All you need to do is act as bait for me!

Chapter Eighty-Four: You Just Need to Be My Bait

[Ding!]
[Verification of intelligence accuracy successful. The following reward is granted:]
[Host’s Divine Sky rank +1.]
[Current Divine Sky rank: Second tier +3]

Hearing that the Divine Sky had leveled up, Xue Feng nodded in satisfaction. The moment he encountered the members of the Scarlet Flower Society, the reward for verifying intelligence had already surfaced in his mind. However, when meeting Tang Qiqiang and his group, there had been no such reward, which proved Tang Qiqiang’s group had no connection to the Scarlet Flower Society. In fact, they were likely enemies, otherwise they wouldn’t have fought.

By now, Xue Feng and his companions had already left the pet store and arrived at another residential complex, just across from Tiancheng Estate. According to Tang Qiqiang’s introduction, this was their base. All the zombies in the vicinity had been cleared out, rendering the area essentially safe. There might still be some hidden zombies in apartments, but they posed no significant threat. The Scarlet Flower Society dared not venture in recklessly.

On the way, they exchanged a few brief words. Li Wangmiao learned that it was the Scarlet Flower Society who had killed her brother. Tang Qiqiang and his men had seen a corpse shot dead in the street that day; the appearance matched her description exactly. Upon hearing Tang Qiqiang’s words, the last hope in Li Wangmiao’s heart was utterly extinguished. Her brother was dead. Now, all she wanted was simply to survive—the very thing her brother had always urged her to do.

Tang Qiqiang wasn’t sure what kind of relationship Xue Feng and Li Wangmiao shared, so he refrained from asking further. In the room Tang Qiqiang arranged, Xue Feng saw no one else. From Tang Qiqiang’s previous words, it seemed they’d brought their wives and children with them, but none of these vulnerable people were present now. This indicated Tang Qiqiang still maintained some caution toward them, which was only natural. No one would expose their weaknesses to others at first meeting.

Still, Tang Qiqiang had prepared some food and water, placing them before Xue Feng and his group—already the best hospitality one could offer in the apocalypse.

“What conflict do you have with the Scarlet Flower Society?” Though Xue Feng wasn’t hungry, he opened a bag of rice crackers as a gesture of goodwill. Meanwhile, Li Wangmiao, whose stomach had long been growling, began eating heartily without reservation.

She even fed a little to the puppies beside her, sharing a bit with each. This scene angered Tang Qiqiang’s men—food was so precious, hard-won at the risk of their lives, and she was feeding it to dogs! Yet, despite their anger, no one spoke up. If not for Xue Feng, they’d be dead already. Besides, the food was meant for guests; how they ate it was not their concern.

Li Wangmiao noticed this too and felt a bit embarrassed, giving the dogs only a little before retreating to another room to play with them and soothe them. Xue Feng’s black panther, on the other hand, crouched loyally at his side, its fierce appearance making the others uneasy. Only Tang Qiqiang dared sit across from Xue Feng.

“What’s the conflict between you and the Scarlet Flower Society?” Xue Feng pressed, curiosity piqued. Clearly, there had been more than one clash between them. Living in adjacent communities, conflict was inevitable, but the hatred between them seemed irreconcilable.

At the mention of the Scarlet Flower Society, Tang Qiqiang’s eyes blazed with fury. He recounted, word by word, the grievances between them. Initially, there had been over two hundred survivors in the complex, their survival largely owed to Tang Qiqiang’s leadership in clearing out zombies early on. He also explained his background: his group were mercenaries—not the kind who fought in foreign wars, but security professionals employed by a private security firm, usually tasked with protecting celebrities and corporate magnates. They jokingly called themselves mercenaries, but in truth, they were elite security personnel.

“When the apocalypse struck, we believed the more people, the better, so we gathered many survivors. The Scarlet Flower Society joined us too,” Tang Qiqiang began, detailing the conflict. But what he hadn’t anticipated was that, while he was out scavenging for supplies, members of the Scarlet Flower Society had assaulted female survivors in two apartment buildings—including his own sister. Any man who resisted was killed outright. Some male survivors even joined the Society, participating in their depravity.

When Tang Qiqiang returned and discovered what had happened, a battle broke out. In the end, he managed to drive out the Scarlet Flower Society, barely holding their ground. Their security company status allowed them legal access to some firearms.

“But now the Scarlet Flower Society has found guns too. They often ambush us outside!” Tang Qiqiang let out a heavy sigh. After all these upheavals, their numbers had dwindled from over two hundred to just a little more than fifty.

“Where did they get their guns?” Xue Feng’s first thought was that weapons had leaked from the armory. But Tang Qiqiang explained they’d likely found them in nearby police stations and the like. Only then did Xue Feng realize that in a city, firearms could be found in places other than armories—but in smaller quantities.

This made him more vigilant. Survivors they encountered in the future might all be armed. Xue Feng’s stone skin could now resist bullets, much like a bulletproof vest, but he still had to protect vulnerable spots like his eyes.

“So, you’re still under threat from the Scarlet Flower Society?” Xue Feng asked.

“Exactly.” Tang Qiqiang nodded.

“Li Wangmiao’s brother was also killed by them. Let’s join forces and take out the Scarlet Flower Society,” Xue Feng proposed.

Tang Qiqiang agreed almost without hesitation. The Scarlet Flower Society was a mortal threat; as long as they existed, there would be no peace. Now that such a powerful ally as Xue Feng was willing to help, Tang Qiqiang seized the opportunity.

“You’re willing to risk your life for me, against those people?” At that moment, the door to the other room opened and Li Wangmiao looked at Xue Feng in astonishment.

“Of course. You’re one of mine now; your problems are mine,” Xue Feng replied with a nod. Li Wangmiao was someone the system had flagged as a talent, and the system had already warned him the Scarlet Flower Society would be a problem. Naturally, he’d settle the matter—and conveniently make use of Tang Qiqiang’s group as bait to lure out the Society.

“Thank you! Even though this is only our second meeting!” Tears welled up in Li Wangmiao’s eyes once more. Witnessing this, Tang Qiqiang and the others were stunned. They hadn’t expected Xue Feng to be so forthright—willing to risk his life against the Scarlet Flower Society for someone he’d only just met for the second time.