"I refuse. Don't say another word." Li Wei harshly rejected David's invitation, his expression turning impatient. "There's food and shelter here, yet you insist on taking everyone out to die. I really don't understand what you're thinking..."
He could not understand why David wanted to lead the others into danger. A few ordinary people running through a fog full of monsters and hoping to escape its boundaries successfully was simply wishful thinking.
Put nicely, it was bravery and decisiveness. Put bluntly, it was self-righteousness!
Rather than driving away immediately and wandering aimlessly through the white fog, they might as well stay here and wait until the food ran out before taking any risks. Survive one day at a time.
Having no real strength yet insisting on taking risks really was in keeping with the great American tradition of individualism.
They firmly believed their own judgment was absolutely correct, were unbelievably stubborn, and distrusted authority. That was a common failing among the American people.
Not everyone was a superhero, and not every risky decision could bring about a happy ending. The artistic embellishment of movies could not conceal just how foolish it was to disregard the bigger picture and gamble countless lives.
Even after being rejected, David did not give up trying to persuade him. He switched to another reason, subtly gesturing in a certain direction. "Look over there. Yesterday, Mrs. Carmody didn't have a single follower. Now, so many people are following her! If we don't leave, she'll become the Jim Jones of this place!... Maybe you haven't heard that name. He was the founder of the People's Temple cult. I want to leave before she bewitches everyone!"
After the giant mosquito attack, Mrs. Carmody had not only preached her doctrines with even greater fanaticism, but also gained a group of followers. If she kept preaching, a cult might really spring up right here.
But Li Wei still thought the proposal was unbelievably stupid!
He snorted and neither agreed nor disagreed with David's words. "You have guns, right? Point one at her head and pull the trigger, and every problem will be solved. Violence is bad, but it really is the simplest way to solve problems. I rather like it now."
David finally realized that Li Wei could not be persuaded. He pressed his lips together, nodded, rose to his feet, and walked away without saying a word.
Watching him leave, Li Wei shook his head without much concern. If they wanted to get themselves killed, why did he have to stop them?
Was he bored? He certainly was!
But they were not cute, harmless girls. What was in it for him if he helped?
Two hours later, daylight finally came outside. The light illuminated the white fog and made the supermarket bright and clear.
Before anyone could start breakfast, David and the others, who were preparing to head to the pharmacy for medicine, caused a commotion. Everyone gathered at the entrance.
"Where are you going, Mr. David Drayton?" Mrs. Carmody, who had vaguely become one of the small group at the top of the supermarket's status pyramid, blocked David's path with a puzzled expression. "Are you really in such a hurry to make your son an orphan?"
Though his son was mentioned again, David was not swayed. He did not even spare her a proper glance as he headed straight for the door. "My son is none of your concern!"
After reaching the front of the checkout counter, David turned and loudly explained to the gathered crowd, "We're going to the pharmacy to bring back some medicine! And perhaps there may be people trapped there who need help!"
The moment everyone heard David's bold idea, an uproar broke out. Some advised him not to go, while others voiced their doubts.
Ollie, who was already prepared, stepped forward as well. "We're not going there to risk our lives! If there's any trouble, we'll return to the supermarket immediately!"
But those words clearly could not convince Mrs. Carmody. Her breathing grew slightly rapid as she mocked them, "And then you'll lead demons from hell right to our doorstep. Well, thank you so very much!"
"She's right! You'll make them notice us! You'll lead them here! Why can't you just stay here and behave yourselves?" Several followers she had won over last night also spoke up in support of Mrs. Carmody. Several people stood behind Carmody and slowly closed in on David.
Dan, who was sharpening a wooden stick into a weapon, rolled his eyes at that and turned toward the religious fanatics. Pointing at the white fog outside the windows, he asked, "Ma'am, you call this 'behaving ourselves'?"
"You want to stop us?" David raised the fire axe and said considerately, "Then you'd better explain to Bobby why we aren't getting painkillers for his brother!"
The thin, frail Bobby also said, "I'm going no matter what, even if I have to go alone!"
Glancing at the fire axe on David's shoulder, Carmody tugged at her shawl and quietly took a step back. She looked at Bobby. "Young man, you'll die there. The moment you walk out that door, you'll be torn to pieces!"
Then Carmody pointed a finger at David's face and cursed with fury and terror in her voice, "And your damned arrogance will lead them to the rest of us!"
"That's right! They'll come back for all of us, just like this lady said!" Carmody looked again at the woman who had just spoken for her, using the woman's words to lend credence to her own. Then she asked those already afraid of the monsters, "Do you want that to happen?!"
Intimidated by her alarmist manner, the crowd instinctively answered, "No!"
Most of those "no"s meant they did not want their own lives to end, not that they did not want David and the others to leave.
Li Wei crossed his arms and watched the interesting farce with a smile, saying nothing.
After gaining the support of most people, Carmody continued in an emotional voice, "It was this very arrogance that brought down the Lord's wrath! This pride and defiance... splitting atoms, stem cells and abortion, even trying to explore the secrets of life—rights that belong only to the Lord! It is because of your defiance that we are being punished now~!"
Some agreed with Carmody's words, while others did not.
Elderly Repla picked up a can of soybeans and hurled it at the ranting Carmody. The can struck her squarely in the forehead. "Shut up! You pathetic wretch!"
Being literally slapped in the face, and by an old woman no less, instantly ignited Carmody's fury. She rushed forward, ready to fight Repla to the death. Even when David blocked her, she grabbed nearby objects and angrily threw them at Repla.
"Ah!... You old bitch!"
Li Wei stretched out a hand and helped Repla block a thrown object.
Repla was no pushover either. Even after Carmody flew into a rage, she continued to mock her. "Throwing stones at people who don't stand with you is what you do best, isn't it? That's what they did in the Bible too, wasn't it? And I have plenty more cans of beans!"
With the farce over, it was time for David and the others to leave. Before departing, David asked the three soldiers who had barely made their presence known, "You three soldiers, are you coming? Do you want to do your part?"
"I'm going." Wayne, who had lost the woman he had been flirting with, hated the monsters intensely. He chose to follow without hesitation, and even when the other two tried to stop him, he remained determined to go.
After David and the others left, Li Wei also squeezed through the crowd and exited the supermarket. Under everyone's puzzled gazes, he headed in the opposite direction from David's group.
"Goodbye, everyone. The barbecue was good, and the cola wasn't bad either~!"
Seeing Li Wei heading in another direction, they all immediately looked shocked, their eyes like they were looking at a dead man.
Before you continue