Chapter 33: Immense Strength

A noisy sound came from outside the village, startling the three people who were immersed in the shocking news. The people who had eaten their fill of cucumbers quickly focused their attention on the village.

Zhou Liming said, “Get the children ready, we are leaving here immediately.” He suddenly thought of something and asked An Xiaowei, “You… do you know how to drive?”

An Xiaowei laughed and said, “As a high-class swindler mingling in upper-class society, how could I survive without knowing how to drive? Not to scare you, but I have mastered many skills, enough to surprise you.” Seeming to think of something, she said a little nervously, “Now you should know that I am no longer just a pretty face, right?”

Zhou Liming was stunned for a moment, “What do you mean by a pretty face!”

An Xiaowei: “…”

Since An Xiaowei could drive, things were much easier. Previously in Zhe B City, the streets were blocked and crowded with people everywhere, so driving to escape was almost like seeking death. In Hemudu Town, how could there be any cars left for Zhou Liming and the others? But now it was different. Just after entering the village entrance, Zhou Liming had discovered a heavy truck… “There are no car keys, do you have a way to start the car?”

“Of course!” An Xiaowei answered without hesitation, saying confidently, “Fifteen seconds, and I can solve it.”

Zhou Liming did not hesitate and said, “Very good, there is a heavy truck outside, probably the only car in the village. Figure out a way to get it started. Whether we walk or drive depends entirely on you.” He ignored An Xiaowei, clapped his hands, and said to the children staying in the yard, “Zheng Le, take the younger brothers and sisters and follow Sister An.”

Zheng Le responded, and imitating what the Dean had taught him before, he first counted the heads. After confirming that everyone was there, he followed An Xiaowei out of the yard.

“Dean, don’t be sad. Since the disaster has arrived, we should find a way to live well.”

Dean Zhou nodded blankly, “But the children, the children… they are still young, what should we do?” Zhou Liming understood the Dean’s meaning and said firmly, “Dean, don’t worry. With me here, I will definitely deliver the younger brothers and sisters safely to a safe place!” Perhaps this was a responsibility he could not shirk.

Zhou Liming had long since packed the things in the kitchen. After helping Dean Zhou out, he went back in and carried out anything edible, like rice and the stove, and even the gas tank. It was like fighting a protracted war, so the bedding in the room was also packed up by Zhou Liming.

An Xiaowei’s efficiency was indeed very high. When Zhou Liming arrived in front of the heavy truck carrying large and small bags, An Xiaowei stuck her tongue out at Zhou Liming: “Done!”

The children were all moved into the bed of the heavy truck. Zhou Liming helped the Dean onto the truck bed, put all the things he had prepared onto it, and then ran back to the yard. He suddenly picked up the plastic vat filled with water and walked out swaying. Under the gaping mouths of the Dean, An Xiaowei, and the children, he carried the plastic vat onto the truck bed.

Zheng Le and the others all cheered: “Brother Liming is amazing!”

An Xiaowei shook her head and asked, “How did you do that?”

This vat of water weighed at least five or six hundred jin, but looking at him, it didn’t seem difficult for him to carry it out and put it on the truck bed. An Xiaowei really couldn’t figure out how a person’s strength could be so great. Moreover, Zhou Liming was just a high school student, a boy who had barely just left his teenage years behind.

An Xiaowei was not old, but having mingled in various high-class places, her mentality and appearance both seemed much more mature than her age.

Even Dean Zhou could not understand how Zhou Liming, whom he had watched grow up, could have such great strength. He had never seen him display it before.

Zhou Liming just chuckled a few times and didn’t explain. After getting into the truck bed, he secured the vat of water and covered it with a lid. Things like the stove and gas tank needed attention too. In Zhou Liming’s imagination, the truck bed would serve as both a living space and a kitchen in the future. There was no shortage of bedding, food, or drink on the truck; it was completely a mobile temporary shelter.

After finishing these tasks, thinking that the sun could beat down on the truck bed, Zhou Liming jumped out of the truck again. He untied the plastic sheet covering the yard, rolled it into a bundle, and threw it into the truck bed.

Under Zhou Liming’s efforts, the entire home looked like it had been looted by bandits, messy everywhere. He just didn’t know if the disaster disappeared and this family returned, what kind of expression they would have seeing their home turned into this state?

Zhou Liming sat in the passenger seat, clapped his hands, and said, “Finally done, let’s drive.”

An Xiaowei nodded. She gripped the steering wheel, but the high view from the heavy truck made her a little unaccustomed. She saw that the plastic layer of the center console in front of the steering wheel had been removed by her, revealing bundles of wires of various colors. She picked up two wire ends, cut the exposed wires, and brought them into light contact. Sparks suddenly burst out, and with a “roar,” the engine started, and the entire heavy truck trembled slightly.

An Xiaowei winked at Zhou Liming, shifted gears deftly, and as she lightly stepped on the gas, the heavy truck slowly began to move.

The people who had just entered the village hadn’t paid attention to Zhou Liming and the others, but suddenly hearing the heavy truck start, they realized something. Then, shouting one by one, they rushed out of the village and ran towards the heavy truck.

In the entire village, only this heavy truck remained. As the only car, it was incredibly significant for the fleeing people. They didn’t care that there were so many people here and one heavy truck couldn’t possibly carry them all. They only knew that if they couldn’t have it, others shouldn’t either. Why should others be able to drive away to safety while they had to walk, living in fear of Fierce Beasts and possibly becoming their meal at any time?

“Stop, damn it, stop.”

Just thinking about having to leave on foot and possibly being killed and eaten by Fierce Beasts at any time, the pursuers became out of control. A few picked up stones from the village and threw them at the car. “Thump, thump,” they hit the truck bed, scaring the children on it into screaming.

The road connecting the village to the outside highway wasn’t very wide, plus it was winding. Since An Xiaowei wasn’t used to driving this kind of heavy truck, her speed wasn’t fast, even slower than a normal person’s running speed.

Seeing the people behind were about to catch up, An Xiaowei got anxious. Her hands gripping the steering wheel turned pale from the force. She stepped on the gas a little harder, and the heavy truck immediately let out a fiercer engine roar. A sudden acceleration almost sent it into the field. Fortunately, An Xiaowei reacted fast enough, yanked the steering wheel, controlled the heavy truck, and got it back on the road.

Zhou Liming furrowed his brows and said, “I’ll stop them.” He opened the door and jumped down.

An Xiaowei was very anxious and shouted, “Come back quickly, there are too many of them.” But Zhou Liming turned a deaf ear and roared, “I’ll catch up with you in a while, go now.”

Facing the dozens of people running up the road, Zhou Liming was only uneasy for a moment, then he made up his mind and said silently, “Sorry, there is only one car, so I have to apologize. The children need it more than you do. For the people around me, I can only say sorry!”

Coincidentally, there was a huge log placed by the roadside, six or seven meters long. Zhou Liming didn’t think much. He walked a few steps to the middle of the log, stretched out his hands to hug the log, and then exerted his strength. Green veins popped out one by one.

“Ah… lift!”

Zhou Liming shouted, and this log, which weighed at least a thousand jin, was forcefully lifted up by Zhou Liming.

The pursuers were all startled by Zhou Liming’s action. It’s not strange for an ant to lift something dozens of times its own weight, but for a boy who didn’t look strong to hug such a huge piece of wood and still be able to walk freely, that was somewhat shocking.

Zhou Liming just got used to the weight of the log for a moment, then he placed it horizontally in the middle of the road. He actually held this big log and charged towards the pursuers.

The unimaginable shock caught the pursuers off guard.

“Don’t be afraid, everyone, he is only one person.” The leader shouted, making the people who wanted to retreat react. Yes, their side had dozens of people, and their combined strength was more than a thousand jin? No matter how powerful he was, he was just one person, so why fear him?

With this belief, they all went up to meet him. Hands pressed onto the huge log Zhou Liming was holding, and they gritted their teeth to compete with Zhou Liming.

A powerful force came from the wood, making Zhou Liming retreat a few steps, but Zhou Liming didn’t give up. He exerted force at his waist again. Amidst the shouting of “Ah… ah…”, scales faintly appeared on his arms. The terrifying force made Zhou Liming push the log forward step by step. Almost every step he took forward, these dozens of people took a step back…

With unimaginable strength, dozens of people could not withstand him.

Zhou Liming forcefully pushed them back to the village entrance, then gave a sudden shove, making the dozens of people retreat hurriedly and fall on their bottoms. Only then did he let out a heavy breath. He casually threw the log he was holding onto the road, then opened his mouth, imitating the look of a Fierce Beast, and roared at them a few times. Then he turned around and ran.

The dozens of people were already scared out of their wits and could only watch helplessly as Zhou Liming used inhuman speed to catch up with the distant heavy truck…