Chapter 273: Stopping the Vehicles
Su Tao was stunned by the question.
She had never considered this before!
Neutering was out of the question—there were no conditions for that.
But finding a female cat as a mate… that was too difficult. In the apocalypse, it was rare to find a healthy and appropriately aged female cat.
Thinking about it, if there was a suitable one, she actually wouldn’t mind finding a wife for Black Sesame.
Shi Zijin, with a darkened expression, kicked Jian Kaiyu.
Jian Kaiyu quickly fled and whispered to Cen Tianjiao, “We’re all single guys here. We can’t let Black bean end up like us, right? If we have the chance, we should find him a wife. And if they have kittens with powers like Black bean’s, we’ll be rich!”
Cen Tianjiao thought that made perfect sense!
He then raised his arm and loudly called out to Shi Zijin, “Boss, let’s find a wife for Black bean when we get to Xindu!”
Shi Zijin chased them away, silently disagreeing—who said I’m single like you guys?
Su Tao made a mental note about finding Black Sesame a wife.
But it all depended on fate. Finding a suitable female cat was no easy task.
Even Captain Song had been searching for a long time. And he wasn’t even picky about age or gender.
Meanwhile, Lin Fangzhi had already set up breakfast and chairs, waiting for everyone to eat.
Black Sesame, however, had his breakfast ration cut in half as punishment for his misbehavior. He lay under the table, sulking while everyone else ate.
No one noticed the black crow circling above them. After two loops, it flew off in a specific direction and disappeared.
Xue Yuanjie extended his hand, catching the crow.
As soon as the crow landed, it spoke in human language: “Master, there are seventeen people, one cat, one dog, four vehicles, and they have food.”
Xue Yuanjie and the other bandits’ eyes immediately lit up.
Food wasn’t surprising—anyone heading to Xindu would carry supplies.
But what was shocking was that this group had a cat and a dog!
Xue Yuanjie instantly identified them as a prime target.
What kind of people would keep pets in the apocalypse?
Rich people. People who had plenty of food and resources.
A burly, bearded man rumbled, “Boss, these guys are definitely richer than the ones from Luonan! And there’s only a dozen of them—we have over twenty men!”
Just yesterday, they had raided a convoy from Luonan, thinking the heavily guarded group would have loads of supplies.
After a brutal fight, they had only managed to seize a single box of beef jerky, two cases of water, and a few scattered packs of bread!
If they had known it would be so little, they wouldn’t have risked an ambush.
Xue Yuanjie didn’t rush to a decision. Instead, he asked the pitch-black crow, “Are there any women or children among the seventeen people?”
The crow flapped its wings. “Three women, no children.”
The bearded man grinned wider. “Three women? They must be escorts for the trip to Xindu. Nothing to worry about, Boss!”
The other bandits were practically drooling, itching to take down this fat sheep right away.
Xue Yuanjie raised a hand to calm them and asked the crow one last question. “What are they eating?”
The crow, however, hesitated.
Due to its limited knowledge, it had never seen things like steamed buns, rice porridge, or milk before. In this resource-starved world, such items were completely foreign.
It let out a couple of strange cries and simply tilted its head, blinking at its master.
The bearded man frowned. “It doesn’t know what they’re eating? That’s weird. Boss, didn’t you teach it the names of common supplies?”
A glint of greed flashed in Xue Yuanjie’s eyes.
“That means they’re eating something rare. Something Lingyu has never seen before.”
If They Can Afford to Keep Pets, They Must Eat Well
They might have found a big score this time.
The bearded men exchanged glances, seeing the same excitement reflected in each other’s eyes.
It had been a long time since they had hit it big.
Ever since zombie attacks became more frequent, the number of passing convoys and trade caravans had decreased significantly.
As highway bandits, they relied on ambushing travelers. But with fewer victims, their standard of living had plummeted.
It had been almost three months since they last ate meat or drank clean water. Even their grain supply was running dangerously low.
If no big prey showed up soon, they would have to take the risk of raiding small settlements or shelters.
Ambushing travelers was always the safer option—with no nearby villages or towns, their victims could only accept their fate.
“Boss! Let’s go!”
Xue Yuanjie was just as eager. He knew that this convoy probably wasn’t easy to take down, but the temptation was too great to ignore.
Meanwhile, Su Tao had no idea that her group was being targeted as prime prey.
After breakfast, they got back on the road. At one point, they stopped to take a break. Black Sesame, out of habit, jumped off the vehicle to patrol the surroundings.
As everyone finished their business, Black Sesame suddenly acted unusually—he jumped onto Su Tao’s shoulder and let out two sharp cries.
In an instant, Su Tao’s vision switched to Black Sesame’s perspective.
There were people up ahead calling for help?
And… they looked familiar?
She could make out Wei Xiang and his group—the ones who had refused to stay with them before.
Why did they look so miserable now?
Shi Zijin, who had been by her side, noticed she was sharing Black Sesame’s vision. Once she snapped back to reality, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Su Tao frowned.
“There’s a convoy up ahead that seems to have been ambushed. They’re stuck, waiting for rescue. Some of them appear to be injured.”
Shi Zijin asked, “Who are they?”
Su Tao shook her head. “I only recognize a few of them. They used to work under Tan Yong at the old station, but they left to fend for themselves. I don’t know who the others are.”
Shi Zijin raised an eyebrow. “Are we helping them?”
He didn’t really care either way.
Su Tao waved her hand dismissively. “No need. Let’s just drive past them at normal speed and not stop.”
Wei Xiang was nothing more than an acquaintance. There was no need to waste sympathy on him.
She thought it would be simple—but just as their convoy reached the stranded group, a woman suddenly ran out and threw herself in front of their vehicles, forcing them to stop!
Cen Tianjiao, who was driving the lead car, slammed the brakes and swerved hard. The momentum sent their vehicle skidding off the highway and onto the rocky desert terrain, nearly flipping over.
The other vehicles followed, veering off the road.
In the RV, Su Tao was thrown from her bed, hitting the corner of a cabinet hard. Pain shot through her as she gasped sharply.
When she reached up to touch her forehead, she felt warm blood.
Shi Zijin immediately parked, jumped up, and rushed to her side. Seeing the blood on her forehead, his face turned dark.
Su Tao felt a bit dizzy but grabbed his hand. “I’m fine. Just a scratch, nothing serious. Go check what’s going on.”
By then, Xuedao, their dog, had already leaped out of the vehicle, barking fiercely as it charged at the woman who had blocked their way.
The dog knew its limits—without an order to attack, it only knocked the woman to the ground and pinned her down with its front paws, making her scream in terror.
It wasn’t pain that scared her, but the sight of the massive black dog, baring its fangs over her.
Even Wei Xiang and his group, who had rushed forward to help, hesitated at the sight.
Whose convoy was this?! They even had such a huge, well-fed dog?!
Wei Xiang’s first thought was, This dog is eating well—it looks strong and its coat is in great condition.
His second thought was, This group must have a lot of resources! They even have an RV!
