Community Traversal: I Have a Daily Rescue Kit

50: Abundant family wealth

Su Chen stood by the window, looking out through the gaps in the wooden planks.

The atmosphere in the neighborhood has completely changed.

A crowd had gathered on the street, all peering out of the residential area. Some were carrying wooden sticks, some were holding kitchen knives, and others were clutching only broom handles; their faces all looked grim.

"What should I do... I don't want to die..."

"God bless, God bless..."

Whispers and sobs mingled together, and panic spread like a tide, impossible to contain.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes.

After becoming a Witcher, his senses became much sharper, and he could now clearly perceive the emotions emanating from each person—some were trembling, some were secretly wiping away tears, and some were putting on a brave face and pretending to be calm.

There were also a few young men whose faces showed no fear, but rather a hint of excitement, as if they were itching to fight.

……

Just then, the sky suddenly began to change.

The thick fog that had been shrouding the neighborhood suddenly began to dissipate.

A blood-red moon hung in the sky, its eerie halo sending chills down one's spine.

As the fog thinned, the outside scenery was finally fully revealed.

It was a desolate and dilapidated scene.

Scattered stone tablets stand in the distance, like ancient totems. There are also many ruins, piled up crookedly, as if to say that this place once had bustling days.

As the fog dissipated further, one could even see piles of broken swords and cracked gun barrels, stuck crookedly in the ground.

What's most chilling is that inside those rusty suits of armor, where bones should have been lying, flesh and blood are now slowly growing out of the bones.

"Armor? Spear?"

"What is that?! How can it move?!"

Screams erupted from the crowd.

"Listen up, everyone!"

Captain Chen's voice suddenly boomed, forcefully silencing the chaotic scene.

Su Chen looked down and saw Captain Chen standing on a makeshift platform, his emotions fluctuating greatly. He was clearly quite frightened, but he still managed to maintain his composure.

"Everyone, please take the elderly and children to the underground parking garage first! We've modified it beforehand; it has defensive facilities!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

It was only then that many people noticed that the garage entrance, which had been cleared out earlier, had indeed been modified—inside, one could vaguely see barbed wire, cement walls, and piles of sandbags, resembling a makeshift air-raid shelter.

Several military and police officers from the temporary management team quickly stepped forward to help support the elderly and carry the crying child into the garage.

……

"Everyone else, prepare for battle!"

Captain Chen gave orders to the remaining men.

"I don't want to! I won't go! I won't go!"

A girl suddenly screamed in a shrill voice and clung tightly to the railing beside her.

"I'm still young! I can't die! Let the men fight! Let the old men fight! I need to get into the garage!"

Her shout was like setting off a firecracker, and several more women joined in the crying and commotion.

"That's right! I'm so young, and I'm a woman, why should I go and die?"

"The old folks have had enough of living; they should be the ones taking the lead!"

"Let me in! I want to live!"

The scene suddenly descended into chaos.

Negative emotions spread extremely quickly.

Even those who were originally resolute were influenced.

Captain Chen's face was ashen. He shouted sternly, "You have to go, whether you like it or not!"

"What's wrong with women? Back in the day, there were female soldiers in the army! They charged forward with guns, bleeding and fighting desperately, and they never backed down just because they were women!"

"Unlike you, who always offer favors but hide behind the elderly and children when danger strikes! Do you even deserve to be called that?!"

He pointed at the girls who were crying and screaming, his voice cold and hard.

But those few wouldn't listen at all; instead, they cried even harder, sobbing and shouting:

"I don't care! I want to go in! You can't do this!"

"I haven't achieved my dream yet! I don't want to die!"

Just then, an elderly man who was being helped to walk towards the garage suddenly broke free of someone's grasp and walked out shakily.

"Let me do it."

His voice was hoarse, but steady.

"I'm an old man, it's worth dying for. Young people live longer, they'll be useful in the future."

After he took the lead, several elderly people also stepped forward.

"Yes, we're all old and useless now. Let the young people live."

"Give them their seats!"

Su Chen watched quietly from upstairs, his face expressionless.

"Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandma! You are both so kind!"

"I will always remember your kindness!"

The girls immediately showed delight and quickly pushed forward, trying to squeeze into the garage.

A thin man huddled in the back muttered softly, "I... I'm still young, my life has more value..."

Several girls immediately turned around and cursed at him:

"Pah! You lowly men! We women can give birth and increase the population, what can you men do besides die?"

……

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap knocked the girl who was making the most noise to the ground.

"You...you dare hit me?!"

She collapsed to the ground, covering her face, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!"

Captain Chen stared at her coldly.

"You say you're young? You say you have value? You have absolutely no value!"

He turned around and gave a proper military salute to the elderly people who had stood up.

"Esteemed seniors, please go back. We're here to help."

After saying that, he pulled out the pistol from his waist and glanced at the crowd.

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

"Elderly people and children go into the garage, that's a hard and fast rule! Everyone else, regardless of gender, stays here!"

He uttered each word slowly and deliberately, his voice as cold as ice crystals.

"Anyone who causes trouble again will be dragged to the front to draw fire!"

Several management team members stepped forward, carrying tools in their hands, their eyes fixed on the girls like nails.

"Did you understand?"

The girls were so frightened that they dared not scream anymore, and could only cover their mouths and sob softly.

"Listen up, everyone—weapons distribution is now underway!"

Captain Chen took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and reorganized.

Several members pushed out a few handcarts piled high with homemade weapons—mostly spears made by binding kitchen knives or iron sheets to wooden sticks; and some makeshift shields made by nailing iron sheets to wooden boards.

"One spear for each person! Remember, the longer the spear, the stronger it is!"

Captain Chen shouted loudly.

"Those who survive, I promise, will be given at least a week's worth of supplies!"

"In case... in case someone passes away, your children, your elderly relatives, and everyone else in the neighborhood who is still alive will be cared for! They will have food, medicine, and someone to look after them; we will never let them suffer any injustice!"

"We'll fight this battle—for ourselves, and for our families—we'll give it our all!"

After these words were shouted, the residents were also stirred up and excitedly shouted to defend their homes.

Weapons were then distributed.

Someone took the spear, their hand trembling.

Someone was gripping a shield, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Some people gritted their teeth, their faces filled with a fierce determination.

Su Chen watched all of this quietly from upstairs.

The Witcher's enhanced hearing allowed him to hear every word, every sob, and even every whispered curse clearly.

Everything is different now compared to the last time he stood here observing.

……

Suddenly, he felt a slight stiffness in his back.

After changing jobs, he became unusually sensitive to his surroundings, and at this moment he clearly felt that someone was looking at him.

Su Chen turned his head following his intuition and looked in the direction of Building No. 1.

He saw a telescope mounted in the crack of one of the windows, its tube pointed directly in his direction.

"Lin Yu..."

Lin Yu on the other end seemed to have noticed it too, so she put down her binoculars and looked over.

The two met each other's gazes from a distance, separated by the air between two buildings.

Then, Su Chen saw several dark, tubular objects slowly protruding from Lin Yu's window.

They varied in thickness and length, but they were clearly—gun barrels and cannon barrels.

Each one exudes a sinister aura.

Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

This woman...

Their wealth is indeed frighteningly substantial.