Chapter 61: Friend or Foe, Decided in a Single Thought
Hand over the Nomadism RV to pay off a debt?
Has Gao Qiqiang lost his mind?
Su Chen chuckled."And what if I don't?"
"If you don't, don't blame me for being rude," Gao Qiqiang replied, his tone full of menace.
But Su Chen didn't take it seriously at all. He smirked and said coldly,"Calling you 'bro' is me giving you face. Refuse to take it, and I'll send you straight to your grave."
"Well, well, well…"Gao Qiqiang was so furious that he laughed in rage."Fine, Su Chen. Just you wait!"
Su Chen didn't bother to keep arguing and directly cut the connection.
"Brother Su, what was that all about?"He Wang and Sun Yuan, standing nearby, had been listening in confusion and finally couldn't help but ask.
Su Chen didn't plan to hide anything. He explained the grudge between him and Gao Qiqiang to them both.
"This is between me and him. It has nothing to do with you," Su Chen said calmly. "If you two don't want to get involved, I'd understand."
He Wang and Sun Yuan exchanged a look, then firmly responded.
"Brother Su, don't be so distant!" He Wang said."You saved our lives and gave us all these supplies. If we stand by and do nothing now, what kind of people would we be?"
Sun Yuan nodded in agreement."He's right. Your business is our business!"
They both knew full well—without Su Chen's help, they wouldn't have survived this long.If Su Chen got killed by Gao Qiqiang or A'Biao, how would they survive?
Go grovel to Gao Qiqiang?
Don't even joke about it.
They had deep blood feuds with A'Biao!
"Alright then. Good."Su Chen gave a slight smile and said,"Gather everyone. We need to discuss how we're going to deal with A'Biao."
He Wang and Sun Yuan got moving immediately, rounding up all the survivors and assembling them in the hotel's main hall.
Looking at the large crowd, Su Chen felt a wave of relief.
Thank goodness he hadn't abandoned these people as burdens back when A'Biao left.If he had, and Gao Qiqiang came back with men, all he could've done was hit the gas and flee.
Su Chen gave He Wang a slight nod, signaling he could begin.
He Wang stepped onto a makeshift platform and raised his hands to quiet the room."Everyone quiet down. There's something important I need to tell you."
The crowd quickly fell silent, all eyes on He Wang.
"We just got word—A'Biao is back!"
The moment he said it, the room erupted in a mix of shock and fury.
Everyone present had witnessed A'Biao's cruelty and inhumanity firsthand.Many had lost family or friends to him.
"This time, A'Biao brought a bunch of outsiders with him," Su Chen added, stepping forward."These people have a serious grudge against me. If you're afraid, you're free to leave."
Many faces showed hesitation.
They had seen what A'Biao was capable of.If possible, they never wanted to face him again.Now that Su Chen mentioned he wasn't alone, the fear only deepened.
Seeing their reaction, Sun Yuan scowled and snapped,"What's wrong with you all? Did the rain get to your brains?"
"Think about it—without Su Chen, would any of you be eating right now?"
"If A'Biao kills him, how long do you think you'll last?"
That jolted everyone awake.
Yeah. Without Su Chen, how would they survive?
Knowing A'Biao's methods, he'd just take all of Su Chen's supplies, and once those ran out… he'd probably start treating them like livestock.
That terrifying thought led someone to shout,"Boss Su, I'm not going anywhere!"
"That's right! We'll stand with you to the end!"
"Just A'Biao? Let's finish him off already!"
With the first few voices, the rest quickly followed suit.
In a matter of minutes, every survivor in the hall had pledged to stand by Su Chen and fight A'Biao together.
"Good. From now on, we all need to take action," Su Chen ordered."Reinforce the area around the hotel. We'll also set up a three-shift watch—day and night—so no one sneaks up on us."
A'Biao's ruthlessness needed no explanation.
And Gao Qiqiang? He used to be a gang boss—he survived the extreme heat of the apocalypse in the hellish city of Shanghai and made it all the way to Phoenix Mountain. The man had to be vicious and cunning.
Without lookouts and proper defenses, they might not even wake up tomorrow.
Once Su Chen assigned all the tasks, he returned to the RV.
"Ah-Chen, you're back!"Liu Ling'er was kneeling by the door, helping him change his shoes. Then she held his hand and led him to the table.
As always, lunch was a feast.
As they ate, Su Chen casually talked about A'Biao and Gao Qiqiang.
"What? A'Biao is back—and with backup?"Liu Ling'er was startled, her pretty face filling with worry.
"Su Chen, what do we do now?"
"Don't worry," Su Chen said gently, holding her hand with a soft smile."Gao Qiqiang and A'Biao? Not even worth my attention."
Sure, in this world, having power and connections mattered.But Su Chen had the RV—nearly infinite storage space—and had stocked up on all kinds of gear for emergencies.
Worst case scenario, if the survivors couldn't beat Gao Qiqiang and A'Biao, he could just drive away.
Not just He Wang and Sun Yuan—even Liu Ling'er…
If it came down to it, he'd leave her behind too.
In the apocalypse, only the selfish lived long.
"That bastard's got a big mouth!"Gao Qiqiang's face was grim, veins bulging from his grip on the radio.
"Ah Sheng, call the guys. We're going to deal with Su Chen."
The man he called Ah Sheng looked refined and scholarly.He was Gao Qiqiang's younger brother, Gao Qisheng, and handled all their group's business affairs.
Hearing the order, Gao Qisheng didn't hesitate and was about to go round up the men when—
"Boss Gao, wait!"A'Biao quickly stopped him, speaking earnestly.
"Su Chen is a cunning, slippery bastard. If we act rashly, we might fall into one of his traps."
That reminded Gao Qiqiang of the trouble A'Biao had suffered at Su Chen's hands before.
He took a deep breath and asked seriously,"What do you suggest?"
"We hold off. Scope things out first—see what he's up to. Then we strike."
"Fine. We'll do it your way," Gao Qiqiang nodded.