Chapter 101 - 95: We Are No Longer Accepting Survivors

Chapter 101: Chapter 95: We Are No Longer Accepting Survivors

The four of them were prostrate on the ground, trembling slightly, not daring to move an inch under the threat of the compound crossbow.

The steel pipes thrown to the side indicated that they had, on the surface, completely given up resisting.

"Lift your heads."

The four people hurriedly raised their heads, looking eagerly at Yu Dong’s group.

Yu Dong scanned the four of them.

One man and one woman were older, while the other man and woman were a bit younger.

Their faces were filthy, their clothes were ragged, and they were all sallow and emaciated—a clear sign of malnutrition.

They had definitely gone hungry for a long time.

Zhao Youcai glanced at the two women. In their current state, it was hard to tell if they were good-looking. He could only make out that one was older than Qiao Ping, and the other was quite young.

Yu Dong glanced around warily. The newcomers hadn’t attracted any zombies.

"Huang, go search them."

"You got it!"

Huang Zhiqiang casually walked over and forcefully patted all of them down. The two men were fine with it, but the two women squirmed in embarrassment, not daring to resist.

"Dongzi, no weapons."

Huang Zhiqiang also confiscated their shabby steel pipes.

Hearing this, Yu Dong lowered his compound crossbow.

"Alright, get up."

"Tell us your situation. What happened?"

The four people across from them were in poor physical condition and had no weapons. They posed no threat to Yu Dong’s team.

Hearing the question, the oldest man among the four spoke up. He looked to be in his forties but had maintained a decent build.

"Buddy, it’s like this... When the virus broke out, the few of us happened to be in rooms on the second floor of the Shangri-La Hotel, so we survived the initial attack. Later, after the zombies in the hallway had cleared out, those of us who were still alive gathered together. We used furniture to block the hallway and haven’t been outside since. That is, until we saw you just now... We jumped down as fast as we could."

Yu Dong asked doubtfully, "The second floor of the hotel... Then what did you eat and drink? How did you last until now?"

"Every hotel room has some packaged food and mineral water. We found ways to get into the empty rooms, gathered the food, and ate a little bit each day... We made it last until the day before yesterday. Then we ran out completely and had to starve for two days. We’re on our last legs."

"Was that little bit of mineral water enough for you to drink all this time?"

"There was still water in the toilets..."

Yu Dong nodded. ’These four are really resilient.’

His group had survived the apocalypse by stocking up beforehand and later clearing out zombies to gather supplies. These four... had simply starved.

They looked like they’d been starving badly; their faces were waxen yellow.

"Have you killed any zombies?"

"No..."

All four shook their heads.

Seeing Yu Dong thinking, Zhao Youcai took over the questioning:

"What are your names, how old are you, what did you do before, do you have any special skills? Give us a detailed report on your personal situation."

"My name is Jiang Cheng. I’m 50. I own a glass factory in Niu City and was here visiting a friend for a few days... then this happened. I was a soldier when I was younger, so I know some wilderness survival skills."

’He’s 50, but he looks about the same age as the 43-year-old Zhou, and his body isn’t bloated.’ Yu Dong looked at him with a new level of respect.

"My name is Tian Hui, 39 years old. Before the apocalypse, I was an HR manager. I’m pretty good at management. I can help you manage the team, make all kinds of plans... I have a lot of work experience, I can definitely help you!"

Tian Hui could read between the lines; she knew they were being evaluated for their worth.

The slightly younger man said, "I’m Liu Cong, 29. I was a salesman at a real estate company, here on vacation with my girlfriend... She turned into a zombie at the beach. I’m young and strong, and I follow orders. As long as you give me something to eat... you can work me like a nuclear-powered donkey!"

Zhao Youcai’s gaze turned to the last, youngest girl.

"And you?"

"Brother~ My name is Xia Yao. I’m 19, just graduated from high school... I used to be a cosplayer. I came here with my friend... she turned into a zombie."

’Nineteen?’

Zhao Youcai couldn’t help but stare at Xia Yao for a few extra moments. She was definitely young, but... just too dirty. Her skin was covered in a layer of grime; it was obvious she hadn’t bathed in days.

Besides, there was a strange smell coming off the four of them.

It really killed any interest he might have had.

But after Xia Yao finished speaking... she started walking forward. Zhao Youcai immediately put his hand on his waist. At the slightest unusual movement, he would have stabbed her to death without a second thought.

Xia Yao just came over cautiously, grabbed Zhao Youcai’s arm, and shook it gently. She looked up at him and said in a sweet, wheedling voice:

"Brother~ Please save me~ I’ll be very obedient... Pwease~"

Soft and helpless, like a docile little lamb.

The moment Zhao Youcai heard her, he felt weak in the knees.

But his hand remained on the hilt of his knife.

"You, stand back for now. Wait for our boss to speak."

Although he was telling her to back off, the previous coldness in his tone was gone, replaced by something much milder.

Zhou chuckled.

’We’re all men. We all fall for the cutesy act.’

His Mei was also very good at acting cute... Some people would call a woman like that a "green tea bitch."

But Zhou didn’t see it that way.

He’d seen many of his colleagues’ wives get their husbands to do things by giving orders and being passive-aggressive, achieving their goals by making their husbands uncomfortable.

The so-called "green tea bitches," on the other hand, achieved their goals by making men feel good.

Huang Zhiqiang, meanwhile, quietly leaned in and whispered in Yu Dong’s ear:

"Dongzi, if these people join us, do we need to put them on probation first? The ones who make the cut stay, and the ones who don’t get tossed over to Yang Yi’s side."

He seemed to have mastered Yu Dong’s procedure, acting with great familiarity.

Zhao Wenjie didn’t seem to want to discuss the topic, and Liu Ye’ye had no objections. Both of them just looked at Yu Dong.

Yu Dong and Zhao Youcai’s eyes met, and they instantly knew what the other was thinking.

’This is a critical time. We’re about to go to the bank. We can’t let these people into the community. If we do, we’d be leaving our home in the hands of outsiders the moment we leave...’

"Dongzi, I don’t think we need any outsiders."

Yu Dong nodded and said to the four of them:

"Sorry, it’s not convenient for us to take you in. We’re not accepting any more survivors right now."

After Yu Dong spoke, the expressions on the four survivors’ faces changed. Liu Cong said agitatedly:

"Why? I can do anything! I’m not afraid of hard work. At my company, I was the last one to leave every day. I’m a fast learner, too. You definitely won’t regret taking me in!"

Tian Hui pleaded, "Young man, it’s obvious you guys are strong... capable of clearing out supermarkets and commercial streets. Just take us in. The few of us don’t eat much, and more people means it’s easier to get things done. We can’t fight, but we can do other things. We have nowhere else to go right now. You could hire the four of us to work for you for very little reward. It’s a really good deal."

Jiang Cheng sighed.

"I know the few of us don’t really have any impressive skills to offer. We’re not doctors or mechanics. But we’re willing to follow you. The ladies can help with logistics. As for the two of us men... give us weapons, and we can kill zombies too. Even if we can’t win a fight, at least you’d have two more bodies to throw at the problem. That’s worth something, right? Don’t worry, we know times are tough. We absolutely won’t cause any trouble and promise to follow orders!"

"We’re begging you!"

The three of them spoke with sincere and heartfelt emotion, and they knew their place, which made Yu Dong see them in a new light.

’Their overall quality is pretty good.’

Xia Yao, however, took another step forward. Seemingly having singled out Zhao Youcai, she grabbed his hand and called out softly:

"Daddy~"

Zhao Youcai: "Huh???"

The usually stoic Zhao Youcai completely lost his composure.

Xia Yao hugged his arm, rocking it slightly while rubbing against his chest and cooing sweetly:

"Daddy, take me with you~ Daddy, daddy~ Okay?~"

Liu Ye’ye’s face flushed. She hadn’t expected this girl to be so shameless.

’To dare to call him that in front of so many people.’

’That’s so brazen!’

Zhao Youcai had been about to refuse, but this display...

"Dongzi, but then again..."