Chapter 16: The Bandits
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Seeing the guns pointed at them, everyone panicked. They instinctively tried to shield themselves by hiding behind their companions, causing utter chaos. The gunman, satisfied with their reaction, smiled and said, "Why aren't you so arrogant now? Keep it up!"
No one dared to speak, fearing that the next second might be a bullet aimed at them.
"I heard there are awakened ones among you. I wonder whose skill is faster—yours or my bullets?"
The other robbers surrounding them burst into loud laughter as they watched the trapped group curl up like quails, feeling a twisted satisfaction.
Passersby before had thought it impressive that there were awakened among them. Yet, when faced with real weapons, they obediently handed over their food.
"We were wrong earlier. Please, have mercy and let us go. We don’t have much food left. If we give it all to you now, what will we do later?"
"Don’t care what you do. If you don’t want to hand over the food today, then stay here."
The robbers cared nothing for their lives. If they refused, they had other ways to force food from them.
“Brothers, collect it.”
“Got it.”
The robbers cheered and strode toward the group, roughly snatching their luggage and beginning to pillage their food.
“No, you can’t!”
“These are what I’ve painstakingly gathered; I won’t give them to you.”
“Waaah... Mom...”
“Don’t shoot! Please, leave me something.”
Many clutched their belongings tightly, but their strength was too feeble against the robbers.
Some awakened tried to resist, but soon bullets landed near their feet, and others were subdued by more awakened.
Before long, all their food was taken, leaving only scattered clothes on the ground.
“Heavens, is there no mercy left in this world?”
“What are we supposed to do now?”
The base wasn’t free to enter; they had to surrender a portion of food to gain access. They were so close to the base but never imagined such a nightmare, unbearable to accept.
“Bang!”
A gunshot instantly silenced the crowd.
“Damn it! If anyone complains again, I’ll let them taste a bullet.”
The gunman glared angrily at those crouching, and finally, silence fell upon the world.
“Boss, what about these people?”
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“The usual.”
“Understood.”
Having received the answer he wanted, a group of robbers smirked wickedly as they approached the group.
They circled around, scrutinizing them as if selecting among them.
“You’ve given us your food. What else do you want?”
“What else? You’ll soon find out,” the robber said, eyes dark with meaning.
The woman felt deeply uncomfortable under his gaze and shifted back slightly, as if seeking a shred of safety.
Then, the robbers dragged several people out—only women and children were taken. The rest grew uneasy.
“What do you want? I’ve already given you the food. Let go of my child!”
“Do you still have any sense?”
“Hah! If you want to reason with me, you’ve come to the wrong person.”
A gun was pressed against the head of one of them, frightening them into silence.
“These stay. The rest can leave.”
“They...” someone hesitated, looking at those being taken.
The gunman shot a glance at them. “What, are you planning to stay and join them?”
“No, no, I’ll leave now.”
Though many wished to leave with their families, staying meant likely death. For their own safety, most chose to flee. Survival was better than death.
“I’ll stay.”
One person refused to abandon their family and chose to remain.
“Fine. You’ve got guts!” The gunman then looked at the others. “What about you? Have you decided whether to stay or go?”
In the end, a third of them were kept behind, while the rest grabbed their belongings and ran toward the base.
Unbeknownst to them, the gunman behind them was aiming his weapon at the fleeing group.
“Bang!”
Startled by the gunshot, one turned to see a pair of malicious eyes staring and a cold gun barrel aimed their way.
“Ah!! They’re shooting!”
Everyone panicked and scattered chaotically, fearing the next bullet would be aimed at them. Not daring to hesitate, they fled with all their might.
Meanwhile, the gang leader, having missed his shot, turned with a dark, fierce look toward those behind him.
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“Who fired just now?”
He was certain someone had sabotaged him, causing the shot to go wide.
“Boss, no one moved just now.”
One subordinate looked at his volatile leader, bewildered.
The leader scanned around but found no one acting suspicious, then looked at those who had already run far away.
“Consider yourselves lucky. Take them back.”
“Got it.” The robbers waved to the others. “Brothers, let’s go. Hehe, we’re feasting tonight.”
“Following the boss is great—every now and then, we get a real feast.”
On the way back, the robbers didn’t bother to blindfold Jiang Yu and the others to prevent them from learning the location of their base. They knew escape was impossible, let alone calling for reinforcements.
They wandered through winding paths for a long while before finally returning to their hideout.
Without a guide, this place was easy to get lost in.
“Boss, you’re back. Looks like today’s haul was pretty good.”
“Brother, it’s more than good! This is the biggest catch in months.”
“Hahaha, you’re right. Tonight we’ll celebrate properly.”
“Then tonight we should feast on a couple of lambs to celebrate?”
“Boss, what do you think?”
“Alright. Extra rations tonight for the celebration.”
Their conversation was uncaring of Jiang Yu and the others; no one but Jiang Yu understood their meaning.
Even Jiang Yu could hardly believe that in just a few months, such beasts had appeared among humanity!
There was still meat to be had, so why did these monsters have to eat people?
They all deserved to die!
A fierce anger burned in Jiang Yu’s eyes, though she kept her head lowered, hoping no one noticed.
Tonight, peace was impossible here...