Chapter 39 - 38: Extreme Heat, a Guarantee

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

Several men in tactical gear suddenly appeared from all sides, completely surrounding them.

They were from the government!

They stood back-to-back, their expressions wary.

A moment later, the flickering light of countless torches approached, accompanied by the sound of rhythmic, marching footsteps.

A tall young man in a military uniform with a piercing gaze appeared in their field of vision.

At his side was a familiar face.

Jiao Weisong spoke to Kuang Jiaying with fawning deference. "Battalion Commander, it’s them! They’re hoarding illegal firearms and ammunition, and they set traps to kill people. That other group must be connected to them. See? The guns they’re holding are identical."

Kuang Jiaying’s condescending gaze swept over the group before landing on the most striking face among them—Qin Shen’s. In a haughty, commanding tone, he ordered, "Hand over your weapons!"

Qin Shen remained as still as a mountain, his expression impassive. When their eyes met, the air seemed to crackle with tension.

In the early days of the apocalypse, the government still held control of the world.

A direct confrontation was unwinnable.

Even if they managed to escape today, they would likely face an all-out manhunt.

Jiang Si grabbed Qin Shen’s wrist, stopping him from acting rashly. She tossed her own gun to the ground and said to Kuang Jiaying, "We weren’t hoarding these guns. We took them from a group of poachers and were about to hand them over to you. If you don’t believe us, you can ask the ranger."

Hearing her speak, Kuang Jiaying’s gaze shifted to her face, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes.

Qin Shen stepped in front of her, blocking Kuang Jiaying’s line of sight. Kuang Jiaying scoffed. "If you were planning to turn them in, why did you run?"

Jiang Si immediately explained, "We thought that group from the forest was coming after us again. We’re just ordinary folks. We got scared, so of course we ran."

Jiao Weisong cut in anxiously, "Battalion Commander, don’t listen to her nonsense! The people we rescued from this village all testified that her family was hoarding guns even before this! And that they’ve killed a lot of people!"

Jiang Si’s gaze turned icy. "Everything requires evidence. They claim we were hoarding guns? Where’s the proof? Do they have video?"

Jiao Weisong pulled a bullet from his pocket. "This is the bullet you shot into a villager! This is your evidence!"

Jiang Si reiterated, "Like I said, we got these guns from a group of poachers. If they shot someone, it has absolutely nothing to do with us."

"You’re just trying to argue your way out of this!"

"What is there to argue about? We held these guns for self-defense, to scare people off while we looked for an opportunity to turn them in. You keep insisting we’re murderers. Did you actually see us fire a shot? Or did you witness us kill someone with your own eyes?"

"The people accusing us of murder are just jealous our whole family is still alive. They want to steal our food stores, just like those idiots who were goaded into breaking into our home to rob us last time."

Jiao Weisong, the target of her thinly veiled accusation, paled and flushed with anger. "Our captain ordered you to open the door! Why didn’t you?"

Jiang Si scoffed. "Our house has been broken into multiple times by countless people pretending to be friends or family. There was a whole mob of you. What if you weren’t really the authorities? If we had come out, we would’ve just been cannon fodder!"

"Then why didn’t you go to the shelter? Why insist on staying here?!"

Jiang Si shot him a cold glance. "We have our own hidden food and water. Why would we need to go to a shelter? Besides, as I just said, how could we be sure you were really from the government? When so-called officials show up demanding our food and water, who wouldn’t be terrified? Who would dare open the door? Would you have, if you were in our shoes?"

Jiang Si then turned to Kuang Jiaying. "I’m sure an officer like you can see the truth!"

Kuang Jiaying picked up the shotgun from the ground, his voice heavy. "Then how exactly did you get your hands on the poachers’ guns?" His tone made it clear that he would detain them on the spot if Jiang Si couldn’t give him a satisfactory answer.

Jiang Si remained perfectly composed. "We stumbled upon them in the forest. The poachers found us, and they nearly took our lives. Thankfully, we were fast enough to get away."

Jiang Si had gone over this story with everyone beforehand, anticipating the trouble that would come from using firearms for self-defense.

Even if Zhang Xianchao had been captured and his testimony contradicted theirs, as long as they all stuck to the story and admitted nothing, there was no way to convict them.

Kuang Jiaying studied her for a few moments. Shortly after, Lu Zhifeng and Niu Niu were brought over.

Kuang Jiaying questioned Lu Zhifeng separately. His story matched Jiang Si’s without any discrepancies. He then turned to interrogate Qin Shen. "If you have stored food and water, why were you in the forest?"

Qin Shen’s expression was cold. "Supplies run out eventually. Aren’t we allowed to be proactive? Or must we go to a shelter and depend on others?"

Qin Shen’s calm answer seemed to dispel Kuang Jiaying’s final suspicions.

He took out a shriveled mushroom. "Have you seen this type of mushroom before?"

Niu Niu couldn’t hide her reaction, and Kuang Jiaying noticed. He stated with certainty, "You knew this mushroom could protect against the Scorching Sun radiation. That’s why you were bold enough to stay here!"

Jiao Weisong’s eyes lit up. He immediately demanded, "Take us to find the mushrooms and the other group! That’s the only way to prove you’re not lying!"

’As long as we find this mushroom and can research how to cultivate it, bringing Kuang Jiaying here will count as a major contribution on my part.’

He expected Jiang Si to agree at once, but she refused him flatly. "We don’t need to prove anything to you. It’s one thing if turning in the guns doesn’t earn us any credit, but on what grounds should we risk our lives leading you into the forest?"

Jiang Si’s refusal was perfectly reasonable. They had no authority to force them to act as guides.

Kuang Jiaying was silent for a moment before saying to Jiang Si, "If you lead the way, I can apply to have you officially commended." He then added persuasively, "Your supplies can’t last forever, can they? I can give you a year’s worth of food."

A flicker of delight crossed Lu Zhifeng’s face. These were supplies promised by the government, after all.

He was tempted. But then he remembered the guns they’d just surrendered—without them, they wouldn’t be able to protect any new supplies. He instinctively glanced at Jiang Si.

Of course, Jiang Si couldn’t reveal that her family had no shortage of supplies. She feigned hesitation and looked to Qin Shen. "What do you think?"

Qin Shen unexpectedly said, "It’s your call."

’He said it as if they were in some kind of intimate relationship. His placid tone sent ripples through her heart.’

Jiang Si gave him an impassive glance before looking back at her parents. They met her gaze with expressions that told her the decision was hers to make. She turned back to Kuang Jiaying. "We’ll give you the general location, but we won’t lead you there. It’s simply too dangerous. In addition to the supplies, I’d like to ask you for a guarantee. Is that possible, sir?"

Kuang Jiaying raised an eyebrow. "What guarantee?"

"Guarantee that no one can forcibly occupy our house or drive us away from it," Jiang Si said.

’Once Kuang Jiaying finds the mushrooms and deals with Zhang Xianchao, he’ll very likely discover our water source.’

’With water so scarce, this place is bound to become a new human settlement.’

’Our house is already built and ready to live in. Someone is bound to get their eye on it and try to move in by any means necessary.’

’She had encountered this exact situation in her past life.’

’For now, Jiang Si had no intention of taking her parents away from here. If the government could maintain order, it would actually be a good thing for her family. At the very least, their basic personal safety would be guaranteed for the time being.’