Unexpectedly, someone arrived at this moment. Just when success was within reach, someone swooped in and stole the opportunity. How could they be willing to accept this?
Those who lived in the apocalypse were very sensitive to certain things. The group of people exchanged glances and knew that the strange man who had suddenly appeared was not someone they could provoke. However, to give up so easily, to relinquish the crystal cores they could have had in their hands and return empty-handed, was something they were unwilling to do.
“Hey, who are you?”
“If you know what’s good for you, step aside, or don’t blame us for being rude!”
“Our boss is handling business. If you leave now, we might even give you a chance. The benefits will naturally include you.”
“Oh?” Li Shu responded with a faint tone.
Ignoring the clamoring people, Li Shu turned around and asked the person who had already stood up, clutching his chest, “Who are they? Did you provoke them?”
Zhao Feng snapped back to his senses. They had been searching for Li Shu during this time, but he hadn’t expected to meet him under such circumstances.
“These people are from Qingwu Hall, and some others are…”
With each name Zhao Feng mentioned, the expressions of those people became uglier. They had never revealed which faction they belonged to, and they originally wanted to frame others for the crime after the deed was done. Unexpectedly, Zhao Feng was so well-informed, even calling them out at such a critical moment.
Though the world had descended into chaos, it didn’t mean that the major factions had no concern for their reputations. A good reputation was something they had to account for, both to those above and below.
The members of the same faction looked at each other, realizing that things couldn’t end peacefully now. They would have to deal with both Zhao Feng and this person as well.
Unable to gauge the strength of the man in the black cloak, they decided to go all out from the start, hoping to resolve the matter quickly. The idea was good, but the reality was not as they thought. No matter how hard they tried, the strange man easily neutralized all their attacks.
One of them attempted to launch a sneak attack on Zhao Feng, but Li Shu simply waved his hand to block it.
What should have been a difficult battle was easily resolved by Li Shu. He didn’t intend to kill these people, and after teaching them a sufficient lesson, he let them go. He needed someone to spread the word that he had appeared, and these people, who had crossed paths with him, were undoubtedly the best candidates.
Since things were already in chaos, he didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire. The more chaotic it became, the more it would benefit Gu Lin’s plans.
Li Shu didn’t speak to Zhao Feng and acted as if he didn’t know him. It seemed that he had only intervened because he couldn’t stand to see those people behave like that, and even Zhao Feng thought so.
After settling down in a relatively safe place, Zhao Feng and the others had been trying to contact the person who had saved them, even risking everything to come to the capital. However, so many days had passed, but they hadn’t received any information.
They didn’t want to cause trouble for their benefactor, so all their actions were conducted in secret to avoid drawing attention. They also made sure to hide themselves well to prevent being captured again. The man who had saved them with their benefactor had told them that if they were caught, all of their benefactor’s efforts would have been in vain.
They weren’t the type to be ungrateful, so they wouldn’t allow all their benefactor’s work to go to waste. They operated outside the capital, avoiding any potential dangers. They had people specifically assigned to search for crystal cores in areas the infected frequently appeared, while the most adept at disguise would take the cores into the capital, on the one hand to search for traces of their benefactor and the other to exchange the cores for essential supplies.
During that battle, many of them had been injured. Some wounds could be endured, but others couldn’t. Zhao Feng had come to the capital with the task of bringing back enough medicine. He had to admit, even in the post-apocalyptic world, the capital still maintained its status as the power center. It developed faster than other places, and many of the special medicines for treating the infected were first invented here.
There was a reason why countless people flocked to this place in pursuit of fame and fortune. If they didn’t have something to follow, why would they abandon their previous comfortable lives and come to a place filled with strong people to start all over again?
After dealing with those people, Li Shu didn’t say much to Zhao Feng. Just as others thought, he had only stepped in because he couldn’t stand the sight of injustice and wasn’t interested in forming any connections with those he saved. Nor did he care for their gratitude. He had merely shown up at the right time, seen something that displeased him, and acted. That was all.
Noticing someone following him from behind, Li Shu maintained a pace that neither allowed them to lose track of him nor get too close.
No one spoke, nor did anyone attempt to make conversation. In the post-apocalyptic world, people’s indifference was magnified. In a world where one could die at any moment, few cared to involve themselves in others’ business.
Dressed in a black cloak, Li Shu stood out as he walked down the street. With him making such a public appearance, everyone, both those who should know and those who shouldn’t, would soon hear that there was such a person in the capital. And after what had just happened, the news would reach the right ears in no time.
Weren’t they all looking for him? Now that he had appeared of his own accord, it wouldn’t be long before someone came after him. But before that happened, he had to check on those people he had saved.
After leaving the capital, Li Shu came to a stop.
“You’ve been following me for quite some time. Aren’t you tired?”
He didn’t turn around, but he was fully aware of every movement of the person behind him. He was also confident enough to leave his back exposed to someone whose intentions were still unclear.
He didn’t have to wait long before he heard footsteps.
Zhao Feng shed all his disguises and appeared behind Li Shu. He said, “We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Li Shu stuck to his stance of not knowing him and responded calmly, “Oh? Looking for me?”
Zhao Feng realized that the benefactor probably didn’t take what happened that day to heart. While the benefactor didn’t care, they couldn’t ignore this favor. Without the benefactor, their fate would have been easily imagined.
“Thank you for saving us that day in the lab.”
“Oh, that matter,” Li Shu suddenly understood, “Where are you now? You haven’t been captured again, have you?”
Zhao Feng: “No, we are outside the capital. The capital isn’t safe, and every time, I disguise myself as a merchant to enter. Benefactor, would you like to meet them?”
Of course, he hoped the benefactor would meet with them, at least giving them a chance to express their gratitude in person. But the decision was always in the benefactor’s hands. If the benefactor didn’t want to, Zhao Feng wouldn’t force it.
Li Shu: “Are you all doing alright now?”
“Not very well,” Zhao Feng’s tone carried a hint of bitterness, “Many people’s injuries weren’t treated in time; they may not last much longer.”
Thinking of the people he had lived with for quite some time, Zhao Feng’s eyes reddened. It was his fault for not bringing back the life-saving medicine in time. He wouldn’t make excuses for himself; if he were a little stronger, he wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered and could have gone to legitimate places to buy the medicine.
“Fortunately, we met a kind young master last time. If it weren’t for the medicine he traded, we might not have made it this far.”
Zhao Feng remembered it clearly. He was an ordinary person, but he was followed by several powerful evolvers. He must be someone with a powerful background, but he still had a good heart and kind nature. Though he was taken away halfway, he later sent someone to trade all of his crystal cores, and the exchanged items were precisely the various medicines he needed most.
This was something Li Shu had done on purpose. He had been worried about these people’s medicine situation. Since he had met them, he found a way to send some medicine their way. It might not solve everything, but it would definitely help.
Now it seemed that batch of medicine had indeed saved some lives.
Seeing that Li Shu wasn’t showing any signs of impatience, Zhao Feng picked out some good, interesting stories to share with him. Li Shu didn’t say a word. His entire body was wrapped in a black cloak and no expression was visible, but Zhao Feng knew that he was listening.
“Take me to where you live,” Li Shu suddenly said.
“Huh?” Zhao Feng didn’t react at first, but after realizing, he quickly responded, “Yes, yes, please, follow me.”
They passed through a forest densely populated with infected, reaching a small city not far from the capital. After the apocalypse, almost everyone from this city had migrated to the capital. Walking through it, the most common sight was the infected.
There was a drug in the car to repel the infected. The infected only circled from afar, not daring to come closer. This drug was also invented by Professor Fang. Setting aside his atrocious experimental methods, the things he researched were indeed useful.
It was no wonder that in the original plot, after the male protagonist killed him, he faced backlash from the entire city. He used iron-blooded means, killed countless people and used their blood to force the others into submission.
They passed through a small alley, and the vehicle came to a stop.
Hearing the engine sound, someone came out to greet them, and Zhao Feng drove the car directly inside.
“Brother Zhao, why are you back so early today?”
“How is the situation in the capital? Did you find that gentleman?”
Before they saw him, the greetings had already begun.
Zhao Feng got out of the car first, walked around to the back and respectfully opened the door for Li Shu. The moment Li Shu appeared, it was as if someone had pressed pause on the courtyard. Everyone’s eyes widened, staring at the person getting out of the car in disbelief.
“What are you standing there for? You’re not seeing things. Hurry and notify the boss and the others.”
Some went inside, and others greeted him. By the time Li Shu entered the house, everyone was there except for a few who were too injured to get up.
A13 was also there. He had been injured and was barely holding on. He was standing at the front, and Li Shu immediately noticed him. His face didn’t look good, and there was a faint smell of blood on him—it seemed he wasn’t doing well.
“What happened?” Li Shu asked.
Before the man could speak, the others began talking over each other, explaining the situation. It turned out the man had been injured by people from the lab. They had initially escaped to a safe place, but something went wrong, and the lab’s people chased them down. It was only because the man held them off that they weren’t captured again. As a result, he was injured, and his wounds had been healing very slowly.
“There’s something strange about their weapons. We’ve used several kinds of medicine, but Brother Qin’s wounds just won’t heal. Even if they do, a little movement causes them to tear open again.”
Li Shu suddenly thought of the injury Gu Lin had sustained earlier and pursed his lips. “Let me take a look.”
Imperial Capital.
The news of the appearance of the black-cloaked man quickly spread to all the major factions. Gu Lin was among the first to know. He lowered his eyes and stared at the table without saying a word.
Xu Yanqiu was unaware of what had happened that day and asked, “Boss, should we try to recruit this person, or…”
Gu Lin : “No, don’t do anything. And don’t let those blind people disturb him.”
Although slightly confused, Xu Yanqiu responded, “Understood, I know what to do.”
Xu Yanqiu didn’t notice the slight ripple in Gu Lin’s eyes.