Chapter 17: Some people still don't know their place

Chen Ye knew immediately when he heard that voice—someone was starting trouble.

We're in the apocalypse, and there are still people pulling this kind of nonsense.

Chen Ye sat up in the sidecar of his three-wheeled motorcycle, looking toward the source of the voice.

It was a slightly plump woman with a round face, small eyes, and a pointed chin standing there.

It seemed because of this woman's words, everyone had turned to look in this direction.

Chen Ye was no exception.

When the woman's gaze swept over Chen Ye, she also threw him a disdainful glare.

Chen Ye rubbed his nose.

This woman must be crazy.

After all, I'm not the leader anyway, let's see how Chu Che handles this.

Chu Che probably didn't expect someone to pull this kind of stunt at a time like this either.

Chu Che looked at the woman with amusement and laughed, "Then what do you think would be fair?"

The woman's eyes shifted craftily as she said directly, "We're in the apocalypse now, this is when we need you men the most. Making women cook while men reap the benefits—what kind of leader are you?"

Perhaps because Chu Che always maintained his nice guy image.

Or maybe this woman had just arrived in this new environment and wanted to quickly attract everyone's attention.

Whatever her motives, many women in the convoy had brightened eyes.

Especially among the women who had just joined the convoy, many quietly moved closer to this woman.

In contrast, the women who were cooking glared angrily, as if this woman had stolen their jobs.

But they seemed restrained by other reasons and didn't speak up.

Chu Che glanced at Nana beside him.

Nana rolled her eyes, hugged her long sword, and turned to leave.

Chu Che smiled gently and said, "Since that's the case, Sister Zhao, you few can rest first. Old Bao, find some men to come cook!"

Old Bao nodded and turned to walk into the survivor crowd to start selecting people.

Soon, this woman who had stood up for justice realized something was wrong.

The several women who had lost their jobs because of her weren't grateful—instead, they looked at her with venomous hatred.

After Old Bao received the order, many men rushed over, raising their hands and shouting, "Old Bao, pick me, pick me! I used to be a cook!"

The woman didn't quite understand.

She was clearly fighting for her group's interests.

Why were they looking at her with such unfriendly eyes?

Fortunately, some people still cast friendly glances her way.

The woman's thinking was simple—having just arrived in an unfamiliar environment, the quickest way to establish authority and gather a group was to represent some people's interests.

The food was quickly prepared.

The aroma of food filled the entire camp.

These survivors who had just escaped Deer City were so hungry their eyes glowed green.

In the past, they wouldn't have given plain congee with pickled vegetables a second glance.

But now, this bowl of plain congee with pickled vegetables was the most delicious delicacy in the world.

Even the original survivors in the convoy were swallowing hard.

After all, many people in the convoy were running low on supplies.

If they didn't find supply points soon, everyone would likely starve before long.

Chen Ye blew a smoke ring, feeling somewhat interested.

The real show was about to begin.

Sure enough, after the meal.

All the men who had helped earlier received some payment from the leader.

Though it was just a small piece of bread, it still made people envious.

The woman who had spoken earlier watched these men happily receiving their bread and was completely stunned.

"Smack!"

A slap echoed through the quiet night.

"You bitch! If it weren't for you, that bread would be mine! I haven't eaten all day, all because of you!"

A middle-aged woman with permed hair slapped the stunned woman hard across the face.

"Serves you right! If it weren't for this slut, Captain Chu wouldn't have given the opportunity to others! Beat her to death!"

Before the woman could react, another woman grabbed her by the hair.

"You... ah~~ I was doing this for your own good~~~"

"For our own good, you bitch..."

Chen Ye lay back in his vehicle, looking at the starry sky, the faint firelight illuminating his features.

A blood moon hung not far away, but Chen Ye didn't even feel like shifting his gaze toward it.

Chen Ye had finally figured it out.

Despite Chu Che's usual quiet demeanor, he hadn't expected him to be this cunning.

Chu Che had probably noticed early on that some people in the convoy were running out of supplies.

So he gave these few a work opportunity.

He just didn't expect someone like this to suddenly jump out.

So Chu Che simply went with the flow, directly putting this troublemaker woman in her place.

It seemed this leader wasn't a simple character either.

The woman's screams echoed right by his ears.

We're in the apocalypse, and some people still haven't adjusted their mindset.

They totally deserve this!

Chen Ye lay comfortably in the sidecar.

Sleeping in the sidecar was much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

The convoy continued forward.

According to Chu Che, they would reach Longevity Village in two more days.

This was a carefully selected resupply target by Chu Che.

After daybreak.

Chen Ye took out his portable gas stove, lit a small flame, took out mineral water and poured half a bottle into the pot.

He added a cup of rice, covered the lid, and waited for the rice to cook.

Using the machete he obtained from Nana, he sliced some cured meat and threw it into the pot, added some oil, then tossed in some wild vegetables he'd gathered from the roadside a few days earlier.

Just like that, a dish of stir-fried wild vegetables with cured meat slowly took shape in these conditions.

Chen Ye's cooking skills were quite ordinary, but having such meals in this environment was already quite remarkable.

The newly joined survivors looked toward Chen Ye's direction, frantically sniffing the air.

Their meal today was still just plain congee with pickled vegetables.

Compared to Chen Ye's meal, it was like heaven and earth.

Chen Ye couldn't be bothered with these people. When the food was almost ready, he poured the stir-fried wild vegetables with cured meat directly into the rice and started eating.

Finally, someone couldn't resist anymore.

"Young man, could you share some of your food with my grandson? He hasn't eaten meat in a long time."

"He's just a child—malnutrition isn't good for his health!"

Chen Ye looked up to see an old woman holding a child's hand, looking at him pitifully.

And that child was already reaching out without any restraint.

Before Chen Ye could say anything, the child had already grabbed onto Chen Ye's rice bowl, trying hard to snatch it away.

Chen Ye's expression instantly darkened.

He'd encountered bratty kids before, but never one this obnoxious.

I haven't even agreed to give you any, and you're already grabbing for it.

The rice bowl remained motionless in Chen Ye's hand.

The old woman acted as if she didn't see anything, smiling ingratiatingly at Chen Ye.

"Give it to me~~"

"I want to eat!~~~"

The bratty child's shriek rang in Chen Ye's ears, making him frown in annoyance.

He never had much patience with children anyway.

Especially with this kind of spoiled brat—he was even more impatient.

Back when there were surveillance cameras everywhere, Chen Ye had to hold back.

But now...

Chen Ye had many ways to make bratty children shut up!