Chapter 129: Your Doomsday Has Arrived (12)
Shan Shan felt quite relieved—Qin Qin had finally learned to spend money on herself without needing any prompting. But Shan Shan had forgotten one crucial fact: Ling Qiong couldn’t spend money on herself in this game.
Ling Qiong spent quite some time drawing a card called "The Beauty of Adulthood."
The card depicted a dilapidated gas station. Whether due to photography skills or other reasons, it somehow had a cinematic quality.
Yet what exactly was "The Beauty of Adulthood"? Whose beauty did it represent? The child’s?
Ling Qiong pondered for a while but couldn’t grasp the meaning behind those four characters.
“Shall we keep moving?” An Changjing crouched on the ground, seeking Ling Qiong’s opinion.
After all, only her words carried weight.
Her brother was just a useless tool.
“It’s getting late. Let’s spend the night here.”
...
An Changjing and Jiang Xunchu went into the gas station convenience store to tidy up and make space for the night.
Ling Qiong stood outside as dusk gradually fell.
Just as she was about to enter, she noticed two vehicles approaching from afar—a small car and a van.
The small car sped ahead, arriving in the blink of an eye.
A man was the first to get out. Seeing a young girl standing beneath the shabby gas station, his eyes lit up.
“Boss, there’s a woman.”
The man shouted excitedly toward the van behind.
Several others soon followed, dressed in a rough, disreputable manner. Some were even shirtless, bare-chested.
Spotting Ling Qiong standing there, each of them reacted similarly.
Their gazes were penetrating, as if equipped with X-ray vision, scanning her from head to toe, inside and out—deeply unsettling.
“Fuck, there really is a woman.”
“Am I hallucinating from the heat?”
“Bullshit hallucination—she’s standing right there.”
Women weren’t that rare anymore, but to be dressed so neatly and be so beautiful was still a rare sight before the apocalypse.
The man called “boss” finally stepped down.
He looked about thirty-seven or thirty-eight, wore glasses without lenses, of medium build, and his face carried an unfriendly air.
The young girl stood quietly, her delicate features bearing a faint smile.
Her bright, flamboyant dress, under the dim light, took on a strangely eerie quality.
But a certain masculine emotion diluted much of that eeriness.
The boss leaned against the car, holding an unlit cigarette between his lips.
Several underlings exchanged glances, then began creeping toward Ling Qiong with lecherous intent.
“Little sister, what are you doing here all alone?”
“How about coming with the brothers for some fun?”
“Is the little sister really alone?”
Their eyes openly roamed over Ling Qiong.
Ling Qiong glanced at the vehicles behind them for a long moment before pulling her gaze back, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
“Do you have gasoline?”
One of them rubbed his hands together, grinning widely.
“Of course we have gasoline. Not just gasoline, we’ve got cream, too, big brother.”
Their laughter erupted loudly.
Their words were crude and shameless.
Perhaps because Ling Qiong looked too delicate, like a doll on display, radiating fragility, these men hadn’t dared to make a move directly.
Ling Qiong remained calm, without a hint of annoyance.
“What are you doing!?”
Suddenly, Ling Qiong was grabbed and pulled out of the circle, blocked from behind.
Jiang Xunchu shielded her, eyes wary as he faced the approaching men.
Where had these people come from?
Jiang Xunchu’s arrival didn’t intimidate them; instead, they laughed uproariously.
“Hey, there’s a pretty boy here. Look at that build—thinks he’s a hero coming to save the girl?”
“This pretty boy’s even prettier than the girl. I wonder if he’s got the same feel when you get to know him.”
“That’s some heavy taste you’ve got.”
They shamelessly spoke filthy words, their laughter grating.
Jiang Xunchu’s expression darkened, a trace of disgust showing between his brows.
He tried to back away with Ling Qiong.
“Hey, where are you going? Who said you could leave?”
Two men blocked their path; one reached for Ling Qiong.
Jiang Xunchu blocked him, but the man grabbed his arm.
“Damn it, kid, don’t get in the way!”
“Get him off me.”
“Get that little woman into the boss’s car first.”
Several men sprang into action.
Two took on Jiang Xunchu, two went after Ling Qiong.
Though clumsy in sports, Jiang Xunchu was still agile enough to evade capture in the first round.
He pushed Ling Qiong out of the circle.
“Run.”
“What the hell are you guys doing!”
An Changjing suddenly appeared from nowhere, wielding a broom like a charging warrior.
His shout was so commanding that the men paused, all turning to face him.
Smack!
An Changjing’s nose was struck; stars burst before his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground, motionless.
The man who had punched him stared blankly.
That was it?
...
Ling Qiong didn’t run. She called out to the men who were about to act again.
“I’ll go with you.”
The group, ready for a fight, froze in confusion.
Such cooperation?
It seemed to lack a certain thrill...
“Miss Xu?”
Jiang Xunchu was also surprised.
These people...
“Don’t worry, they won’t do anything to me.”
Ling Qiong pushed one man aside and calmly walked over to the boss, then glanced back at the others.
“But you can’t touch him.”
Jiang Xunchu’s pupils constricted.
“They…”
Ling Qiong raised a finger to her lips and shushed him.
Jiang Xunchu was frozen in place, stiff with tension.
She could clearly run.
Why was she staying?
What would these men do...
These men were straight; of course, they liked women.
Their earlier crude talk was just bluster.
If they actually went through with anything, it might cause some serious psychological trauma.
“As long as you’re obedient and serve us well, little sister, we’re not interested in this pretty boy,” one said with a sly grin.
In the end, they’d just kill him anyway.
Ling Qiong lifted her chin, smiling.
“I’m pretty professional at serving people.”
“I’ll be back soon. Behave.”
She blinked, then waved her hand in a commanding gesture.
“Let’s go.”
“Xu...”
Jiang Xunchu was stopped and threatened harshly.
“What are you doing? This girl is more sensible than you. Don’t make a move, or don’t blame us!”
...
Jiang Xunchu was pinned outside, his hands and feet bound, mouth sealed with tape, unable to move.
He could only watch the van nearby.
The boss and Ling Qiong were both inside.
Obscene words occasionally drifted to his ears, sickening him.
More than anything, he was worried...
Jiang Xunchu found a sharp stone on the ground, trying to saw through his bindings.
The stone scraped his wrists, skin burning with pain.
The ropes were thick; breaking them all at once was impossible. He had to work bit by bit.
Though anxious inside, he kept his expression calm and focused on cutting the ropes.