Chapter 38: Foil-Baked Clam Rice Noodles

The Land Rover’s door swung open, and Guan Zixuan stepped out, radiating a menacing aura.

"Zou Gaoming! What do you think you’re doing!"

With his long legs, he reached the group in a few strides. He grabbed Zou Gaoming by the collar and demanded harshly, "We aren't in the village right now; is this how you treat people just passing through?"

Zou Gaoming, slightly shorter than Guan Zixuan, was effortlessly lifted off the ground. Humiliated and lacking any dignity, his face turned bright red. "Brother Guan, is this really necessary? They drove up suddenly and refused to stop when we blocked their way. I explained nicely that outsiders aren't allowed in the village, but they wouldn't listen and even used venomous insects to hurt so many of our brothers. Don't I have to teach them a lesson?"

"Bullshit!" Pang Cancan jumped out of the car. "We just wanted to find a place to shelter from the cold wave. If these guys didn't want us here, fine, but they blocked us from leaving! Especially him—he used his metal-type ability to tear our car to pieces!"

Zou Gaoming refused to admit it. "Don't slander me. Look for yourselves, is there even a scratch on that car?"

"That's only because you couldn't beat us and were forced to fix it!"

"That was your provocation first."

He lied through his teeth, leaving Pang Cancan fuming. She scanned the surroundings, her eyes lighting up when she spotted the small family sedan. "What about him? He died by your hands! If we weren't strong enough, we would have suffered the same fate!"

Guan Zixuan turned his head, and Wei Yan, who had just arrived, followed her gaze. The driver’s body was still slumped in the passenger seat, a gruesome sight.

Zou Gaoming remained stubborn. "Same thing. He insisted on entering the village and even tried to ambush me with his ability. I just overreacted… that’s not my fault!"

Wei Yan frowned. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Zou Gaoming quickly scrambled to patch things up. "Brother Wei, the rule about not letting outsiders into the village was set by you. First, we’re worried about the zombie virus. If we let them in, the whole village could be infected. Second, our supplies are limited. We have hundreds of families here, and even with you guys scavenging for new supplies, we’re barely self-sufficient. If we keep taking in strangers without restraint, we won't be able to function!"

"Especially with this sudden cold snap. Survivors near G City all know we have hot springs here, and they keep coming in waves. When I refuse them, they resort to dirty tactics. They camp at the foot of the mountain, waiting for a chance to charge up."

"There are hundreds of families in the village, most of them defenseless civilians. If they actually breached the village, they might slaughter everyone and seize the hot springs. If that happens, I’d be the sinner of the entire village."

"Brother Wei, Brother Guan, you tell me—was I wrong?"

Zou Gaoming spoke with conviction. In the eyes he locked with Guan Zixuan, there was no guilt or regret. He either truly believed his own words or was masterfully twisting the narrative to manipulate their trust.

Guan Zixuan slowly released his collar, though his expression remained sour. He knew something was off with Zou Gaoming, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Seeing the two men about to be swayed, Pang Cancan wanted to speak up again.

"Cancan," Su Su reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Forget it."

These people all belonged to the same village and were close-knit; they would naturally prefer to listen to their own. Pang Cancan gritted her teeth, unwilling to let it go. Was that really it? That guy named Zou Gaoming had clearly intended to kill them!

Su Su shook her head. She wasn't asking Pang Cancan to stop seeking justice, but to stop arguing. In this world, it wasn't about who was right; it was about who was willing to listen. After the confrontation, she realized that Wei Yan was the one in charge of Hot Spring Village. Both Guan Zixuan and Zou Gaoming followed his lead.

Su Su took a step forward, ignoring everyone else and staring directly at Wei Yan. "Regardless of your excuses, the fact that he tried to kill us stands. This won't be settled so easily."

Wei Yan understood this logic. His lips pressed into a thin line. "We can offer compensation. As for Gaoming, he will face punishment."

Pang Cancan curled her lip in disdain. "Hypocritical."

Having lived through a previous life, Su Su’s expectations were already low, and she felt this man was relatively upright. "What kind of compensation are you offering?"

Wei Yan pondered for a moment. "Crystals, food—whatever you need."

Su Su shook her head. "I don't need those."

Guan Zixuan, who had been listening, couldn't help but interject. "Then what do you want? Do you want to kill Zou Gaoming?" He wasn't being sarcastic; he was genuinely asking.

"We want a chance to enter the village," Su Su stated her ultimate goal. "The cold wave came too suddenly. I’m worried the temperature will keep dropping, and Hot Spring Village is a good place to hide."

"That’s not hard to—" Guan Zixuan started to agree, but remembered the village rules set by Wei Yan and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Fine."

Wei Yan agreed quickly, drawing everyone's attention. Zou Gaoming protested indignantly, "Brother Wei, they—"

"Shut up." Wei Yan swept his gaze over the injured and exhausted villagers. "You caused this mess; aren't you going to make up for it?"

Hearing this, Su Su realized that he didn't necessarily believe Zou Gaoming’s lies.

"I can let you into the village, but there are conditions."

"Go ahead."

Wei Yan looked at Su Su. "We will provide a place for you to stay. But supplies won't be free. If you need anything, you can trade for it with me or with the villagers."

"While you are here, if you are wronged, you can come to me to resolve it. But if I find out you are bullying the villagers, I won't be lenient. At best, you'll be kicked out of the village; at worst, you'll pay the price."

Su Su nodded. "Agreed."

Wei Yan’s expression softened slightly. "Good. I’ll take you up the mountain."

As for Zou Gaoming, he said coldly, "And you, you're grounded for a month. You won't receive a share of the supplies this time."

The others looked disgruntled, but fearing Wei Yan’s strength and authority, no one dared to argue. The conflict was resolved.

Su Su got back into her car and drove along the winding mountain road.

"Hmph, that bastard got off easy," Pang Cancan said, leaning over the seat. "I never expected those three ability users we met at the supermarket to be from this village."

"It's not surprising. There are only three of them. Logically, they shouldn't be short on supplies, but they chose to empty out the supermarket. Either they were too greedy, or they were doing it to support their base."

This Hot Spring Village was essentially a mini-base. Wei Yan was the undisputed leader, with Guan Zixuan and another female ability user as his loyalists. As for Zou Gaoming… he was a thorn in their side. Because of his existence, Su Su actually felt a bit more at ease. "At least while we're living here, we don't have to worry too much about people plotting against us."

"True." Wei Yan’s image, at least for now, seemed quite decent.

After driving for twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the hot spring resort halfway up the mountain.

In the brief interval, perhaps sensing there was no more immediate danger, Little Black had fallen back asleep. Considering that snakes hibernate, Su Su wasn't too worried. She went back to holding it in her arms. Even though it weighed twenty or thirty pounds, she insisted on carrying it everywhere she went. If she really couldn't hold it, she had a newly made, extra-large backpack! Wearing it on her back didn't get in the way at all.

Up ahead, Wei Yan got out of his car first and glanced toward the SUV. His eyes fell on Su Su; her presence was too striking, making it hard not to linger on her. Naturally, the giant python in her arms was also quite eye-catching.

"Zixuan."

Guan Zixuan leaned in. "Brother Wei, what is it?"

"Zheng Xiuwen and I are going to catalog the supplies. You go settle the guests. Take them to the Mountain Residences and explain the village rules while you're at it. Get it clear now, and it will save us trouble later."

Even now, he still believed the cold wave would pass quickly, lasting at most a few weeks. It was a southern region's confidence in its climate.

"You got it!"

Wei Yan watched Guan Zixuan run off happily. After a few seconds, he looked away and turned to join the space-ability user, Zheng Xiuwen, to count the supplies they had brought back.

"The three of you, let me take you into the village!"

For some reason, Su Su felt an inexplicable liking for Guan Zixuan. Perhaps it was because he was handsome—a bit tanned, a bit eager, but his smile and overall demeanor felt genuinely decent.

"Alright."

Hot Spring Village was large, with beautiful surroundings. The villagers’ homes were scattered across the mountain, and they frequently passed by well-decorated buildings.

"That over there is a small golf course. We don't have fancy lawns, but you can hit balls into the lake—it’s like skipping stones!"

"That's the water park. We don't have high-end facilities like log flumes, but we installed slides. You can still experience the thrill of surfing!"

"The back mountain is the hot spring pavilion. There are over a hundred springs of all sizes, mostly for tourists. The villagers have their own springs at home, so we rarely go there."

As he walked and introduced the place, Pang Cancan was soon stunned. "It's so beautiful here! It’s like a paradise!"

Being there, it felt like they were back before the apocalypse, completely forgetting about the zombie hordes and all the disasters outside.

Guan Zixuan puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course! This is all the hard work of Brother Wei, me, and the whole village!"

Su Su and Pang Cancan looked over, both feeling puzzled. Under the gaze of the two young women, Guan Zixuan’s ears turned red, though he felt wonderful inside.

He began to explain in detail, "Before the apocalypse, Brother Wei and I were friends from work. Later, we both quit, came to his hometown—this village—and decided to turn it into a hot spring resort!"