Chapter 8: A Faint Light

The mutant hound’s silhouette emerged gradually from the red mist, slowly approaching him.

The three-footed creature bared its sharp fangs, stained with flecks of blood. The nauseating stench of gore surged toward Old Yu’s face. Old Yu fumbled tremblingly in his trouser pocket for something, an unusual movement that caused the three-footed beast to instinctively stand its ground and growl low in its throat.

Exhausted from his weeping and shouting, Old Yu looked at the cautious mutant and let out a mocking, dry laugh. With trembling fingers, he fished out the last remaining cigarette he had kept hidden deep in his pocket.

"Click."

With the sound of a lighter, he lit it right in front of the mutant. Exhaling a long breath, Old Yu cursed at the creature in a voice that shook like a sieve.

"Damn you, you mangy cur! I should have chopped you up for hot pot the moment I saw you!"

As he spoke, a pungent smell of urine rose from the ground. When the terror of death had loomed before him, he had truly wet himself.

The mutant hound finally realized the human was bluffing. It arched its muscular back, preparing to snap off the man's head. Yu Chen closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate...

When a person is plunged into darkness, they instinctively seek light, no matter how faint or insignificant that light may be. And now, that glimmer of light appeared right before Old Yu.

Old Yu kept his eyes squeezed shut, but through his eyelids, he sensed that the previously dim world had suddenly become much brighter. The pain he had anticipated did not arrive; instead, a searing, scalding heat touched his face, followed by a few droplets of warm liquid splashing onto his skin.

Old Yu instinctively licked a drop that had landed near his lips. The intense, nauseating flavor, like rusted iron, nearly caused him to collapse.

"Blood?!"

He reflexively opened his eyes. A young man wearing a trench coat stood before him, gripping the beast’s severed head. A blood-red halo surrounded him, making him look like a deity. Behind him floated several plastic buckets, which added a touch of absurdity to the scene.

Before the joy of surviving could even take root, Old Yu felt a new wave of fear toward the man. Anyone capable of so easily snatching away the Grim Reaper was likely another Grim Reaper himself. Could this thing before him be a monster wearing human skin?

"Who... who are you? Are you really human?"

Li Ye lowered his head slightly to glance at him and nodded.

Old Yu finally let out a breath, and the cold sweat born of lingering fear instantly soaked through his clothes. Having confirmed the man was human, he subconsciously covered the wet patch on his crotch, hanging his head in embarrassment. As an old-timer, being scared into wetting himself by a creature that someone else had casually slaughtered was hardly a glorious affair.

"It’s fine. If anything, this just shows you have a profound understanding of the terror of life and death."

Old Yu’s squinty eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the young man who actually knew how to offer comfort.

***

"So, can you move aside now? I need to go in."

Li Ye’s tone turned cold as he looked flatly at the middle-aged man.

Old Yu scrambled to clear the way, saying flatteringly, "The gates were locked from the inside. They won't open from out here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Ye pulled the gate open and strode inside with a confident air.

"?"

Old Yu looked at the lock, refusing to believe his eyes. "Hiss, it doesn't look broken... what kind of divine being is this young man?"

Li Ye walked into the factory, passing by the few people huddled in the corner, and headed straight toward the workshop. Old Yu wiped the urine stains from his pants and walked into the factory, feeling both ashamed and indignant.

He shouted loudly, "Where are you little brats?! You wouldn't open the gate for your Uncle Yu? Trying to get me killed?!"

The people huddled in the corner finally raised their heads, looking at each other in confusion.

"Uncle Yu isn't dead?"

A bald old man suddenly shouted in panic, "Impossible! The screams just now pierced through the red mist. He must be dead! The Yu Chen standing there might not even be himself! We must not acknowledge him!"

The other workers, looking pained, ignored the bald man and stood up, walking toward the gate.

"Old Yu, don't blame us. Was there some monster chasing you just now?"

A young man named Xiao Qi walked up to Old Yu, his face full of shame.

Yu Chen gave them no face. After closing the gate behind him, he began to curse them out. He ranted for a full three minutes before pausing to catch his breath.

Seeing this, the others quickly changed the subject. "Where are Uncle Jiao and the others?"

At this question, Yu Chen’s expression dimmed. He whispered, "They’re all dead."

...

"Hao?"

Li Ye walked over slowly, calling out to the fat man who always kept his eyes squinted.

"Ye? You finally arrived!"

Su Hao first showed a look of surprise, then realized the situation and pointed indignantly at the blood-red mist covering the sky. "You explain this—is this the 'surprise' you prepared for me?!"

"That’s a long story. Where are Xue Ning and Aunt Lu?"

"I had them hide in the office. Three thugs slipped into the raw material warehouse. Should we go drive them out?"

Li Ye thought for a moment. "You go get Xue Ning and the others, then head straight to the warehouse. I’ll handle them myself."

Recalling Li Ye’s usual caution, Su Hao didn't bother offering any warnings about staying safe. After all, this foster brother of his was a man who could be cautious enough to plan for every contingency!

The three young men in floral shirts sat in front of the finished goods warehouse, watching Li Ye pass by with wary eyes. Li Ye ignored the trio for the moment, first checking the factory’s water and electrical equipment. Only after confirming the water pump was still functional did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He placed the buckets of formalin in the corner. Now was not the time to use this; as long as most of the food was still edible, there was no need to force himself to suffer. After all, the taste of this potent preservative, no matter how diluted, was no different from eating excrement.

He walked toward the finished goods warehouse. Seeing the stranger walk back into their field of vision, the three men stood up, looking at Li Ye with malice.

"What, are you the helper that little girl brought in? Just you?"

Li Ye’s expression remained unchanged as he looked calmly at the three hoodlum-like youths.

"F*** you! What are you looking at?"

The leader, annoyed by the indifferent, ant-like gaze Li Ye was giving them, charged forward with his fists raised.

*Bang!*

There were only two or three steps between them, but the man had barely taken his first stride before he was sent flying backward, slamming into the wall behind him with a dull thud.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

The remaining two thugs were stunned, instinctively retreating to either side. After a moment of bewilderment, one of them, refusing to believe his eyes, stomped the ground and rushed at Li Ye again. He didn't believe it; the previous move must have been some kind of trick!

*Bang!*

Another figure was added to the wall.

The last one, who had been about to rush over to help, quickly put on a flattering smile.

"Boss, we had eyes but failed to recognize a master. This place is yours; we’re leaving right now."

He immediately hoisted up the two unconscious men on the floor and fled as if his life depended on it.

Seeing that they were sensible enough, Li Ye didn't finish them off. In the early days of the apocalypse, these thugs were already among the quick-witted ones.

Li Ye strode into the warehouse and gazed at the dazzling array of food piled before him. He couldn't help but exhale a long breath. This was why he hadn't bothered to find a place to hoard food. With absolute power in his hands, no matter whose warehouse it was, it was his warehouse!