Chapter 19: If Poor, Then; If Rich, Then! (New book, please recommend, bookmark, subscribe, and tip)

Lu Yuanming followed Peter and Charlie with a pistol in hand, not too tense.

On one hand, he had already used firearms, so he was basically no longer the type to tremble at the sight of monsters or gun battles.

On the other hand, it was related to the saying 'great skills boost bravery.' He now knew that Colorless Light Particles could heal and that his soul had become very strong. It wasn't just physical strength and speed that had increased, but his reaction speed as well, which gave him much more confidence and naturally kept him from being easily frightened.

What Lu Yuanming didn't know was that he was actually the source of confidence for those around him. Whether it was Charlie, Peter, or Charlie's subordinates, when they learned that Lu Yuanming would accompany them, they were all extremely excited and felt confident about the battle ahead.

Perhaps, in Lu Yuanming's own view, his actions were out of honesty and sincerity, as he truly did not know how to play mind games. However, his straightforwardness, sincerity, and miraculous abilities, in the eyes of those around him, seemed divine. Even those like Charlie or Tom, with their darker minds, were involuntarily drawn to him because they instinctively knew they wouldn't face betrayal or mistreatment from Lu Yuanming.

This was actually the direction of the human heart.

Because he did not know how to deal with a group of Westerners, Lu Yuanming opted for the greatest sincerity and honesty, which inadvertently became the direction of the human heart.

At this moment, Lu Yuanming didn't fully understand all this; he was just looking around as the group advanced.

In this post-apocalyptic version of New York City, desolation and damage were evident everywhere. Despite people's claims that this was a true one-to-one scale replica of New York City, many shops, stores, supermarkets, and weapon shops had been plundered empty. It was unclear whether these resources had been taken by people who died earlier or if they never existed in the first place.

Seeing all this only further solidified Lu Yuanming's determination to farm.

"...What do you think about the potato crops we've planted now? How much food can they yield?" Lu Yuanming suddenly asked.

Everyone looked at him in a daze, and he explained, "Honestly, I can't tell wheat from chaff. Not to mention planting potatoes, I haven't even managed to keep a potted plant alive from childhood to adulthood, so I really don't know how much food those planted potatoes can yield, or how many people they can feed for how long."

Charlie and his subordinates naturally didn't know either. If Lu Yuanming asked them about firearms or the underworld, they were experts, but when it came to farming, they knew as little as Lu Yuanming or not much more.

Instead, after contemplating for a while, Peter said, "Right now, the land we've planted should yield about ten thousand kilograms of potatoes. I'm not sure how many people that can feed, or for how long."

Lu Yuanming looked at Peter with surprise. This slightly overweight man was skilled with guns, and unexpectedly knowledgeable about food crops too, proving to be a hidden talent.

"Let's say ten thousand kilograms then. Without enough animal fats or vegetable oils, and without side dishes, if an adult consumes one kilogram of potatoes a day, it could feed the people in our organization for about a hundred days. But, if we continue to accept more people into our organization, then ten thousand kilograms of potatoes will be far from enough."

And besides potatoes, other food crops, especially those rich in fats, would need to be planted as well.

The more Lu Yuanming thought about it, the more he realized how complicated farming was, and he couldn't sort out a clear strategy.

"We'll have to rely on collective wisdom," Lu Yuanming muttered. "After dealing with the MXG gang, upon our return, we should call a meeting to plan, ideally coming up with some long-term strategies."

Lu Yuanming knew he lacked experience, having just started out in society before his accident turned him into a vegetative state, and he wasn't extraordinarily gifted. He definitely couldn't single-handedly revive a nation, but he was self-aware. For matters beyond his ability, he would leave it to the experts. In the absence of experts, the best approach was collective wisdom, especially since he had a reference point.

And that was his motherland, China.

Lu Yuanming might not have grasped many more profound concepts, but from a simple understanding of processes and outcomes, he was quite certain that he could learn from the rise of his motherland.

Charlie and the others naturally did not know what was on Lu Yuanming's mind. They vigilantly guarded their surroundings, protecting Lu Yuanming in the middle of the crowd, and they saw him occasionally furrow his brows in thought and then relax them into a smile.

Thus, after walking for about an hour, Charlie suddenly pointed toward a distant building, saying, "This is where we captured him. They usually have one gang member leading four to five civilians under their control to scout for supplies in these buildings or shops. The gang members do not enter the buildings themselves; civilians do all the work. If there's a monster inside, it's the controlled civilians who will die. When we spotted this MXG guy standing outside, we sneaked up close to him. To prevent him from escaping and causing unnecessary dangers or complications, I took the shot at him."

Lu Yuanming nodded to indicate he understood. He immediately followed up on Charlie's point, "The MXG gang is one short now, and the gunfire from your shot must have been heard. Since you were carrying a pistol, those experienced MXG crooks who have lived by the gun their whole lives would have recognized it was a pistol. So, they must have guessed it was us attacking them... Charlie, what do you think they'll do next? Will they launch a full-scale attack on the bank, or will they lie in wait to ambush our scouts?"

Charlie chuckled, "Lord, if they had two or three more days, maybe they would think to attack the scouts. But I know them too well. Their first reaction to an unexpected death is to hide in their lair, become paranoid, suspect a mole within, and then look into who attacked them and how they can retaliate. That's just the nature and foundation of their crime syndicate."

Looking thoughtful, Lu Yuanming mused for a moment before saying, "So in other words, they're all gathered at the warehouse, discussing relocating their base?"

Charlie nodded, "Exactly, but there's no way they could have anticipated us arriving so soon. Most critical is that this is the afterlife; they can't move as easily as they would in the living world. A spacious base with foundational defenses and free of monsters is incredibly valuable."

With that, Lu Yuanming had no more doubts, and he quickened his pace, jogging toward the direction of the warehouse.

As Lu Yuanming started to jog, he remained calm and collected. By the time they reached the corner leading to the warehouse, everyone but Lu Yuanming was nearly exhausted. This made the group even more convinced of Lu Yuanming's extraordinary nature—especially Peter, who remembered the previous Lu Yuanming, who was not as tall or as physically strong. This confirmed Peter's belief that Lu Yuanming was Messiah, currently in the process of slowly regaining his true essence.

Everyone proceeded cautiously from the corner into the area. Not more than a hundred meters in, they heard shouting from a sentry hall ahead. Charlie, Peter, and Charlie's men immediately raised their weapons toward the noise. Lu Yuanming quickly shouted, "Don't shoot, it's not the MXG gang!"

Lu Yuanming's reaction speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person. By the time Charlie and the others had barely identified the source of the noise, he had already recognized the person. She was a white woman, around thirty years old, her face swollen and bruised, her body naked and covered in bloodstains, her hands and feet bound. She was shouting loudly at that moment.

As expected, no one shot. Now that they had a clear view of the woman, expressions of pity crossed their faces. On closer inspection, they were horrified to find that her tongue had been cut out, her body was covered in cuts from sharp instruments, and her lower body was filthy.

Lu Yuanming felt a throbbing in his temples and a surge of intense rage welled up inside him.

"... How far are we now from the warehouse where they are?" Lu Yuanming asked in a somber tone.

Familiar with the area, as the warehouse district was a place he often "shopped" at while he was alive, Charlie responded immediately, "Less than two hundred meters. My men and I know the place; Father, I'll lead the way."

"No, I have a better way."

Shaking his head, Lu Yuanming looked at the man carrying an FGM-148 Javelin missile launcher and hoisted him up with one arm, then straightened his arm so the man sat on it. This sight was somewhat shocking, but Lu Yuanming didn't care and turned to the others, saying, "Run there on your own, start firing now."

Having finished speaking, Lu Yuanming was already running forward at his fastest speed. The others exchanged glances, and one of the underlings asked, "Fire at whom? At that woman?"

Charlie's face darkened as he slapped the underling, then hastily ordered, "Shoot into the air to make a big commotion, quick, quick, follow the Father!"

The rest snapped back to reality, drawing their weapons and firing into the sky.

Meanwhile, the MXG gang members, alerted by the sentry's screams, reacted swiftly. They grabbed the steel-reinforced spears from the corner and prepared to dash out, one cross-eyed man putting down his chunk of meat to pull out a shotgun, also ready to charge out of the warehouse.

Just then, a burst of gunfire erupted, and all the gangsters rushing out immediately stopped in their tracks. They all hid behind the warehouse's metal sheets, ready to burst out at the first lull in the gunfire.

At that moment, a cylindrical object trailing fire pierced the thin metal sheet. All gangsters instinctively looked over, and their pupils simultaneously shrank...

Boom—a mighty explosion!

When Charlie, Peter, and the others caught up with Lu Yuanming, all that was left before them was a leveled expanse of explosive fire.

The MXG gang was completely gone, in the physical sense.