Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

“What’s your name, brother?”

Zhang Su took out his cigarette and handed one to the man, asking.

“My surname is Zu; it’s a rather rare surname. My given name is Meng, and I’m forty-five years old, quite a bit older than you. You can call me Old Meng; it sounds better than Old Zu. This is my sister, Zu Tong. She’s twelve years younger than me and is thirty-three this year. What’s your surname, brother?”

“My surname is Zhang, Zhang Su.”

“Boss Zhang, let’s not stand here and talk. Let’s go into the courtyard and sit down. I have good food and drink there, and we can chat while eating. Quickly tell me about the situation outside.”

Zu Meng was very enthusiastic and strongly invited Zhang Su and his group into the guesthouse to talk.

“No rush…”

Zhang Su discreetly pushed Zu Meng’s hand away, saying, “I have some friends down the mountain.”

“More friends? Oh, that’s great! Boss Zhang, quickly call your friends up here. It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a lively gathering here. Sister, quickly notify Xiaochen and Master Liu; we’re going to entertain guests soon and prepare a feast. Oh, by the way, Boss Zhang, how many of you are there?”

Zu Meng seemed to revert to the state of a normally operating farmhouse, warmly entertaining guests and asking for the number to prepare food.

“Twenty people.”

Zhang Su said with a faint smile, carefully observing the other party’s expression.

“Sister, hurry up! Inform them to prepare food for twenty; twenty people requires three tables, hahaha.”

Zu Meng was as attentive as he would be to guests in the past.

Zhang Su didn’t notice anything odd, but the more it seemed okay, the more it made him suspicious, so he asked, “Old Meng, you should know that resources are becoming scarcer now. Every bite of food means less. Many people in the city are desperate enough to eat human flesh; you’re inviting us to eat so generously?”

“Hehehe…” Old Meng rubbed his hands, saying, “Boss Zhang, this isn’t a free meal. You have twenty people, so you must have brought quite a bit of supplies. We’ll just take a one or two percent extra fee based on the ingredients you provide; how does that sound?”

The four of them exchanged glances. This farmhouse guesthouse boss really had a peculiar way of thinking – even in the apocalypse, he hadn’t forgotten about business.

“Haha, Old Meng, one or two percent isn’t much, but why should I pay you? I could just take over this place, and everything would be ours!”

Zhang Su patted the rifle on his chest.

Zu Meng forced a smile, saying, “Brother Zhang is right, but I don’t think you guys look like the type to commit robbery. Besides, if you were going to rob us with guns, why bother talking to me for so long – isn’t that a waste of time, right?”

“Alright, I’ll trust you for now, but don’t try anything clever!”

Bang!

As he spoke, Zhang Su opened the safety and pulled the trigger, making a shot that hit a nearby sign.

The sudden gunshot made Zu Meng jump, his slightly chubby cheeks trembling, and he waved his hands repeatedly, “No, no!”

“Brother Su, Brother Su, I heard a gunshot, did something happen?”

Just as they were speaking, Lu Yubo’s voice came from the walkie-talkie in his chest pocket.

Zhang Su took out the walkie-talkie, saying, “It’s okay. There are a few guesthouse owners here; show them the weapons and come up here.”

“Old Meng, do you still keep chickens and ducks here?”

In an ancient-looking courtyard, Zhang Su sat on a bamboo chair with a beautiful tea set arranged on the tea table in front of him. The aroma of tea lingered in the air.

Earlier, when he was at the parking lot, he hadn’t heard anything from deep inside. It wasn’t until he walked past a few courtyards that he heard the sounds of chickens and ducks frolicking – a scene like paradise. Compared to the destruction in the city, it was very appealing.

“Oh, it’s quite strange. All the chickens and ducks fainted after the disaster broke out. It wasn’t until the heavy rain a few days ago that they all suddenly woke up.”

Zu Meng skillfully manipulated the tea set, revealing that he was someone who knew how to enjoy life.

“By the way, didn’t the heavy rain a few days ago affect you here?”

Talking about the awakening of animals, Zhang Su suddenly remembered the heavy rain.

Zu Meng confidently laughed and said, “You probably don’t know, but the boss here relied on connections and was pretty arrogant. He got into trouble and the inspections were very strict – we have measures to exceed standards for fire and flood prevention. It worked out well for us doing business here, haha.”

“Old Meng, you guys are amazing; you have water and electricity – modern living. You have no idea how bad things are in the city… Hey, wait, electricity comes from solar panels, but where does the water come from? I didn’t see a well!”

Zhao Dezhu watched Zu Meng fiddling with the two tea sets, unable to resist asking.

“There’s a reservoir on the mountain, and all the water we use at the farmhouse comes from there, saving us quite a bit of money. It was a big feature of the resort’s investment back in the day, haha. Ah… those were the days.”

Speaking of the past, Zu Meng seemed a bit sentimental as he prepared the tea cups, pouring a cup for each person.

“Brother Su.”

“Brother Su, Sister Xue and Xiaopang are guarding the car.”

At this moment, a group that had driven up the mountain entered the courtyard led by Zu Tong, making the space feel crowded.

“Hahaha, so many guests – back in the day, I could have made a fortune!”

Zu Meng was unusually excited, rubbing his hands as he moved chairs to accommodate everyone.

“We’ll make sure not to put you at a loss. We haven’t had a proper meal in ages. As long as your chef satisfies us, we’ll compensate you with a two percent reward!”

Zhang Su raised his teacup for a sniff and tossed a piece of jerky to Good Fortune, who promptly munched away delightfully.

“Hahaha, don’t worry, Boss Zhang. I’ll personally supervise, and if the food isn’t good, you can slap me!”

With that, Zu Meng exchanged pleasantries with everyone and was about to leave.

“Wait!” Zhang Su called to Zu Meng, then said to his companions, “We’re not used to sitting around waiting for food. Zhuzi, Old Tan, Xiaoshuai, go help the chef!”

“Alright!”

The three of them immediately stood up upon hearing this and nodded knowingly.

“It’s really impressive to see the bosses carrying guns into the kitchen, hahaha, come on, I’ll lead the way for you all.”

Zu Meng naturally understood why Zhang Su sent people to go with him, so he didn’t dilly-dally.

“Well then, I won’t disturb the bosses here chatting, feel free to help yourselves to all the food and drinks.”

Zu Tong was busy running around, sweating at the forehead, and seemed to notice the slightly awkward atmosphere, so he quickly excused himself.

“Go on, go on.”

Zhang Su waved his hand, just as he intended to chat with his companions and didn’t want outsiders around. Once the footsteps faded away, he asked, “What do you think of this place?”

“It’s just perfect!”

“There’s water and fields. I saw there are even greenhouses for growing vegetables. We can get some seeds from the village and plant them here, no worries about food and drink.”

“There’s only one road up the mountain, it shouldn’t be hard to defend. It’s a rare good spot.”

“I see there’s a two-story guesthouse over there. If there are any survivors worth bringing in, we have a place to accommodate them.”

Everyone started speaking, all agreeing that Celestial Horse Island was simply flawless.

Lu Yubo raised his eyebrows and said, “Everything is good, just those farmstay owners, I feel they’re always a bit odd. Su, do you feel the same way?”

“I’ve seen Zu Meng drink this water before, no problem.” Zhang Su poured the tea away before filling a cup with hot water, drank half, and said, “Bozai, you know, I feel the same as you, but so far, I’ve found no problem.”

“Could it be that we’ve seen too many ghosts and now find it uncomfortable seeing people…”

Zhang Ya muttered.

“There are just four of them, they definitely can’t manage such a large area. It’s understandable they want survivors to come and develop together. At least, they shouldn’t dare challenge us?”

While speaking, Master Jia deliberately patted the rifle on his shoulder, the meaning evident, we are numerous and armed, normal people would opt to please us.

“Old Meng and his sister are like genuine businessmen. As I said, so far I haven’t seen any issue, but let’s not let our guard down. Paranoia can be quite useful in today’s world, let’s assess them for a period!”

Having said that, Zhang Su pulled out a walkie-talkie to alert Zhao Xue and Pang Dakun to remain vigilant.

After Zhang Su put down the walkie-talkie, Liu Tianji smiled and said, “Su, are we planning to set up camp here then?”

Zhang Su glanced at the orderly guesthouses and said, “Let’s see how tonight goes, hopefully everything stays peaceful!”

Over twenty years of stable and harmonious societal life, yet just over twenty days of unrest hovering on the edge of life can shatter one’s sense of security, even with beauty right before one’s eyes, caution remains imperative.

Everyone refrained from wandering around and stayed in the courtyard waiting for dinner.

As smoke rose from the kitchen, the aroma of human life permeated…

Three quarters later, three Eight Immortals tables were set up in the courtyard, excluding the two guards at the car. Zhang Su invited Zu Meng’s siblings and the two chefs to join for a meal, totaling over twenty people, bustling with activity.

Zhang Su also met Chen Minwen and Liu Dazhi, who had been busy in the kitchen.

According to Zu Meng’s introduction, Chen Minwen used to be a station leader in charge of Chinese pastry making at a hotel, and Liu Dazhi was quite skilled, having served as head chef at a renowned hotel in Qin City.

“Boss Zhang, with such good dishes, wouldn’t you want some wine? We don’t have excellent wine, but there is some ordinary Luzi, Guzi, and for those who prefer a delicate aroma, there’s Qinghua aged fifteen years, haha.”

Zu Meng held two bottles of liquor, promoting them.

Zhang Su smiled and waved his hand, saying, “No need for wine, just some soft drinks!”

If there were no outsiders, everyone could indulge in a few drinks, but given the current situation, no one dared to relax, not even the ones most eager for a drink, Zhao Dezhu and Jia Shiqin, could only watch the liquor pass them by.

“Alright! Coke, Sprite, Wahaha, Assam, Hawthorn Under the Tree, we have it all.”

Soon, Zheng Xinyu and Zhao Dezhu, along with Zu Meng, helped bring the drinks to the table.

Even though Zhao Dezhu and several others assisted in the kitchen’s activities, Zhang Su waited until Zu Meng and the others took the first bite before feeling assured to let everyone enjoy the table’s feast, also sending plentiful food to Zhao Xue and Pang Dakun guarding the car.

Once the first mouthful of cuisine was put into mouths, there was a moment of silence on-site.

A long-lost sense of happiness filled everyone’s hearts, moving them, as it’s been nearly a month since the disaster’s outbreak without tasting a meal so infused with the essence of living.

Each table had eight dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, with some cold and some hot ones. Tan Huajun busied himself in the kitchen and specially fished out two large chicken legs for Good Fortune, now chewing at Zhang Su’s feet with oil spilling from its mouth.

The atmosphere during the meal was very quiet, despite Zu Meng trying to chatter and lighten the mood, Zhang Su and his group focused intently on eating, and in no time, two commercial rice cookers were empty, along with clean platters, leaving only some drinks remaining.

“Wow, seeing this scene before would have made us self-reflect on whether the portion was too small, haha.”

Zu Meng laughed heartily at the stack of clean plates, unaware anyone would think he was genuinely earning a fortune.

Zhang Su constantly observed the four people subtly; Zu Family siblings were very sociable, while the chefs spoke less, perfectly normal, and not a single issue was apparent throughout.

Seeing Zu Meng and the others start cleaning the tables, Zhang Su said, “Old Meng, today’s meal, fifty pounds of rice, plus twenty pounds of vegetables, is that enough?”

“Fifty pounds…”

Zu Meng calculated, and embarrassingly laughed, “The rice and veggies are certainly enough, but the meat…”

“What meat, can’t rice be used to feed chickens? Chickens lay eggs, eggs hatch chickens, isn’t that meat? Ridiculous!”

Zhao Dezhu knew clearly the supplies in the car, plenty of grains and vegetables but lacking meat.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Zhao is correct.”

Zu Meng was startled by Zhao Dezhu, nodding repeatedly, daring not to say much more.