Chapter 26: The Test of Human Nature

The light tank ahead suddenly came to a halt. Jiang Yunjie poked his head out from the tank, impatiently shouting, “Why stop? Uncle Chen?”

Butler Chen Jing hurried over respectfully and replied, “Young Master Jiang, I scouted ahead. They should be hiding somewhere in this area.”

Jiang Yunjie’s eyes lit up, but then he frowned. “Are you sure? We’ve only just reached the outskirts of Anqing City. Wouldn’t they have slipped into the city center?”

Chen Jing shook his head confidently. “Young Master, look at the number of zombies wandering ahead. They wouldn’t dare cross through. The zombies are like a tide; if they tried, they’d be walking right into a trap.”

Jiang Yunjie glanced around at the old, scattered apartment buildings. Searching house by house would take too long.

He jumped down from the light tank, pulled out a loudspeaker from somewhere, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly, “To all the deserter survivors, I am the third young master of the Jiang family. I know you’re nearby...”

———

“Boss, listen! Someone’s speaking through a loudspeaker down there,” I said, edging closer to the window to peer downward. But the distance was too great to see the speaker’s face clearly.

“Stop talking! Just listen to what they say,” Jiang Hanchuan interrupted, clearly interested in the words below.

The loudspeaker continued with a triumphant tone: “One among you has a special power—they can control the zombies! Hand him over, and I promise to spare all of you!”

At that moment, I felt a chill behind me. Without turning around, I knew all eyes were fixed on me.

My heart sank, unease creeping in. I glanced at Xu Hanfeng beside me, hoping for some reassurance, but he ignored me, staring thoughtfully at the crowd below. I guessed he was formulating a plan.

Silence thickened the air, oppressive and tense. Jiang Yunjie had been through this once before and didn’t want to endure the embarrassment a second time. He confirmed again with Butler Chen, “Uncle Chen, this time there’s no mistake, right? I don’t want another fruitless trip.”

“This time, I won’t be wrong!” Chen Jing responded resolutely, as if staking his life on it.

Convinced the target was here, Jiang Yunjie raised his voice and snarled, “Listen carefully! Every minute I wait, I’ll blow up one building. Let’s see how long you can hide! If you want to die with him, I’ll gladly oblige!”

His words hung heavy in the air. I scanned the survivors behind me. They were tense, fearful, yet surprisingly, they remained still—as if waiting for something. This silence only deepened my anxiety.

Time slipped away, every second tightening the string of my nerves until it felt ready to snap.

Jiang Yunjie stared intently at his watch. The seconds ticked down like a countdown to death. When the hand completed a full circle back to twelve, he didn’t hesitate. His lips moved, and the order was given.

“Attack!”

———

“Boom!”

A sudden thunderous explosion shattered the silence. A building instantly collapsed into dust and rubble. Upstairs, we all gasped, the cold shock making our hearts leap to our throats.

“Boss, is that... kid serious?” Jiang Hanchuan’s voice trembled. His eyes were wide with terror.

Lu Yucheng’s face paled from the blast’s shock. Before she could calm down, another explosion roared out. She lost control and shouted anxiously, “Brother Feng, this guy’s crueler than Jiang Li! We’ve got to think of a way out, fast!”

Mu Wanqing gripped her bow tightly, her gaze steely as she volunteered, “I’ll draw them away! You guys find a chance to escape.”

Xu Hanfeng shook his head, stopping her impulsiveness. “No, let me think a bit longer.”

At that moment, a new mother’s voice, thin as a mosquito’s, whispered, “Maybe... maybe we should hand over this young man?” Her eyes flickered nervously toward me.

Others with her cast strange looks my way. I turned and glared, anger burning in my chest.

“Shut up! You think handing me over will save you? Have you seen what they’re capable of?”

Sun Bo quickly came to my defense, waving his hand and speaking earnestly, “No, no, these people are ruthless. Now’s not the time for betrayal. We must stand united.”

I was both furious and helpless, my mind racing like ants on a hot pan.

“Boom!” Another deafening blast shook the air. The bombardment sent my body flying like a balloon. Everything blurred before snapping back into focus. The chaos and screams faded into a distant hum. I felt detached, unable to hear what anyone was saying.

After a brief moment of deafness, a cold wind brushed past. I came to, rising from the ground. The loft beside us was rubble now. The shell had exploded in the building next to us. The shockwave had reached us, and we held our breath, fearing the next shell might strike our faces.

Jiang Hanchuan struggled to his feet, brushing grit from his hair, complaining, “Boss, the shells are landing right next to us. Seems like this spot’s useless!”

I scolded him, “Stop complaining. The boss is still thinking. The strong never blame their surroundings!”

“Cut the act. I’m weak. I don’t just complain about the environment—I complain about the strong too,” Jiang Hanchuan snapped back.

“Hmph!” I refused to argue.

It seemed we had no choice but to gamble everything. I clenched my teeth and said firmly, “Boss, I have a plan. I’ll lure the city’s zombies here to create chaos. You take this chance to escape to the building beside us. The bombed spots probably won’t be hit twice.”

Xu Hanfeng frowned deeply. “Such a massive horde of zombies—can you really control them?”

———

“No problem!” I answered decisively.

Xu Hanfeng pondered for a moment, then nodded in approval.

Without hesitation, I was about to move when Lu Yucheng’s anxious voice rang out: “That family is gone!”

We looked around, puzzled. “Who? Yucheng, which family?”

“The mother and child, and her husband—they’re missing,” Lu Yucheng said, scanning anxiously.

Jiang Hanchuan didn’t pay much attention. “Maybe the shockwave knocked them down. Check the stairwell.”

Xu Hanfeng looked down outside the window, eyes fixed on the street below.

“No need to look—they’ve left!”

“What? Those two are really something else. We helped them, and now they want to betray us?” Jiang Hanchuan, true to form, began cursing angrily.

———

Night spread like ink, tension permeating every corner. On the empty lot below, Jiang Yunjie stood cold and stern, scanning the surroundings for our hiding place.

Suddenly, a trembling figure emerged from a building, breaking the momentary silence.

“Young Master Jiang... please don’t kill us. The person you seek is on the rooftop of this building.” The woman’s voice quivered as she timidly pointed to our location. The family of three wore faces etched with fear and helplessness.

Jiang Yunjie clapped his hands mockingly, a playful smile curling his lips. “Excellent! Very good! I like those who know when to play along.” His words brimmed with arrogance and pride.

“I told you, hand over that person, and you’ll be spared!” With that, the family of three was taken away.