind. She looked no older than 8, her face covered in dust, her eyes devoid of spirit, filled only with despair.
Her family was gone, leaving her all alone and helpless.
Her little rabbit jacket seemed to have been torn by something,
And she had only one shoe left on her feet.
Recently, day and night had been reversed, followed by high temperatures.
After the 25th, heavy rain fell continuously for 10 days.
Usually, in this southern region, December temperatures would be around 10 degrees Celsius.
But after the torrential rains, the temperature suddenly dropped to below 10 degrees.
Due to the zombie outbreak, the little girl probably hadn't had a chance to change her clothes.
She was still wearing clothes suitable for autumn or summer.
The little girl stood on the wet ground, shivering from the cold.
The foot without a shoe was blistered and bleeding.
Perhaps fearing the blood might attract zombies, mud had been hastily smeared on it, then wrapped with a piece of cloth.
Timid and frail, she stood at the front of the wall, skinny and pitiful.
"She's the only one left in her family. If we hadn't been looking after her all this time, she probably would have..." The village secretary sighed, his words filled with grief that pained the heart.
"Sigh! I guess we're all that's left of the village," the village secretary added.
After speaking, he looked up to gauge Li Hongyuan's expression.
There seemed to be tears in the corners of his eyes, which he wiped away.
Li Hongyuan looked at the little girl before him, his gaze full of pity.
He had seen this little girl before at Big Zhuang's house.
She used to be such a lively little girl, always smiling when she saw people.
And very polite too.
Every time he went to Big Zhuang's house, she would call him Uncle Li, her big eyes full of spirit.
But now, her gaze was blank, and on her white rabbit jacket,
The white rabbit had turned into a black rabbit.
An eight-year-old girl, at an age when she should be the apple of her parents' eye.
What a tragedy!
"How about..." Li Hongyuan hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but suddenly remembering Li Yu's instructions, he stopped speaking.
Uncle Li Hongda also showed sympathy in his eyes, but more so wariness.
He clearly saw that among this group, the few people in front were neatly dressed and rosy-cheeked, seemingly well-fed.
While those behind were in a somewhat disheveled state, with gaunt faces.
Hearing Li Hongyuan speak, he couldn't help but remind him: "Little Yu said, under no circumstances, no matter who we encounter, we shouldn't open the door!"
Li Hongyuan nodded upon hearing this. He sighed, "Ah, these are all villagers, people we used to see every day. What can they do now..."
At the base of the wall, the village secretary saw the two talking but couldn't hear clearly due to the distance.
So he pressed further.
"Hongyuan, Hongda, we're all from the same village. I even approved the permit for building this base of yours. Let us in. These past few days, we haven't had a good night's sleep."
Li Hongyuan seemed moved after hearing this, but ultimately said nothing.
Uncle Li Hongda stood by, staring intently at the village secretary without saying a word.
As far as he was concerned, if one doesn't look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them.
He didn't have that much kindness to spare; he had been deceived plenty of times when he first started his business.
The village secretary saw that the two seemed unmoved, and while inwardly anxious, he maintained his composure outwardly.
But the Women's Affairs Director beside him couldn't hold back anymore and said, "Li Hongyuan, the land belongs to the village collective, not just to you! Are you trying to set yourself up as a king? If you don't let us in, you're letting us die!"
After the zombie outbreak, they didn't know that the government was already overwhelmed and unable to maintain control.
They had entered a state of anarchy.
If it weren't for Li Yu informing Li Hongyuan and the others beforehand, they might have really been swayed by this accusation.
So if soft tactics don't work, they're resorting to hard ones? Li Hongda thought.
The village secretary beside her, hearing the Women's Affairs Director speak, immediately became angry and forcefully pulled at her.
His eyes full of rage, he inwardly cursed:
Damn it, this useless ally! All my efforts to appeal to their emotions have gone to waste! You think it's like before? Now they hold all the cards!
Why couldn't the zombies have bitten her to death? If it weren't for this woman's... assets and somewhat good looks,
I wouldn't have brought her along!
On the wall, Li Hongyuan and Li Hongda's expressions turned sour upon hearing this.
The problem before them now was: to save or not to save?
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(End of Chapter)
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