Chapter 130: Your Apocalypse Has Been Delivered (13)

The van door slid open with a screech, and the leader stepped out first.

His henchmen immediately crowded around. "Boss, what's going on? Why is it so quiet in there?"

There wasn't a sound from inside the vehicle. They pricked up their ears, listening intently for a long time, but heard nothing.

The leader’s expression remained impassive. "Does it concern you?"

The henchman chuckled, winking and nudging him. "No, no, of course not. So, Boss, what about us..."

The leader pulled out a cigarette case, took out the very last cigarette, and tucked it between his lips. A henchman nearby quickly caught on and struck a light for him.

As he exhaled a plume of smoke, the leader leaned against the van door. "What about you? What exactly does this have to do with you?"

"But Boss, this..." The henchmen were dumbfounded, gesturing toward the vehicle. Wasn’t it supposed to be shared spoils? It had always been that way before.

The leader didn't respond; he simply glanced into the car. The henchmen, confused by his intent, instinctively followed his gaze. Vague, unsettling thoughts flickered through their minds—surely the boss hadn't been too rough and killed her, had he? If she were dead, that would be a terrible waste.

However, they saw the young girl sitting inside, her clothes neat and tidy, her posture upright and elegant. With her smooth hair draped over her shoulders, she looked indescribably gentle and obedient. It appeared as though absolutely nothing had happened.

What could the boss have possibly done in there? Surely they weren't just chatting?

Ling Qiong caught the eye of one of the henchmen. "Could you get me the gasoline?"

The henchman’s face stiffened for a split second, then he nodded. "Right, right, I'll go get it." He pushed through the crowd and headed toward the back.

"Old Four, what are you doing?" someone called out.

Old Four acted as if he hadn't heard, opening the trunk. "Old Four!" No matter how they shouted, he didn't react. He grabbed the gasoline and headed back, shoving anyone who tried to block his path. It was as if... he were possessed.

Someone immediately sought help from the leader: "Boss, has Old Four lost his mind? Stop him!"

"The girl wants it, so just give it to her," the leader said calmly, puffing on his cigarette. "You’re all grown men; don't be so petty with a young girl. Have you no ambition?"

The henchmen roared in shock: "Boss, that’s gasoline!!" Didn't he understand how precious it was? Without gas, their vehicles were just scrap metal.

"I know."

"If you know, why aren't you stopping him?"

"He's helping someone; why would I stop him?"

"..." Had the boss gone mad too?

A chill ran down the spines of the henchmen as they all looked toward the girl in the car. "You... what did you do to the Boss and Old Four?"

Ling Qiong spread her hands, wearing an innocent expression. "Your boss just had a change of heart. He wants to turn over a new leaf and couldn't bear to harm a weak, helpless girl like me."

"..."

Bullshit! The boss didn't have a conscience! She must have done something! But in such a short time, what could she have possibly done? Surely not superpowers? Although novels always talked about superpowers appearing after the apocalypse, they had never heard of anyone actually manifesting them.

"Boss, wake up!!"

"Boss..."

...

Jiang Xunchu hadn't finished sawing through his ropes when the commotion erupted nearby. He was too far away to hear clearly, only catching fragments like "crazy" and "sick."

What was happening? Some were shouting at the car, others tried to reach inside, only to be held back by their companions. Then, the group split into two factions and actually started fighting.

Amidst the chaos, Jiang Xunchu saw a pair of clean shoes step out of the car, planting firmly on the ground. Her skirt billowed in the air, caught by the currents of the brawl.

Ling Qiong watched the fight for a few seconds, then walked over to Jiang Xunchu and bent down to untie his ropes.

"What... happened to them?" Jiang Xunchu asked, looking bewildered.

"They didn't like the look of each other, so they started fighting."

"..." Didn't like the look of each other? Who would believe that? What had happened while she was in the car?

"Here is your gasoline," Old Four said, dragging two canisters over from the fray.

Ling Qiong said casually, "Just leave them there."

"Alright." Old Four placed the two canisters side by side, then returned to join the fight.

Jiang Xunchu: "..." Jiang Xunchu: "???"

...

As the group fought, a few of them jumped into a van and drove off. The remaining ones immediately piled into another vehicle and sped off in pursuit. The roar of the engines faded, vanishing into the night, and the gas station fell silent.

Jiang Xunchu: "..." Who am I, where am I, and what am I doing?

He felt his wrist being held and snapped back to reality, looking at the person holding him. "How did you get like this?"

His wrists were chafed raw by the sharp stones, beads of blood seeping out.

"It's nothing..."

Ling Qiong glared at him. "How is it nothing? It breaks my heart."

"..." Jiang Xunchu’s Adam's apple bobbed. He wanted to ask why she was heartbroken, but the question never made it out.

Ling Qiong disinfected his wrists and applied medicine, carefully placing bandages over the wounds. Once finished, she held his hand, turning it over to inspect her handiwork, seemingly quite pleased.

But... he couldn't help but feel like she was taking advantage of him. Jiang Xunchu shook the thought away—she couldn't possibly be... he was just overthinking it.

He pulled his hand back. "What happened between you and that man in the car?"

Ling Qiong replied, "We just chatted."

Jiang Xunchu: "Chatted?"

"Yes." Ling Qiong blinked her innocent, wide eyes and countered, "What else would we do?"

Jiang Xunchu: "..." A conversation that resulted in their team splitting up and fighting? Whether others believed it or not, Jiang Xunchu didn't. But what had she actually done? He couldn't figure it out, and his gaze toward her became increasingly probing. Just what kind of person was she?

...

An Changjing didn't remember how long he had been unconscious. When he came to, his nose felt like it had been broken. It throbbed with pain, and his head felt dizzy. What had happened?

As his hazy memories grew clearer, he sat up with a start. Everything was quiet; the thugs were nowhere to be seen. He realized he was lying in the convenience store. Turning his head, he saw Jiang Xunchu sitting not far away. An Changjing’s eyes lit up: "Brother, why am I here? Where are those people?"

"They left."

"Left... they just left?"

"Mm."

A giant question mark appeared over An Changjing’s head. Those men clearly weren't the type to just walk away. How did they leave?

"...Where is your sister?" She wasn't kidnapped, was she?!

"Outside."

An Changjing looked out through the glass door. The young girl was sitting on a small stool, cupping her face in her hands, lost in thought.

An Changjing: "..." Was he hallucinating? Had those people even been there at all? He touched his excruciatingly painful nose; the pain told him it wasn't a hallucination. He really had been knocked out with a single punch, humiliated to the point of total defeat.

"What happened earlier?"

Jiang Xunchu gave a brief explanation, omitting a few details. An Changjing listened, completely confused. In the end, assuming Ling Qiong’s combat prowess wasn't low, he filled in the blanks himself.