NOVPUBChapter 111: Chapter 111 The Stupid Son
Chapter 111 -111 The Stupid Son
Old Master Lin’s eyebrows could’ve trapped flies: “You’re in your forties, why do you always want to rely on others? Now you actually want to lean on the younger generation, what are you thinking?”
Lin Ran showed no particular reaction to this. “Dad, isn’t it because Yuan Jiang has the experience since he came out first?”
Old Master Lin heaved another sigh. “Lin Ran, the apocalypse has arrived. Isn’t everyone struggling just for a bite to eat? Do you think it was easy for those two kids to find resources? And you want a piece of the action too? Do you know how long they go out every day? They don’t find things because of experience, but on the strength of their legs, their perseverance. You guys whine after walking for three hours, but they go out before nightfall and only return at dawn. Do you even understand what everyone’s doing in the apocalypse?”
Lin Ran’s expression sank, filled with self-reproach. “Dad, I know I can’t handle big responsibilities, but I have to start somewhere…”
“Shut your mouth, start somewhere my ass. You’ve gone a day and a night without food, right? And still thinking of taking it slow, planning on starving to death?” Old Master Lin truly couldn’t endure his son any longer. Why couldn’t his son be more like himself? He was just like his uncle – in peaceful times this might be fine, but in the apocalypse… Old Master Lin felt like he was going crazy.
He had originally planned to leave some of his hidden food for Lin Ran, then take some with Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng. Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng had shared their conversation with Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, and Old Master Lin saw the sense in it. Staying wasn’t a long-term plan, so he intended to go with Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng first to the abandoned factory under Iron West Bridge to make some cold weapons, then gather some people. Once they were capable, he planned to bring over his elder son’s family, because taking those three with them was too difficult, and they would only hold Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng back. That was his plan.
But now, looking at his elder son, he hesitated inside. Even if he left them some food, it seemed they would have a hard time surviving.
Lin Ran looked at Old Master Lin. “Dad, I’m really anxious too, but I just don’t know what to do…”
After much contemplation, Old Master Lin finally said, “You need to learn to be independent first. Think about how to solve problems on your own, not whom to rely on. You also need the will to endure hardship, don’t think about what will happen if you step backward, think about moving forward. And lastly, your daughter – if this continues, she’ll cause a big disaster. You need her to correct her behavior soon.”
He couldn’t bear to just abandon his eldest son’s family, so after much thought, he decided to stay a few more days and see if they could find any resources before he left.
He also needed more time to assess Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng, to be able to trust them with the knowledge about the resources.
Lin Ran agreed to this, and Lin Feifei wanted to say more, but Old Master Lin directly said to her, “Go back with your father, and don’t come bothering us. Yuan Jiang and Mengmeng are already very tired.”
Lin Feifei pouted. “Grandpa, you should at least give us a bit of food, right?”
Old Master Lin gritted his teeth and toughened his heart. “You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
Lin Ran could see his father’s determination and knew it was no use to argue. He had no choice but to take Lin Feifei and leave.
Afterward, Lin Ran took Lin Feifei up the mountain to strip tree bark, just to get by. His wife at home had hidden some food, which they could cook up to last another day.
Lin Feifei also knew about the hidden food, which is why she wasn’t so scared.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng knew nothing of this and didn’t care. They slept well during the day.
In the evening, more people came knocking, all hoping to be under their protection. They knew these were individuals from the Inner Circle that nobody dared to touch. Having stayed so long without charging protection fees or oppressing others, these people all hoped to shirk off such fees by being under their wing.
Gu Pan and the others naturally refused, they did not want to oppose the Inner Circle and didn’t wish to interfere with their affairs. In the post-apocalypse, there were no rules for survival, so they didn’t want to meddle in others’ business. They just wanted to live safely and well.
Of course, Fu Chenyuan from the Inner Circle had anticipated their reaction. He had a hunch about it and wasn’t worried. If Gu Pan and the others had wanted to get involved in these matters, they would have interacted with the previous Inner Circle members long ago.
All he needed to do was to regularly collect protection money, and then his people would drive out at night to look for supplies before searching for suitable places to attack. Seizing more supplies was what he had to do now.
He would not confront strong figures like Gu Pan and her group head-on; he wouldn’t engage in unfavorable endeavors. Being a businessman, not a bandit, he could not afford to be impulsive or reckless. His priority was profit, and it was best to avoid interfering with each other.
This line of thinking was something both Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng had anticipated. The ways of merchants and soldiers differed greatly, even more so from those of the unsophisticated.
That night, Gu Pan and her team were out looking for supplies. They continued to travel by car, venturing further than usual.
Chen Shaonan and his spouse were guarding the base since Duan Shumei wasn’t feeling well, so they stayed home while everyone else followed Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng by car.
Cheng Yang stood at the rear of the vehicle, scanning the surroundings with binoculars. The car moved slowly to avoid roadblocks, as many people placed them on the roads at night for the purpose of robbery.
After they left the urban area and hadn’t gone far, they suffered a punctured tire. This wasn’t completely unexpected as hidden roadblocks could easily be concealed with weeds, and if the ambushers were positioned far enough away or had enough experience to hide effectively, they might not be visible through binoculars.
But they couldn’t possibly travel without the car; on foot, they would cover too short a distance each day, resulting in meager harvests.
Naturally, they were prepared for such incidents. The cars were equipped with spare tires, and they all wore bulletproof vests, helmets, guns. If they encountered a robbery, they would retaliate, capture the assailants’ guns, and give them a taste of their own medicine.
So when the car stopped, they quickly disembarked and found concealed positions to avoid potential snipers, then loaded their weapons.
Soon, footsteps could be heard rushing towards them from all around.
Lu Ruisheng gestured with his hands, commanding everyone to take aim with their guns towards the approaching directions.
When the people drew near, at Lu Ruisheng’s signal, everyone opened fire together. The first group of eight people to approach were all shot dead, and they hadn’t even managed to get a clear look at Gu Pan and her group.
It should be noted that Lu Ruisheng had trained his people like special forces soldiers. While they might not have the physical qualities of those rigorously selected for elite teams, in the eyes of the common people, they were an insurmountable force.
Quickly, another group surged from the opposite side of the road, about twenty in number. The man leading them wore a camouflage t-shirt, had small braids, and wielded a submachine gun, spraying bullets towards their side.
The other lackeys also had guns, though many were homemade firearms, with not much firepower.
Lu Ruisheng yelled to his people, “They aren’t professionals, throw projectiles!”
