Chapter 68: Return and the Troublemaker
Sarah’s mind was a haze, her consciousness slowly awakening, yet a warm current seemed to flow gently through her body.
Her vision was blurred at first, but as time passed, everything around her gradually came into focus.
She realized she was lying in a bed, her head still somewhat dizzy.
Turning her head, she saw two figures nearby.
“Dad? Uncle Tommy?” Sarah rubbed her eyes.
“You’re awake.”
“Good, looks like you’re recovering well.”
The voices belonged to Zoe and Li Changsheng.
“Where am I?” Sarah tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness swept over her.
“Slowly, slowly,” Zoe hurried over to support her. “You’re injured—you need rest.”
Suddenly, memories rushed back to Sarah: she and her father had been attacked by soldiers, she’d been wounded. In panic, she glanced around, searching for her father and uncle, but it was in vain.
“Where are my dad and Uncle Tommy?” she asked anxiously.
“They probably escaped to another place, but I believe they’re safe,” Li Changsheng replied, leaning against the wall by the window.
It was already the next morning. The night before, once Sarah showed signs of life—thanks, perhaps, to blood or magic—Li Changsheng had found an empty house nearby for the group to stay in temporarily.
That morning, he’d scouted around the nearby town but hadn’t seen a single living soul.
He figured Joel and Tommy had been chased elsewhere.
At his words, Sarah’s tears began to flow. “Dad, Uncle Tommy…”
Zoe quickly came to comfort her, recounting what had happened the previous day.
Gradually, Sarah’s emotions calmed.
Li Changsheng waited two more days, but Joel and Tommy never returned. After discussing it with Sarah, the group decided to leave a message and head for Civilization City.
...
Georgia, inside Civilization City.
After days of hard work, the entire city had changed dramatically. Another perimeter had been added, surrounded by barbed wire. This area was for parking the residents’ vehicles.
At the moment, though, the place was empty—only the occasional commotion drifted in from the outer grounds.
“Fairness! Fairness!”
“We’ve waited long enough! The resources of Civilization City should be distributed fairly!”
A crowd had gathered. Two dark-skinned men stood atop a high platform outside, shouting loudly, their slogans echoing in the air.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, startling everyone.
The shooter was Merle.
“Shut your filthy mouths! Next time, I’ll put a bullet through that pig’s head of yours!” Merle’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
The two men jumped but quickly hid behind others, still shouting defiantly.
They seemed confident Merle wouldn’t actually shoot them.
“Merle, put down the gun!”
Cries of alarm rose from the crowd.
“Merle, wait for the boss to come back,” Daryl spat on the ground and clapped Merle on the shoulder. “These two bastards, not only do they refuse to work and beg for supplies like vagrants, they even hit Maggie. You all insist on handling them like Jenner—putting them in the outer camp. Sooner or later there’ll be trouble. Well, keep stopping me if you want, but when the boss gets back, I’m the one who’ll be in trouble.”
Merle cursed under his breath but could only shake his head in resignation. After all, these two were waving the banners of equality and non-discrimination...
At that moment, Maggie, Beth, and Amy were together.
“Amy,” asked with concern, “Maggie, how’s your injury? Any better?”
Maggie shook her head gently. “It’s nothing, but I can’t swallow this humiliation…”
Amy pursed her lips, glaring toward the outer camp. “When he gets back, those two will get what’s coming to them. I’ll make sure he puts them in their place.”
“Let it go, no need to trouble him,” Maggie replied, shaking her head.
Amy was still dissatisfied, her brow furrowed. “We never should have taken those two in—not only lazy and greedy, but now they’re eyeing the core supplies.”
Beth added, “Just hold on a bit longer. Judging by the time, he should be back any moment.”
As they spoke, the sound of a car horn blared outside.
“Boss?”
Several figures rushed out to the perimeter.
“Boss!”
“You’re back!”
Chen Fan nodded to Amy, Beth, Merle, Daryl, and the others. “I’m back.”
Merle raised his voice, “Boss, if you hadn’t come back, those two bastards would have driven us mad!”
Li Changsheng gave him a puzzled look. “Tell me as we go. This is Zoe, a virology expert.”
He lifted Sarah from the car. “This is Sarah, a little girl I rescued on the way. Amy, help me get her settled—her leg is still injured, she can’t walk.”
Amy took Sarah, her gaze gentle as water.
“Boss…” Beth looked at Li Changsheng with grievance, as if wanting to say something but hesitating.
Li Changsheng frowned. “What’s the matter? Speak.”
Beth nodded. “A few days ago, we took in a group of survivors, but these two not only refuse to work, they assaulted Maggie.”
“Is that so?” Li Changsheng turned to Maggie, who nodded in confirmation.
He swept his gaze over the group, snorted, and looked at Merle with a hint of menace. “Merle, are you all talk? Is that weapon just for show?”
That look could kill.
Merle’s heart skipped a beat as he hurried to explain. “Boss, Daryl and I already taught those two a lesson. We wanted to throw them out, but Dale and Hershel and the old folks objected to bloodshed, so we relegated them to the outer camp.”
“Shawn, Rick, what do you think?” Li Changsheng asked, turning to them.
Shawn’s expression tensed. “My advice is to get rid of them. Unstable elements like that have no place here, but no one would agree.”
Rick frowned. “Maybe we should lock them up?”
“Prison?”
Li Changsheng chuckled coldly. “Nothing so kind. Why waste food locking them up? Come, show me.”
Merle hurried to lead the way, with Li Changsheng striding after him.
As they walked, Li Changsheng surveyed the surroundings, noticing several unfamiliar faces—perhaps a dozen or so new arrivals.
Rick and the others, thanks to their stellar performance on missions, had already moved into the dorms. Most of those in the outer camp were newcomers.
Many whispered among themselves.
“Look, that’s our city lord? He seems so young.”
“I wonder how he’ll handle this.”
“He’s Asian. Asians tend to avoid trouble, don’t they…”
Merle pointed out the two culprits. “Boss, it’s them—they’re the ones causing trouble outside.”
Li Changsheng’s eyes fell on the two men, giving them a cursory glance.
One was fat, the other thin, both with surly faces—troublemakers to the core.
Li Changsheng asked, “You’re accused of robbery and assault. Do you admit it?”
Seeing that the leader was Asian, the two exchanged a glance, each seeing scorn in the other’s eyes.
After all, in this country, Asian faces were easy targets—people they could bully without fear of retaliation.
They were sure this would blow over, maybe even earn them more benefits.
The fat one sneered, “It’s the apocalypse—what laws are left?”
The thin one tried to hold him back, then smiled at Li Changsheng. “You’re the city lord, right? Tell me, why do we have to live in tents while they stay in the dorms? This is a country built on fairness—you should give us equal treatment.”
At first, he spoke with a smile, but his voice grew louder, as if eager for more to hear.
Li Changsheng turned and whispered to Beth, “Take the children upstairs.” Beth froze, her body trembling, then quickly gathered Carl, Sophia, and the others, leading them away from the spectacle.
Shawn’s brow suddenly furrowed, as if he realized what was about to happen.
Rick shook his head.
“I’m asking if you robbed supplies and assaulted a companion,” Li Changsheng pressed.
The thin man tried to protest, but the fat one cut him off. “We did it, so what? It’s what we deserve!”
“Oh, so you admit your guilt. In that case, you’ll face the consequences.” Li Changsheng raised his voice. “I declare you guilty. The sentence is immediate execution.”
With that, Li Changsheng suddenly raised his gun.
Bang!
A single shot. Blood blossomed on the fat man’s forehead, his eyes wide in disbelief as he crumpled to the ground.
The thin man collapsed in terror, never imagining Li Changsheng would kill without hesitation. “Please… please… don’t… don’t kill me…”
“Merle, drag him out and execute him as an example to the newcomers. Shawn, help him.”
“Yes, boss.” Merle had been itching to deal with this one. Smack! He slapped the thin man across the face. “Shut up!” Then he dragged him out.
Such ruthlessness…
Shawn’s brow twitched, his heart pounding. He glanced nervously at Li Changsheng, then quickly looked away and hurried after Merle.