Chapter 54: Using Leverage to Pressure Others

Pang Zhenggong looked coldly at his friend.

“Have you ever thought about what would happen if one day I couldn’t find any food?”

“In a team like that, if I’m out for a long time, who’s going to guarantee the safety of my wife and child?”

“And what if one day, I end up dead, just like those men from the Shi family?”

When the men from the Shi family had their accident, Pang Zhenggong happened to be in the team.

The atmosphere in the team under the bridge was terrible that day.

But no one rushed to prey on the Shi family’s widows and orphans or divide up their food.

In any other team, that would have been unthinkable.

Later, he’d heard that Chen Da had gone looking for Second Sister-in-law Shi.

But for some reason, nothing happened to her in the end.

Still, the fact that Chen Da and a few thugs went to find her—in the wasteland, that was already considered “civilized.”

Really, by comparison, it was very civilized.

At least in the team under the bridge, on the surface, everyone minded their own business.

Other teams were practically back to the Stone Age.

Let’s not even talk about the chaotic relationships between men and women—there were even cases of people eating each other’s children.

Pang Zhenggong didn’t believe for a second that if another team recruited him, they’d just leave his wife and child alone.

His friend thought Pang Zhenggong was being foolish.

“There’s no future here. This team is going to get swallowed up sooner or later.”

“I heard the Chen family is planning to leave soon, too.”

Having been away for a while, his friend wasn’t up to date on the subtle changes in the team.

He didn’t have a wife or kids, so he couldn’t understand Pang Zhenggong’s concerns.

In fact, Pang Zhenggong, who used to do search and rescue work before the apocalypse, had always had pretty good luck finding food.

In any team, the main force for finding food was always the healthy men.

Ideally, the man would also have some strength, be meticulous, and have the patience to rummage through the ruins.

And carefully dig out food hidden in overlooked corners beneath the rubble.

As the wasteland dragged on, all the safe areas had already been thoroughly searched.

Food was getting scarcer, and the survivors’ living conditions were getting worse.

More and more survivors were starving to death.

Someone like Pang Zhenggong, who could still find food, would be welcomed in any team.

He’d have it much better than in the team under the bridge.

The reason Pang Zhenggong had been going hungry these past two years was because he kept giving his food to his wife and son, leaving himself hungry.

To him, his wife and child were a burden.

And yet, for these two burdens, he’d stuck it out in this survivor team.

It really wasn’t worth it.

Pang Zhenggong’s expression grew distant. He patted his friend on the shoulder.

“I’m not leaving. My wife and kid are here.”

He turned and went back into his own tent, leaving his friend baffled.

The next day, in the team under the bridge, Chen Huaihai, who could finally move again, went to find the team leader.

He came right out and demanded that the team leader kick out all the old, weak, sick, and disabled members of the Shi family.

The team leader looked at Chen Huaihai’s battered face with a pitiful expression.

“The old and weak from the Shi family haven’t really done anything to you.”

Chen Huaihai sneered, pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“What do you mean, they haven’t done anything? Look at what they did to me!”

The team leader’s gaze shifted from Chen Huaihai’s face to Wei Lingxia behind him.

To be honest, the injuries on Wei Lingxia’s face from domestic violence were even worse than Chen Huaihai’s.

“It’s all because of those idiots from the Shi family.”

Chen Huaihai gritted his teeth.

“If you don’t kick them out, then our Chen family will leave.”

The poor team leader ran a hand through his gray hair, hesitated for a long time, and finally said,

“But hasn’t your Chen family already been planning to leave?”

He was a leader without much ability, and he couldn’t keep people.

Anyone who had a way out had already left.

He wasn’t fooled—he knew the Chen family had already lined up their next team and were preparing to leave.

So, since they were going to leave anyway, threatening him with this seemed a bit pointless.

But he didn’t dare say what he was really thinking—Chen Huaihai was scary.

Chen Huaihai paused, spat on the ground.

“Since you know I’m leaving, just kick the Shi family out.”

“Otherwise, you know my new team is strong enough to crush three of your little teams.”

Outside the big city, there were hardly any small teams left.

Counting them up, there was probably only the team under the bridge left.

The other small teams had either been swallowed up or disbanded because they couldn’t survive with so few people.

Chen Huaihai was confident he could make the team leader do what he wanted.

The team leader’s face turned red, but unexpectedly, he stiffened his neck and stood up to Chen Huaihai.

“Then bring your people and try.”

“We have three mercenaries in our team now.”

Chen Huaihai knew how to use leverage to pressure people, but the team leader wasn’t stupid.

Since the Chen family had already decided to leave, the team’s strength would be greatly reduced.

If the team leader kicked out the Shi family now, wouldn’t that mean losing those three mercenaries too?

Whether or not the Shi family stayed, the Chen family was leaving anyway.

So the team leader might as well tear off the mask and openly side with the Shi family.

Chen Huaihai glared at the team leader, furious.

“You’ll get nothing good from crossing me.”

The team leader replied bluntly,

“I want to survive too, Chen Huaihai. Some things—you shouldn’t push too far.”

“Show some mercy. Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future.”

Chen Huaihai turned to leave, but was blocked by Wei Lingxia.

He slapped her across the face.

“Bitch, are you looking to die, getting in my way?”

Wei Lingxia staggered back from the blow.

“Hurry up and pack our things. We’re leaving today.”

He was determined to wipe out the Shi family’s widows and orphans.

And he’d remember the humiliation the team leader gave him today.

The two of them headed back to the Chen family’s place, just in time to see the wall outside the Shi family’s home.

For once, the sunlight wasn’t shrouded in gloom.

Golden light fell on the red brick wall, and laughter drifted from the courtyard inside.

Wei Lingxia felt a little dazed.

In this wasteland, she hadn’t seen anything so neat and orderly in a long time.

Those red bricks, one by one, stacked so precisely.

They looked solid, too.

Ah Hong ran out from behind the sheet hanging as a curtain in the wall, smiling back at Shi Yuebai.

“Can you finish marking the wall line on Guai Guai’s side today?”

Shi Yuebai was still inside the wall.

She held a piece of chalk in one hand and pushed a flatbed cart with the other, her face cold as she came out.

“Let him mark it himself. No one else can touch his stuff, or he’ll go crazy.”

Ah Hong agreed. Her husband had brought back a big bag of instant noodles the other day.

And a whole case of bottled water.

She and her son weren’t worried about food anymore.

But who would complain about having too much to eat?

For a day’s work at the Shi family, Ah Hong got two potatoes and a bottle of water.

That was enough to fill her belly.

She could save the instant noodles and bottled water at home—wasn’t that great?

Anyone want to join me in virtual dieting? This morning I had two boiled eggs, three scrambled eggs for lunch, and I’m planning on three more boiled eggs for dinner."