Chapter 339: Farm Daily Life 11

"Miss Ford, a bunch of people have gathered over in Fairgate. They’re planning to come here and cause trouble."

Evelyn Ford was rather surprised that the patrolman had come to warn her. "How many?"

"About twenty or so. They’re all a bunch of hooligans who usually bully the refugees in Fairgate. Now that it’s snowing, they’re starting to get antsy."

Evelyn Ford glanced at the patrolman, who looked a bit awkward. "Miss Ford, I’ve turned over a new leaf."

"I have my own way of handling this. You can go back now."

The patrolman hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "If they’re hooligans, even if you kill them, the higher-ups won’t investigate."

With that, he left.

"Evelyn, what did he mean by that?" Quincy felt like the patrolman’s words were egging Evelyn Ford on to kill them.

Evelyn Ford smiled. "I heard a new group of refugees arrived in Fairgate a while ago. It used to be relatively peaceful there, but since they showed up, petty theft and shady dealings have been on the rise. A lot of the other refugees are resentful, and the patrolmen can’t keep them in line."

Quincy’s brow furrowed. "You mean the ones coming to cause trouble are those thieving refugees? So the patrolman came to tip us off, first, to get on our good side, and second, so that we’d get rid of these people for them. A classic case of killing two birds with one stone?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Something like that."

"I wouldn’t have thought. Those three patrolmen look dumb as rocks, but they’re full of schemes. If we kill these people, they could turn right around and report us to the military. Someone might come to investigate us immediately, maybe even seize our farm."

Quincy’s expression soured. "So are we just going to let these refugees come and stir up trouble?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Keep the gates locked tight. They won’t get in. If anyone tries, kill one to warn a hundred. Shoot them on sight."

"What if the patrolmen report us for murder?"

Evelyn Ford sneered. "Then they can go report it to the King of Hell. Come on, it’s such a trivial matter, and you’re getting all worked up. I’m going back to sleep."

"How can you sleep at a time like this?"

Evelyn Ford shrugged. "With Ronan Kendrick around, we’re perfectly safe."

"True." Quincy grinned and hurried to follow her.

——

The troublemaking refugees soon gathered outside the farm’s main gate. They were carrying two logs, intending to use them as a battering ram to break in.

Inside the guard post by the farm gate, Chet Lawrence and Officer Graham were warming themselves by a fire. Despite the earth-shaking shouts from outside, neither so much as lifted an eyelid. It wasn’t until the sound of the gate being rammed that Officer Graham picked up his bow, propped a ladder against the wall, and climbed up. Once on the rampart, he raised his bow, aimed at the men ramming the gate, and fired two arrows.

The two men at the front of the battering ram were pierced through the heart. The people behind them were both shocked and terrified. This was also the first time Chet Lawrence realized how formidable the low-key Officer Graham actually was.

Two men had died just as the plan to ram the gate began. Many of them grew fearful. Anyone who had survived this long didn’t have completely clean hands, but their opponents struck without a shred of mercy, clearly not taking them seriously at all.

Officer Graham was the type who didn’t act unless he had to, but when he did, his targets didn’t even have a chance to beg for mercy.

He was adhering to the principle of killing the chicken to scare the monkey and had only intended to shoot two of them. But the ramming didn’t stop; instead, it grew more intense. Officer Graham unholstered the pistol from his lower back, his face grim as he prepared for the worst. Just then, Miles Vaughn and Quincy arrived as backup, carrying the new rifles Evelyn Ford had issued them.

"Mr. Graham, Evelyn said to leave no loose ends."

The moment Quincy said that, both Chet Lawrence and Officer Graham understood Evelyn Ford’s meaning.

The people outside had apparently heard Quincy’s words as well. At first, they didn’t think the people on the farm would have the guts to kill so many of them. But when they saw them standing on the wall with rifles, everyone grew afraid.

"They have rifles! They’re really going to kill us!"

"There are patrolmen around. They wouldn’t dare," one of them said, still pinning his hopes on the patrol.

"The patrolmen are in on it with them! Let’s run! Or beg for mercy! I don’t want to die!"

The snow fell heavier and heavier. Cold air poured down from the high mountains behind them, making everyone shiver uncontrollably. Quincy aimed his rifle at the most brazen of the group. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the man actually raised his hands in surrender.

"Don’t shoot! We’ll leave right now!"

Quincy laughed coldly. "Too late."

’Letting a tiger return to the mountains isn’t something a smart person would do.’

BANG. The man collapsed heavily. His eyes were wide open, blood endlessly gushing from his chest, until he finally stopped breathing, dying with a lingering grievance.

Seeing this, some of the troublemaking refugees immediately turned and fled, while others raised their weapons to fight back. Quincy knew one truth all too well, a lesson learned from years in the apocalypse: from the moment someone decides they want to kill you, you can never show mercy when you strike back.

By the time Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick arrived, the battle was already over. The snow was settling quickly, but the blood outside the gate had still pooled into a river.

Other than Chet Lawrence, no one seemed particularly affected. Quincy was even clamoring for roast duck. Chet, smelling the iron tang of blood in the air, wanted to vomit but didn’t dare.

"Chet Lawrence, you should head back first." Seeing his face contorted with discomfort, Evelyn Ford kindly told him to go back. But Chet misinterpreted this as dissatisfaction with his performance and insisted on staying.

"Miss Ford, I want to stay and help deal with the bodies outside."

Evelyn Ford nodded with a smile. "Make sure it’s a clean job."

"Quincy, go get the car."

By the time Quincy brought the car over, everyone had finished cleaning up. After loading the bodies, Ronan Kendrick drove, with Quincy and Officer Graham accompanying him to finish the job.

Chet Lawrence thought they were going to dump the bodies back in Fairgate to make a statement to the other refugees. In reality, Ronan Kendrick had already driven the car to the pit where they had burned bodies before.

A few hours later, the patrolman returned.

"Miss Ford, what about those people?"

Evelyn Ford feigned confusion. "Which people?"

"The refugees who came to cause trouble. Where did they go?"

"They’re probably dead. Why, did you want to see them?" Evelyn Ford asked with a smile.

"No, no need. Just a bunch of hooligans. They deserved to die. Fairgate will be peaceful again now."

——

After Ronan Kendrick returned, he made a point of taking a hot shower. No one else gave the incident much thought. After all these years, fighting and killing had become normal. The principle ’annihilate any who cross us’ was already etched into everyone’s mind.

The disappearance of a few hooligans didn’t cause any stir in Fairgate. Snowflakes danced in the biting wind. Inside the wooden cabin, Evelyn Ford was drowsily holding Mina. Outside, Ronan Kendrick was using a shovel to clear the snow from the steps. In front of the neighboring cabin, Quincy stood holding his Water Cup, watching Ronan shovel.

"Look at the model family man, hard at work again. You’re really not leaving any room for the rest of us to look good, are you?"

Ronan Kendrick couldn’t be bothered to respond to Quincy. He shoveled some snow in the yard, planning to build a snowman.

Quincy’s incessant chattering started to annoy Ronan Kendrick. Before heading back inside, Ronan packed a snowball and threw it right in Quincy’s face.

"Ronan Kendrick, you bastard! How dare you ambush me!"