Chapter 333: Betting on You
Su Tao immediately called for the car to stop.
Everyone poked their heads out, nervously asking, “What’s wrong? Is there danger?!”
They were all on edge—after all, the journey had already been full of surprises, from robberies to roadblocks.
Su Tao called Ma Dapao over and gave him instructions: “You take everyone back first. Jiang Yu and Mist, you’re coming with me to pick someone up. We’ll catch up with the rest of you as soon as possible.”
Lin Fangzhi, hearing that his name wasn’t mentioned, felt a bit left out and shot a resentful glance at Jiang Yu.
Ma Dapao nodded and gestured for everyone to get back in the car.
Xiao Wenyu leaned out and called to Su Tao, “Hey, need any help? I left some people back in Xindu.”
“No need, I’m just picking someone up. Thanks, though.”
Xiao Wenyu flashed her an “OK” sign. “Be quick and stay safe.”
On the other end of the communicator, Xiao Yu listened to everything, too overwhelmed with gratitude to speak.
Su Tao reassured him, “Don’t feel guilty. I have my own grudge against the Chu family—I haven’t even gotten my revenge yet. Sooner or later, we’re bound to cross paths. You know the saying: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Stay put—I’m coming to get you.”
Mist floored the accelerator, while Ling Yu circled above the car restlessly, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Half an hour later, they successfully picked up Xiao Yu.
He clutched a bag to his chest, his frame so thin that his clothes hung loosely on his bones.
Seeing his frail appearance, Su Tao shook her head. “You’re too skinny. If you keep this up, you’ll get sick. But let’s not talk about that now—is Grandma Yu at home?”
Xiao Yu nodded. “She should be, but I’m worried she won’t agree to leave with you.”
Sure enough, when they pried open the door, Grandma Yu’s face turned pale the moment she saw Xiao Yu and Su Tao.
Without a word, she spun around, grabbed a stick from inside, and started hitting Xiao Yu with it.
“You dare come back?! Did you think I was joking when I told you to stay away?! And you even brought her here! Did you tell her everything?!”
Xiao Yu trembled but didn’t dodge. He took the blow head-on, his face twisting in pain.
His silence told Grandma Yu everything—he must have spilled the truth.
Overcome with rage, she raised the stick for another hit, but Su Tao quickly grabbed her hand.
“Grandma Yu! He’s too thin—if you hit him again, you’ll break his bones.”
Despite her anger, Grandma Yu still loved her grandson. She dropped the stick with a huff and slumped onto the couch, turning her head away.
Xiao Yu knelt at her feet, apologizing repeatedly, but she ignored him. Instead, she turned to Su Tao and said, “Child, you shouldn’t get involved in this. The Chu family has been building power for 20 years in the apocalypse—they’re not to be trifled with. Even the Xindu base wouldn’t dare cross them.”
Su Tao shook her head. “I’ve been involved for a long time. The Chu family’s eldest daughter already sees me as her enemy. She’s tried to harm me once before, and because she failed, our feud has only deepened. And even if she hadn’t come after me, one day I’d go looking for her to settle the score.”
Grandma Yu seemed surprised but, recalling Chu Yue’s personality, found it unsurprising after all. That spoiled girl from the Chu family was bound to cause trouble eventually.
“Grandma…” Xiao Yu murmured softly.
Grandma Yu slapped him lightly. “Be quiet.”
Turning back to Su Tao, she asked, “So, are you trying to pull me into an alliance against the Chu family?”
Su Tao blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that, actually.”
Her candid response left Grandma Yu feeling conflicted. “So, you’re helping me purely out of kindness? With no ulterior motives?”
Su Tao sighed playfully. “Come on, Grandma, I’m not trying to use you as a pawn for revenge or force you into unpaid labor. Whatever you want to do in Taoyang is up to you.”
Grandma Yu had been deceived too many times not to be cautious.
Xiao Yu couldn’t hold back anymore. “Grandma, Taoyang isn’t like the Chu family.”
After a long pause, Grandma Yu stood up and went to her workshop. The sound of her rummaging echoed through the house. Eventually, she emerged with a battered suitcase—her only possessions.
She tossed the bag to Xiao Yu and said to Su Tao, “I’m old, half a step away from the grave anyway. I’ll bet on you this time, girl. If you turn around and sell me off, well, that’s my fate.”
What choice did she have when her foolish grandson trusted Su Tao so completely?
Su Tao grinned. “You won’t regret it! I always respect my elders. You’ll have good food, a nice place to stay, and who knows—there are plenty of older folks in Taoyang. You might even find a dance partner for square dancing.”
Grandma Yu snorted, assuming Su Tao was joking.
She had never even heard of Taoyang, so it couldn’t possibly be more than a backwater outpost.
Still, at least it was remote enough to hide from the Chu family.
As the car sped toward Taoyang, Grandma Yu asked, “What kind of strength does Taoyang have? How many ability users and armed personnel?”
Her mind was already strategizing ways to strengthen Taoyang’s defenses. If they couldn’t take down the Chu family, they should at least bite a chunk out of them.
Su Tao hesitated. “Uh… Ability users? Less than ten. Armed personnel… do security guards count? They don’t have weapons, but they’re good at watching surveillance cameras.”
Grandma Yu stared at her in shock.
Did she just board a sinking ship?
A place with fewer than ten ability users and no weapons cache didn’t even qualify as a proper settlement. Yet, Su Tao had spoken so confidently about facing the Chu family.
“Do you at least have strong young men?”
Su Tao shifted uncomfortably. “A few, but not many. Most of the people in Taoyang are families with kids… And, uh, to be honest, we’re not even officially recognized as a settlement yet.”
Grandma Yu was speechless.
She had definitely boarded a pirate ship.
A ragtag survivor camp with no formal recognition, no weapons, and barely any fighters—but Su Tao had still declared her feud with the most powerful mercenary family in the Federation without a hint of fear.
Still, there was one thing Taoyang had—potential.
If they could stay hidden and quietly build their strength, maybe, just maybe, they could bite back when the time came.
