HBWnovel Chapter 15 Looting of Supplies: The Chaos of Human Nature at the Bottom
Chapter 15 Looting of Supplies: The Chaos of Human Nature at the Bottom
Jiang Che recognized the two men fighting over the water.
It was the long-haired man and his bald henchman who had caused trouble for Ling Yue yesterday.
The long-haired man's hair was even greasier today, and he looked like he hadn't washed it the night before. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he still had plenty of strength in his hands.
"What do I care about your child!" The long-haired man slapped the woman across the face, causing blood to immediately flow from her nose. "I haven't had a drink of water for two days, and you're taking up two buckets by yourself?"
There were people watching, but no one stepped forward.
An old man's lips trembled as he tried to speak, but his wife grabbed his sleeve and shook his head.
The security guards at the two outposts stood at the entrance to the water room, arms crossed, expressionless.
They are waiting for things to end on their own.
Regardless of who wins, someone still needs to drink the water. As for the oppression of the weak, in the apocalypse, it's not even a "matter"; it's just everyday occurrence.
Jiang Che stood still, his hands in his pockets.
His reason told him to ignore it.
Standing out would expose one's strength, attract Zhao Lie's attention, and make one a target.
His current strategy is to develop discreetly, quietly accumulate favor points, and then exchange them for [Basic Constitution Enhancement] once he has accumulated 50 points.
No, he has already exchanged for D-level superpower limit physical fitness. The next stage should be C-level or something else.
There are still grayed-out entries in the system panel that haven't been unlocked.
But the blood in that woman's nose was red.
Her child's face peeked out from the tent crack. He was three or four years old, with round eyes. He didn't know what had happened, only that his mother was crying.
Jiang Che cursed a curse word that only he could hear, and stepped out from behind the crowd.
He didn't shout or yell.
There was no righteous and dignified rebuke of "Stop!"
He did something very simple—he walked behind the long-haired man and reached out to take the plastic bucket from the hand that was pressing down on the woman.
The long-haired man's hand suddenly felt empty. He paused for a moment, then turned and saw Jiang Che.
"It's you again." He recognized him. This was the same person who had ruined his plans in the square yesterday.
A flash of annoyance crossed his eyes, but it quickly turned into contempt. He glanced at Jiang Che's empty hands and ordinary clothes, and a grin spread across his face.
"What, you want to steal the water too?" The long-haired man straightened up, the bald man released the woman, and turned to Jiang Che.
The two people stood in front of and behind Jiang Che, sandwiching him between them.
The people around took a few steps back, creating a small circle.
Some people shook their heads, some people sighed, but no one stood up.
"I won't steal the water," Jiang Che said. He put the plastic bucket on the ground and kicked it next to the woman.
The woman trembled as she hugged the bucket to her chest, then scrambled to the side, her face smeared with a mixture of tears and nosebleed.
"Then what are you doing here? Upholding justice?" The long-haired man's tone was full of sarcasm. "Damn, who do you think you are? A superhuman? Do you even have the right?"
The bald man had already circled around to Jiang Che's side, clenching his fist.
The two worked together very well; one drew attention while the other attacked from a blind spot.
But Jiang Che caught the bald man's movements out of the corner of his eye.
His peak D-level dynamic vision made the bald man's punches appear as slow-motion replays.
A fist slammed into the back of his head.
Jiang Che did not turn around, nor did he dodge.
He simply tilted his head slightly, letting the bald man's fist glide past his ear, then raised his right hand and grabbed the bald man's wrist.
He used less than 30% of his strength.
The bald man's wrist felt like it was bound by an iron clamp, and his entire arm instantly lost its strength.
His expression changed from fierce to terrified. He sensed it; that wasn't the grip strength an ordinary person should have.
The long-haired man hadn't even seen what happened yet. He saw Jiang Che move slightly, then the bald man bent over, his face turning a deep purplish-red, and he groaned "Ahhh!"
"Let go!" The long-haired man swung his fist at Jiang Che's face.
Jiang Che extended his left hand, palm open, and enveloped the long-haired man's fist.
Bring your five fingers together.
The long-haired man's five fingers were squeezed together in his palm, making a faint "crackling" sound from the bones. The pain made him squat down, and he desperately slapped Jiang Che's arm with his other hand.
"Let go! It hurts, it hurts—let go!"
Jiang Che did not let go.
He bent down and said in a low voice, "Two liters of water isn't enough? Get in line to get some. Stealing from others isn't the way to go."
"You—you're a superhuman?" The long-haired man's voice changed, from fierce to probing, and then from probing to fawning. "Big brother, we can talk this over. We're just so thirsty. This lousy place only gives us two liters of water a day."
"Thirst is no excuse for hitting people." Jiang Che released their hands.
The bald man squatted on the ground, clutching his wrists, while the long-haired man shook his reddened fingers. Neither of them dared to move.
Jiang Che did not continue to lecture them.
He picked up the empty bucket that had been kicked over from the ground, walked to the door of the water room, and said to the two security guards, "Please fill it with water."
The security guards exchanged a glance.
One of the younger men hesitated for a moment, then took the bucket and turned to go into the water room.
The older man lit a cigarette, took a puff, and glanced at Jiang Che through the smoke.
The water containers are full, two buckets.
Jiang Che handed a bucket to the woman. Her hands were still trembling, and she almost spilled it again when she took it. Jiang Che helped her hold the bottom of the bucket.
Her eyes were red, and the nosebleed had stopped, but the handprint on her face was still there, reddish-purple.
"Thank you. Thank you. What's your name?" she stammered.
"You're welcome," Jiang Che said. He carried the other bucket of water and walked towards the outer edge of the crowd.
He didn't turn around, but he heard the system notification sound—not once, but several times, like raindrops falling on a tin roof.
[Affection from survivor Wang Xiulan +1. Current affection level: 25, intimacy level: 11.]
[Collective favorability from onlookers: +2. Current favorability value: 27.]
[Affection level from (anonymous) +1. Current affection level: 28.]
[Affection level from (anonymous) +1. Current affection level: 29.]
[Affection level from (anonymous) +2. Current affection level: 30.]
Those anonymous people were probably hiding in the tent, peeking through the cracks.
They didn't stand up, but they remembered.
Jiang Che placed the bucket at the entrance of his tent without going inside.
He stood there, head bowed, feeling the faint, fragmented, firefly-like energy of goodwill flying in from all directions.
They weren't as burning as Su Qingyuan's affection, nor as intense as the moment of saving someone, but they were plentiful. Plentiful as a tide.
It turns out that doing good deeds really does bring good fortune.
In the apocalypse, this statement sounds like a joke.
But when the system quantifies every "thank you" into a number and presents it to him, he has to admit that kindness still has a market in this world, it's just that most people are unwilling to pay the cost.