Chapter 368 - 317: Survive First

"Drag that bastard out for me!"

Thud!

Xiaoshuai was groggily thrown onto the middle of the road.

"Let’s beat him up first!"

Before he could come to his senses, a flurry of punches and kicks rained down on him...

"Damn it, you ran, and my big dog got hurt because of you. Run now, run now, you bastard!"

Four or five people were beating him, with the driver of the big dog being the most vigorous, cursing while hitting. He was heartbroken over his beloved ride being damaged, not only with a broken bumper but also a burst airbag!

Celestial Horse Island’s training was mostly about zombies, but Zhang Su also taught some fighting techniques, including how to defend and counterattack when getting ganged up on.

Xiaoshuai curled up, protecting his head, using his arms and legs to block and absorb the blows, gradually coming to his senses amidst the beating. But just as he began to think about counterattacking, his head was kicked hard, leaving it buzzing and then taking another hit to the face. Nose blood flowed instantly, and with the stinging sensation, tears involuntarily streamed down.

Zhang Su’s methods weren’t flawed, but applying them required a sturdy body and above-average endurance, neither of which Xiaoshuai had. His advantage was being fast and agile; once trapped, he was pretty much done for.

"Brother Jie, we can’t let him die easily; we need him to pay for the car!"

The fat man who had jumped into the ditch to dodge bullets didn’t participate in the beating, looking disheveled as he spoke to the submachine gun guy.

"Relax, anyone who can survive a few months in the apocalypse won’t be beaten to death so easily. He’s even defending quite well. Come on, guys, put some muscle into it; don’t let him mock us for being weaklings later!"

The submachine gun guy holstered his gun at his waist, lit a cigarette, and squatted comfortably by the roadside, enjoying the scene of his companions beating someone up.

However, the beating didn’t last long, not because they softened, but because the submachine gun guy noticed zombies approaching. He said, "Alright, let’s hoist this kid up and offer him to these starved zombies!"

"Sure, haha."

"Brother Jie really knows how to have fun; let’s do it!"

Soon, four or five people lifted Xiaoshuai with coordinated effort, twisting his arms behind him, holding his hair, and pushing his waist, managing to keep him upright without collapsing to the ground.

"Kid, want to feed the zombies? If not, hehe, call me grandpa!"

Brother Jie walked up to Xiaoshuai, grinning, attempting to pat his cheek before giving up due to the blood and grime covering it.

Xiaoshuai’s right eyebrow was split, his eyelid swollen; his vision blurred as he looked at the man before him, gargling out bloodied noises.

"What are you saying? Can’t hear you. Are you calling me grandpa, brat?"

Brother Jie cupped his hand around his ear.

Amidst the blurriness, Xiaoshuai faintly saw the zombies staggering in the distance, judging they were quite close. If not for the cold, they’d be sprinting over, making his garbled sounds even more urgent and struggling, but his body was tightly held by several men, leaving him no strength to break free.

"Yeah, ah, ah, grandpa, grandpa!"

The urgency in his calls finally produced recognizable words.

Nobody isn’t afraid of death; before the threat of death, dignity, honor, and everything else becomes trivial.

"Good grandson, we’re all your grandpas, got it?"

Brother Jie, not satisfied with his amusement, continued to humiliate Xiaoshuai.

Xiaoshuai nodded tremblingly, his lips quivering: "Oh, sure, you’re all my grandpas, oh dear grandpas..."

"This is great, went out and picked up a grandson."

"Haha, alright, good grandson, grandpa loves you," said the man pushing against Xiaoshuai’s back, adding more pressure as he spoke.

"Hahaha!" Brother Jie laughed with satisfaction, then turned his attention to the zombies that were already very close. "Guys, let’s handle the zombies first. This grandson won’t get away!"

"Alright."

Following orders, they tossed Xiaoshuai aside, not without a few extra kicks, then charged forward to deal with the zombies.

"Brat, you ran quite well earlier; why not now?"

Brother Jie looked at Xiaoshuai, who lay motionless on the ground, squatted down, and grabbed his hair, jerking his head up.

Xiaoshuai’s face was a bloody mess; eyes rolled back, a few teeth missing, nose dripping blood and froth, breathing visible in the cold air, with blood frozen on his face on the ground.

"You can’t do this, huh? Why are you bleeding from running when others sweat? Hahaha, don’t you think it’s funny?"

The submachine gun guy joined in the laughter with his companions, then said, "Let grandpa have a talk with you."

He flipped Xiaoshuai over by pulling his collar, sitting him upright while he sat opposite him.

"You’re dressed decently and driving a van; tell me, what camp are you from? I warn you, if you come clean, you might prove valuable, and we could take you to trade for some supplies; otherwise, get ready to be tortured and fed to zombies!"

Brother Jie said coldly, looking at Xiaoshuai struggling to stay seated.

"Kuan... Kuanzhuang."

Xiaoshuai, eyes dazed, felt pain everywhere but was now somewhat alert, knowing that to survive, he had to cooperate as much as possible. He could tell what these guys were after, and they weren’t too capable; leading them to the camp would be their death!

But before that, he had to live!

"That’s better. If you had cooperated like this earlier, you wouldn’t have been beaten so badly. But kid, where is Kuanzhuang? Don’t make up a random place to fool me!"

"Alulu oh...#￥..."

Xiaoshuai mumbled incomprehensibly, his head hanging low, clearly out of it.

"Quick, Da Cong, get some hot water here. If he dies, he’s worthless!"

Brother Jie waved to the fat man who was in the same car with him.

"Alright, Brother Jie, hang in there, kid, don’t die."

Soon, a thermos was handed to Brother Jie.

"Here, have some water..."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Brother Jie squeezed Xiaoshuai’s cheeks, giving him a couple of sips, but he drank too hastily, with blood frothing in his throat, coughing it all out as the blood mixed into the thermos water, turning it a faint red, though a bit went down.

"Damn you, my water ruined because of you. Talk, or I’ll really kill you!"

Brother Jie, angry at the blood spreading in the water, slapped Xiaoshuai’s head again.

"Qing County, south, south to Grass Slope, Grass Slope Town... Kuanzhuang."

Xiaoshuai took a deep breath, his insides burning, not knowing if his bones were broken, feeling like he’d fall apart.

"Does anyone know Grass Slope Town?"

Brother Jie asked his companions.

"Yeah, I know it. From Qing County, head south, about ten kilometers."

The guy with an iron spear answered loudly.

"Kid, tell us about your camp. If you dare to mess around, I’ll make sure you wish for death."

Brother Jie patted Xiaoshuai’s cheek, wiping his hand on his clothes.

"Around thirty people, men... women..."

Xiaoshuai slowly rambled, recounting the core personnel of Celestial Horse Island, information he was sure not to misquote or forget.