Chapter 25: A Good Person

As the blond youth finished speaking, the crowd, silenced earlier by Chen Chuan’s rebuke, grew restless once more.

“That’s right—given the state of the world, shouldn’t we all help each other get through these hard times?”

“We just want to borrow a little food from him. It’s not like we’re asking for much, is it?”

“Lieutenant Chen, you’re soldiers and you’ve been trained; you can endure hunger. But we’re just ordinary people—we can’t handle this kind of starvation! You brought us here, so you ought to take responsibility for us, shouldn’t you?”

“Exactly. It’s not that we don’t appreciate what you’ve done. There are zombies everywhere outside, and we’re not expecting you to risk your lives for supplies. We’re only asking to borrow a bit of food; you have no reason to stop us, do you?”

The group erupted in a cacophony of voices.

Several soldiers looked uneasy, but said nothing. Instead, they turned their gaze to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan’s expression was grim, but his tone remained even. “I said it’s not allowed, and that’s final. I am a soldier—my duty is to protect the people. But that doesn’t mean protecting just one person; everyone deserves our protection. I will not show favoritism just because you have numbers on your side. Let me make myself clear: anyone who tries to threaten or rob will be executed on the spot.”

The faces of the civilians changed instantly.

Seeing Chen Chuan’s unwavering demeanor, the crowd fell into silence.

The blond youth muttered, “You’re soldiers, but you have no right to kill civilians. Did the government train you to turn your guns on your own people?”

Chen Chuan’s pupils narrowed as he stared at the young man. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try—see if I’ll pull the trigger.”

The blond youth’s face twitched, but he dared not utter another word.

To be honest, everyone had seen that Gu Sha carried a gun, and it was obvious he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. The only reason they dared entertain such thoughts was because they believed, with five armed soldiers on their side, they could leverage that power against Gu Sha.

But if the soldiers refused to intervene, who among them would dare provoke Gu Sha?

Although Chen Chuan and his men kept their voices low, Gu Sha, with his sixth-tier cultivation, heard their entire conversation clearly.

He showed little reaction, only curving his lips into a faint smile.

Chen Chuan was just as he remembered from his previous life.

Back then, Gu Sha had worked alongside Chen Chuan for several years. He always considered Chen Chuan a good man, but never a bleeding heart—he was kind, but not to a fault.

Chen Chuan was simply steadfast in upholding the soldier’s creed of Longzhou.

In the past, Chen Chuan had told Gu Sha that protecting the people was a soldier’s duty—but all people were equal. There was no weighing one life against another, no sacrificing the few for the many, nor should the many be favored at the expense of the few. To do so was to aid evil.

With Chen Chuan’s authority keeping them in check, the group, though eager to “borrow” food, dared not act.

The garage remained cloaked in silence.

Gu Sha glanced at his watch from time to time, patiently waiting for the appointed hour.

Finally, noon arrived.

In that instant, the sky turned crimson, everything bathed in an eerie blood-red glow.

A faint red light crept into the garage entrance.

“Back! Move back!” Those who had witnessed the coming of the scarlet light twice already knew all too well what it meant. Chen Chuan and his men reacted swiftly, ordering everyone to retreat, warning them not to be touched by the bloody glow.

Yet now, the people in the garage grew restless once again.

Scarlet meant infection—but it also meant opportunity.

The source pearls were about to descend. By now, the whole world understood their significance; possessing one meant securing a foothold in the apocalypse.

So at that moment, when the scarlet light appeared, many people’s first reaction was not fear, but excitement.

Chen Chuan quickly shouted, “Everyone, stay calm—please, stay calm! The world outside is overrun with zombies. With the coming of the scarlet, the undead will riot. Setting foot outside now is certain death!”

No one replied. No one agreed, nor did anyone object.

A heavy silence fell.

But as three minutes passed and the scarlet faded, the garage was plunged into a brief, deathly quiet—before several young men suddenly dashed for the exit.

Chen Chuan called out anxiously, “What are you doing?”

“We’re going out to find source pearls, of course,” shouted the blond youth again. “Lieutenant Chen, in these end times, the source pearl is everything—”

“There are zombies everywhere—”

“If we’re going to die, we might as well gamble for a future!”

At that, a large group disregarded all attempts to stop them, forcing open the garage door and pouring out in excitement.

Chen Chuan shouted after them in desperation, but his words fell on deaf ears.

He was just about to take action when a calm voice sounded by his side: “Good advice cannot persuade those courting death. If they wish to die, why stop them?”

Turning, Chen Chuan saw Gu Sha and exclaimed in surprise, “You—”

Gu Sha patted Chen Chuan’s shoulder, then moved swiftly toward the garage exit, slipping out through the narrow gap.

Inside the garage, the remaining soldiers looked to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan shook his head wearily and called the soldiers and the remaining civilians together to help move the car, sealing the entrance tightly once more.

One soldier asked, “Sergeant, should we just leave them out there?”

Chen Chuan shook his head. “Our duty is to protect the people, but we can’t offer protection without limit. We can’t endanger those who follow orders for the sake of those who refuse.”

The soldiers fell silent.

Suddenly, someone cried out, “There’s food and water here!”

Chen Chuan and the others hurried over. Behind the stone pillar where Gu Sha had been resting, they found a pile of compressed biscuits and several bottles of mineral water.

Everyone looked at one another in surprise.

“It was him—he left these for us!”

“Sergeant, do you know him?”

Outside the garage, Gu Sha had just emerged when he saw the blond youth and his companions surrounded by a horde of zombies outside the villa. They fought desperately, yelling for help, but to no avail. Several were quickly killed before the survivors managed to stagger back and slam the villa doors shut.

But they were too slow—two zombies’ heads were caught between the iron doors, snarling furiously, while more zombies pressed in to force the doors. The four survivors could barely hold them back.

At that moment, seeing Gu Sha, the blond youth shouted, “Quick, help us! We know you have a gun—hurry!”

Gu Sha drew his pistol but did not fire right away.

The blond youth screamed, “Damn it, hurry up! Are you trying to get us killed, you bastard—!”

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a spray of blood blossomed from the blond youth’s thigh.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more shots, each hitting the others in the thigh or arm—painful, but not fatal.

Screams split the air, but the zombies soon drowned out their cries.

Moments before, their combined strength had barely been enough to hold the doors. Now, with their injuries, the zombies burst through, and the four had no chance to escape. In a heartbeat, they were swallowed by the horde, their frantic screams quickly giving way to the wet, sickening sound of flesh being torn apart.

Gu Sha sneered, holstered his pistol, and dashed toward a wall. With a light leap, he vaulted over, then sped off among the city’s tall buildings, searching for source pearls.

(End of chapter)