Lu Xuan gave an awkward laugh.
Mu Xiaoxiao had also finished washing up. After coming downstairs, she stayed beside Meng Yu, ready to watch over her as she absorbed the crystal core.
“Sister Yu, go ahead. We’ll keep watch for you.”
“Alright.”
Meng Yu took out the crystal core and held it in her palm, closing her eyes to sense it. A stream of energy entered her body, strengthening her ability, and soon her entire body began to heat up.
Mu Xiaoxiao watched closely. This was clearly a sign that Meng Yu was about to level up.
An hour later, Meng Yu opened her eyes and said happily, “Xiaoxiao, I think I’ve leveled up!”
“Congratulations, Sister Yu. You’ve been absorbing it for a whole hour.” In reality, the absorption itself had been quick. The extra time was probably because she was leveling up.
“The thing Sister Yu uses is an ability? Wow, that’s amazing!” Lu Xuan exclaimed in surprise after hearing their conversation.
“After the apocalypse began, some people have a chance of awakening abilities. There’s also a chance of gaining one after being bitten by a zombie, but don’t even think about trying it. If you turn into a zombie, I won’t be responsible,” Mu Xiaoxiao said.
“Hehe, I’m not that stupid.” Although he was still curious about the second possibility, Lu Xuan was not foolish enough to let a zombie bite him.
“I’m going to make dinner,” Meng Yu said as she stood up.
Mu Xiaoxiao and Lu Xuan stayed behind to watch television.
～～～
Chen Wen saw their car enter the villa that had the electric fence and went home to report it to Zhang Qiang.
“So it turns out they live there. Those two women are quite capable, and the villa has an electric fence too. They won’t be easy to deal with, so let’s observe them for now.”
“Alright, Brother Zhang. There’s no food left at home again. Should we go out and look for supplies?”
“Look for what? There are still plenty of ready made supplies in this neighborhood. Why go outside and take unnecessary risks?” Zhang Qiang said impatiently.
“Yes, yes, Brother Zhang is right. Brother Zhang, why don’t you come with us? You alone are worth several of us. Just standing there would be enough to scare people into handing over their things.”
Chen Wen was tired of Zhang Qiang sending them out every day while staying behind himself. If something happened, they would always be the first ones in danger. At the very least, Zhang Qiang should take the lead once in a while.
“Pathetic. Fine, I’ll go with you.”
Zhang Qiang loved hearing such flattery.
What had begun as relatively polite borrowing gradually turned into outright bullying.
“We really don’t have any food left. What we gave you last time was already the last of what we had.”
“You say you don’t have any, and we’re supposed to believe you? Open the door and let us come in and take a look.”
“If you don’t open it, we’ll force our way in. We’re starving anyway, so there’s nothing we wouldn’t do.”
The couple inside had no choice but to open the door.
Several people rushed inside like bandits and headed straight for the kitchen.
“Isn’t there still rice and meat here?”
“That’s our last food. Are you really going to take everything?”
“Brother Zhang, there’s nothing else,” Chen Wen reported.
“Then let’s go to the next house.”
“You’ve gone too far! Is there no law left in your eyes? This is robbery!” the man of the villa shouted angrily as he blocked their way.
“Move. Don’t stand in our way,” Chen Wen snapped.
“Give us back our food.”
The man reached out to take the supplies back, but someone kicked him away and several people viciously kicked him while he was down.
“Stop hitting him! Please stop!” the woman of the villa cried as she rushed forward to stop them.
“Take the food. Just take it all!”
“Hmph, you should have known better. Then you wouldn’t have needed a beating,” Brother Zhang said.
“Let’s go.”
After leaving, they forced their way into several more homes and took people’s food, leaving them with nothing.
“What’s that shouting outside?” Mu Xiaoxiao asked in confusion. “Are they trying to get themselves killed? Luckily, we cleared out the zombies in the villa area.”
“I’ll go take a look,” Meng Yu said as she stood up.
“I’ll come with you. Lu Xuan, stay here and watch the house.”
“Alright, no problem. Be careful.”
The two of them left through the main gate and headed toward the source of the noise.
They soon saw an elderly couple crying and pleading, “Please, leave some for us. Our son said he would come back for us. If you take everything, we won’t survive long enough to wait for him. Please, we’re begging you.”
“Get lost. If you don’t move, we’re going to start hitting people. Don’t think we won’t do it just because you’re old.”
“Please, just leave us a little!”
Chen Wen and the others were growing impatient and were about to attack when Meng Yu shouted, “Stop! What are you doing?”
“Brother Zhang, it’s those two women. What should we do?” Chen Wen whispered.
“Beautiful ladies, we’re just borrowing some food. We were about to leave anyway,” Zhang Qiang lied without hesitation.
“Do you think we’re deaf? You’re obviously stealing other people’s food. You’re a group of grown men, so do you have no shame at all?” Mu Xiaoxiao said angrily.
Now that he had been exposed, Zhang Qiang became furious. “Beautiful ladies, we have no grudge against each other. I suggest you stay out of this.”
“We’re getting involved whether you like it or not. What are you going to do about it?” Meng Yu asked coldly.
“Young ladies, thank you for your kindness, but forget about the food. Just leave quickly,” one of the elderly people said helplessly.
“It’s alright. Just watch.”
“Brothers, get them! I refuse to believe that so many of us can’t handle two women!”
Zhang Qiang pulled out a fruit knife and sent his lackeys forward first, intending to strike when the opportunity arose.
Meng Yu activated her ability and fired an ice spike into one man’s leg.
“Ah!”
Cries of pain rang out as several people fell one after another.
Mu Xiaoxiao raised her electric baton and shocked the others until they collapsed to the ground, their bodies trembling as they scrambled helplessly.
Seeing his companions fall, Zhang Qiang finally felt fear for the first time since the apocalypse began. He immediately dropped to his knees.
“Beautiful ladies, spare me! Please spare me!”
Meng Yu walked over, kicked his knife away, then kicked him as well. Her eyes were sharp as she said, “So you know how to beg for mercy? You stole food that people needed to survive. If you take away their means of survival, who are they supposed to turn to for help?”
“We didn’t have a choice either!”
“You didn’t have a choice, so you decided to rob people? What makes you any different from zombies? You only know how to bully the weak and fear the strong,” Meng Yu said with disgust.
“Return every bit of food you stole, house by house. Then get out of this neighborhood. You’re not welcome here.”
“Please, beautiful lady. We don’t want to die.”
“When you first arrived, no one would have said anything as long as you settled down peacefully. We’re all human. But you chose to turn against your own kind. With everything you’ve done, you would have been imprisoned for life before the apocalypse. Either get out now or stay here and face the consequences.”
Meng Yu took out her knife and held it against Zhang Qiang’s neck, staring at him coldly.
“Alright, alright! We’ll leave. We’re leaving!”
“Grandma, this is your food. Keep it safe.”
“Young ladies, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, we might not have survived much longer. I just don’t know whether we’ll live long enough to see our son return.”
The last time they had spoken, their son’s phone battery had died, and they had lost contact afterward.
“You will. Go back inside quickly.”
The injured men slowly got to their feet, supporting one another as they limped along. Meng Yu and Mu Xiaoxiao followed behind, watching them return the stolen food to each household and receiving waves of gratitude in return.
When the group finally left the villa area, Meng Yu and Mu Xiaoxiao showed no sympathy, even toward those who had not personally participated in the robberies.
Since they had chosen to stay with the group, they could leave with them as well. It was not as if they had refused to eat the food that had been stolen.