The man opposite her was so greasy it was unbearable to look at, and he deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke, making Miao Suisui break out in goosebumps.
Su Qingqing could see the ill intent in his eyes. Her brows furrowed even tighter as she quietly mobilized her ability.
“If you want to live in the town, pay the crystal cores first,” Miao Suisui said, the smile fading from her face. “Lu Lin has been here before, he should know the rules.”
She had already realized that Lu Lin had likely come to scout things out. They had set their sights on her town long ago.
Lu Lin lowered his head. The warmth and sincerity Miao Suisui had shown him before only made the guilt in his heart heavier now. It was strange. In all his years in the apocalypse, he had done many bad things alongside Niu Ge, yet this was the first time he had felt this way.
Perhaps it was because of the apple Miao Suisui had given him, or perhaps it was because this town had made him feel warmth for the first time in this cold apocalypse.
Lu Lin stepped forward. “Niu Ge…”
Before he could finish, a hammer slammed down by Lu Lin’s feet. His face turned pale instantly.
Miao Suisui was also startled.
The commotion quickly drew attention. Security robots had already gathered behind Miao Suisui.
Although Miao Suisui knew how powerful the security robots were, to outsiders they looked round and harmless, aside from their bright eyes. They did not appear strong at all, more like cute mascots. Seven of them stood neatly in a row in front of Miao Suisui and Su Qingqing.
Niu Ge and his men were briefly stunned, then burst into laughter.
“Just these lumps of metal, and you think they can stop us?”
The people behind him pulled out their weapons, all heavy cold weapons. Niu Ge smiled, clearly not taking the robots seriously. After all, he believed he could smash one away with a single swing.
“I’ll give you one last chance. If you agree to follow me, I might spare your life until I get bored. As far as I know, the only few men in this town are seriously injured and won’t be able to come save you,” Niu Ge said, completely dropping his disguise.
Miao Suisui’s expression darkened at his tone, as if women were nothing but playthings.
“Hey young man! I’ll tell you where the food is. That shop over there has plenty of food! There’s meat too! This mayor is not a good person. She’s hoarding all kinds of supplies. You’re doing the people a favor! I’ll be the first to support you!”
At the most tense moment, Auntie Zhou suddenly rushed out from somewhere and directly joined Niu Ge’s side, looking at Miao Suisui with smug satisfaction.
Even her fear of the robots seemed to have disappeared.
Miao Suisui truly could not understand how Auntie Zhou’s mind worked. She could only roll her eyes helplessly.
“As long as what you say is true, I’ll spare your life,” Niu Ge said with a sneer. He did not care much about Auntie Zhou, but he did not mind having another obedient follower.
“It’s definitely true,” Auntie Zhou said firmly.
“Let’s go. Let’s see what good things my town has. Keep an eye on the mayor. I’ll come back later to have a deeper conversation with her,” Niu Ge said, hoisting his hammer. His gaze swept over Miao Suisui as if stripping her bare, making her extremely uncomfortable. In his words, he had already treated the town as his own.
Electricity flickered in Su Qingqing’s hand as she prepared to act, but Miao Suisui stopped her and pulled her behind.
The men who tried to approach them suddenly found themselves unable to move forward once they got close, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
“Arrest all these troublemakers. Don’t let them affect the residents’ daily lives,” Miao Suisui said, no longer willing to waste words, as she issued her command to the security robots.
Receiving the order, the robots moved forward on their short legs, stopping in front of Niu Ge’s group.
Niu Ge let out a scornful laugh. He had heard from Lu Lin about the town’s robots but had never taken them seriously. He assumed they were just remnants from some pre apocalypse tech company, useful only for reception and simple communication. Machines that required commands to act were nothing to fear.
Just as he was about to swing his weapon, the robots raised their round hands, which had no visible fingers. With several crisp sounds, large blades, firearms, and rocket launchers appeared in front of them.
The previously harmless looking robots instantly became highly threatening.
The dark muzzles and launchers were aimed directly at Niu Ge’s group. The confidence on his face slowly disappeared.
Ten minutes later, the ground was filled with people tied up, bruised and battered, including Auntie Zhou.
Niu Ge had been beaten the worst. Even his bizarre hairstyle had been torn out in patches. He no longer had any of his earlier arrogance.
Su Qingqing’s mouth remained open in shock. Living in such a town truly gave a sense of absolute security.
Auntie Zhou lay on the ground, crying miserably with a swollen face. “I’m old, I can’t handle this kind of beating!”
“And where was your conscience when you were betraying the town just now?” Miao Suisui said bluntly.
Auntie Zhou fell silent. How could she have known that this town was powerful enough to deal with even the tyrants of the apocalypse?
The other residents of the town came out upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the scene, they stepped forward to ask what had happened.
By now, Miao Suisui no longer felt afraid. Her legs were no longer trembling. She waved her hand confidently. “These are violent individuals who threatened the safety of our town. Everyone can rest assured, the town will protect you and your daily lives will not be affected.”
Weapons brought by Niu Ge’s group were scattered on the ground. Niu Ge continued to curse, essentially saying that once he recovered, he would kill everyone in the town.
For some reason, after being restrained by the robots, they could no longer use their abilities. This made Niu Ge’s group increasingly terrified.
“He…” Chen Xu, who had come out despite still recovering, saw Niu Ge and his expression darkened. He hesitated.
“What? You know him?” Miao Suisui asked.
“He’s from the same base as us. He’s the right hand of one of the leaders and has done a lot of terrible things,” Chen Xu explained briefly.
Niu Ge also noticed Chen Xu at that moment. Surprise flashed in his eyes before twisting into pain.
Chen Xu’s expression grew serious, a bad premonition forming in his heart.
All of them had been subdued, leaving only a pickup truck parked at the town entrance.
When Miao Suisui went with the security robots to check for accomplices, a large box in the truck bed suddenly moved.
Startled, she quickly had the robots carry the box down.
When the box was opened, Miao Suisui instinctively stepped back, worried something dangerous might jump out.
But after waiting for a while, nothing happened.
The robot that opened the box looked inside, then at Miao Suisui, as if waiting for further instructions.
Seeing no movement, Miao Suisui cautiously stepped forward to look.
There was no mutated creature or weapon inside. Instead, a man covered in blood was curled up inside.
Miao Suisui was shocked and immediately had the robots carry him to the Hope Clinic.
As he was lifted out, she saw that there was hardly a patch of uninjured skin on his body. His face was covered in blood, making it impossible to see his features. It was clear that all the injuries had been inflicted by humans, a truly horrific sight.
The robots carried the man past the groaning group of Niu Ge. He tried to stop them but was powerless.
Chen Xu also glanced at the injured man and shook his head in sympathy.
As night fell, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Miao Suisui, the security robots, and the tightly bundled group of captives.
Miao Suisui began to think about how to deal with them. Keeping them would require feeding them, which felt wasteful. Releasing them might allow them to harm others again.
“The system can strip them of their abilities and weaken their physical condition, turning them into ordinary people,” the system suddenly said.
Miao Suisui’s eyes lit up. This was indeed a good solution.
So, Niu Ge and the others saw Miao Suisui suddenly grin, which sent a chill down their spines.
When new people arrived at the town, the sight before them was a cute young girl standing among a group of crying men and women, hands on her hips, lecturing them loudly, telling them to behave themselves in the future.
Yet somehow, she looked more like the villain in the story.
The cheerful man in the group was stunned and turned to the leader beside him. “Did we… interrupt something…”
At that moment, Miao Suisui received a system notification that new people had arrived. She looked over and saw seven or eight people standing under the streetlight at the entrance, including men, women, and a child.
They were staring at her in shock. They did not look like accomplices of Niu Ge.
She dropped the fierce expression she had deliberately put on and replaced it with a professional smile as she walked over.
“Welcome to Hope Town. I am the mayor here. Our town provides housing, water, and food. As long as you have crystal cores, you can stay anytime,” Miao Suisui said dutifully.
“Housing? Water? Food? Are you serious?” the cheerful man exclaimed, his voice rising several pitches in shock. They had not planned to stay here, they had only come to check things out after hearing the commotion.
“You can come in and see for yourselves. Everything in the town has clearly marked prices. Fair for everyone.”
After she spoke, she noticed the group looking at Niu Ge and the others behind her with complicated expressions.
“If I say this is just a coincidence, would you believe me?” Miao Suisui said awkwardly.
“Let’s go take a look first. If it’s real, we won’t have to sleep out in the open tonight,” the quiet man in camouflage suddenly said. Miao Suisui looked up and met a pair of deep eyes.
“It’s you!” Before Miao Suisui could say anything, a hoarse female voice suddenly rang out from behind.
A figure rushed past her toward the restrained group.
Before Miao Suisui could react, the woman had already grabbed one of them by the collar, lifted him, and slammed him to the ground. “How dare you! How dare you show up in front of me again!”