Undercurrents Stirring

Chapter 64: Eating from the Bowl, Then Cursing the Cook

Just moments ago, a few people had been full of gratitude toward Su Chen. But now, their tone flipped as they turned around and began cursing him.

"But even so, what can we do?"Zhang Ying let out a reluctant sigh.

Over on Su Chen's side, he had He Wang, Sun Yuan, and the others—about ten people in total.Not to mention they were armed with guns and compound crossbows.

In contrast, Zhang Ying's group only had three or four people and barely any decent weapons.If it came down to a fight, they wouldn't stand a chance.Not to mention the other survivors—if they wanted to get on Su Chen's good side, they might even join in against them.Acting recklessly would only get them the same fate as Wang Ye.

Just then, one of their sentries suddenly shouted,"Hey—look! Who is that?!"

Zhang Ying and the others were stationed in a small guard booth outside the hotel. It used to be the security post but was now used as an outpost.Whenever someone approached, they were supposed to use whatever was on hand to make noise and alert those inside.

The sudden call startled Zhang Ying.He instinctively thought that Gao Qiqiang and A-Biao had brought people to attack.

But when he peeked out and looked carefully, his eyes widened in shock.A familiar figure was approaching the guard booth, crouched low and limping badly.

It was none other than the long-missing Wang Ye!

"Should we inform the people in the hotel? Boss Su gave clear orders—Wang Ye is not allowed back," someone said cautiously.

"Don't alert them yet," Zhang Ying said after a moment of thought. He shook his head."Might as well see what Wang Ye wants."

As they were speaking, Wang Ye had already snuck up to them.When he saw Zhang Ying and the others inside the booth, he froze for a second—then his face lit up with joy.

"Zhang Ying! Zhou Jun! I didn't expect to see you guys here!"

"Um... Dr. Wang, how have you been lately?"Zhang Ying and the others looked visibly awkward.

After all, to get food and stay in the hotel, they had betrayed Wang Ye without a second thought.

But Wang Ye didn't seem to hold a grudge. He greeted them warmly,"Not bad! You won't believe it—Boss Gao and Brother Biao took me in!"

Zhang Ying and the others looked surprised.They hadn't expected Wang Ye to fall in with Gao Qiqiang and A-Biao.

But thinking it over, it actually made sense.At Phoenix Mountain now, there were only two major factions—Su Chen and Gao Qiqiang.If Wang Ye wanted to survive, he had no other choice but to turn to Gao.

"So, why are you looking for us today? If Su Chen finds out, you'll be in deep trouble," Zhang Ying said, feigning concern.

"You don't get it. I'm here to save your lives."Wang Ye snorted coldly and put on airs.

Zhang Ying and the others looked at each other, confused by what he meant.

"Dr. Wang, what exactly are you trying to say? Just be straight with us!"

"Fine. I'll tell you the truth," Wang Ye said, lowering his voice. "The guy I'm with now—Boss Gao—he's a real force back in the city.He's got nearly 200 people under him, and several firearms too."

"Don't be fooled by what happened last night. If he gets serious, taking this place would be a piece of cake!"

Wang Ye continued to brag, greatly exaggerating Gao Qiqiang's strength.

Zhang Ying and the others didn't know what to believe, but they were momentarily stunned.

"If you keep siding with Su Chen, once Boss Gao storms the place, none of you will escape.But if you switch sides now, help Boss Gao out—you'll be credited with a major contribution!"

Zhang Ying's group already felt some resentment toward Su Chen.They were living off instant noodles while Su Chen enjoyed the good life.Wang Ye's mix of threats and promises made them waver.

"So what do you want us to do?"Zhang Ying asked tentatively.

"Simple. All you need to do is this, and that..."Wang Ye whispered his plan.

A look of hesitation crossed Zhang Ying's face.

Seeing this, Wang Ye snorted again,"Zhang Ying, think carefully. Back when you ratted me out to Su Chen, I didn't hold it against you.But if you blow this chance, once Boss Gao takes over, don't expect me to speak up for you!"

Zhang Ying hesitated for a few more seconds, then gritted his teeth."Fine. I'll do whatever you say, Brother Wang!"

"That's more like it! Alright, I'm heading back now. You guys be careful—don't let Su Chen find out!"

Wang Ye smiled in satisfaction, then slipped out of the guard booth and limped away.

But neither Wang Ye nor Zhang Ying and his group realized that every move they made had been clearly seen—from the rooftop of the hotel.

Su Chen had always been cautious.He Wang was a veteran.So when arranging sentry duty, Su Chen had purposely set up both visible and hidden posts.

Ordinary survivors only knew about the visible watch shifts. They had no idea hidden sentries even existed.The hidden posts were manned by Su Chen's more trusted men—like Sun Yuan—who took turns keeping watch.Su Chen had even equipped them with night-vision binoculars, and the watch point was on the hotel rooftop.

As soon as Wang Ye was spotted approaching the guard booth, the hidden watchmen immediately alerted Su Chen.

"What do you all think?" Su Chen asked casually.

"This bastard Wang Ye probably cozied up to Gao Qiqiang and A-Biao," He Wang said."He came sneaking over to convince Zhang Ying's group to betray you."

His guess hit the mark.

"Exactly. I thought the same. Guess I was too soft back then," Su Chen shrugged.

There's a saying: If you don't pull the roots, the grass will grow back in spring.

If he had just killed Wang Ye back then, none of this would be happening now.Looks like he couldn't afford to make the classic villain mistake of talking too much instead of acting ever again.

Good thing they caught this in time.

"So what now? Do we take Zhang Ying's group out?"Sun Yuan's eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

He despised traitors like Zhang Ying from the bottom of his heart.

He Wang also nodded in agreement.

"Why kill them?" Su Chen asked in return.

"Huh?"Both Sun Yuan and He Wang were stunned.

From their perspective, if Zhang Ying's crew was colluding with Gao Qiqiang, it'd be safer to just eliminate them.

"We can totally set a trap and catch them all in one go!"A cold glint flashed in Su Chen's otherwise calm eyes.

Night slowly fell, and the rain continued to pour outside.After finishing their instant noodles, most people returned to their rooms to rest.

At that moment, a few survivors preparing to go on sentry duty were suddenly stopped by Zhang Ying.

"Zhou Xinhong, Li Dong—you two take the night off. I'll take the shift for you."

"Huh? What's the catch? We're getting time off just like that?"Zhou Xinhong and Li Dong couldn't help but look pleasantly surprised