C74 The Muzzle of the Gun Was Pointing at a Person Who Was about to Kill Him.

To the surprise of the five previously brash survivors, the gun in Tang Bing's hand was no mere toy. The loudest of them, a student, dropped his instant noodles in shock.

"Put the stuff back in the cart and beat it!" Tang Bing commanded, his gun trained on the group.

"Man, the supermarket's huge. Why hoard it all?" The guy with glasses tried to reason, gesturing for Tang Bing to chill. "Let us grab some grub and go. It's no skin off your back! If it makes you happy, we'll return what we took to your cart and find something else..."

"At first, I didn't mind, but you lot have really ticked me off!" Tang Bing said coldly. "So now, you're not taking anything! Everything you snatched, even the stuff on the floor, goes back in the cart. Then scram, and the farther the better!"

"Bro, cool it! We're all just trying to make it in this messed-up world," the bespectacled man said, attempting to defuse the tension. "If we've upset you, we apologize. Surviving isn't easy for any of us! We should be fighting the flesh-eating zombies out there, not each other, right?"

"I told you, put everything down and get lost!" Tang Bing's voice grew stern.

"Screw you! Go ahead, shoot! I don't believe you've got the guts to kill!" the student retorted, provoked by Tang Bing's tone.

Zhao Dagang couldn't contain himself any longer, stepping forward and spitting out, "Think he won't kill? Brother Bing even offed the son of the Bluestar Group's CEO. What are you compared to that?"

"The Bluestar Group's CEO's son?" the bespectacled man blurted, taken aback. "Zhang Tao?"

"You know him?" Tang Bing's intent to kill was palpable as he aimed his gun at the man.

"Dude, don't do anything rash!" the bespectacled man stammered, hands waving frantically. "I don't know him personally, just heard of him! He's that well-known rich kid around here, right? Did you actually kill him?"

"Hmph! Every member of the Bluestar Group's branch was there. If you don't believe me, go check at the military sanctuary in B City!" Zhao Dagang stated icily.

"Dagang, you've said enough!" Tang Bing spoke with a stern tone.

"Sorry, Brother Bing! I'll keep quiet." Zhao Dagang clammed up immediately.

The five survivors exchanged uncertain looks, their eyes communicating doubt about the veracity of Zhao Dagang's claims. Yet, it was clear that the gun in Tang Bing's grip was no joke.

"Man, you've got a tough vibe about you!" The man with glasses shifted his gaze, "Ever thought about joining our JS Corps?"

"JS Corps?" Tang Bing responded, his voice chilly, "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's an acronym," the man with glasses explained, "It stands for Salvation Army! Right now, our corps consists of us five, aiming to discover a cure for the zombie virus and restore the world to its former glory! If you join us, I'll make you the vice-captain, and together we'll save the world!"

"Wasn't it agreed that I would be vice-captain?" interjected the student, unable to contain himself.

"Quiet down!" the man with glasses shot him a warning look before turning back to Tang Bing, "Brother, if you join our JS Corps, you'll be hailed as a world-saving hero in the future!"

Tang Bing let out a scoff, "You think I'm a kid? Salvation Army? You better save yourselves first!"

"Won't you reconsider? A person with your skills should rightfully join us in saving the world!" The man with glasses spoke with fervor, attempting to sway Tang Bing, "Perhaps we were all nobodies before the apocalypse, but now, we're the ones in charge! Come on! Join me in saving humanity!"

"Beat it!" Tang Bing retorted flatly, "You have five seconds to leave, or I start shooting!"

"Brother, come on, that's not fair!" Seeing his persuasion fail, the man with glasses gestured frantically for calm, "Let's talk this out nicely!"

"Five!" Tang Bing advanced a step.

"We're all survivors. Now, more than ever, we need to stick together!"

"Four!"

"Why don't you tell us where you found that gun?"

"Three!"

"Got any spare guns? We're willing to trade women for them!" the student blurted out. "We've got some fine ones in our car. Take your pick! They're all compliant. As long as they're not starving, they'll do whatever you want!"

"One!" Without hesitation, Tang Bing shifted the gun's aim and squeezed the trigger.

"Pfft!" As the student's words hung in the air, a small hole appeared in his forehead, and he collapsed backward.

The abrupt gunfire and the student's demise left the remaining four survivors ashen-faced.

"Man, you didn't count to two..." the bespectacled man stammered, his voice shaking.

Tang Bing was silent, simply redirecting the gun toward him.

"No!" The man with glasses paled, hastily raising his hands, "We'll leave! Right now! Brother, please, don't be rash!"

"I told you to get lost!" Tang Bing commanded, his voice stern, not sparing a glance at the body on the ground.

"Yes, yes! We're leaving right away!" The man with glasses turned on his heel and scampered out of the supermarket. The other three survivors fled in disarray, none daring to look back at the student's body.

"Bing, why didn't you just finish them all off?" Zhao Dagang watched them depart, clearly dissatisfied. "They didn't seem like good folks."

"No need," Tang Bing replied coolly, holstering his weapon. "Surviving in this world is hard enough. I doubt they'll last much longer."

"But that dead guy said they had lots of women in their car, all under their control!" Zhao Dagang expressed his concern. "Bing, why don't we rescue them?"

"At this stage, self-preservation is what matters most," Tang Bing said, his gaze level. "The more people you have, the more complex things get. Who knows what kind of trouble that could bring? My abilities are limited. I've been on edge, barely managing to protect you all. The addition of Teacher Lin and Liang Hui has already stretched me thin. We're at our limit. Bringing in more people would only make things harder. Safety is a huge concern, and food is an even bigger one. For all we know, those women might end up dying quicker if they stayed with us."

"I don't get it, but I'll follow your lead, Bing!" Zhao Dagang nodded emphatically, "I trust you!"

"Let's get moving!" Tang Bing commanded, glancing over his shoulder, "We need to get out of this supermarket now!"

"But I've still got a cart to load. Mind if I grab a bit more food?" Zhao Dagang gestured towards the shopping cart.

Tang Bing gave him a look and said flatly, "If you fancy keeping company with zombies, be my guest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zhao Dagang was clearly confused. "Why would I want to hang out with zombies?"

"I've just killed someone, and the scent of blood will spread fast," Tang Bing explained calmly. "Zombies have a keen sense of smell. They'll be here any minute. If we don't leave now, we'll both be trapped!"

"We better hustle, then!" Zhao Dagang's face went pale as he heard this. He dashed to the cart, repositioned it, and while pulling it along, he called out to Tang Bing, "Bing, let's make a run for it!"

Once they exited the supermarket, sure enough, over a dozen zombies were converging on them from all directions.

"Grab the cart and go, fast!" Tang Bing swiftly drew his silenced pistol, "I'll take care of these pests!"

"Got it, on it!" Zhao Dagang complied, tugging his cart and sprinting towards the factory gate.

Tang Bing, meanwhile, left his own cart behind. He weaved through the zombies with incredible agility, evading their lunges and executing close-range headshots. In under a minute, he had taken down the horde.

He couldn't afford to linger; more zombies would be lured by the blood and descend upon the supermarket. Without a second thought, he grabbed his cart and caught up with Zhao Dagang.

As they made their escape, a blue truck roared by, driven by the bespectacled man they'd encountered earlier. The other three survivors were with him, and three young women were huddled in the back.

Tang Bing locked eyes with the man behind the glasses, a chilling glare that sent a shiver down the driver's spine. He floored the gas pedal and the truck sped off into the distance.

The truck's roar drew some zombies away in pursuit, while others continued their relentless march towards the supermarket.

Before more zombies could spot them, Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang made it back to the factory safely, quickly locking the door and retreating to the safety of the building.

"Bing, I think there are survivors!" Sun Meng, who had come out to greet them, was visibly excited upon seeing the truck race by from her vantage point upstairs. "Why didn't they stop? Didn't you run into them?"

It wasn't just Sun Meng; Qin Mengli, Teacher Lin, and the others also turned their expectant gazes toward Tang Bing, awaiting his response.

Tang Bing remained silent, but it was Zhao Dagang at his side who spoke up, "We ran into them a while back! They tried to snatch our food at the supermarket. The nerve of them!"

"Were they successful in robbing you?" The women tensed up at the thought.

Zhao Dagang scoffed, "As if they could! Bing took down one of them with a shot, and the rest of those cowards nearly wet themselves! They had the audacity to demand Bing's gun and even proposed trading women for it."

The news of Tang Bing having taken a life made all four women's faces drain of color.

Sun Meng and Qin Mengli had witnessed Tang Bing's lethal actions once before when he had dealt with Zhang Tao and his group out of personal vendetta, but this was different; the victims were strangers. Despite their trust in Tang Bing, the very subject of killing struck a primal chord of fear in them.

If Sun Meng and Qin Mengli felt this way, Teacher Lin Leyan and Liang Hui, along with her daughter, were even more petrified. They were too frightened to even meet Tang Bing's gaze, hiding behind Sun Meng and the others, shaking uncontrollably.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Dagang was clearly displeased with their reaction. "Bing did what he had to for our sake. He would never harm one of us! If Bing hadn't acted, I would've stepped in myself! Those scumbags see women as mere objects, and from what they said, those women endured untold humiliations just to survive, stripped of all dignity for a morsel of food. You should feel relieved! At least Bing isn't like those degenerates; he's kept you safe and sound!"

"Enough chatter," Tang Bing interjected coolly, "Get all the supplies inside."

"Right away!" Zhao Dagang promptly sprang into action, following the order.