Chapter 55: Robbery on the Road

On the boat, a man had set up a small stool with a tray on top, displaying all sorts of gold and silver jewelry.

Before the disaster, who would dare lay out such valuable jewelry so openly on the street?

But now, people had no interest in these things at all.

A gold necklace? Can you eat it? It’s not even worth as much as a kilo of millet.

Although no one else cared, Annan spotted a real treasure among the pile—a high-quality jade bangle.

To her, this was a great find.

Even though her storage space no longer expanded in size, it still absorbed jade, and the bangle on her wrist would continue to improve in quality as a result.

So Annan was convinced her space was still upgrading, even if she hadn’t quite figured out what exactly had changed...

Annan called out to the man and steered her boat over.

The man’s face lit up—someone wanted to trade with him so soon?

He’d already tried to barter these things with his neighbors back in his own community, but no one was interested.

So he’d come to the market, hoping for better luck with the crowds.

After some haggling, Annan finally traded four jin of crocodile meat for the bangle.

She examined the jade bangle with great satisfaction.

This was a huge win for her—after all, before the disaster, crocodile meat was only about 100 yuan per jin. Four jin wouldn’t even be 500 yuan.

But this bangle had excellent translucency, old stone, and a vibrant green color. Before the disaster, it would have cost at least 50,000 yuan.

Most importantly, it could help her upgrade her space.

The man was happy too.

The bangle used to be worth a lot, but now hardly anyone cared for it. He hadn’t even been able to trade it for a kilo of millet with his neighbors, but now he’d gotten four whole jin of crocodile meat.

Both sides parted ways, satisfied.

After trading for the jade bangle, Annan and her two companions turned their boat for home.

But as soon as they left Zhongguan District, they saw five inflatable kayaks up ahead, lined up across the water, blocking the way.

Annan stopped the boat cautiously and called to Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei:

“There’s something up ahead.”

Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei immediately grabbed their weapons.

Annan crouched down and picked up the chainsaw and nail gun she’d already prepared on the boat.

She’d guessed it would be risky to travel with two boatloads of supplies, so she’d brought the chainsaw and nail gun out in advance.

Good thing she’d had the foresight—otherwise, she couldn’t just magically produce such big weapons in front of Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an.

Meanwhile, the group ahead was getting excited.

“See, guys? Didn’t I say only the rich make it to the market? How many fat sheep have we caught already?”

They stared greedily at the supplies piled high on Annan’s boat.

“Let’s go! More loot coming!”

“Quick, quick! Everyone, move in!”

The five boats advanced in a line, drawing closer and closer.

Chu Peipei looked at the blockade, gripping her nail gun, her palms sweating.

Annan noticed her nerves and quietly reassured her:

“Stay calm. Don’t panic. Aim for their kayaks.”

With that, she opened fire at the approaching boats.

Chu Peipei quickly followed suit.

Both of them had practiced their shooting plenty, so hardly a single nail missed its mark.

In moments, all five kayaks began to slowly deflate, and several of the attackers were wounded.

Seeing this, the other side panicked. “Hurry! Get closer!”

Long-range fighting put them at a disadvantage, but if they could get close and board Annan’s boat, their overwhelming numbers would make it easy to take down the three of them.

The boats closed in quickly.

Annan holstered her nail gun and revved up the chainsaw.

Vrrr—vrrr—

The deafening roar filled the air, and the sharp blade spun at high speed.

The attackers were stunned. What the hell?!

Faced with that terrifying machine, none of them dared move forward.

Come on, all we’ve got are kitchen knives, wrenches, and fire axes—how are we supposed to go up against that?

The group that had planned to bully the few with their numbers was suddenly at a loss.

What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to have a brawl? Why aren’t they playing by the rules?

But now, their boats were leaking. If they didn’t take out the three, they’d be in real danger once they ended up in the water.

A few with longer weapons braced themselves and advanced.

The others shrank behind them, waiting for a chance to strike.

Annan’s chainsaw wasn’t a weapon for crowd control—she couldn’t take down so many at once.

But now, she had backup.

The three of them stood together on the boat.

Annan wielded the chainsaw, guarding all sides. Anyone who got close was instantly shredded.

With her holding the line, Chu Peipei could confidently pick off targets one by one with the nail gun.

With Annan anchoring them, Chu Peipei’s hands were steady, and her aim was true—she didn’t miss a shot.

Zhao Ping’an handled any gaps in their defense. He wielded a homemade spear over four meters long, its tip coated with a powerful tranquilizer for crocodiles, standing guard beside Annan.

Anyone who crossed the line got stabbed immediately.

Working together, the three of them quickly routed their attackers.

Five minutes later.

Chu Peipei saw that all their opponents had fallen into the water, unable to fight back, and put away her nail gun.

She looked at the twenty or so people in disbelief—had the three of them really taken them all down?

Her confidence soared.

On the other side, Annan put down her chainsaw and drew her nail gun again.

She raised the gun, aiming at the water.

A breeze ruffled the hair at her forehead.

Her gentle voice drifted on the wind, reaching Chu Peipei’s ears:

“Let me teach you one more trick.”

“No loose ends.”

With that, Annan mercilessly shot the struggling survivors in the water, each shot aimed at the temple.

Those she hit quickly stopped moving.

Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an froze for a moment.

Then, they snapped out of it and followed her lead, finishing off the rest.

The water gradually stilled.

Looking ahead, they spotted another boat, empty of people, floating nearby.

It was loaded with supplies.

It seemed this gang had robbed quite a few people before targeting them.

Annan and her companions rowed over and claimed all the ill-gotten goods.

About 300 jin of potatoes, all sorts of miscellaneous dry food, some snacks, boxes of bottled water...

There were even three large gas canisters.

Not just the supplies—they took the kayak too.

Once everything was packed up, Annan piloted the boat home. No one spoke on the way.

It was the first time Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei had killed someone with their own hands.

Before, they’d only ever driven off those who bullied them, never gone so far as to leave no survivors.

When they acted just now, they’d felt nervous and a bit guilty, but it wasn’t as terrifying as they’d imagined.

In fact, there was even a secret thrill.

A fresh experience for people who’d always lived in peacetime—the ruthless crushing of the weak by the strong.

It felt like something inside them had changed after taking action themselves...

The boat soon arrived back at their community.

Suddenly, Chu Peipei, who’d been lost in thought, cried out:

“Look! Has the water level gone down?!”"