Volume 2 [358] is such a waste
The yard wasn't big, and with the black man, Chen Xinyu, and Zhao Qiang, it felt a bit crowded. Just then, two more black men came in. One of them made Chen Xinyu's expression change, because he was the same black man who had failed to beg for food before, and had been scolded and pushed by him. He was the neighbor of this black family. The market wasn't big, and everyone was willing to share their food with their friends.
Chen Xinyu took a sip of soup. Seeing the black man who had pushed her down made her look a little awkward. Then she remembered that the money for the food was given to her by Zhao Qiang. She couldn't eat the soup alone, so she handed the broken bowl in her hand to Zhao Qiang, meaning that he should eat with her.
Zhao Qiang shook his head. Although he was hungry, he wasn't as hungry as Chen Xinyu. Chen Xinyu didn't stand on ceremony with Zhao Qiang either. She scooped out the meat from the bottom of the bowl and started eating. After just one bite, she felt something was off and casually asked the older Black man, "What kind of meat is this?"
The older Black man laughed and said, "Rat meat."
Chen Xinyu was startled at first, then spat out the meat in her mouth, smashed the bowl, and screamed as she squatted down and vomited violently. Her face was contorted with terror, and the vomiting was so loud it was almost unbearable, tears streaming down her face. Rat meat! How filthy! How could they eat it? These Africans are utterly disgusting!
In fact, Chen Xinyu herself had forgotten that she had once interviewed an African man who was selling rats on the street. However, she never imagined that she would eat such things herself. Although eating rats is a common practice in Africa, and some countries have even commercialized rat meat, it is still unacceptable for a woman who is used to Chinese life.
With a crash, the bowl shattered on the ground, spilling its soup and vegetables all over the floor. "What a waste," the older Black man shook his head. Just then, a Black man who had just entered spoke up: "This slut, how did she end up in your house? She came to my house begging for food before, but I scolded her and drove her away. She's really shameless, wasting our food."
The four hosts also wore expressions of distress; it was a whole bowl of food! One of them bent down, picked up a piece of meat from the ground, and started chewing, ignoring the dirt. The Black man who had spoken became increasingly angry and kicked Chen Xinyu, who was squatting on the ground vomiting, aiming for her buttocks.
Although Chen Xinyu was busy vomiting and occasionally had to use her fingers to gag her throat to try to bring up the soup she had just swallowed, she still felt the kick the black man was about to deliver. She leaned forward and fell into Zhao Qiang's arms. At this moment, Zhao Qiang was her support. After all, Zhao Qiang was a man and she was a woman. It was only natural for a woman to feel dependent on a man, even though in her eyes Zhao Qiang was just a weak scholar who probably couldn't even kill a chicken.
The black man who was kicking Chen Xinyu didn't expect her to dodge. He wasn't as docile as the four people cooking soup. He immediately cursed, "You slut, you dare to dodge?" With that, the black man took two steps forward and kicked Chen Xinyu's buttocks again. He couldn't swallow this insult without venting his anger. This was punishment for the woman wasting food!
Chen Xinyu threw herself into Zhao Qiang's arms and screamed, "Don't hit me!" Perhaps she had been beaten quite a bit these days, so begging for mercy had become a conditioned reflex, but she also knew that the black man would not let her off, so she was already prepared to receive a kick in the butt.
However, Chen Xinyu did not feel any pain in her buttocks. She opened her eyes and looked back. Zhao Qiang had actually caught the black man's kick. The black man was also very strong and taller than Zhao Qiang by a head and a half. But after Zhao Qiang grabbed his foot, he couldn't move. You should know that Zhao Qiang used energy to assist him. Otherwise, he would not have dared to fight the black man so easily. The explosive power shown by the black athletes on the field frightened Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "Friend, we bought this bowl of soup. What's wrong with us throwing it away if we want to? You're being nosy."
Upon seeing his friend unable to move due to having his foot grabbed, the black man who had come with him stood up and punched Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang didn't dare to take the punch head-on and dodged it by turning his head to the side. At this moment, Chen Xinyu was still in his arms and getting in the way, so Zhao Qiang pulled her behind him. Chen Xinyu used the momentum to escape to the door and shouted, "Run! You can't beat them!"
That's the truth. Judging from his appearance, Zhao Qiang was no match for any black man. However, Zhao Qiang wasn't stupid enough to fight him with brute force. Since he had started, he couldn't leave himself any way out. Zhao Qiang reached for his waist and a monstrous screwdriver that had been assembled into a dagger appeared in his hand. Then it changed shape and became a metal baseball bat. Zhao Qiang swung it up and smashed it into the head of the black man who was punching him!
Black men are indeed physically strong, but not so strong that they are immune to being hit on the head. So the black man who punched Zhao Qiang fell to the ground clutching his head, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. That blow must have at least caused a concussion. Zhao Qiang never holds back when he strikes; that's his style.
The black man whose foot had been grabbed had broken free. He grabbed a piece of firewood from the ground and lunged at Zhao Qiang, yelling as he tried to hit Zhao Qiang on the head as revenge for his friend. Suddenly, Zhao Qiang's metal baseball bat changed. He met the black man's stick head-on and snapped it in two, instantly breaking the black man's attack.
Zhao Qiang's weapon, now a cleaver, didn't stop. After slicing through the black man's wooden stick, he chopped at his wrist. Splattered blood. The hand that had pushed Chen Xinyu was severed. The black man screamed and jumped up, clutching his wrist with his other hand as he bounced and hopped on the ground, spilling a whole pot of soup—far more than Chen Xinyu had wasted.
When the four black men cooking the soup saw their comrade being bullied, they couldn't say who was right or wrong, but in their hearts, their fellow human beings were always right, which is only human nature. So, ignoring the soup that was spilled, they all looked for weapons to attack Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang still had a good impression of the four black men who sold soup to Chen Xinyu, so he didn't hurt them. After cutting off the wrist of the black man who pushed Chen Xinyu, he stepped back, grabbed Chen Xinyu, and ran outside. Several black men chased after them, shouting as they ran. Seeing more and more black men running out of their homes and joining the chase, Zhao Qiang knew that such a large-scale operation would soon attract anti-government armed forces. Without hesitation, he grabbed Chen Xinyu's arm, then stepped on the stone wall and leaped onto the roof.
Chen Xinyu screamed "Ah!" She was too surprised. Zhao Qiang grabbed her arm and pulled her to slam her head against the wall. She thought she would be smashed to a bloody head, but unexpectedly, she felt like she was flying. She stepped on the wall and her body floated up to the roof. What kind of kung fu was this? Was this weak-looking man a martial arts master?
The black man chased Zhao Qiang to the base of the wall, but then lost his way. Someone shouted for him to take a detour and continue the chase, but Zhao Qiang was darting between rooftops. The terrain of this residential area was complicated, and the black man who had been relentlessly pursuing him finally gave up and stopped his futile run. Although military vehicles arrived immediately, Zhao Qiang had already disappeared. After learning that the fight was just over food, the soldiers left without looking back. Who had time to deal with such things? Killing one less is one less.
With a creak, Zhao Qiang pushed open the door. Behind him was Chen Xinyu, who was fidgeting. When she saw the rat that Zhao Qiang had shot earlier in the center of the room, she suddenly remembered the rat meat soup she had just drunk. With a yelp, she squatted down at the door and started vomiting again, looking like she was several months pregnant. She would vomit for a while, then turn to look at the dead rat, and then vomit again, until her face turned pale.
Instead, Zhao Qiang chuckled and picked up the fat rat on the ground. He might not be able to eat it himself, but if he roasted it, he could probably get some food in return. Without further ado, Zhao Qiang dismantled the old furniture in the room, started a fire, skewered the rat on a screwdriver, and began to roast it. The fur on the rat's skin caught fire as soon as it touched the flames, and a burnt smell filled the room. Chen Xinyu, who had already vomited bile, vomited again.
"You...you're planning to roast it and eat it?" Chen Xinyu asked, pointing at the rat.
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Aren't you going to have a bite?"
Chen Xinyu tried to snatch the rat from Zhao Qiang's hand: "No, you're not allowed to eat it, throw it away right now!"
Zhao Qiang dodged aside and said, "Hey Reporter Chen, you're meddling too much. I'm nobody to you, what right do you have to tell me what I eat? If you feel disgusted, go outside to the yard."
Chen Xinyu opened the door and looked inside, then turned back and said, "I'm afraid the black guy will see us. How can we live here with this burnt smell? By the way, tell me quickly, what happened just now? Why did you suddenly start leaping around on the roof like you could fly? I felt light as a feather, like... like I was traveling in space! And where did your weapon come from? You didn't have a baseball bat or a knife on you, so why did it appear, and then how did it disappear..."
Zhao Qiang didn't answer. He couldn't explain these things to Chen Xinyu at all. After Chen Xinyu mumbled a few words, she realized that Zhao Qiang was ignoring her, so she wisely shut her mouth. This wasn't China. She couldn't ask the principal to punish Zhao Qiang like she did at the university. Here, it seemed that her only way to survive was to stick with this somewhat mysterious student.
Chen Xinyu kept her distance from Zhao Qiang because he was roasting a rat, something she was extremely wary of. Just thinking about how she had drunk rat soup and even chewed on a piece of rat meat made her want to vomit again. She wanted to brush her teeth, take a shower, and get rid of the rat smell on her body, but she couldn't do any of it. Forget about showering and brushing her teeth, she couldn't even get water to drink; she was so thirsty she was going crazy.
Zhao Qiang smelled the roasted rat. It was indeed quite fragrant, with oil sizzling on the skin. However, Zhao Qiang refused to try it. He was similar to Chen Xinyu, except that he wasn't as sensitive as Chen Xinyu.
As Zhao Qiang was carrying the roasted rat outside, Chen Xinyu suddenly ran over and grabbed his arm: "Where are you going?"
Zhao Qiang shoved Chen Xinyu aside and said, "Going out to eat rat meat, do you want to come along?"
Chen Xinyu shook her head: "Stop talking. Just mentioning the word 'rat' makes me nauseous. If you keep talking, I'll throw up."
Zhao Qiang said, "So you just stay here obediently, I'll be back in a bit."
Chen Xinyu looked pitiful, almost on the verge of tears, and said, "You have to keep your word. If you don't come back, you're a dog."
Zhao Qiang thought to himself that women were such a hassle. He slammed the door shut and walked out into the yard. This area was close to the city center and quite a distance from the market, so there was no need to worry about those black men chasing after him. Zhao Qiang walked more than two hundred meters down the street with the roasted rat in his hand. Finally, someone ran out of their house and followed behind the roasted rat, sniffing the smell.
As more and more people gathered, Zhao Qiang waved the roasted rat and said, "Do you have any food to trade? I don't like this. I'll take any steamed buns or bread." Actually, Zhao Qiang didn't know what the people here mainly ate. Otherwise, he would have just asked for some rice, fried bananas, or corn cakes. But he figured this rat wouldn't get him any of that food, since a rat isn't a ginseng fruit.
Volume 2 [359] Water
After shouting for about five minutes, a black man finally came out carrying a tattered plastic bucket with half a bucket of water. He pointed at the roasted rat in Zhao Qiang's hand. Seeing that no one had responded for so long, Zhao Qiang finally found someone and threw the roasted rat at him. The black man grabbed it, and Zhao Qiang picked up his plastic bucket and left. Getting some water was better than nothing. After shouting for so long, no one was willing to exchange food for it. It seemed that the supply in U City was really running out.
When Zhao Qiang returned to his temporary residence, Chen Xinyu had been waiting anxiously. When she saw Zhao Qiang enter the yard, she opened the door and rushed out, almost spilling the water he was carrying. "Why did it take so long? Didn't you say you were going to eat rats in the yard? Why did you run out? You broke your promise, you're a dog."
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you think I want to eat that stuff? I wanted to get something else, but unfortunately I only got this little bit of water, and I don't even know if it's clean. But it'll be good to moisten my lips. Look at you, your lips are cracked and bleeding."
Only then did Chen Xinyu realize that Zhao Qiang had gone out to get her food and water. She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes again. Back home, countless men would fawn over her, and people would vie to pay for her meals at any high-end establishment if she just pointed to it. But for this poor student, with just half a bucket of murky water, Chen Xinyu felt it was better than any food or drink.
Zhao Qiang smelled the water in the bucket; it didn't smell like normal clean water. He thought for a moment, then put down the plastic bucket and decided to just bear with it. Maybe he could take down Bazafi tonight and then have a good feast back in K City.
Chen Xinyu asked Zhao Qiang, "Aren't you going to drink?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "Just like you seeing a rat, I can't drink it."
Chen Xinyu hesitated before asking, "Could you wait for me in the yard first?"
Zhao Qiang said, "What? Aren't you afraid I'll run away this time?"
Chen Xinyu said, "You can't be that heartless, can you? If you abandon me, I'll die here. Can you bear that?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's not surprising that he abandoned you to save his own life."
Chen Xinyu said, "Others might do that, but you wouldn't. You're a college student with good manners, a student of Professor Gu Yu. How could you do that without such basic qualities?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You're trying to flatter me. You're trying to shut me down so I won't do this kind of thing."
Chen Xinyu chuckled: "You can think of it that way. Don't disappoint me."
Zhao Qiang opened the door and went into the courtyard. It was past noon, and Zhao Qiang eagerly awaited the arrival of night. With the cover of darkness, he could do many things. During the day, he had to hide his whereabouts.
Finding a sunless corner, Zhao Qiang sat down on the floor and dozed off again. Rest was necessary, as he had nothing else to do. About twenty minutes later, the door was pushed open a crack, and Chen Xinyu poked her head out, saying, "Zhao Qiang, come in."
When Zhao Qiang opened his eyes, he saw that Chen Xinyu's face was clean, and her withered hair was tied up with a strip of cloth. She didn't look so slovenly now and had regained some of her beauty. However, there was still fear and a pitiful, watery look in her eyes. Her life or death was still unknown. How could she regain her former arrogance?
Zhao Qiang got up from the ground and went into the house. Chen Xinyu had not only wiped her face, but her neck was also white and tender, as were her arms and hands. The half bucket of water had disappeared. This girl actually took a bath with the water she got by roasting rats. To be precise, she should have taken a bath, otherwise ten buckets of water wouldn't have been enough for her.
Chen Xinyu was a little worried: "Zhao Qiang, I... I used up all the water, you won't scold me, will you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "If it's all used up, it's all used up. I'm not drinking anyway. Do you have anything else to say?"
Chen Xinyu shook her head, and Zhao Qiang lay down on the wooden bed and said, "Okay, I'm going to take a nap, don't disturb me."
Zhao Qiang wasn't really tired, but he had to sleep because he might not have time to sleep at night. Even though his brain could be controlled by a super-biochip, he couldn't reach the point of being able to sleep without rest; that was what a real robot was like.
Chen Xinyu was very hungry, and even though she was much cleaner, it didn't make her feel relaxed. But Zhao Qiang was asleep, so what could she do? In this unfamiliar foreign land where she could lose her life at any moment, she seemed to have no one else to rely on but this somewhat mysterious college student in front of her. Now he was her master, and she not only had to please him, but also had to obey his orders unconditionally.
Chen Xinyu sat on the worn-out chair for a while. The afternoon sun made her sleepy, but she was worried that Zhao Qiang would leave her while she was asleep. Chen Xinyu could only force herself to stay awake, but she couldn't stay awake by force alone. In less than half an hour, she couldn't stay awake any longer. So Chen Xinyu came up with a plan. She quietly got into bed and hugged Zhao Qiang from behind. That way, when he woke up, he would definitely wake her up.
Zhao Qiang slept soundly because he used a biochip to control his brain into deep sleep. Sufficient rest was beneficial for his killing spree tonight, allowing him to think things through more clearly.
Zhao Qiang blinked and woke up. It seemed like someone was lying on his back. Zhao Qiang turned his head and saw Chen Xinyu lying behind him with drool on her lips, hugging him in her arms with her hands and feet. One of her thighs was wrapped unceremoniously around his hip.
Zhao Qiang reached out to move Chen Xinyu's thigh, but she pulled his hand away and said, "Don't move, sleep a little longer, this position is the most comfortable."
Zhao Qiang forcefully broke free from Chen Xinyu's embrace, then casually stuffed a tattered rag doll from the table into Chen Xinyu's arms. Chen Xinyu, with her eyes closed, was groping around, probably looking for the item she had been holding. After being stuffed with a rag doll, she quietly fell asleep again, forgetting that her task of holding Zhao Qiang while sleeping was to protect him.
Pushing open the door and stepping into the courtyard, he saw the stars twinkling. Checking the time, it was 10 p.m., just the right time. Without looking back, Zhao Qiang left the courtyard. If he could complete the mission, he would come back and take Chen Xinyu away.
The city center, which is quite bustling during the day, becomes much quieter at night. Only soldiers patrolling with guns occasionally appear. Without electricity, the entire city is almost plunged into darkness. The only place with light is the area around the library. The war has caused S country's development to regress by several decades. Even if it receives international aid after the war ends, it will be impossible to recover to its original level in just a few years.
Zhao Qiang activated the anti-gravity device and climbed onto the library roof. Several sentries were lying on the roof, monitoring the surroundings through the night vision scopes of their sniper rifles. After scanning their movements, Zhao Qiang avoided them all.
In a secluded room, Bazafi stood solemnly. The room was not large, but it contained at least twenty people, their seats packed tightly together. Despite the cramped space, no one made a sound, demonstrating excellent discipline.
"Have you found the government special forces that attacked Shagu?" asked Bazafi, who had a scholarly look. His appearance was different from what outsiders imagined. He was not a tough soldier, but rather a weak scholar. However, his appearance was extremely similar to the person who was sniped in Shagu. It could be said that they were indistinguishable. This was probably due to the results of modern beauty and makeup technology.
One officer said, "They were found, but they escaped again. They killed two people, but when they found the bodies, the facial features had been destroyed. All we know is that they are not black, and their skin should be Asian."
Bazafi slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it, there really are Chinese involved behind the scenes! I knew the government forces couldn't possibly send out any special agents; they simply don't have the capability. And to be able to successfully plant bombs in the venue is something those cowardly government soldiers couldn't possibly do, let alone escape the pursuit of over a thousand of my men."
Another officer said, "Should we use these two corpses to file an appeal, or warn the Chinese that if they interfere in our internal affairs again, we will kill the Chinese detained in U City again? This time, it won't be just a matter of killing a few people; at least several hundred will have to be killed!"
Bazafi said, "Two unmarked corpses don't prove anything, nor do they have enough deterrent effect. We must capture the special forces team that attacked Shagu, no matter the cost! After capturing them, kill them with the cruelest torture and broadcast the whole process live on the internet. This is what will happen to any country that dares to help the government forces again!"
"Yes, sir!" An officer stood up, saluted, and accepted the order.
After calming himself down, Bazafi asked again, "How is the equipment for the new troops coming along?"
Another officer stood up and said, "Eighty percent of the weapons have been deployed, but it will take time for the recruits to become proficient."
Bazafi said, "We don't have much time. We must launch an attack on K City in three days. Otherwise, the longer we delay, the worse it will be for us. Moreover, we don't have enough food to last much longer. We need to seize power and stabilize the domestic situation as soon as possible. Otherwise, the grain from North America will be stuck in the Atlantic Ocean and won't be able to get in. Once we seize power and stabilize the domestic situation, no one can change this outcome. At that time, we will control the export of crude oil, and those countries will still have to sit down and negotiate with me. All they want is crude oil. It doesn't really matter who is in power."
The officer thoughtfully reminded them, "But our soldiers still can't master tanks and artillery. If we attack K City now, we will lack heavy weapons, which is a major disadvantage compared to the well-trained government forces. Moreover, they are defending while we are attacking, which exacerbates the imbalance. Should we extend the training time appropriately?"
Bazafi said, "No! I must see a well-trained army in three days. Starting tonight, they are not allowed to sleep. They must train through the night. They can eat and rest only when they are fully trained. Anyone who disobeys orders will be killed!"
The officer's facial muscles twitched a few times, revealing his inner fear. This bookish-looking rebel leader was not as kind as he appeared; on the contrary, he was ruthless.
Bazafi's words determined the timing of the attack. He then asked, "What is the situation in U City? Are there any government spies around? During this period, U City will be our rear base for attacking K City, so we must hold it."
The officer in charge of security in U City stood up and reported, "We dare not slacken our security patrols for even a moment. I can assure the general that U City is completely secure!"
Bazafi nodded: "That's good. I don't want to see what happened in Shagu repeat itself in U City. You know, Chinese agents are quite capable. He might already be infiltrating our conference room."
The officers present exchanged horrified glances, each suspecting the other might be a Chinese agent in disguise. Bazafi retorted, "What's there to be afraid of! I was just giving an example."
An officer stood up and said, “General, although we may not be afraid of Chinese agents, your safety must still be taken seriously. I think you must not leave the secret room during this period. This is the safest place in U City. Not even an ant can crawl in. This is the best protection for you.”
Bazafi said, "Thank you all for your concern. I will take care of my own safety. I don't want my hard work over the past few years to benefit others in the end. If there's nothing else, you can all leave."
Volume 2 [360] Night Sneak
Zhao Qiang spent half an hour thoroughly investigating the library, but found no trace of Bazafi. Then, Zhao Qiang began searching the buildings behind the library, but it was not so easy to enter and exit. There were guards everywhere, and a patrol team passed by every few minutes. Moreover, the soldiers were equipped with advanced weapons, which was enough to show that this place was unusual.
This area was probably once a villa district for the wealthy, but it was later requisitioned by the military and extensively renovated. The once independent villas have now been connected, and the two roads that originally led into the villas have been completely cut off. The only entrance and exit on the ground is through the library.
The library is such an obvious place that anyone entering or leaving would have to be careful, especially the long stone steps at the entrance. If one person were to block the way with a machine gun, it would be extremely difficult for anyone below to rush in. It would be impossible for an assassin to openly enter the villa with weapons, unless he did not walk on the ground.