LCFM Chapter 19

The warehouse building was very quiet. Several large cardboard boxes lay flattened in the lobby, and the tables and chairs had been knocked askew.

Footsteps came down the stairs.

“Next time, when you go to the bathroom, you have to tell Mommy, understand? Just now, Mommy couldn’t find you. You scared Mommy to death.” Yu Xue held Geng Bei’s hand as they came down.

“I understand, Mommy. Where’s Daddy?” Geng Bei glanced nervously at the quiet lobby. “Why is everyone gone?”

“Let’s hurry. Daddy should be outside.” Yu Xue frowned, quickening her steps down the stairs. “Your dad, he didn’t even think to wait for us! He’s really taught himself stupid with all that teaching! Earning that meager salary. Every day, all he thinks about is students, students, students!”

“Seriously! Don’t tell me everyone else has already left?” Yu Xue looked around, her hand trembling slightly. “Come, Beibei, Mommy will carry you.”

Ka-da—

A faint sound, like a soda can rolling.

Yu Xue froze. A woman’s instinct for danger made her instantly press Geng Bei down to the ground behind a big cardboard box. She held her breath quickly and clamped a hand over her son’s mouth.

An infected staggered in slowly. Because it hadn’t found a target to attack, it stopped in place, staring fixedly at the big cardboard box without moving.

Yu Xue’s chest heaved violently. Through the crack in the box, she saw the infected.

Only a thin sheet of cardboard separated them.

“We can’t go in there!” Guo Wei roared, firing as he swept with his gun. “We don’t have time! Everyone here is going to die!”

“I don’t agree either! Fei Ge! We have to leave now!” Zhou Dachun shouted.

“Shut up first!” Zhu Gaofei roared back. “Qiangzi! Push that cement drum over here and block this side!”

Jiang Xinghuai clenched the warm buns in his arms. He wanted to go save Old Geng’s wife and child.

He knew that if he took one step toward the storeroom, Zhu Gaofei would definitely follow him in. But that couldn’t happen. He himself could risk going in to save someone, but he couldn’t drag others along to die with him.

Bullets exploded past his ears. His head felt like it was about to burst. There was no time left to hesitate. If they delayed any longer, everyone would die.

Jiang Xinghuai hugged his head, his voice hoarse as he spoke: “Let’s go… Fei Ge… let’s go…”

Amid the flying bullets, Zhu Gaofei suddenly turned back to look at him, his eyes full of disbelief.

“Beibei?” Geng Manhong crouched low as he searched his way inside, stepping carefully forward. “Beibei…”

“Dad—” Geng Bei had just opened his mouth when Yu Xue quickly covered it again.

Yu Xue’s forehead was drenched with cold sweat from fear. In the faintest whisper, she pressed close to Geng Bei’s ear: “Beibei, don’t make a sound…”

Hearing the noise, Geng Manhong froze on the spot. Pressing himself against the wall, he poked his head out.

He saw the mother and child lying hidden behind the big box. And standing behind them were four or five infected.

Geng Manhong wiped the sweat from his forehead, gritted his teeth, and was just about to rush forward.

Outside, the gunfire suddenly intensified.

The four or five infected that had slipped in were drawn toward the sound of the shots and started moving toward the warehouse door.

Geng Manhong’s heart eased with relief. He quickly waved his hand.

“Don’t talk, we’re going to Daddy.” Yu Xue also noticed through the crack in the box that the infected had turned its back. She immediately let go of her hold on Geng Bei.

“Crawl over, and absolutely don’t make a sound.” Yu Xue’s eyes were red as she carefully whispered her instructions.

Geng Bei nodded.

Geng Manhong was crouched at the corner of the wall, eyes bloodshot, stretching out his short, pudgy hand as far as he could.

Yu Xue nervously followed behind Geng Bei, crawling, glancing back every so often.

And just as Yu Xue turned her head again in that instant—

The slowly moving infected suddenly halted, froze in place, and turned its head back.

Yu Xue’s whole body stiffened at once. She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she turned her head again to glance at Geng Bei, who was struggling hard to crawl forward.

That was her child.

A little chubby boy, a bit stubborn but not actually very brave.

The infected locked onto its target and instantly charged forward!

“Run! Beibei, run!” Yu Xue shouted, snatching up a bamboo pole from the ground and rushing head-on toward the infected. “Go to Daddy!”

Hearing his mother’s words, Geng Bei staggered as he scrambled up, barely finding his footing before bolting forward.

Behind him, Yu Xue’s furious shouting quickly rang out. But Geng Bei didn’t look back. His mother was fierce. She’d never lost an argument when quarreling with others.

This time, she would definitely win, too.

“Dachun, come in with me. Everyone else, stay here!” Zhu Gaofei swapped magazines. “Guo Wei, you take people and protect this place! If you can’t hold them back, get in the cars and go immediately! Also, get the third vehicle moving right now! Don’t wait!”

“Fei Ge!” Guo Wei grabbed his arm.

“Wei…” Zhu Gaofei looked at him. “It’s been more than ten years since we left the service, right?”

Guo Wei was stunned.

“Thanks to our brothers, business has gone pretty well these years. We even started a security company. But do you really see yourselves as mere security guards?” Zhu Gaofei slowly swept his gaze across every man here holding a gun, his eyes firm and his voice strong. “We served as soldiers, we wore the uniform. We are soldiers! Soldiers protect the people!”

Guo Wei’s eyes reddened. He slowly let go of his hand.

The third vehicle sped off just as Zhu Gaofei ran toward the warehouse’s back door.

Only one vehicle remained behind!

Seven men stood outside the vehicle. Inside, besides Jiang Xinghuai and the blond boy, was the perverted, greasy-haired man with his hands tied.

Jiang Xinghuai put down the buns, picked up his skateboard, jumped down from the car, and stood beside the men.

“I’ll teach you how to handle it!” Guo Wei tossed a pistol over and shouted, “Don’t shoot me in the foot again!”

“Brother, give me one, too.” The blond boy came up, brashly putting on a tough face. “I’m especially good at pulling the trigger!”

“Take this.” Guo Wei pulled a round, chunky object from his waist and tossed it over. “I think you’ve got unusual talent. You’d make the best demolition man. Demolitions is the most technically demanding specialty in all the services!”

“How so!” The blond boy held the object proudly and nervously.

“Step 1! Pull the safety pin! Step 2! Throw it out!” Guo Wei shouted at the top of his lungs. “Throw it with all your strength!”

“Fuck…” The blond boy cursed, ran forward two steps, swung his arm wide, and hurled it out.

BOOM!!

A massive explosion burst open like a blazing red flower, tearing countless infected into pieces.

But the endless, unceasing flood of infected seemed impossible to kill off, pressing in closer and closer.

Thankfully, several massive cement cylinders were blocking in front, holding them back. But the danger still loomed.

“I’m done, Wei! My gun’s empty! Why hasn’t Fei Ge come out yet!”

“Mine’s empty, too!”

“Jiang Xinghuai! Fall back!” Fu Yan smashed a rifle butt down on an infected that had climbed over the cement cylinder.

“Don’t worry about me!” Jiang Xinghuai swatted down a straggler with his skateboard. “The skateboard’s still the best! Just now I even gave it a super cool name!”

Fu Yan frowned. “Is this the time—”

“What’s it called!” The blond boy cut in.

“‘Sure Death!’” Jiang Xinghuai proudly lifted his chin.

“You damn edgy poser!” The blond boy gagged.

“You’ve got a whole head dyed yellow and you’ve got the nerve to call me edgy!” Jiang Xinghuai was stunned.

“You carry that skateboard every day. Have you even ridden it once, you poser kid!”

“Are you challenging me?” Jiang Xinghuai nearly jumped right then and there to show off a board grab with an inward 180.

“Shut the hell up, all of you!” Zhu Gaofei charged out of the building with the chubby kid tucked under his arm.

Behind him followed Geng Manhong and Zhou Dachun.

“They’re out!” Jiang Xinghuai froze for just a split second, then broke into a quick smile. “Fu Yan! They’re out!”

“Mm.” Fu Yan smiled, too. “Get in the car first!”

“Teacher Geng!” Jiang Xinghuai reached out to pull Geng Manhong.

“Hey!” Geng Manhong gripped his hand tightly. “You’re okay, right?”

“I’m fine!”

“All units, listen up!” Zhu Gaofei bit down on a pin and yanked it out, then hurled a grenade.

“Get in the car!” Zhu Gaofei spun around and leapt into the vehicle. “Go, go, go!”

BOOM!!

Everyone crammed into the back seat of the van felt the blast wave wash over them all at once.

The little van tore forward like a mad beast fleeing for its life, jostling and packed tight.

Very quickly, the warehouse engulfed in flames shrank in their vision until it disappeared completely.

Four minutes later, the van rolled onto the highway.

The speed slowly dropped, and a fresh breeze, carrying the fragrance of wheat, blew into the cabin.

Jiang Xinghuai was busy handing out his big buns, one for each person. Zhu Gaofei got two.

“I’m still different! In our Huai’er’s heart, I’m like this.” Zhu Gaofei said, raising his thumb.

Fu Yan arched an eyebrow and raised his hand. Five big buns balanced steadily in one palm. No one knew how.

Zhu Gaofei: “……”

“Jiang Xinghuai!!” Zhu Gaofei cursed furiously, standing up and reaching out to smack him. “You little brat, biting the hand that feeds you!”

Jiang Xinghuai quickly squeezed himself behind Teacher Geng’s plump back. Zhu Gaofei couldn’t do anything to him for the moment. In his rage, he snatched a bun from Guo Wei’s hand and ate it.

“I want to say a few words.” Geng Manhong turned his head, seriously looking at everyone in the car one by one. “I’m very grateful that you all came in to save us, but… but I have one more shameless request.”

“What’s wrong… why bring this up all of a sudden?” Jiang Xinghuai frowned. Suddenly, he couldn’t smile anymore.

“I… I…” Geng Manhong gripped Geng Bei with one hand and held Jiang Xinghuai with the other. His eyes slowly turned red. Only after choking back several times could he continue, “As a teacher who’s supposed to educate, it’s mostly my fault that I didn’t raise Geng Bei well. But he isn’t bad at heart. If he ever offends anyone in the future, just give him a good beating. That’s fine. As long as you let him have something to eat, that’s enough.”

“Old Geng…” Jiang Xinghuai’s voice was shaking now. “What do you mean… what are you saying?”

“Later, when you find a good spot to pull over, just let me off.” Geng Manhong finished and let out a heavy sigh.

“You fat bastard, what are you talking about!” Jiang Xinghuai shot to his feet. His head banged hard against the roof of the van.

But he didn’t seem to feel it. His reddened eyes are locked firmly on Geng Manhong’s.

Geng Manhong’s eyes were red and swollen, his lips trembling. He reached out and pulled up his sleeve.

A bloody bite mark was glaringly obvious on his wrist.

The whole van froze in an instant.

Jiang Xinghuai’s pupils shrank sharply. He shook his head. “No… no way…”

“Jiang Xinghuai.” Fu Yan frowned, reaching out to pull him down. “Sit first.”

“What’s wrong with you! What the hell are you doing!” Jiang Xinghuai cried as he questioned Geng Manhong, “Are you an idiot! Do you have no brain! You… you…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Geng Manhong was crying, too. He spread his arms and hugged Jiang Xinghuai. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Teacher’s fine…”

Zhu Gaofei furrowed his brows tightly as he watched all this. Then, suddenly, he turned his head toward Fu Yan and asked softly, “Mr. Fu, can you save him?”

Fu Yan was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“Hey now, stop crying.” Geng Manhong patted Jiang Xinghuai’s back. “Oh, right…”

He struggled to fish out a wrinkled little notebook from his pants pocket. “This thing’s great. I handwrote it over the past couple of days. It’s a collection of key difficult math problems. Keep it safe, study it well, got it? Don’t go scoring a four on your college entrance exam again! If there’s something you don’t get, ask Xiao Fu. He looks educated enough.”

“No, no, he’s not educated at all.” Jiang Xinghuai shook his head, crying. “He only graduated from elementary school! I want you to teach me! You teach me! Aren’t you my homeroom teacher!”

Fu Yan: “……”

Geng Manhong let out a deep sigh, gently stroking the back of his head with fatherly affection. “An elementary school graduate is enough to tutor you.”

Hearing that, Jiang Xinghuai cried even harder.

So the elementary school graduate Fu Yan sighed. “There is one method… it might be worth trying.”

---