C97 The Hostage Was Captured and Confronted. Tang Bing Held His Gun and Shot Fiercely.(1)

How did so many survivors suddenly show up? Was it because of the car that just sped past?

Tang Bing swiftly drew his pistol and took cover outside the door to scope out the interior.

Inside were eight individuals; two were middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, while the remaining six were youths in their teens or twenties.

All eight were armed with homemade weapons—long knives measuring about fifty centimeters and shorter ones resembling small daggers. None had firearms.

Lin Leyan and her daughter Liang Hui were being held by two of the young men, daggers pressed against their throats. Both mother and daughter were petrified, their faces ashen as they sobbed uncontrollably.

Unaware of Tang Bing's presence outside, the survivors focused their attention on Zhao Dagang and his group upstairs.

"Drop your weapons! Or they're dead!" barked the bearded, middle-aged leader, his eyes fierce. He looked up and yelled at Zhao Dagang, "All of you, lay down your arms and come down here quietly!"

"Nonsense!" Zhao Dagang clutched his pistol, his eyes blazing with fury. "If I give up my gun, you'll have all of us at your mercy!"

"You're in the same boat either way!" the bearded man retorted loudly. "We're eight strong and we've got hostages. Play nice and you'll live to see better days. Otherwise, prepare to collect their bodies!"

"Release them first!" Zhao Dagang demanded, his gaze fixed on Liang Hui, terrified that the knife might slice through her delicate throat, his hands shaking with the weight of his gun.

"Put your gun down first!" the bearded man countered, glancing at Lin Leyan and her mother. "We're all survivors here; I have no intention of harming you!"

"I don't trust you!" Zhao Dagang bellowed. "You came seeking help, and we welcomed you with open doors. And now, you repay our kindness by trying to steal our supplies? I won't let you succeed!"

"My friend, you seem quite capable!" the bearded man chuckled. "Do as I say, hand over your weapon, and bring the others down. I'll take charge of this group and ensure our safety. In this godforsaken world, we survivors must stick together if we're to last, don't you agree?"

"Enough talk! Release Teacher Lin and Liang Hui now, or I'll blow your head off!" Zhao Dagang yelled, his voice charged with emotion.

"Go ahead and try," the bearded man taunted, spreading his arms nonchalantly. "Let's see if your gun is quicker or our knives are. If you don't care about these two ladies, then by all means, shoot! It's a shame to waste such fine 'goods,' but women are never as valuable as weapons. If you switch sides and tell us where you got that pistol, I might just make you my second-in-command! And these women? They'll still be yours. No one will challenge you for them."

"Shut your mouth!" Zhao Dagang's anger surged, his veins bulging with fury. He was itching to pull the trigger, but with Lin Leyan and Liang Hui in the enemy's grasp, he hesitated.

"Afraid to shoot?" The bearded man initially had his doubts, but after the standoff continued, he saw that Zhao Dagang truly didn't dare to act. The hostages were proving their worth. With a dismissive gesture, he signaled to four youths, who began to make their way to the building's first-floor entrance.

"Hold it right there!" Zhao Dagang's anxiety spiked as he watched them move to ascend the stairs.

"Ignore him," the bearded man commanded coldly. "He won't shoot. Go upstairs and take him!"

The youths exchanged wary glances, pausing momentarily before proceeding.

"Bang!" In a rush, Zhao Dagang squeezed the trigger, deliberately missing the youths and firing a warning shot into the ground.

The shot sent the four youths scattering back in terror.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" The bearded man was visibly frustrated. "He's not going to shoot; we've got hostages!"

"If you dare step foot in here, I won't hesitate to kill!" Zhao Dagang bellowed.

"Then let's see you try!" the bearded man scoffed, turning to the four young men. "Move out!"

With his command, the youths, still visibly shaken, resumed their march toward the building.

"Get back, all of you! I mean it, I'll shoot!" Zhao Dagang's voice was thick with desperation.

"Shoot and those two girls are dead!" the bearded man declared icily. "Be smart, toss your guns down and surrender. Bring the girls too. Play your cards right, and you'll have food, drink, and women to enjoy. You'll even get to run your own survivor base with your own crew. Good times ahead!"

"Shut it!" Zhao Dagang's mind was in turmoil. With Liang Hui in their grasp, he was powerless to act! Surrendering was out of the question; the fate of the four girls would be grim, and his own life would be over. He didn't buy the bearded man's lies for a second. Handing over the guns was a death sentence!

"Advance!" The bearded man, confident that Zhao Dagang wouldn't dare to act, crisply commanded.

The four youths, upon receiving the order, edged towards the entrance with knives at the ready.

What to do? What to do? Just my luck that Bing isn't here. I knew we shouldn't have opened the door so carelessly! Zhao Dagang shot a glare at Qin Mengli, blaming her tender heart for this mess. Bing had made it clear—never open the door easily. Yet she couldn't withstand the survivors' pleas, leading Teacher Lin Leyan and Liang Hui to open the door while cleaning the cafeteria. Now they'd invited the wolf into the den, and trouble was an understatement.

Qin Mengli avoided Zhao Dagang's gaze, knowing full well that her insistence had led to this predicament. She hadn't anticipated this outcome. Weren't survivors supposed to band together against the zombies? How could anyone turn on their own in such dire times?

The situation was dire. If the four youths managed to break in, Zhao Dagang alone stood no chance, especially with Lin Leyan and Liang Hui as hostages, tying his hands even further.

Even with Qin Mengli and Sun Meng wielding fire axes and iron swords, their fighting ability was virtually nonexistent, offering no real help.

In this desperate moment, Zhao Dagang could only shout in an attempt to halt their advance, not daring to fire at will.

The dilemma was stark; unless Zhao Dagang could disregard the lives of Liang Hui and the others. Only by actually shooting and killing one or two of them could he possibly intimidate the rest, stop their threats, and maybe even force them to flee.

The problem was that Zhao Dagang simply couldn't bring himself to do it. He had never actually taken a life with his own hands, and overcoming this hurdle was proving to be incredibly difficult.

Moreover, he was genuinely terrified at the thought of Lin Leyan and Liang Hui being killed, which paralyzed him from making a decision.

As the four young men reached the door, poised to burst through, Sun Meng's panic peaked. "Brother Zhao, fire your gun! If you don't, we're all done for!"

"But... I just can't!" Zhao Dagang's face twisted with distress, "I can't let them kill Liang Hui and Teacher Lin..."

"Mengli, please, try to get through to Zhao!" Sun Meng pleaded, turning desperately to Qin Mengli.

Qin Mengli, catching a glimpse of Teacher Lin Leyan held captive outside the window, bit her lip, unable to utter a word.

Losing all hope at the sight, Sun Meng crouched down, lamenting, "If only Bing were here! He'd never let us end up in such peril!"

"Exactly! Where has Bing gone? Why isn't he back? What do we do now?" Zhao Dagang fretted, peering down, "They're about to come in!"

"Zhao, you're our only hope to keep everyone safe," Sun Meng fumed, her frustration with his hesitation boiling over, "Can't you muster even a fraction of Bing's bravery and resolve? Shoot!"

"I... I've never taken a life," Zhao Dagang's complexion turned ashen, "And... I can't stand by and watch Liang Hui be murdered..."

"Then we're all as good as dead!" Sun Meng blurted out in desperation, "Do you think they'll spare us if we don't fight back? Haven't you heard their threats? They're nothing like Bing; they see us women as less than human!"

"Then... you do it!" Zhao Dagang, shaking, offered the gun to Sun Meng.

"Are you even a man?" Sun Meng recoiled in shock, pushing the gun back at him.

"I just... I can't... Maybe Miss Qin could?" Zhao Dagang, frantic, extended the gun toward Qin Mengli.

Qin Mengli blanched, stepping back and shaking her head vehemently.

The three of them shirked responsibility, with the distinct sound of footsteps already climbing from the floor below. Desperation flashed in Sun Meng's eyes as he declared, "It's clear to me now, aside from Bing, this whole team is utterly useless!"