Chapter 41: Lock Picking
Seeing Liu Ling'er's firm attitude, Xiao Mei didn't insist any further. She just turned around and left."Ling'er, it's all my fault. I wasn't able to find food to make sure you were well-fed.""You really don't need to hold out! The only way for you to survive is to join Brother Biao."Wang Ye said, full of self-reproach.His heartfelt words were so warm, even a dog passing by would bark in response—truly heartwarming!But to Liu Ling'er, it was nothing but nauseating!She quickly made up an excuse to send Wang Ye away.On the other side, after returning to Abiao's side, Xiao Mei told him about Liu Ling'er's attitude."Brother Biao, that Liu Ling'er is really giving us the cold shoulder! Do you want me to have the brothers grab her and deal with her directly?!"Manager Dang spoke harshly.Having lived through the apocalypse for so long, the once warm and friendly man had, under Abiao's influence, revealed a more ruthless side to his personality!"Old Dang's right!"Zhang Mingyuan nodded repeatedly.Before the apocalypse, he had wanted to take Liu Ling'er for himself, but he had never had the chance.If Abiao forcibly took Liu Ling'er, maybe he could get some benefit from it too!"What's the rush? Let's wait a couple more days. Once she's starving and can't hold out anymore, she'll naturally come to me."Abiao said slowly.A thing like forcing someone, if they aren't willing, just isn't fun.Besides, he didn't want to be too brutal and scare off the newly-joined Wang Ye and others.Abiao's plan was sound.When someone is about to starve to death, who would still care about so-called principles, dignity, or shame?But before Abiao and the others could wait for Liu Ling'er to cave in, a new crisis emerged!For several days in a row, the survivors had been unable to find any supplies!Phoenix Mountain was a scenic area, and there weren't many supplies up there to begin with.Plus, the prolonged heat had already spoiled most of the food, making it no longer edible.The remaining food had been scoured clean after so many days of searching!"Didn't you try searching farther?"Abiao asked darkly."We tried, but we didn't find anything…"Wang Ye muttered quietly."Useless!"Abiao cursed Wang Ye. He no longer had any thoughts of wanting Liu Ling'er.Without food, they would all die!As the group sat around, brainstorming what to do next, Xiao Mei suddenly spoke up in a sweet voice,"Brother Biao, I know where there are supplies."Abiao was taken aback and asked,"Where?""It's far away, yet right before our eyes!"Xiao Mei flashed a cunning smile and pointed to the nearby Nomadison RV,"Su Chen that guy had said from the very beginning that he knew the apocalypse was coming.""He must have hoarded a lot of supplies, otherwise, he couldn't have survived this long.""As long as we get inside, there will definitely be plenty of supplies.""The most important thing is, we can drive away from this hellhole!"Xiao Mei's words were met with nods of agreement from the others.The heat had been so intense for so long, and Su Chen hadn't left his RV at all, which was enough proof that he had plenty of supplies inside!"I'm not saying I haven't thought about this.""But that b*st*rd Su Chen refuses to open the door and let us in.""He modified his Nomadison RV, and it's impossible to break into it by force!"Abiao frowned."We can't just use brute force."Xiao Mei laughed coquettishly,"Brother Biao, do you remember that Fan Xin?""Of course."It was Fan Xin's supplies that Zhang Mingyuan had stolen and then framed Wang Ye for.That was what caused the survivors to split into two factions."I heard that he used to be an auto mechanic and is good at repairing cars.""How about we let him try to pick the lock?"Abiao's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile,"That's a good idea!"Without wasting time,Abiao immediately stood up and, along with his subordinates, walked toward Fan Xin and the others.When Fan Xin and the other survivors saw Abiao approaching, they immediately became alert, as if facing an enemy."Abiao, what's up?"Fan Xin, holding his tools, asked coldly."No need to be nervous. I'm here to talk about cooperation."Abiao smiled warmly."The weasel offering the chicken a new year's greeting… with bad intentions."Fan Xin muttered, his patience running thin."Cooperate? How?"Abiao pretended not to hear Fan Xin's insult, continuing to smile,"If I'm not mistaken, it's been two days since you guys found any supplies, right?"Fan Xin hesitated for a moment before nodding.Recently, they had searched within a several-kilometer radius and found nothing—no food, no supplies."I know of a place that has a lot of supplies!""If we join forces, we split the loot fifty-fifty.""How does that sound?"Faced with Abiao's offer, Fan Xin didn't immediately agree. Instead, he asked cautiously,"Tell me the specifics of your plan first?"Abiao pointed to Su Chen's Nomadison RV and explained his plan.Fan Xin hesitated for a moment but was still somewhat moved!The supplies were one thing, but the most important thing was that they could drive away from Phoenix Mountain and return to the city!Although the city was also suffering from extreme heat, it would still have more supplies than this place."Alright, I agree."Fan Xin nodded and agreed to cooperate with Abiao.But neither Abiao nor Fan Xin noticed that while they were discussing, Liu Ling'er had quietly left.She went to the stairwell and used a walkie-talkie to inform Su Chen of Abiao and their plans.When Su Chen received the news, he wasn't particularly surprised. In fact, he was somewhat excited!The supplies on Phoenix Mountain were limited.Once they were exhausted, the survivors would inevitably set their sights on him.Having rested for so long, it was finally time for him to get involved in something!Su Chen glanced at the central control unit, revealing a cruel smile....To ensure the plan's success, Abiao and the others decided to act at night.As time passed, until late at night, Abiao and Fan Xin's group stealthily approached the Nomadison RV.After his face was washed with chili water, Fan Xin had learned his lesson.He brought along sunglasses, put on a sun-proof jacket, and held a flashlight as he began to examine the RV's locks."How's it going? Can you open it?"Abiao asked in a low voice."Let me give it a try!"Fan Xin picked up a screwdriver, small pliers, and other tools, carefully poking them into the lock.As the others waited patiently, Fan Xin suddenly started shaking like he had a fever, his body trembling uncontrollably!"What's wrong with you?"Manager Dang, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask.When Fan Xin didn't respond, Manager Dang, still clueless, reached out to pat him on the back.However, the moment Manager Dang's hand touched Fan Xin, he too started trembling violently!