The moment Zhou Qingfeng pulled the trigger, the bear-like Ivan felt something brush past his head as a bullet grazed his scalp. His first reaction when he saw Zhou Qingfeng holding a gun was to lie down and call his younger brother Yakov for help.
However, the sound of the gunshots triggered a wave of panic in the bar. Shootings were common in the United States and it was no big deal for a few people to die. That was the reason why Americans were sensitive toward the sound of gunshots. Anyone's first reaction upon hearing the sound of gunshots would be to run instantly.
The Cat's Claw Bar had only one entry and exit. There was only one direction where the crowd could squeeze their toward. Amidst the chaos, Ivan's younger brother, Yakov, had just drawn out his pistol when he saw the crowd beginning to pour in his direction.
F*ck!
Even though Yakov was a huge man, he dared not stand in the way of the stampede. He knew that Zhou Qingfeng would blend in with the crowd in an attempt to rush out. Nevertheless, he could only turn around and run for his life to avoid getting shoved and trampled on by the crowd. As for his brother Ivan, he could only wish him the best of luck at the moment.
Only after Ivan prostrated himself on the ground, did he immediately realize the danger he was in. To be trampled on by hundreds of feet in a stampede, even a cow would be trampled to death. However, his realization came a little too late. He was just about to get up when the crowd already began pouring in his direction.
"Ouch, who stepped on me? I'm going to kill him!
"Oh... that b*tch stepped on me with her high heels.
"Help, stop stepping on me. I can't breathe."
In the face of thousands of feet of hundreds of people, even herculean Ivan could not raise his head. In the end, he could only curl up, hold his head in his hands, and endure the pain of being trampled on. He did not even care where Zhou Qingfeng was anymore.
The chaotic situation was exactly what Zhou Qingfeng wanted. He grabbed his gun in one hand and dragged Angie with the other as he charged outside along with a dozen other people. Additionally, he fired several shots to break the sign lamp at the entrance of Cat's Claw Bar.
The continuous gunshots made the crowd even more restless. Screams and shouts filled the bar, and no one could control their emotions. They would not have been able to calm down even if they wanted to and could only charge outward as though they were out of their minds. Zhou Qingfeng finally managed to rush out of the bar and realized that his suffocating lungs could breathe so much easier now that he was outside.
While Zhou Qingfeng was walking on the side of the road outside the bar, an old Ford sedan rumbled over and stopped in front of him with a creak. Flustered and exasperated, Lena shouted, "Kid, you have to thank me for not abandoning you. I was actually so close to leaving you behind."
"Thank you. Thank you," Zhou Qingfeng panted and thanked whilst opening up the door and heaved Angie into the car. After closing the door, he shouted loudly, "Start driving, start driving. Chop chop, let's go."
At this moment, Yakov, who had been standing watch at the exit of the bar, noticed that Zhou Qingfeng had managed to escape successfully. He drew his pistol and fired a shot at Lena's wretched car. After realizing that he had failed to stop Zhou Qingfeng, he vented a torrent of threats, yelling, "I know who you are, kid! You better hurry up and hide at home. Go cry like a baby. I'll find you, and I'll kill you!"
Zhou Qingfeng was sweating profusely in the car. He slumped limply on the backseat. His hands and feet were trembling from the overwhelming emotions he felt. His chest rose up and down violently as he panted.
After the car had driven a few blocks away, Zhou Qingfeng turned to check what he had stolen from the Potaski brothers' room. Then, he turned to look at Angie who was half-naked but safe and sound. Finally, he laughed out loud.
'I did it! I actually did it!' Although it had been an alarmingly dangerous process, Zhou Qingfeng succeeded in stealing the money. It was tens of thousands of dollars. With so much cash at hand, at the very least, he would not starve himself to death during the cataclysm.
His laughter was filled with a form of joy and relief, as well as hope and excitement for the future. It had only been less than twelve hours since he arrived in the Wasteland, and Zhou Qingfeng had completed his first step in preparing for the catastrophe. It was a really good start.
It was a perfect start for him. Although he ended up offending the Potaski brothers and wounding a person, it was nothing compared to the countless challenges he would face during the cataclysm. When the entire society fell into chaos, he would have something to eat, drink, and even have girls to accompany him—what a dream come true!
Zhou Qingfeng's laughter was contagious. As he laughed, Lena, who was driving, started laughing delightfully as well. The woman, who had been involved in prostitution, even turned her head around and hammered Zhou Qingfeng's chest. She asked, "Kid, how much money did you actually steal?"
"I stole more than fifty thousand bucks—twice as much as you," Zhou Qingfeng said while laughing.
"F*ck! The Potaski Brothers will be furious." Lena laughed even louder after hearing the total amount. A large majority of her happiness was directed at the Potaski Brothers' loss. She asked, "Where are you going next?"
"Back to Murdoch Avenue, 200th Street, I need to send this girl back to her parents," Zhou Qingfeng said.
Lena darted a glanced at the back seat and sighed. "I'm very jealous of this girl. No one came to save me when I was in trouble back then."
The car reached Angie's house in no time.
Zhou Qingfeng helped Angie out of the backseat of the car and was about to ring the doorbell of the Lawrence family when Angie suddenly woke up. She was in a daze and shoved Zhou Qingfeng away before running to the trash can in front of their house. Angie lowered her head and threw up continuously.
Lena got out of the driver's seat, retrieved a paper towel from her bag, and handed it to Zhou Qingfeng. She said, "She may need this."
After taking the paper towel from Lena, Zhou Qingfeng walked up to Angie's side and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"
After throwing up, Angie raised her head and studied her surroundings. She took the paper towel from Zhou Qingfeng's hand and wiped her mouth. Even so, she said rudely, "Go away, you disgusting bastard. I don't need your concern."
"I think you may have gotten the wrong idea. It's not what you think it is." Zhou Qingfeng thought that the currently infuriated Angie looked pretty adorable too. At least it showed that the girl cared about him. "I think I can explain this."
"Explain? Are you going to try and make up a ridiculous story to convince me to believe you? Are you taking me for a fool?" Angie was still seething with resentment. "I've always treated you as my best friend. I can't believe that you actually hired a prostitute. You're truly a... disgrace!"
"Hey! You're the only one who made a mistake tonight, not me. You're only fifteen years old, and you shouldn't be drinking at all. Not to mention, you visited such a dangerous place like the Cat's Claw Bar. Do you know that you were almost... " Zhou Qingfeng did not finish his sentence. He had to save her some self-dignity at the very least.
Angie let out cold humphs incessantly. She refused to trust Zhou Qingfeng. She even flung her hands and said, "I don't want to listen to your lies. Don't come near me or my house from now on."
As she said that, Angie strode toward her house. However, before she could open it, the door swung wide open. Upon hearing the commotion outside, a doubtful-looking Rachel Connor came out first, followed by a solemn-looking David Lawrence.
"God, baby, why are you arguing with Victor? I thought you went to bed a long time ago." Rachel Connor had clearly just gotten out of bed as she was wearing her pajamas under a jacket. She wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders and asked in disbelief, "Angie, did you actually drink? Victor, what's going on?"
Angie turned her head to one side and refused to say anything because she was mad. The Lawrences could only turn their attention to Zhou Qingfeng who was standing outside their house. Zhou Qingfeng shrugged and tried to arrange his sentences when he heard Lena speak up next to him, "I think it would be better for me to explain this. May I?"