Nineteenth Chapter: When Poor, When Rich

Nineteenth Chapter: When Poor, When Rich

Lu Yuanming followed Peter and Charlie with a pistol in hand, but he wasn't particularly nervous.

For one thing, he'd already used a gun. He wasn't the sort to tremble at the sight of a monster or a gunfight anymore.

For another, there was the confidence that came with having real skill. He now knew that Colorless Light Particles could heal him, and his soul had grown much stronger. His strength and speed had improved, and even his reflexes had sharpened. That gave him a lot more confidence, so he wasn't easily frightened.

What Lu Yuanming didn't know was that he was the source of everyone else's confidence. Charlie, Peter, and even Charlie's men were all thrilled when they learned Lu Yuanming would be joining them. They were full of confidence about the battle ahead.

Perhaps Lu Yuanming thought he was simply being completely honest and treating everyone sincerely. He really didn't know how to manipulate people. But to those around him, his honesty and sincerity, combined with his miraculous abilities, seemed almost divine. Even people with dark hearts, like Charlie and Tom, couldn't help being drawn to him. Instinctively, they knew that Lu Yuanming would never betray or mistreat them.

That was the way people's hearts naturally turned.

Because Lu Yuanming didn't know how to deal with a group of Westerners, he had chosen to be as honest and sincere as possible. And that had made him the one people naturally gravitated toward.

Lu Yuanming himself didn't understand any of this. He simply walked with the group, looking around at their surroundings.

This New York City in the afterlife was desolate and battered. According to the others, it was an exact replica of the real city, but many shops, stores, supermarkets, and gun stores had been completely looted. It was impossible to tell whether the supplies had been taken by people who'd died before them or had never been there in the first place.

Seeing all this only strengthened Lu Yuanming's resolve to take up farming.

"...How much food do you think the potatoes we've planted will yield?" Lu Yuanming suddenly asked.

Everyone stared at him blankly. He continued, "To be honest, I don't know the first thing about farming. I've never grown potatoes, and I've never even managed to keep a potted plant alive. So I really don't know how much food the potatoes we planted will produce, or how many people they'll feed, or for how long."

Charlie and his men knew just as little. If Lu Yuanming had asked them about guns or gang life, they'd have been experts. But when it came to growing food, they knew about as much as he did.

Peter, however, thought for a while before answering, "The land we planted should yield about ten thousand kilograms of potatoes. I don't know how many people that'll feed, or for how long."

Lu Yuanming glanced at Peter in surprise. He'd thought the slightly chubby man was good with a gun, but he hadn't expected him to know about crops too. Peter was a hidden talent.

"Let's say ten thousand kilograms. Without enough Animal Fat or Vegetable Oil, and without anything to serve alongside them, one adult would go through about a kilogram of potatoes a day. That would feed the people in our group for about a hundred days. But if we keep taking more people into the group, ten thousand kilograms of potatoes won't be nearly enough."

And besides potatoes, they also needed to grow other crops, especially those that could provide oil.

The more Lu Yuanming thought about it, the more he realized that farming involved countless complications. He couldn't begin to sort them out.

"We'll have to pool everyone's ideas," Lu Yuanming murmured. "Once we deal with these MXG gangsters, we'll hold a meeting when we get back and make a plan. Ideally, we'll come up with some long-term plans."

Lu Yuanming knew he had little experience. He'd barely entered the working world before an accident had left him in a Vegetative State. He wasn't a genius, either, and certainly couldn't make a whole nation prosper with a few words. But he knew his own limits. If he couldn't do something well, he'd leave it to the experts. If there were no experts, they could pool their ideas. And besides, he had an example to learn from.

That example was his homeland, Z Country.

Lu Yuanming couldn't think of anything particularly profound, but when it came to the basic process and results, he was certain they could learn from how his country had risen.

Charlie and the others had no idea what Lu Yuanming was thinking. They stayed alert, protecting him as he walked among them. From time to time, they saw him furrow his brow, then relax and smile again.

They traveled for about an hour. Then Charlie pointed to a distant building and said, "We captured him there. They usually send one gang member with four or five civilians under their control to search these buildings or shops for supplies. The gang member never goes inside; they make the civilians do all the work. If there's a monster inside, then all they lose is one of the civilians they control. At the time, we saw this MXG Person standing outside. We crept up close without him noticing, and I shot him to keep him from escaping and causing unnecessary danger or complications."

Lu Yuanming nodded to show he understood, then followed up at once. "The MXG Gang lost a gang member, and you fired a gun, so there was a gunshot. You were using a pistol, and those MXG men have spent their whole lives around guns. They must have recognized it as a pistol, so they'll have figured out that we attacked them... Charlie, what do you think they'll do? Will they launch a full-scale attack on the bank, or lie in wait and ambush our explorers?"

Charlie smiled. "Lord, if they had another two or three days, they might think about ambushing our explorers. But I know them too well. When one of their people dies unexpectedly, their first reaction is to retreat to their hideout and get paranoid, suspecting they've got a cop undercover in their ranks. Only after that do they look for whoever attacked them and consider how to get revenge. That's the foundation and the nature of the criminal organization they belong to."

Lu Yuanming mulled it over, then said, "In other words, they're all gathered in the warehouse now, discussing whether to move their base?"

Charlie nodded. "Exactly. But they can't imagine we'll get there so quickly. More importantly, this is the afterlife. They can't move as easily as they could in the Living World. A spacious base with basic defenses and no monsters is incredibly valuable."

With that, Lu Yuanming had no more questions. He quickened his pace and jogged toward the warehouse.

Lu Yuanming was still breathing easily as they ran. By the time they reached the intersection outside the warehouse, everyone else was nearly exhausted. That only made them think Lu Yuanming was more extraordinary than ever. Peter especially had seen what Lu Yuanming looked like before. He hadn't been nearly as tall or strong back then, which only confirmed Peter's belief that Lu Yuanming was the Messiah, slowly recovering his true nature.

The group cautiously explored the area beyond the intersection. They'd gone barely a hundred meters when shouts rang out from a Guard Post Hall ahead. Charlie, Peter, and Charlie's men immediately raised their weapons and aimed toward the sound. Lu Yuanming shouted, "Don't shoot! It's not the MXG Gang!"

Lu Yuanming's reflexes were far beyond those of an ordinary person. Charlie and the others had only just noticed the person making the noise, but he'd already gotten a clear look: a white woman in her thirties, her face bruised and swollen, her naked body covered in welts, her hands and feet bound. She was screaming at the top of her lungs.

The others didn't shoot. Now that they could see her clearly, they all looked stricken. As they drew closer, they saw that her tongue had been cut out and her body was covered in cuts from sharp objects. Her lower body was filthy.

Lu Yuanming felt his temples throbbing. A fierce, overwhelming fury rose inside him.

"...How far are we from the warehouse they're in?" Lu Yuanming asked in a low voice.

Charlie knew the area well. When he'd been alive, he'd often come to this warehouse district to "pick up stock." He answered at once, "Less than two hundred meters. My men and I all know the place. Father, I'll lead the way."

"No. I have a better idea."

Lu Yuanming shook his head and looked at the man carrying an FGM-148 anti-tank missile. He lifted the man up and held him out on one arm, letting him sit on his forearm. The sight was staggering, but Lu Yuanming paid it no mind. He turned to the others and said, "Run after us. Now, start shooting."

With that, Lu Yuanming took off at full speed. The others exchanged glances, and one of Charlie's men asked, "Who do we shoot at? The woman?"

Charlie's expression darkened. He slapped the man, then immediately said, "Shoot into the air! Make as much noise as you can. Hurry, hurry, follow Father!"

Only then did the others snap out of it. They pulled out their weapons and fired into the air.

Meanwhile, when the MXG Gang heard the screaming from the guard post, they reacted just as quickly. They snatched up the long spears made from twisted rebar by the wall and prepared to rush outside. A Squinting Man, who'd been eating meat, pulled a shotgun from behind him and was about to charge out of the warehouse too.

Just then, a burst of gunfire rang out. All the gangsters rushing outside stopped and hid behind the warehouse's Metal Plate. The moment the gunfire stopped, they would charge out and fight to the death.

Then a cylinder-shaped object trailing Tail Fire punched through the thin Metal Plate. Every gangster instinctively looked toward it, and their pupils all contracted at once...

A thunderous explosion!

By the time Charlie, Peter, and the others caught up with Lu Yuanming, all that remained before them was a smoldering heap of rubble.

The MXG Gang had vanished completely—in the literal sense.