Chapter 22: The Decision

When Zhou Liming returned to Dean Zhou’s side with empty hands, the children were still sleeping, having looked exhausted today.

From Zhou Liming’s expression, Dean Zhou knew that they hadn’t received any food. She sighed and said, “Liming, don’t be sad. Tomorrow will be better. You’ve been tired all day too. Go get some good rest first.” She lay down somewhat blankly, feeling exhausted herself.

Looking at Dean Zhou’s graying hair, Zhou Liming felt a sting in his nose. He answered and sat on the ground.

An Xiaowei crawled up from the side and sat next to Zhou Liming. She whispered, “Is there really no way to get food?” Zhou Liming nodded, looking confusedly at the fields that were gradually quieting down. Many people who had worked hard all day had fallen into deep sleep. “The government town’s food can only provide for a small part of the people. There are too many people here.”

Seeing Zhou Liming say this, An Xiaowei looked around. She wanted to go search for some, but thinking of the sea of people now, she finally gave up this unrealistic idea helplessly.

At nine o’clock in the evening, the entire Hemudu Town was quiet, with night covering the land. Sounds of snoring rose occasionally, and sometimes someone let out a scream from being startled in their sleep, followed by a round of soothing whispers, returning to silence.

Zhou Liming lay on the leaves. Dean Zhou and An Xiaowei and the others were all asleep, but he couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

Thinking that he had abilities but still let the people around him go hungry, living in the wild and enduring the chill under the light fog, he wondered, “What can be done?” Rob? Zhou Liming believed he couldn’t do that. Dean Zhou had taught him the principles of being a good person for eighteen years; how could he forget?

But with the current situation, could he get food without robbing?

Zhou Liming recalled everything that happened today. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but whisper, “Why didn’t I think of this? Since there is no food here, there should be somewhere else, like in City Zhe-B?” This idea seemed feasible to Zhou Liming. Hemudu Town was only about ten-plus kilometers away from City Zhe-B. With his running speed, he could arrive in an instant…

Thinking of the countless items left behind in the city due to the hasty evacuation of people, Zhou Liming couldn’t lie down anymore. He suddenly sat up.

If he extended his thoughts further, the city was empty, becoming the world of the Fierce Beasts. The city didn’t just have endless food; more importantly, there was money, unimaginably vast wealth. Zhou Liming believed that when people fled in haste, most only brought a few valuable items. There were empty residential compounds, banks with open doors, and jewelry stores everywhere.

Zhou Liming would never forget the scene that happened in the early evening. A small grocery store had made him think a lot and understand a lot.

Perhaps in the face of such disaster, money was far less important than food. But at least the world hadn’t collapsed, and the entire national system still existed. The current unrest was only temporary. With powerful weapons, the army just needed time to stabilize.

At that time, hundreds of millions of people from the coast crowded into inland cities. People without money or power were destined to become the lower class in the new society.

Although Zhou Liming was usually clumsy and spoke little, his top rankings in exams showed that beneath his honest appearance was a smart brain; he wasn’t stupid. Because of this, he thought clearly and far ahead.

“I can’t let the Dean, at her age, go to bed hungry and sleep poorly every day. And I can’t let my little brothers go through this either.”

Looking at the people around him, Zhou Liming finally made up his mind. He stood up quietly. Dean Zhou was like his mother. Although Zhou Liming didn’t know who his parents were, did it matter? His identity as an orphan meant he had no parents from the start. And Dean Zhou, along with these little brothers and sisters, were his family.

Walking through the fields, using his ability to see in the night, Zhou Liming quickly appeared on the country road and then crossed the bridge.

Chejiu Village was actually more prosperous and spacious than Hemudu Town. The village composed of villa groups showed its wealth. No exceptions here; it was also crowded with people, and the highway was full of people sleeping. In the well-lit areas, there were still loud noises of people.

Getting onto the highway, Zhou Liming silently headed towards City Zhe-B.

There were still many people by the side of the road who hadn’t slept. Seeing Zhou Liming’s somewhat unusual actions, they just pointed and talked, some even looking blank. Too many people died today; adding one more fool might not even count in the death toll. Why bother with him?

Zhou Liming’s eyes could see the various expressions on people’s faces, but he said nothing, just walking silently.

When he reached a place with no signs of people, Zhou Liming stopped. After confirming that no one was around, he exerted all his strength and started sprinting on the highway.

In the afternoon, in the mountains, the terrain was intersected, so Zhou Liming couldn’t fully exert his speed. He didn’t have a concept of how fast he could actually run. Now, on the empty highway, and on this night with a gentle breeze, with the surroundings quiet, it was the perfect time for Zhou Liming to let loose.

As Zhou Liming sprinted, he experienced that sensation of flying like the wind again.

“Go faster, go faster!”

A strong desire made Zhou Liming run with all his might. Like an F1 car rushing by in an instant, he vanished quickly. As his speed increased, the scales on his skin unconsciously appeared. Then, his body rapidly transformed while sprinting, finally changing into a Fierce Beast Form.

With his Fierce Beast Form fully displayed, Zhou Liming’s speed suddenly rose a level. In the dark night, he almost turned into an afterimage.

The ten-plus kilometers weren’t enough for Zhou Liming to experience the joy of this sprint before he had already finished.

In the dark night, City Zhe-B wasn’t covered in darkness. The streetlights that were still working continued to operate according to their set programs, providing enough light and brightness for the entire city. The tall buildings that used to sparkle with lights, except for the neon lights on the roofs still shining, were pitch black. On the streets, there were no more flowing cars and pedestrians; it was quiet.

Standing on the toll station of the highway, Zhou Liming occasionally heard a burst of terrifying Fierce Beast roars from his ears, which then quickly quieted down.