Chapter 26: The Avalanche Falls

The night was as cold as water.

The December weather had already turned quite chilly.

Liu Weimin's stomach began to growl, but at this moment, the village Party Secretary and the others across from him had already set down their bundles, revealing some supplies: rice, instant noodles, and soda crackers.

However, they seemed to have no intention of giving Liu Weimin any food. After all, this was the apocalypse, and food was scarce. Everyone was waiting for someone else to be generous enough to feed Liu Weimin, but since everyone was counting on someone else, no one gave anything.

Liu Weimin couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and ask them for food.

But he had saved them today—how could people be so heartless!

He suddenly remembered the road the Party Secretary had forbidden him from taking, and a vague sense of unease settled in his heart.

He had to go check it out!

He turned to his daughter beside him and said, "I'm going out for a bit to check on that road." Looking at the pitch-black night road, dark and silent, he added, "I don't know what the situation is over there. Wait for me here."

Hearing this, Liu Huamei was reluctant and wanted to follow him.

But Liu Weimin dissuaded her, saying, "I'll be back soon."

With that, he stepped out of the tile-roofed house. The Party Secretary, who was currently eating crackers, felt his heart tighten the moment he saw Liu Weimin's movement.

But Liu Weimin had already gone out; it was too late to stop him.

The tattooed youth standing next to him, however, didn't think much of it. Seeing Liu Weimin leave, his heart instantly grew restless.

Staggering over, he leaned one hand against the doorframe in front of Liu Huamei and said, "Hey beautiful, are you scared? Do you want to come into big brother's warm embrace?" His tone was full of mockery.

Liu Huamei looked at him with disgust. She didn't speak, merely taking a few steps to the side.

This retreat only made the tattooed youth more excited. He began to grab her arm. Seeing this, several other youths nearby began to jeer and cheer, crowding around her.

Just then, the Party Secretary ran over, slapped the tattooed youth, and whispered, "What time do you think it is? Still playing around? Those women you played to death are right outside! That man has already gone out! When he sees the bodies and comes back, he'll definitely cause trouble. Think of what we should do!"

Hearing this, the tattooed youth's interest vanished instantly. He cast a dark look toward the door and then saw Liu Huamei, who had retreated toward the edge of the doorway.

Standing further away, Liu Huamei didn't hear exactly what they were saying, but she caught the faint words "bodies." Furthermore, through her interactions with them along the way, she had already sensed that these people were not good.

The Party Secretary and the tattooed youth exchanged glances. The youth then made a hand gesture, and the others understood immediately, as if they had done this many times before.

The tattooed youth and several others slowly surrounded Liu Huamei. At that exact moment, she happened to look toward the door, wanting to see if her father had returned.

Taking advantage of the moment her head turned and her gaze was away from them, two men lunged.

They grabbed her shoulders quickly. The tattooed youth snatched the axe from her hands, while the Party Secretary clamped his hand firmly over her mouth to prevent her from making a sound.

Liu Huamei knew these people weren't honest farmers, but she never imagined they would dare to do this!

How hateful! How dare they!

At this moment, the villagers who had looked so pitiful under the wall had transformed into wolves!

Liu Huamei struggled desperately, but she was being pinned down by several grown men; she couldn't break free!

"What about that man?" the tattooed youth asked, looking toward the door in a low voice.

Without a second thought, the Party Secretary said, "Just like before, kill him." He seemed to realize they were short-handed, so he looked back at the dozen or so cowering people behind them and said, "Everyone's hands are dirty. If trouble comes, we all go down! Zhang Tianhe, Tie Zhu—you two have used blades before!"

The faces of those people behind them changed instantly.

Some remained silent, while others muttered under their breath, "You forced us to do it!"

"Heh!" the Party Secretary sneered. "Then did you actually strike? We're all in the same boat. Heh, I saw how very active you were when it came to distributing food!"

He then barked in a low voice, "Come and help!"

If one person commits a crime, how do you keep another from speaking out?

You drag them into the mud with you!

When the avalanche falls, no snowflake is innocent!

The people in the back hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward to help. Several of them took over from the tattooed youth, pinning Liu Huamei down tightly so she couldn't make a sound.

The tattooed youth and the others stood stealthily behind the door, preparing to ambush Liu Weimin when he entered.

***

After leaving the house, Liu Weimin walked toward that road.

He turned on his multi-functional flashlight and swept the beam in that direction.

Before he even reached it, several meters away, he could smell a foul stench accompanied by a faint scent of blood.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickened his pace.

As the light swept across, the scene that met his eyes sent an instant chill through his body.

Having worked for many years, he had seen his share of the world, but this was the first time he had ever encountered such a scene.

On that road, there was a small ditch on the left. In that tiny space, the ground was covered with human corpses.

These people showed no signs of zombie infection; they had died while they were still human!

Some had been stripped naked.

There were men, women, and the elderly. The women's clothes were disheveled, clearly indicating they had suffered something before death.

As for some of the men, many bore the marks of being stabbed!

Not just once! The dense, overlapping knife wounds had left the corpses unrecognizable!

The bodies appeared to have been there for several days; they were somewhat bloated, and maggots were crawling over several of the heads.

As the flashlight swept over, the image became clear and nauseating.

*Why did the Party Secretary stop me from coming here just now? What does this have to do with them?*

Connecting this to the series of events that had occurred today, he had already had a vague feeling that these people were problematic.

"Oh no!"

Suddenly remembering that Liu Huamei was still at the tile-roofed house, he became instantly tense.

He rushed back toward the house and arrived at the door in no time.

Though he was deeply worried about his daughter's safety, his extensive life experience allowed him to maintain his composure even in the face of great crisis.

He walked forward slowly. He saw that the door to the house was closed, and not a single sound came from within.

This abnormality seemed to confirm his worst suspicions.

Anxiety welled up in his heart, accompanied by a surge of extreme rage from deep within.

Why?!

It felt as if the values he had held onto for years were collapsing like an iceberg!

The convictions that had allowed him to persevere through countless hardships,

The spirit that had once filled him with passion and fighting will.

In this moment, they were all crumbling!

Driven by this transcendent rage, Liu Weimin delivered a powerful kick, sending the door flying outward.

The men behind the door were knocked to the ground by the force of the door.

Liu Weimin cautiously poked his head in to feint, then pulled back.

At that moment, a bright kitchen knife fell from the air to the right of the door.

It grazed Liu Weimin's face, cutting through empty air; the high-speed blade even whistled through the wind.

That was close; luckily, he had dodged quickly.

Liu Weimin lunged sideways, slipping in through the other side of the door.

As soon as he stood his ground, the tattooed youth and the others surrounded him.

Desperate to save his daughter, Liu Weimin scanned the crowd.

He saw his daughter being pinned to the ground by several men, her large eyes filled with nothing but terror.

The last shred of hope in Liu Weimin's heart was utterly extinguished.

(End of Chapter)