Anze slowly walked out of the room, carrying a compound bow.
The woman, along with the two men behind her, kept stepping backward, visibly uneasy.
"Sir... sir, don't... don't be impulsive!" They all raised their hands, showing signs of anxiety.
Anze shouted loudly, "You three, get out..."
But before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud bang!
Someone beside him struck him directly on the head with a stick.
In that moment of dizziness, Anze realized that apart from the three people in front of him, there was another accomplice across from him.
---
When Anze woke up, he found himself tied to the sofa with a rope.
Four people were eating freshly cooked pork heartily at the table in front of him.
Apart from the woman and the fat and thin men, there was also a muscular bald middle-aged man in his forties.
He was the one who ambushed Anze earlier.
At the same time, this man was the leader among the four.
"Hey, awake!"
The bald man greeted Anze cheerfully while gnawing on the pork, unable to resist the urge to greet him.
Anze remained silent, just coldly observing the four people.
"Hehe! Don't blame us. Everyone is for themselves in this world. We didn't want to do this, you know? But we've been pretty good. At least we didn't kill you, right?"
"Hmph!"
Anze sneered, saying only, "Cut the act. What do you want?"
"To be honest, nothing much."
The bald man grinned, "I think your place is pretty good, with electricity and fewer zombies around. So, we plan to stay here in the future. You don't mind, do you?"
"Is this how you treat the host?"
"Hehe, don't be angry. After all, you pointed that thing at us earlier, so we couldn't help but feel threatened, right? I see you have a lot of wild game in your fridge. Are you a hunter?"
Anze didn't speak for a while, then reluctantly said, "Just an interest."
"Well, that's nice. Not everyone can eat fresh meat under these conditions! At least, not us. Hey buddy, interested in joining us?"
"Any benefits?" Anze sarcastically smiled.
"Of course, firstly, we can protect you from harm by others. We all need to look out for each other in this damned world. Secondly..."
The bald man glanced at the woman and continued, "Don't you want to enjoy yourself a bit? You know, pretty women are hard to come by in these times."
After saying this, the woman obediently threw a seductive glance at Anze. But what Anze saw in her eyes was pure coercion.
If anyone were to blame, it would be the woman's terrible acting skills.
Estimating, she must have been coerced by the three big men into this situation.
---
Anze had no interest in the woman.
But he also knew that continuing this standoff wasn't good.
So he said, "Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not deceiving me?"
The bald man seized the opportunity, "We have no reason to deceive you. In the end, we can't hunt, we need someone who can get fresh meat. Just for this, you are invaluable to our group."
"Then if I agree to join you now, will you let me go?"
"No way!"
The bald man chuckled, "You can understand our perspective, but we can't fully trust you yet. I see you seem to live alone here, so you must have hidden a lot of food. Just tell us where the food is, and we'll trust you!"
"The food isn't here, it's somewhere else!"
"That's okay, we can go with you tomorrow. But for tonight, you'll have to stay put."
"Fine!" Anze sighed in resignation.
"Hehe, I like smart people like you!"
The bald man chuckled and handed Anze a piece of pork. Then he helped Anze up from the sofa, saying, "Hungry?"
Anze didn't hesitate, simply opened his mouth, chewed on the meat a few times, and swallowed it, then said, "After I join you, you have to agree to one request of mine."
"Go on!"
"If others come here in the future, and if there are women, I get to choose first!"
"Hehe, of course, but only this once. It's impossible for you to choose every time."
"Agreed!"
---
"Bang!"
When they're feigning negotiations.
Unexpectedly, something in the room upstairs made a heavy thud.
Anze was briefly startled, but quickly regained his composure.
"What's upstairs?" The bald man frowned, asking.
Anze tried to keep himself calm and said, "Nothing, just my cat."
The woman chimed in, "Yes, just a cat!"
But she was immediately glared at by the bald man.
Pointing upstairs, he said to the woman, "You, go check!"
"Oh..."
The woman reluctantly put down the pork trotters in her hand and went to the room upstairs.
During this process, Anze's heart was hanging in his throat.
The woman reached the door of the room where YaYa was.
She heard rustling inside.
Without much thought, she just twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The room was dark, and the woman tried to find the light switch.
"Swoosh..."
But before she could find it, she suddenly heard something rushing toward her from behind.
The woman turned around.
"Ahhh!!!!"
All that could be heard was an extremely tragic and torn scream echoing through the night.
This scream sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
And then, there was silence.
Hearing this, the bald man became alert immediately.
"Damn it, what's up there?!!"
He glared angrily at Anze, then grabbed his compound bow and headed upstairs.
"You two, follow me!"
The fat and thin men felt the momentum and followed suit. The three big men marched upstairs aggressively, clearly intending to wreak havoc.
"No, don't go, come back! Don't hurt her!!!!"
Seeing this, Anze panicked immediately, shouting desperately, trying to stop the three from what they were about to do.
But what use was shouting?
The three still headed towards YaYa's room.
At that moment, Anze felt like his whole heart was being gripped.
A deep sense of powerlessness and despair surged through him instantly.
He had already lost his wife, leaving only his daughter, YaYa, as his sole reason to live.
If anything happened to YaYa, Anze would definitely not survive.
So he could only shout desperately, his voice even tinged with a hint of pleading:
"Don't hurt her, spare her, I beg you..."
His voice gradually turned into a sob, Anze had never felt so helpless.
And just when he was about to despair.
In his field of vision, the coat thrown on the sofa suddenly caught his eye,
In the pocket of that coat, there was a dagger...