XG 105 - Sounds like they were bullying the poor
"If we have extra potatoes, can we donate and get a slot?" Jihyo asked.
"I can't decide that, so don't decide that yourself. Without an official announcement from the laboratory, don't assume anything! I'm just telling you guys unofficially, so don't spread the wrong information around!" Beom Seok warned.
"I will make sure no one gets the wrong idea," Jihyo promised. "What does the VR... thing, got to do in this case?"
"It's just for the case if the volunteers succeed in gaining the ability and need to check what their ability is. The VR is to stimulate their emotions so that their ability manifests."
Their discussion gradually attracted more attention and some even started to ask questions. "So the abilities are only used to kill those monsters?"
Beom Seok rushed to explain the benefits of gaining an ability while the rest of the team members entered the electronic store. They only found one VR set at the shop, so they would need to go out and search for more.
Jihyo entered the shop with Beom Seok, followed by Chanyeol, one of the men that was protecting Jihyo closely.
"Jihyo wants to tell us something," Beom Seok told Kang Xunsu.
With Beom Seok's expressive translation, he narrated, "Not long ago, before the survivors came together, there were some people that disagreed with us siding with Musihada Lab and in their own words, 'enjoy the end of the world'. Among them was a religious fanatic man, very dangerous. He enjoys burning people to death and claims he was helping God to purify human sins before allowing them entry to Heaven."
Kang Xunsu narrowed his eyes. "You are afraid we will have a high possibility of encountering them?"
Jihyo quickly nodded once Beom Seok translated. "Yes, Chanyeol had personally seen people lurking close to the fence a few times but did not behave as if seeking shelter from us. We suspect it might be those people and possibly plan to do something to us."
"We will deal with them if they make a move against us." Kang Xunsu was not really worried. Being a part of Charles Wong's gang for a period of time, he had honed his street fighting skills before joining the army for a short time and getting to learn about guns.
He was not shy in killing people, but as he was now a 'civilized' person that needed to put a good front for the little princess to learn from, he had to think thrice before committing violence.
"Our disagreement had four people dying under their hands before we successfully pushed them out here. They might now be the lord outside Masan street and gain more people working alongside them."
While at that, they also had those who disagreed with their way or to work together to maintain peace to leave this safe area. Fortunately, only some refused to change their mind and left, while those who managed to change their ideas started to live in the zombie-free and cleaned-up area as they slowly integrated into their group.
Wong Xue Guo silently thought this group of survivors indeed worked well together and knew how to repay their dues instead of hiding away and waiting for food to drop straight into their mouths.
But would this cooperation last long?
For everyone's sake, she does hope to see this harmony last for a long time and show her that humankind could be kind and helpful without sinister intentions.
For self-survival? Acceptable. But not malicious intent that would guarantee a backstabbing incident.
The survivors had thought that those people that had been forced out of Masan Street would come back with more people to attack them. If Kang Xunsu's group was able to check what the group was planning, they would be able to guard whatever they planned.
But the majority of the group felt embarrassed to ask Kang Xunsu's group to do so. The other party had done so much and they only enjoyed the rewards without repaying them properly.
Naturally, when Kang Xunsu's group heard of Jihyo's request, they did not give their answer immediately.
"We have successfully planted some vegetables. I also have two large fish. We could only thank you by giving you these small things."
Now it just sounds like they were bullying the poor.
"We will still accept the vegetables but we won't go out of our way to find that dangerous group. I think we will definitely meet them if their word of them roaming around is true. If we clashed, the one benefit the most would be survivors here, which won't be an equivalent exchange with the vegetables," Wong Xue Guo shared her thoughts to her team members.
"That's quite... a bit too much to ask for?" Ash questioned hesitantly.
"We are risking our lives to win if we do end up clashing with those dangerous thugs," Kang Xunsu said, his eyes sweeping over Jihyo lazily. "Let's ask our ex-mercenary L.L. Would you accept a risky task that only offers unworthy rewards?"
"Definitely not," answered L.L, who had joined a mercenary group for a short period after retiring from the army.
It was only Kang Xunsu's recommendation that L.L quit being a mercenary and became a bodyguard with a good salary. His mother also did not have many years left at that time and he wanted to spend more time with her.
"But they don't have that much food with them," Ash protested.
"I didn't say we can only receive food from them," Wong Xue Guo pointed out.
They had the two Park brothers, both of them working well with the gardening team to grow more vegetables for their base. They have more resources and means to grow vegetables than the survivors here.
"Ah? Then what?" Ash asked blankly.
"Our rewards, why do we need to think for them? It's not like we know their inventory, right?" Wong Xue Guo eyed Kang Xunsu, who then nodded at Beom Seok to relay their meaning.
Jihyo looked relieved and immediately nodded in agreement. Fortunately, they asked for something else other than food and did not make things hard for them.
It would be tough to pick things, but it looks like they would be more welcoming towards electronic gadgets?
Jihyo introduced Chanyeol beside her. "This is Chanyeol, a very strong man. You can have him follow your group to help. His son, Kwangsu, will also help out. He's very good at running and has been a champion for two years!"
With that introduction, Wong Xue Guo became a little interested in meeting the champion runner. However, what greeted her was a scrawny, tall thirteenth-year-old boy.
"Sung-Ho, you get a new friend," Ash teased.
"Don't tease me," Kim Sung-Ho complained but he still shyly greeted Kwangsu, who gave a large, silly grin in return.
"None of us had seen the crazy man's look, as he always covered himself with a hood. From his voice and body frame, he should be in his early twenties, a youngster. Chanyeol should be able to identify him from his voice alone," Jihyo said.
Wong Xue Guo thought that it was not a reliable way to identify that cult guy, but having two extra helpers should not be rejected.
With their updated number of members to eight, they would need another car, which was borrowed from the survivors' camp. This car would be driven by Chanyeol, with his son following him. Beom Seok and Kim Sung-Ho would be joining the other car as well.
The entrance of the roughly arranged barbed wire fence was guarded by three people, with one on the lookout with a telescope. Once their cars exited Masan street, everyone was on the lookout, tension filling their limbs.
Wong Xue Guo wore a clean facemask and grips onto her sword.
L.L. continue driving further, following the car Chanyeol was driving. They would be heading straight to the smaller shopping mall, which was also closer to their current location. Today was their first trip to this area, so they should start small.
The parking lot was a no-go, so they went to the unloading area. Beom Seok swiftly cleaned up the zombies hiding in the unloading area, including the one trapped by the safety belt on the large lorry's driver seat.
"Will our car be gone when we leave later?" Wong Xue Guo wondered curiously when they did not encounter any survivors.
It would be anti-climatic if the people that the survivors in Masan Street feared were killed by zombies already.
"Yep. That's why I have the anti-theft steering wheel lock!" Kang Xunsu announced proudly and had L.L. lock the steering wheel.
"Hmm. Will it backfire us if we are in a hurry to leave?" Wong Xue Guo asked.
"Then we will make sure we are able to unlock it even in a hurry."
"Will those bad guys destroy our car instead if they could not move the car?"
"... Princess, don't think too much. If you continue thinking, we won't be able to do anything."
"We will just go according to the situation," Ash vouched.
"... 'Kay."
"With so many cars around, we won't be lacking any," L.L. assured.
"Okay," Wong Xue Guo said with more bite. "What are you guys waiting for then? Let's go."
Sadly, the door into the shopping mall was sealed very tightly from the other side.
"There must be survivors inside. They might not let us in," Ash guessed.
Thump! Thump!
They heard the sounds of things moving around for quite some time before the door opened for them. A middle-aged man with shaggy hair, yellow teeth, and one of his eyelids were so swollen that it completely blocked his eyesight. With his remaining eye, he peered at them from the small space between the open door. The more he took note of their appearance, the more lively he looked.
"Survivors?" The man's raspy voice asked and Beom Seok scrunched his nose from his stench.
"Aren't we all survivors? We are finding something, so we need to look around the shops," Beom Seok's tone was not exactly friendly. The way this man had looked at them was like a pawn shop owner examining his potential goods.
The man gave them a last scorching gaze before opening the door wider. "Speak to the leader yourself."