The men and women who had survived were holding weapons and shouting loudly in Abao and Awang’s small courtyard.
“Awang is about to become a zombie! Hurry up, get him out!”
“Yes, we can’t let him stay here! Either kill him or drive him out of the village! Let him fend for himself!”
Abao’s family was at the door, their faces miserable. They had finally gotten their eldest son back after so long and he was now going to be kicked out by the villagers.
“No! Leave my brother alone!” Abao was full of fear and he spread out his small hands to stop the crowd.
The Thunder Squad had decided to stay for one more day to rest and leave Zhou village tomorrow. They did not want to meddle in the village’s affairs any more than they already had.
But Bai Qingqing couldn’t let it go. After all, it was the first side mission the system had given her and it had never said whether it had failed or succeeded; it meant she still had the opportunity to complete it.
A human bitten by a zombie would not immediately turn but it would still only take a few minutes; Awang’s current fever was more like a power awakening. Unfortunately, he had fallen into a coma after inhaling the wisteria’s particles and could still be a danger to the villagers. And after the battle with the Sacred Tree, the villagers were afraid and would rather kill one person by mistake than risk the population they had left.
The noise surrounding Abao and Awang’s house was loud. Bai Qingqing was standing on a high slope to observe the situation when she noticed a figure rushing out. She went to stop her in a hurry.
“A-mei! Where are you going?”
A-mei looked at her in tears: “Sister Qingqing, I will go find Awang.”
After that, she ran towards her lover’s house.
“A-mei, come back here you stupid bitch!” A man yelled, roaring as he watched A-mei’s figure disappear, “What was the use of raising you??”
Bai Qingqing looked at the man, wondering if this rude person could be A-mei’s father. Noticing her gaze, the man grinned: “Girl, don’t you want to stay in our village for a few more days?”
The villagers were disgusting: men were the sky and women were goods, scolded and beaten at will. Although the Elder had died, the men were still clinging to their archaic thinking.
Bai Qingqing ignored him and A-mei’s father cursed at her: “Bitch.”
“Shoo!” An arrow pierced through the air towards A-mei’s father, landing in his shoulder. The man screamed, clutching his bleeding wound, and looked in fear at the person who had just appeared next to Bai Qingqing.
Fu Chen was holding a bow and arrows used by the hunters of the village, a terrifying expression on his face. He looked at the man on the ground coldly and spat out: “Leave!”
A-mei’s father knew he could not provoke those people easily and left in anger.
Bai Qingqing turned her head and looked at Fu Chen.
“Brother.”
“Do you have a good relationship with that girl?”
Bai Qingqing mulled over it in her heart for a few seconds and answered: “I think she is pitiful. After going through so much, they finally found each other again but now they still have to face death.”
She added in a calm yet distressed voice: “Perhaps this is their fate.”
Fu Chen glanced at her delicate profile and asked indifferently: “Do you really believe that?”
“No.” Bai Qingqing smiled at him, “But sometimes, we have no choice. Don’t we, brother?”
Even if she had changed the plot, even if the whole team had survived Zhou village and even if A-mei and Awang had met again, the young lover had developed a fever. Fu Chen looked at Bai Qingqing’s sad face and said: “I only believe in myself.”
His tone was somewhat arrogant, yet Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but think that as a male protagonist, he indeed had the right to be.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Bai Qingqing was a little surprised: “Brother, do you want to help Awang?”
Fu Chen did not answer but led her to Abao’s house. The villagers were still shouting in the courtyard, threatening to set their home on fire if they didn’t give them Awang. Hearing this, the father said to the mother: “Let’s drive Awang out of the village.”
Abao’s mother looked at him incredulously and cried in pain: “Do you still have a conscience? He is your son! No! I forbid it!”
The villagers were praising the father for his sacrifice and good deed, arousing his emotions. He pushed the woman away: “Get off! I am the head of the family!”
Abao ran over and hugged the man’s leg. A-mei also rushed in and yelled: “Uncle! Please, Awang will be okay, he really will! Please don’t drive him away!”
“You bitch!” Abao’s father slapped her and accused: “If it wasn’t for you, would he be in this situation now?”
A-mei fell heavily on the ground and knelt: “He is fine! I beg of you, don’t drive him away!”
“Bah! Fickle woman!” Several men looked at A-mei with giddy expressions, “If you don’t stop, you will be thrown out too!”
The women of the village were all of low status. Being kicked out was only just a matter of a man’s word.
Soon, Abao’s father went inside and came out carrying Awang, before throwing him in the yard.
“Awang!” A-mei rushed to embrace him. Abao also wanted to join them but was lifted up before he could.
“Get lost! Go back inside!”
“Brother…” Abao cried.
The villagers went to grab Awang and A-mei was desperately trying to protect him. Nobody was careful nor paying any attention and clothes were soon ripped all over.
“Stop!” Bai Qingqing couldn’t stand it anymore and finally shouted in annoyance. She squeezed out from the crowd, stared at the villagers, and said: “Awang will not become a zombie.”
But no one wanted to listen to an outsider, let alone a woman.
“Big sister!” Abao rushed out and hugged her legs before looking at the villagers too, “Fairy sister says brother will not turn into a monster, you can’t take my brother away!”
“Little boy, you know nothing!” The villagers ridiculed him.
Bai Qingqing was about to speak but a male voice was faster: “Your brother is 50% likely to turn.”
Shen Mingxuan walked from the side, with the rest of the Thunder Squad. He had a gun in his hand and faced Bai Qingqing with a dark face. His face was so cold and merciless, Bai Qingqing wasn’t sure whether he wanted to shoot her or Awang.
“The best way to deal with this issue is before he can change.”
The Thunder Squad dealt with any kind of incident decisively and fiercely. What Shen Mingxuan was saying was not wrong and even Bai Tiantian stayed silent and did not try to intercede despite her Virgin Mary halo.
Facing the muzzle of the gun, Bai Qingqing calmly smiled: “If he isn’t infected, you would have killed an innocent person.”
Shen Mingxuan narrowed his eyes: “I would rather kill an innocent than let it go.”