Chapter Forty-Three: Greed and Shamelessness (Third Update)

With the crisis averted, the chaotic crowd gradually calmed down, but Liang Jing and his group were now busy dealing with the two mutated bulls. These creatures were massive, and their meat, rich in energy, was invaluable for replenishing physical strength and enhancing bodily constitution—a true fortune in this world. Liang Jing and his companions couldn’t let such an opportunity slip by. Besides, even as ordinary meat, such a source of food was indispensable in the apocalypse.

He cast a glance at the sturdy mutated bull, as large as a hill. The mutated black-backed dog from before had already met its heroic end two days prior—sacrificed bravely, wrapped in its own hide, dying as it should. Liang Jing weighed his options, then directed the others to handle the bull that was closer to the other survivor group while he prepared to use the “Corpse Enslavement Technique” on this side.

This enormous mutated bull would be an excellent choice for charging into battle, serving as a mount, or even pulling a cart. Just imagine: its thick limbs, robust and tenacious hide, immense strength, a body over seven meters long and three and a half meters tall—bigger than a mid-sized bus. The sheer impact it could deliver was unimaginable. If not for the fifty kilograms of special metal in Jia Yujin’s hands—crafted from sixteen short swords Liang Jing had duplicated and transformed into a spear—even that weapon might have bent or broken trying to pierce the bull’s defenses.

Under Jia Yujin’s watchful protection, Liang Jing began to cast the Corpse Enslavement Technique. In the sunlight, he performed his eerie ritual once more, but soon the effect dissipated, much to his frustration. He couldn’t tell if the failure was due to the sunlight or the sheer size of the creature.

He failed again.

And again.

Nearly half an hour passed, his internal energy nearly spent. Liang Jing resolved to try one last time; if he failed again, he would give up. Moving such a heavy corpse would be impossible; he’d have to wait for nightfall to try again, and if that didn’t work, he’d simply use it for food.

Under the sunlight, Liang Jing cast the Corpse Enslavement Technique once more. The air around him grew several degrees colder. A chilling, ghostly wail rose up, haunting and formless, though no one nearly two hundred meters away could sense it or see clearly what was happening.

At last—success!

This time, the technique worked. Liang Jing had gained another formidable servant. As the howls and shrieks faded, the temperature began to return to normal. Gazing at the colossal beast before him, its yellow-white fur—at least twenty centimeters long—had turned ashen gray, giving it an even more savage appearance. Its horns gleamed black, as if they could pierce the very sky. Liang Jing was elated. With a servant the size of a bus, he could easily carry many people atop it. And with Old Jia’s metal-shaping abilities, making a cart would be simple—he just needed to find a vehicle by the roadside to modify.

Suddenly, Liang Jing’s keen ears picked up a commotion nearby, mixed with the voices of Wang Meng and Mouse. His brow furrowed...

***

Shick, shick, shick!

“What do you think you’re doing? Looking for death?” Mouse immediately sensed something was wrong from the tone and actions of the people opposite him. With lightning speed, he drew the pistol from his waist and pointed it at the group.

Almost simultaneously, the others reacted just as swiftly. After days of bloody fighting, they were no longer the hesitant rookies they once were. Under Liang Jing’s harsh commands, they had become decisive and efficient, always ready for battle. Because Liang Jing had instructed them not to draw too much attention, their pistols were concealed at their waists, hidden beneath their outer jackets. Now, in one smooth motion, they all drew their guns—nine cold muzzles aimed squarely at their opponents.

Hmm!?

The sullen middle-aged man’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected such a hard stance. He’d assumed that since the others had taken down the two mutated bulls and then returned to act as ‘guards’, they might at least share one bull with his group—after all, his people had contributed. And since the other side seemed to only carry melee weapons, it would be easy to control them even if they resisted. That was the worst-case scenario; ideally, he hoped to avoid a direct confrontation. But now, faced with nine gun barrels, he realized negotiation was pointless.

“Don’t do anything rash! We’re here representing all the women, children, and elders behind us, only making a reasonable request. Besides, you don’t have enough people to eat all that meat. We helped take down those bulls, and lost six or seven people—don’t we deserve at least one?” Seeing that intimidation wouldn’t work, the sullen man quickly changed tactics and spoke loudly.

He knew things were turning against him. The seven or eight men at his side, already terrified by the mutated bulls, now trembled so badly at the sight of so many guns that they could barely hold their weapons. So, he claimed to represent everyone—the old, the weak, women, and children. He argued that the other side couldn’t possibly consume all the meat and should spare some for them, especially since his people had lost lives and limbs to the bull’s attack, trying to stir up resentment and resistance among the crowd.

“You looking for death? Threatening us?” Mouse and his companions’ expressions darkened. They faced a group of two to three hundred, and the pressure was immense, as if the weight of the people pressed down on them. Still, they showed no hint of compromise. These were people who had survived on the edge of death; they wouldn’t back down now.

“What’s going on?” Liang Jing and Jia Yujin approached to see what was happening. The mutated bull, unable to endure the sunlight, had retreated to the shade and hadn’t followed them—clearly, another problem to solve.

“Liang, Boss Jia—they’re trying to take our bull, even threatening us with guns.”

“Now that they see we’re armed, they’re trying to represent the whole crowd to pressure us.”

“Look at those few—acting like we owe them, glaring at us as if we killed their people.”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for us, they wouldn’t even know how they died.”

“Right, ungrateful wretches—no ability, just here to pick up the spoils.”

The group spoke up indignantly. The sullen man’s expression grew even darker, while the men beside him began to hesitate. After all, without these people’s help, they’d be dead; they ought to be grateful.

“Shut up! If we hadn’t distracted and stalled the bull, would you have killed it so easily? I went through all the trouble to plan this, sacrificing so many brave men for this result. You just finished it off and want to claim the prize for yourselves!” The sullen man was going all in. As food supplies dwindled in the camp, even the ‘guards’ like him were going hungry, let alone dreaming of eating meat. Now that things had escalated, he decided to pit the entire crowd against their opponents, doubting that anyone would really dare to open fire. Besides, his side wasn’t defenseless—they still had two semi-automatic rifles. He signaled covertly to Da Guo beside him.

By now, Liang Jing had grasped the situation. He fixed his gaze on the sullen man—so it was his doing after all. With that perpetually sour face, as if the world owed him, he looked every bit the villain. Liang Jing had seen his actions earlier, unlike Mouse and the others. All that talk of sacrifice and planning was just a ruse to buy time—he’d even bolted to the back of the crowd and run far away, only to return now to stir up trouble, lying through his teeth with such self-righteousness. Liang Jing was both infuriated and oddly impressed by the man’s nerve—so much so that he almost laughed.