On the other side, Xiaodong led Su Huan through the narrow corridors.
The giraffe was on edge the whole way, afraid that the conductor might get upset and blow the whole place up.
But unexpectedly, Su Huan not only didnât resist, he appeared to be in his element in such an environment. If Xiaodong wasnât leading the way, he might have thought Su Huan was a local.
The only thing that puzzled him was why Su Huan was so gentle to this little guide.
"Look, you know a lot of people here and youâre familiar with the terrain. That makes you the strongest, doesnât it?"
Su Huan encouraged him gently.
"Even though thatâs true... no one has ever asked me to be a guide."
"You have to be confident. Say it like I taught you, and youâll see."
Xiaodongâs eyes brightened at Su Huanâs words. He had never heard such encouragement in his life, and even his somewhat inferior heart was filled up.
"Yeah, Iâll say that next time, though recently there have been fewer and fewer survivors coming in..."
"So why not do some other business? I see you get along well in the Iron Mountain Shelter."
"Those are jobs for grown-ups. I can only do small tasks, and there are kids older than me, too."
"Are they as impressive as you?"
"Many people in the shelter have special abilities. Uncle Zhenbang, for example, is really powerful, as is Uncle Jian Country, who can bend thick steel bars directly. Even two-meter-long fish canât swim faster than him..."
Perhaps itâs rare for someone to listen to him so seriously, but Xiaodong was very excited, and any vigilance had long been cast aside.
He spoke as if pouring out beans from a bamboo tube, sharing his experiences since the apocalypse.
From zombies and floods to all sorts of terrifying monsters, and up to the establishment of the Iron Mountain Shelter, he spoke with great enthusiasm.
Su Huan also listened intently. This information was much more packed than the skinny manâs, but many things, from the perspective of a teenager, seemed somewhat distorted; the monsters were all tall and terrifying, and even an ordinary zombie could drive a group of people to the brink. Any little disturbance was like a terrible natural disaster.
"Up ahead is the bar, you can go in on your own."
From afar, Xiaodong pointed to a densely packed crowd and said.
Su Huan raised an eyebrow, "Youâre not going? Iâll buy you some grilled meat."
When he mentioned grilled meat, Xiaodong was visibly tempted, but after a moment of hesitation, he still declined.
"What, not even for grilled meat? Then how about adding a couple of slices of bread? Maybe even a bottle of soda. If none of this is tempting you, then I suspect youâre tricking me."
Seeing Su Huan put away his smile, Xiaodong hurriedly waved his hand, "Iâm telling the truth. The bar really does have these eats, but Iâm too scared to go in..."
"A beautiful woman came to the shelter, Young Master Qi has been staying in the bar here, he doesnât like kids like me, and heâll beat me if he sees me."
"How could Qi Tieshanâs grandson be so terrible? Doesnât his grandpa do anything about it?"
Su Huan exclaimed in surprise.
The surrounding people looked at the three of them with unfriendly expressions.
Xiaodong jumped in fear and put his index finger to his lips, "Shhh!"
He explained in a low voice, "Grandpa Tieshan is a good man; itâs just Young Master Qi..."
"Got it, a spoiled brat, huh? But donât you worry, I guarantee you can eat steak and grilled bread today and then safely get home."
Su Huanâs lips curled up, his long narrow eyes bending into a smile.
"Letâs go, letâs go."
Watching Su Huan walk ahead, Xiaodong remained stunned on the spot until the giraffe nudged him lightly as it passed by.
Xiaodong hesitated. It was unclear whether it was the craving for beef or his belief in Su Huanâs words, but he quickly followed.
After struggling to squeeze behind Su Huan, he said, "Also, a bottle of soda."
Su Huan clicked his tongue lightly; he loved ambitious folks like this.
Only by confronting oneâs desires can one gather strength to achieve goals.
The person standing in front of Su Huan suddenly felt a great force pushing from behind. Losing his balance, the woman screamed softly, and the man cursed aloud.
The two men accidentally hugged each other in anger and turned back to see Su Huan walking in with a smile, hands casually in his pockets.
"Kid, was it you who pushed me?"
Su Huan innocently spread his hands, "I just pulled my hands out..."
Xiaodong hastily chimed in, "We both have skinny arms and legs, how could we push you strong adults."
The two of them paused, thinking it made a lot of sense.
These two kids looked so honest, they couldnât have done it.
So they let Su Huan pass and set their sights on the tall, muscular, eagle-eyed giraffe behind them.
Cursing in anger, "Then it must be this long-necked bastard!"
"Iâve always thought this bastard was no good."
Being led by two people, the angry gazes of the outsiders landed on the giraffe.
The giraffeâs face darkened, but spotting Su Huan already inside, he looked ominously at several men.
"Say what you just said again."
Over on Su Huanâs side, he leisurely strolled into the bar, glanced around, and found that besides being crowded, everything seemed fine.
In sight was a small stage in the middle of the sitting room, where at that moment the crowd swayed their bodies wildly like madmen.
The left side appeared to be an open kitchen, where the island had been converted into a bar counter, surrounded by people, but the young men who looked like bartenders were quite relaxed.
There werenât many who could afford drinks.
Everyone gathered around the women, having idle chats that intermittently burst into loud laughter.
This new face of Su Huan immediately attracted everyoneâs attention.
Especially those scantily clad, attractively shaped women, two of whom even licked their lips at him.
Which made Su Huan feel disgusted.