Chapter 68: Porridge Distribution

Li Xuan hurriedly stepped forward and took the two compressed biscuits from Yue Zhong, selling herself and her daughter to him. "I agree! I agree!"

Before the apocalypse, Li Xuan was a capable, experienced, and strong woman. Seeing the many young, beautiful girls following Yue Zhong, who appeared to have faced little hardship, she knew that Yue Zhong still retained a trace of humanity in this brutal new world.

Seeing the prize slipping away, Xu Wei's eyes flashed with resentment. He glanced at the skeleton next to Yue Zhong, muttered a harsh word, and then left in a hurry. "Yue Zhong, you're ruthless. I'll remember this!"

Once Xu Wei left, Zhou Shanshan took small bites of the compressed biscuit. At her young age, she had already learned how difficult it was to get food. Though she was starving, she didn't immediately finish the whole biscuit.

She placed her small hand under the biscuit, nibbling it while using her tongue to lick the crumbs that fell onto her hand. It was both a sad and a pitiful sight.

Some villagers, who hadn't gone out, were watching Zhou Shanshan eat the compressed biscuit from a distance, their eyes filled with envy.

Yue Zhong approached a large warehouse-like room, where sounds of women's moans, cries, and men's excited laughter could be heard, along with cursing.

Upon hearing these sounds, both Guo Yu and Wang Lan showed signs of fear.

Big Dog glanced at the chicken coop and licked his lips, explaining to Yue Zhong, "That's the chicken coop! Any woman under Brother Hu's men can be used however they want."

Yue Zhong immediately turned his head and walked in the opposite direction. His strength was limited, and it was already hard enough to protect those around him. He didn't want to know what was happening inside, fearing he might become impulsive.

Yue Zhong walked to the edge of the village and pointed to a small river formed by a tributary of the Lei River. "Big Dog, there's a river over there. Why don't you go and catch some river food?"

The river had fish and shrimp. With a little effort, the villagers could easily catch some to eat. How could they all look so emaciated and starved?

Big Dog smiled wryly, "Yue Dage, we've thought about that. But after the zombies appeared, a dozen giant snakes showed up in the river. If anyone gets close to the river, they come ashore and eat people. More than ten people have died in the mouths of those giant snakes. Now, unless we're desperate, no one dares go near the river. Brother Hu and the others tried to kill those snakes, but after losing four men, they gave up on hunting them."

Yue Zhong asked, "So how do you get water?"

Big Dog explained, "There are shallow water areas near the riverbank, so we take water from there. Those areas also have small fish and shrimp, but no one dares to stay long. We just grab the water and run."

Yue Zhong glanced at the river, thought for a moment, and then turned back toward the village. His current goal was to secure the arms in the armory, then send Zhang Li and the other girls to the survivor base in Longhai City before returning home to find his family. He didn't want any more distractions.

"Zhang Li, take the people and cook a big pot of porridge. Remember to add more water." Yue Zhong said as he returned to the Dongfeng truck.

After speaking, Yue Zhong turned to Big Dog and said, "Big Dog, go tell the people in the village that children under the age of sixteen can come to me for a bowl of porridge at each meal. You and your wife can also come to get a bowl of porridge. Make sure they bring their own bowls."

Big Dog froze for a moment, then his face lit up with joy as he repeatedly thanked Yue Zhong, "Thank you, Yue Dage! Thank you! On behalf of the villagers, thank you. You're such a great person."

With that, Big Dog quickly ran into the village.

Most of the people in Yue Zhong's group had no objections to his decision. They had seen the children in this village and how much they suffered. They were even worse off than refugees fleeing war.

Before long, the children in the village, upon hearing about the porridge, quickly gathered at the square.

Chi Yang glanced at the children and coldly said, "Line up! No cutting in line! Each person gets only one bowl. If you're caught trying to get extra, don't come back next time."

Upon hearing Chi Yang's words, the children quickly lined up, and not one dared to cut in line. After getting a bowl of white porridge from Zhang Li, they carefully began to drink it. The cruel reality had made them start to cherish every grain of food.

"Mom, drink!" A boy around thirteen years old took a few sips of his porridge, then quickly ran to a woman with a haggard face and handed her the remaining porridge.

"Xiao Lei will drink too!" The woman's eyes reddened as she hugged her sensible son, carefully drinking a sip of the porridge. Tears streamed down her face.

The scene was heartbreaking.

Chen Si, eating steamed buns with several armed men, watched the scene with a sneer. "Fools! There's so much rice, enough for several good-looking women. But he's using it to feed those useless kids. What an idiot!"

One of the armed men immediately flattered Chen Si, "Exactly! Yue Zhong is powerful, but his brain is nowhere near as sharp as yours, Brother Si."

Chen Si laughed loudly, "Ha-ha!"

One of the armed men glanced at Chen Si, a trace of disdain in his eyes. He then looked at Yue Zhong with a complex expression.

Chen Si noticed the expression and frowned, coldly asking, "Xiao Ming, do you have an opinion about what I said?"

Xiao Ming, young and still full of righteous anger, couldn't help but speak out, "Brother Si, Yue Zhong is doing a good thing. Even if you wouldn't do it, you shouldn't ridicule him for it."

Chen Si's face darkened immediately. He mockingly said, "Xiao Ming, didn't expect you to be such a noble person! Since you're so noble, why don't you share your food with them? Why are you still playing with us women like this?"

One of the armed men jeered, "He's just a hypocrite!"

"Yeah! He's a hypocrite. Acting all high and mighty!"

The rest of the armed men started jeering, isolating Xiao Ming. They had long disliked this out-of-place companion.