The follower who had a sword raised stopped in his tracks while the others were also dumbfounded. They didnât understand why their leader would stop them.
Clearly, they had numbers on their side and didnât have to worry about being overpowered.
So, why would he make that decision? However, the group had grown accustomed to listening to the leader, so they didnât argue and stopped what they were about to do.
Everyone in Leng Panâs group turned to look at the leader who at that moment felt so embarrassed that he could dig out a three bedroom mansion with his toes.
"Sorry for disturbing you. Weâll go and chop firewood on that side." The leader said to them while pointing in a certain direction.
Since he hadnât caused them any harm, Leng Panâs group had no intention of making things difficult for them. Thus, they just nodded and let them leave.
The group started walking towards the place the leader had pointed, which happened to be a little deeper than where they were.
Some of the members in that team were grumbling about letting go of such a fat sheep.
"We could have gotten a lot of firewood if we took theirs. Their truck is almost full and there is still a lot of wood left.
They would probably need two trips to transport it all. Why did you stop us?" One of the followers finally couldnât swallow his indignation and asked the leader.
The leader looked at the dozen or so people following him and felt that he owed them an explanation.
"Those few people are not simple. This isnât the first time we have snatched something from others. Even though we never hurt anyone, and usually leave them with something little, we have never faced a threat.
But this time, there was a threat. Those few people are dangerous. Donât provoke them again." The leader said as a way of explanation.
"How are they dangerous? There are only four of them and one is a woman. What kind of danger could they pose?" One of the women wearing heavy makeup questioned the leader.
Some of the people in the group believed the leader unconditionally while others were filled with doubt.
Some even thought that the leader had been bewitched by Leng Panâs looks and felt sorry for her, so he didnât dare to rob her.
When he heard such outrageous accusations, the leader couldnât take it anymore and said with anger.
"If you feel that what I said was due to my own selfishness, then you can go and take their firewood. I will not stop you.
However, you have to understand that if something happens, I will not get involved. You have to face the consequences yourself."
The leader didnât understand how the hearts of these people could be swayed so easily just because of a pile of firewood.
This was something they could get themselves, did they really need to rob others?
Also, since the apocalypse started and some people gained superpowers and others remained ordinary, he had helped this group of people in fighting zombies and collecting supplies so that they wouldnât starve and their families would also live more comfortably.
Who would have known, for expressing his opinion, they would turn their backs on him?
When the few people opposing the leaderâs decision, including the two women, heard what he said, they didnât hesitate to separate themselves from the main group.
To everyoneâs surprise, only five people remained standing together with the leader. The others had all followed the rebellious members.
When the leader saw this, he felt a chill in his heart, he had not expected the people he considered brothers to be so dissatisfied with him.
They didnât even bother to pretend to be reluctant at all.
"Have you guys made a decision?" He still asked to make sure because he didnât want anything to happen to them.
"Of course we have. If we continue to follow someone as cowardly as you, we will never be able to rise to greatness. Itâs better to walk our separate paths from now on." The man who had taken the role of a leader in the other group said proudly.
His surname was Ma. He was a slightly shorter man than the other leader with a small beer belly. He looked quite honest, so it was unimaginable that he would betray his companion so easily.
However, as it turned out, he had also awakened a superpower, but compared to the other party, he considered his own ability inferior and had been jealous of him.
He hadnât been able to figure out how to use his wood superpower for attack or defense and thought that it was only good for helping increase the growth rate of plants.
Because of this, he had wanted to trample on the other man for some time. Now that he had the chance, he wouldnât let it slip.
"Alright, I hope you donât come back after getting into trouble." Uncle Zoro, the previous leader as he was known, said.
He then turned to look at the people who had remained by his side.
"Are you guys sure you donât want to follow them?" He asked because he wanted to be sure no one was following him half-heartedly.
These were dangerous times and he couldnât afford to have backstabbers in his team.
"We are sure." The four people in front of him replied in unison.
"Alright then. Letâs go chop some firewood." He said while walking over to a drying tree to cut down.
The four people who had chosen to follow Uncle Zoro had faith in his foresight. They didnât think that he had given up on something so important because he was cowardly.
However,since they had chosen to believe him, they didnât ask questions.
On the other side, Lu Zhen and the three other men were just finishing loading the first batch of firewood. They planned on taking it home and coming back for the remaining firewood.
Because they needed to move the firewood from the truck back to their apartments, all the three men needed to go and only Leng Pan was left alone to watch over the rest so that it wouldnât get robbed.
That group of bandits led by the one surnamed Ma first stood at a distance and watched what was happening with Leng Pan and her companions.
They watched how the men finished loading firewood in the truck before the older man got into the car and one of the younger ones got into the driverâs seat.
The other one walked over to where the woman was sitting and lowered his head to kiss her before leaving.
As he got into the truck, he turned and looked in their direction with a murderous look before climbing into the truck and closing the door.
The people in the group all felt their spines turn cold and their livers shiver from that look.
It felt as if they had been thrown into an ice cellar. However, looking at the petite woman left alone with a pile of wood, they felt more confident.
They didnât believe that they couldnât deal with one helpless woman.
Uncle Zoroâs group also noticed that the truck was leaving and only Leng Pan was staying behind.
"Arenât those men afraid that the young girl would get into trouble leaving her alone there?
I clearly heard her and the handsome man call the older man Uncle, she also called the handsome man hubby, and the other man called the handsome man, Boss.
So, itâs easy to tell their relationship. How could a husband and uncle-in-law leave such a beautiful girl here alone?
Arenât they afraid that she would be bullied?" One of the men in Uncle Zoroâs group asked with bewilderment.
"Have you considered the fact that she might be strong enough not to fear anyone hurting her? Her family knows this, so they didnât have a problem leaving her behind." Uncle Zoro replied to his companion.
"No way, she looks so young and weak!" The man said with surprise.
"Never judge a book by its cover. Especially in the apocalypse. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers everywhere now." Uncle Zoro replied while resuming his chopping while keeping an eye on Leng Panâs side.
Once the truck was out of sight, the group led by Ma walked over to Leng Pan.
"Hey beauty, how about you join us to have fun and give us this firewood?" Ma said to Leng Pan.
However, Leng Pan pretended not to see or hear him.
"Hey, our leader is talking to you. You should be grateful that he even saw you fit to talk to you. What are you so proud of?" One of the heavily made up women said to Leng Pan with sarcasm.
Leng Pan still ignored them and treated them like air.
"You are a feisty one, arenât you? But I like stubborn ones like you. Once I tame you, you wonât have that attitude." Ma said with a voice that he assumed carried authority.