086 The Ruthlessness of the Red Flower Society

In front of Tang Qiqiang and the others stood an armored vehicle radiating a sinister black sheen, its design menacing and bizarre. A single glance was enough to chill the soul—it exuded an aura of death. What was going on? There hadn’t been any sign of this armored car downstairs just a moment ago. When had it appeared?

Without exception, everyone turned their gaze to Xue Feng. It had to be related to him. Tang Qiqiang understood now why Xue Feng had been so confident—there were too many secrets cloaked around this man. His strength was beyond their wildest imagination.

“Get in. I trust you know how to handle the weapons,” Xue Feng said, opening the door.

“We do!” Tang Qiqiang and the others instantly noticed the machine gun mounted atop the vehicle. From inside, they could fire using a scope—no need to expose themselves, perfectly safe.

“Brother Xue, you’re not really planning to charge straight through the front gate, are you?” Tang Qiqiang couldn’t help but ask once they were inside.

“Of course. It’s the simplest and most direct approach,” Xue Feng nodded.

Tang Qiqiang considered offering some tactical advice—perhaps suggesting they coordinate from the outside. The armored car looked almost like a tank; infantry and armor coordination was the foundation of modern warfare. But after a moment’s thought, he wisely kept silent. In front of Xue Feng, none of them were qualified to speak.

With a savage stomp on the accelerator, Xue Feng sent the armored vehicle roaring forward. It tore through the streets, crushing several zombies beneath its wheels as it made straight for Tiancheng Residence.

Meanwhile, inside a room at Tiancheng Residence, a bespectacled young man with a scholarly air sat at the center of a sofa, his expression unreadable. No one would have guessed that this was the president of the Red Flower Society—Jin Changming.

A group of people stood by his side, not one daring to sit. Among them, a man knelt on the floor, trembling.

“You’re telling me they’re all dead, and you have no idea how it happened?” Jin Changming’s voice was icy.

“Yes! I… I arrived and found them already dead,” the man stammered, his voice quavering with terror.

“You went out on a mission together, yet now your brothers are dead and you claim ignorance?” Jin Changming’s tone remained calm.

His words were mild, yet the man’s legs shook uncontrollably. The Red Flower Society had a rule: live and die together—no one was allowed to survive alone. But he truly didn’t know how the others had died.

Originally, he’d been moving with the rest of the group, but upon hearing a noise from a girl’s room, he’d sent the others to investigate, hoping to find a female survivor for his own pleasure. To his disappointment, it was just a zombie trapped in a closet—a female, but he wasn’t depraved enough for that. Disgusted, he dispatched the zombie, but then heard gunfire. When he rushed over, everyone was dead; he alone remained.

“It must have been Tang Qiqiang’s group! We’d spotted their trail earlier when they went out for food. President, please give me a chance to avenge our brothers and atone for my failure,” the man pleaded, swallowing hard, hoping for a chance at survival.

“Eat this.” Jin Changming casually picked up a peanut from the table and tossed it over.

The man caught the peanut, his face ashen. “No, please, President, give me a chance!” he wailed, his cries echoing like a pig being slaughtered. He flung the peanut away as though it burned him.

“Stuff it in his mouth,” Jin Changming said coolly.

At once, someone picked up the peanut while another forced the man’s mouth open, shoving the peanut inside.

“Mmmph!” the man protested, but they forced him to swallow it.

The others immediately backed away.

Snap! Jin Changming flicked his fingers.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out as the man’s body exploded from within, his viscera and blood splattering half the room, showering everyone present—even Jin Changming’s glasses caught a few scraps of flesh.

Unperturbed, Jin Changming calmly drew a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood and gore from his lenses before putting them back on.

“All your brothers are dead, and you alone survive? Selfish cowards like you have no place here,” Jin Changming intoned, his expression unchanged from start to finish—even as a living man exploded before him, he remained indifferent, as though devoid of emotion.

The others, by contrast, wore expressions of fear. Witnessing a living man—one of their own—blown apart filled them with dread, though they forced themselves to remain composed, not even bothering to wipe the blood from their faces.

“It’s time to finish off Tang Qiqiang and his crew. I had my eye on his abilities and thought to recruit him, but since he refuses a friendly offer, he can’t blame me for being ruthless.” Jin Changming’s gaze grew cold.

“President, are we finally going to take them out?”

“There are plenty of women with them!”

“Heh, our own supply of women is running low. Time for something fresh, especially Tang Qiqiang’s wife…”

One of them even dared to covet Tang Qiqiang’s wife, but he quickly fell silent—such a prize was obviously reserved for Jin Changming. Only the boss could enjoy her; if any of them survived and didn’t get blown up, perhaps they’d get their turn afterwards.

“Let’s go! Launch the assault now. After losing eight of our men, Tang Qiqiang must be getting excited. Let me shatter his illusions—he can never win against me.” A cruel smile curled Jin Changming’s lips.

The others erupted in cheers, faces flushed with anticipation for the coming carnage. The nearby survivors had all but been subdued; those willing to join the Red Flower Society had to mark themselves. In the apocalypse, there were no tattoo artists—they simply branded new members with a red-hot iron. Those who refused met a grisly end.

As their cheers rang out, Jin Changming’s brow suddenly furrowed. “Is that the sound of a car?”

A car? The others fell silent, straining to listen. Sure enough, the roar of an engine and the blare of a horn could be heard nearby, right in the vicinity of the residence.

Who would dare? Who had the audacity to drive around Tiancheng Residence, honking and drawing the zombies’ attention? Did they not know this was Red Flower Society territory? Were they courting death?

At that moment, a burst of gunfire erupted at the entrance.

“It’s the guards! Someone’s broken in!”