Chapter 14: Eradicating Evil

On the second floor of the supermarket, Brother Zhao gazed upon an apprentice lying lifeless on the ground, beaten to death, and a wave of remorse washed over him.

He hadn't anticipated the soldier's formidable strength. The soldier managed to retaliate swiftly during the surprise attack, unleashing a burst of gunfire that claimed the life of one of Brother Zhao's apprentices.

Even the black wolf, once deemed nearly invincible, couldn't claim a single victim.

Had it not been for the crossbow knocking down one of them and the black wolf biting the strongest among them, Brother Zhao might have contemplated fleeing the scene immediately.

"There are five soldiers, and the squad leader's strength is almost negligible. Two of the four soldiers are injured, and they probably won't recover for ten or eight days. Should we pursue them?"

Brother Zhao hesitated. Despite his ruthless nature, engaging in this kind of situation was unfamiliar territory for him, and the constant threat of encountering zombies outside deterred him from venturing out of the supermarket.

Beside him, the other apprentice and Ma Xiang looked at him with trepidation, fearing another casualty at the hands of the soldiers.

Frustrated by their apparent hopelessness, Brother Zhao scolded them, "Don't act like lifeless fools. The remaining three soldiers are likely out of bullets. What threat do they still pose to us? Even if they return, they'll undoubtedly be torn apart by the black wolves. You guys are scared of nothing!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Zhao, we've entrusted our fate and lives to you. We can only face the darkness with you," Ma Xiang stammered, his legs trembling involuntarily.

"Trash!" Brother Zhao glared at him but refrained from venturing outside immediately to confront the desperate soldiers.

After a tense hour of waiting in the supermarket, Brother Zhao saw no sign of the soldiers, allowing a small sigh of relief to escape him.

His attention shifted to a relatively affluent young couple. Brother Zhao rolled his eyes and beckoned to the woman, "Come here and give me a shoulder massage."

The woman hesitated, standing frozen in place.

Her boyfriend rushed over, pleading, "Brother Zhao, please spare Lili. I'm willing to cooperate with you, just don't harm her..."

"Damn it, seeing you flaunt that big gold chain makes me furious. Take it off!" The young man promptly removed the gold chain, and Brother Zhao placed it around his own neck.

"Kid, with your slight frame, you probably can't protect your girlfriend in this world. Why not let Brother Zhao take care of her? I'll make sure she stays well-fed and plump. What do you say?"

The young man's face turned pale, and before he could speak, Brother Zhao's Tibetan Mastiff emitted a threatening growl.

Terrified, the man dared not object, having witnessed the Tibetan Mastiff's lethal bite with his own eyes. Refusal likely meant sharing the fate of the supermarket owner.

"Get lost, eyesore!" Brother Zhao snarled, kicking the young man aside before pulling the woman towards him.

As the woman prepared to scream, Brother Zhao raised his hand and interjected, "Serve Brother Zhao well, and I guarantee your survival in this post-apocalyptic world. Fail, and death awaits."

The woman's scream stifled, and she obediently massaged Brother Zhao's shoulders, suppressing any hint of rebellion.

"Hehe, that's good! Sister, stop with the shoulder massage. Brother Zhao has something more interesting in mind for you."

With that, Brother Zhao led the woman behind a box.

Her boyfriend kept his head low, and none of the survivors dared to make eye contact.

Survival in this harsh world left no room for objection.

An unsightly scene unfolded, with Brother Zhao's apprentice and Ma Xiang reluctantly taking on the role of guards, vigilant for any return of the soldiers and keeping an eye on the survivors.

"Woof woof~~~!"

A sudden bark echoed from downstairs.

"What's happening? Another dog?" Brother Zhao halted, contemplating a glance out the window.

Before he could move, the Tibetan Mastiff Black Wolf hurriedly approached, fixating its eyes on something downstairs.

A black figure, comparable in size to the Tibetan Mastiff, cavorted downstairs like an exuberant child.

Spotting the Tibetan Mastiff at the window, the black figure raised a leg, nonchalantly marking its territory nearby.

For animals, this act symbolized territorial dominance.

Unable to restrain himself upon seeing the Black Back's audacious attempt to seize territory, the Black Wolf leaped down from the second-floor window!

Hahah~~~!

The two large dogs collided, engaging in a ferocious battle.

They rolled, hair flying, an intense struggle that proved challenging to separate.

Ordinarily, the Tibetan Mastiff boasted slightly superior combat prowess, but this particular encounter unfolded differently. Covered in a protective cloth, the Black Back appeared sturdy, with the Tibetan Mastiff struggling to resist its attacks.

Battered and bitten by the Black Back, the Tibetan Mastiff whimpered in defeat.

Upstairs, Brother Zhao anxiously called out a few times, but his efforts proved futile. He could not linger any longer, realizing the Tibetan Mastiff represented his lifeline. Without it, he'd be no more resilient than an ordinary person in this apocalyptic era.

"Stop gawking, grab a crossbow, and shoot that dog!" Brother Zhao, fearing exposure and potential retaliation from the soldiers, urgently called on his apprentice and Ma Xiang to join him at the window with crossbows.

As his apprentice reached for the crossbow, Ma Xiang noticed a small red dot on the apprentice's chest.

"What's this...?" Ma Xiang wondered aloud, attempting to touch it, but a spray of blood suddenly bloomed before his eyes!

Brother Zhao's apprentice collapsed, a gaping hole in his chest, the silent aftermath of a lethal shot.

Ma Xiang screamed, attempting to crouch down, but a bullet effortlessly penetrated his head!

A life extinguished in a single, swift motion.

"Who?"

Terrified, Brother Zhao retreated to a corner, convinced the soldiers had returned.

However, the opponent remained elusive, unseen. His two men lay dead, and now, with the Black Wolf lacking support, Brother Zhao cast desperate glances left and right before pulling the woman closer.

With a knife pressed against the woman's neck, Brother Zhao approached the window, shouting, "Soldier! Don't push me. If you come any closer, I'll kill this woman!"

At that moment, a soldier in a steel helmet emerged from behind a small truck on the opposite street, brandishing a gun aimed at the window.

Unfamiliar with this soldier, Brother Zhao employed the woman as a shield, leaving only a small opening. "You still have people. Get out of here. Don't even think about sneaking up on me!"

Simultaneously, Ye Fan emerged with two mobilization soldiers.

Remaining survivors continued hiding, as Wang Hu and two others were injured. The mere presence of a few soldiers sufficed.

Observing Ye Fan and his contingent, Brother Zhao's desperation intensified. "Leave immediately, or I'll start killing. Let's see how you justify this to your superiors!"

Ye Fan sneered, "Is your brain malfunctioning? I'm not a soldier; I'm just a survivor."

"What...? You think I'm a three-year-old child! Where did you get the gun if you're not a soldier? I don't care; retreat now, and order your dog to back off. Then, get me a gun and a car ready..."

Brother Zhao believed the soldiers had returned, yet the adversary remained elusive, and his two men were already casualties.

Ye Fan, unfazed, retorted, "Can you leave if I give you a car? The roads are blocked."

"Motorcycles will do too. Fetch them for me now…"

Before Brother Zhao could finish, a figure swiftly appeared before his eyes!

A man leaped from the building's roof to the window, soaring through the air, kicking Brother Zhao and the woman to the ground.

With a forceful impact, they released their grip.

Before Brother Zhao could seize the opportunity to strike again, the man vaulted through the window.

Using a rope for support, he glided like a bird into the room.

"Special Forces!"

Brother Zhao's demeanor shifted dramatically, his violent aggression giving way to fear. He rose, charging at the intruder with a bone-cutting knife in hand.

"I'll fight with you!"

The soldier sneered, easily evading Brother Zhao's attack. He crouched to dodge, seized Brother Zhao's shoulder, and with a swift motion, dislocated Brother Zhao's knife-wielding arm!

The knife clattered to the ground, and Brother Zhao howled in pain, pleading, "Comrade, I was wrong. Give me a chance... Put me in prison; I'm willing to undergo labor reform!"

Tears streamed down his face, overwhelmed with fear. All he desired was survival, unable to entertain other thoughts.

In his view, soldiers should refrain from unnecessary killings, especially when faced with a disarmed opponent. Couldn't they grant civilians a chance?

However, the soldier remained unmoved. "The will of the superior cannot be disobeyed. No one can save you."

He raised the pistol and fired a single shot to Brother Zhao's head!

Brother Zhao collapsed into a pool of blood, denied even the opportunity to transform into a zombie.

The woman wept, and her boyfriend rushed to her, embracing her tightly. They had narrowly escaped death.

Footsteps echoed downstairs as Ye Fan and his soldiers ascended.

Survivors watched eagerly, counting each soldier as they appeared.

At the forefront was a man in a steel helmet, followed by five more, unfamiliar faces to the survivors.

Some keen observers spotted Ye Fan, noting his epaulettes, and shouted, "Officer! This is an officer!"

"The troops have arrived. God has shown mercy; we're finally saved!"

"You soldiers faced a small setback this morning and retreated. Do you still have the people's welfare in mind?" The accusation came from an elderly man, frightened but now irate.

Lili's boyfriend, aggravated by his earlier ordeal, added, "Because of your delayed rescue, my girlfriend was nearly assaulted. You must relocate us to safety immediately, or I'll file a complaint against you!"

Always quick to condemn soldiers when facing adversity, some people exhibited a sudden change in tone.

Ye Fan, paying no heed to the complaints, gestured for his soldiers to proceed upstairs.

Each soldier carried a box, camouflaging supply crates among ordinary fruit boxes, picking them up and descending rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the building stood empty.

The survivors upstairs stood in disbelief. What were these soldiers up to?

After all the effort, facing battles and slaughtering dogs, was their goal merely a few crates of fruit?

Had they never tasted fruit before?

Suddenly, the soldier who had killed Brother Zhao returned. Amidst the survivors' expectant gazes, he snatched the thick gold necklace from Brother Zhao's neck, vanished around a corner of the community, and disappeared.

"My... necklace is..." Lili's boyfriend shouted from the window, watching the massive black military dog joyfully prancing away with its newly acquired treasure.

The woman and her boyfriend embraced each other, grateful for their survival. Meanwhile, the soldier continued to lead his men, maintaining a brisk pace and a sense of purpose.

Downstairs, as the survivors absorbed the bizarre turn of events, confusion and questions hung in the air. What kind of soldiers were these, valuing fruit and jewelry over the chaos outside?

Ye Fan, with an air of authority, descended the stairs. The survivors looked at him, anticipating some explanation.

Ye Fan glanced over the bewildered crowd and stated, "We're not soldiers; we're survivors, just like you. We needed supplies, and we found them here."

This revelation left the survivors in disbelief. The notion of soldiers had ingrained certain expectations, but the reality was far stranger.

Ye Fan continued, "We've been monitoring the area for a while. The zombies are getting more aggressive, and supplies are running scarce. We had to act quickly. Sorry for the confusion."

An elderly woman, sensing sincerity in Ye Fan's words, spoke up. "But you killed that man upstairs."

Ye Fan sighed. "He posed a threat. We're trying to ensure the safety of as many people as possible. It's a harsh reality out there."

As Ye Fan and his team gathered the supplies, they also took a moment to assess the condition of the survivors. Some were injured, others traumatized, and a few in need of immediate medical attention.

Lili's boyfriend, although still upset about the delayed rescue, recognized the gravity of the situation. "Fine, take us somewhere safe. We can't stay here."

Ye Fan nodded. "We're heading to a secure location. Anyone willing to come with us can join. We're here to survive, not to cause harm."

The survivors exchanged glances, and slowly, one by one, they decided to follow Ye Fan and his unusual group of survivors.

As they left the supermarket, the once bustling center of commerce now felt desolate. The group moved cautiously through the eerie silence, mindful of the lurking dangers in the post-apocalyptic world.

Little did they know that their journey with these unorthodox survivors was just beginning, and the challenges ahead would test their resilience in ways they could never have imagined.