Chapter Forty-five: Apology? Seeking Help! (Second Update) Please Vote and Add to Favorites

Clang! Clang!—

Liang Jing held two mutated bull horns, each over a meter long. They were heavy, weighing at least several kilograms together, and when struck against each other, they produced a dull, dense sound. The horns were long, with only a slight curve at the ends; their threaded, sharp tips made them excellent substitutes for spears, surpassing many metals in toughness and hardness.

Scrape!—

He drove the sharp, threaded tip vertically into a thick, twenty-centimeter-diameter mutated bull leg bone left from the butchering. With a crisp crack, the horn pierced straight through, almost splitting the bone in two. And this was with barely any force—most of the work was done by the horn’s own weight and structure.

Gasp!—

The others nearby inhaled sharply at the sight. No wonder those men struck by the bull’s horns earlier had been skewered as easily as tofu, the horn penetrating all the way to its base. This was far beyond normal understanding; it seemed many parts from these mutated creatures rivaled or even surpassed the strength of alloy metals.

Just then, a commotion arose from the other side. Liang Jing glanced over—it was the survivor group across the way, with Ah Yao and his companions gesturing animatedly and arguing. Liang Jing understood their situation and guessed their intentions, which happened to align with his own. He was curious to hear what information they might have.

“Brother Liang, those people over there say they need to discuss something urgent with you,” Ah Yao hurried over, breathless.

“But we’ve already intercepted them!” In Ah Yao’s mind, those ungrateful turncoats deserved a good lesson—he and Zhang Hu had no intention of showing them any kindness, mocking and ridiculing them with bitter words.

“Let them come; let’s hear what they have to say.” Liang Jing had already made up his mind. Besides, they had no idea where exactly they were—these people might still prove useful.

Soon, under the watchful gaze of Ah Yao’s group, several men approached. The leader was a middle-aged man, well-dressed, of medium height and slightly stout, who carried himself with a certain steadiness. At his right stood a burly, dark-skinned man dressed in camouflage, looking every bit the farm laborer, and at his left was a portly, bald-headed middle-aged man with the air of a ‘successful businessman.’ He wore a full suit despite their circumstances, making one wonder how uncomfortable that must be. Liang Jing himself preferred shorts and a loose vest—much more comfortable and free. Finally, two young men in their twenties rounded out the group; these were the same ones who, earlier, had been involved in the confrontation over the mutated bull.

“Speak. What do you want?” Liang Jing eyed the approaching group, assessing their strength and whether they posed any threat. Experience had taught him to make this instinctive. Seeing they were just ordinary men, he didn’t wait for them to speak, but addressed them bluntly.

“Uh—”

“Hello, my name is Li Chengliang, I—” The middle-aged man began to introduce himself, but Liang Jing cut him off impatiently.

“Stop. I asked what you want, not for your life story.” Liang Jing’s tone was terse, bordering on interrogation.

“Uh! Yes, well, it’s like this... Boss, we’re really sorry about what happened earlier and the trouble we caused you. In fact, it was all just Li’s personal actions, nothing to do with the rest of our group.” Sometimes, under the eaves, one must bow their head. Now that he had finally managed to consolidate the survivor group and become its de facto leader, his first priority was to bring benefits to the team and strengthen their trust in him, thereby securing his own position.

“And Li had a gun; Da Guo was loyal to him, and he had a band of thugs. He lorded over the group, taking whatever he wanted—food, supplies, women—nothing was spared. We were powerless. If we hadn’t banded together, knowing things were dire, most of us wouldn’t be standing here now; we’d have been killed by him already.” The middle-aged man, surnamed Li, smoothly distanced himself from the sullen man, explaining how he and his companions had suffered under Li’s tyranny. As he spoke, his address to Liang Jing shifted from ‘Boss’ to ‘Boss Liang.’

“We’re truly grateful you rid us of that scourge. Xiao Gang, Xiao Yuan, apologize to Boss Liang!” He barked at the two young men behind him.

“Boss, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!” The shorter of the two immediately begged for mercy, even dropping to his knees.

“Boss Liang, you’re a big man—please let us go, just treat us like a fart and let us off. I’ve got an eighty-year-old mother at home, and... uh... we really didn’t mean it, it was Li who forced us.” The other followed suit, his words flowing as if lifted from a novel or TV drama. At the end, he seemed to realize he might have gone too far, unsure which Li he referred to—the dead one or the current leader.

All five waited anxiously for Liang Jing’s response. The world had been mutated nearly a week; they’d endured many dangers and hardships and knew human life was worth little now. If they didn’t receive forgiveness for having slandered their savior, their fate could easily be sealed—without strength, death was simple, and as the leaders, they’d be the first targets if Liang Jing decided to retaliate.

“All right, get up.” Liang Jing frowned at the kneeling men and waved them off, indicating his forgiveness. He disliked spineless men who knelt at every turn.

With his reply, all five broke into relieved smiles, showering Liang Jing and his group with gratitude. The middle-aged Li glanced at the bald, portly man beside him, signaling that there was more to discuss. The latter seemed timid, opening his mouth several times but unable to speak.

“Hm? What else is there?” Liang Jing’s keen senses caught their exchange.

“Uh—yes, we wanted to ask if the meat from your mutant bull is edible? Could you spare some for us?” The bald man, caught out, spoke nervously. He’d seen firsthand the fate of the sullen man and Da Guo; now, Liang Jing seemed to him a man-eating demon.

“Oh? Of course the meat is edible, and it’s excellent—tastier, better in quality, and most importantly, it’s beneficial to the body. What do you have to offer in exchange?” Liang Jing’s mind was already made up. From observing their condition and the earlier desperate demands from the sullen man, he knew they were struggling. In fact, he’d already planned to share some meat. In these harsh times, humanity’s survival depended on mutual aid; so long as they weren’t enemies and it didn’t affect his own group, Liang Jing was inclined to help. The mutant bull weighed almost three tons, with over a ton and a half of meat—far more than his group could consume. They’d been battling mutants for days, acquiring plenty of edible beast meat; wasting it would be a shame, and this was a chance to build goodwill, a contribution to humanity.

Ever since steel-spined beast meat, all other meats had undergone Liang Jing’s three-stage testing before consumption: first, a silver needle to check for toxins; then, the venomous rippers would attack and consume some, to see if any poison could be absorbed; finally, Liang Jing himself would taste it—his resistance and healing were strong, and most toxins couldn’t harm him.

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Uh—Not used to asking for votes at the end of chapters, always forget. New author asking for red votes, favorites, and clicks—thank you!