But now, the scene he was witnessing was vastly different from what he had imagined.
First, he was shocked to see Xu Nuo effortlessly dispatch the majority of the zombies. And from Park Su's behavior, it was clear that Xu Nuo held more authority.
Especially after Xu Nuo's declaration, Park Su didn't oppose him at all; instead, he obediently followed him, which made Meng Qiang anxious.
He knew that Xu Nuo's words implied they would no longer care about their life or death, or even the villagers', in the future. Moreover, they were pinning the blame for their refusal to help on his family, which was sure to ostracize him from the village.
He understood that going out to kill zombies and collect resources alone was practically impossible. They always waited for Park Su to venture out before joining the village's men to scavenge for supplies.
He didn't want to lose such a valuable ally and gain so many enemies for no reason. Thus, he hurriedly called out, "You can't leave, you have to explain this to me."
Xu Nuo naturally heard his words but was completely uninterested in responding. And seeing Xu Nuo's demeanor, Park Su wouldn't take the initiative to speak to Meng Qiang either.
In Park Su's view, if Meng Qiang could speak to them in such a tone, even if they stayed, they wouldn't hear anything pleasant. Why subject himself to more frustration and make Xu Nuo unhappy? He wasn't looking for trouble!
Seeing the two completely ignoring him and about to walk away, Meng Qiang grew more anxious. He was about to step forward to grab them when a woman's voice came from behind him, screaming at Xu Nuo, "How can you just leave like that? You need to explain yourself. What do you mean by 'never helping again'?
Since you've settled here with such great abilities, what's so hard about helping everyone a bit more? It's something you can easily do, so why make it sound so final? And if you don't want to help, why blame us for it?"
The woman's voice was quite shrill, causing Park Su's ears to ache. He looked up at Xu Nuo, only to find him completely unmoved, which he couldn't help but admire. They continued walking until they reached the middle of the road between the houses before stopping. Along the way, Xu Nuo had dealt with many zombies, giving Park Su no chance to act, which was a relief. Meanwhile, Park Su's respect for Xu Nuo grew.
It was only then that Xu Nuo raised his hand, igniting a broadcasting talisman, and said, "I had no intention of intervening, but since we've been neighbors for a few days, out of this small connection, it's not impossible for us to save you. However, I must make it clear, I won't help you for free. If you're willing to pay ten pounds of grain per person for us to take action, then we're willing to do so."
Of course, if you don't have enough grain, you can exchange it for equivalent goods. From now on, you have ten minutes to consider. After ten minutes, those who want us to intervene should hang a bedsheet from your windows, and we'll come to save those households." After finishing his speech, he no longer cared about their thoughts, turning around and leading Park Su back into their courtyard.
The woman was Meng Qiang's wife, and upon hearing Xu Nuo's words, she grew even angrier. She felt Xu Nuo was too cold-hearted, and his words were clearly targeting her family.
So even after Park Su and Xu Nuo had gone into the courtyard, they could still hear the woman's sharp rebukes from outside. Park Su, listening to the cursing, couldn't help but twitch his lips. Did she not realize that her loud voice would quickly draw back the zombies they had just cleared?
Or was she blind to the fact that there were still many zombies around, some of which were stumbling towards them? Or did she really think Xu Nuo and he would step in to save them again?
From the look on Xu Nuo's face, Park Su doubted that even if Meng Qiang's family were to be swallowed up in front of everyone, Xu Nuo would lift a finger. As for himself, he wasn't masochistic; to help someone who cursed them like that would be madness!
These words also caused a stir among the villagers. Many had already developed a sense of dependency. When Park Su used to go out to kill zombies, he had often helped those in danger without hesitation.
At first, they were indeed grateful, but as they saw how formidable Park Su was, able to go out alone to collect supplies, envy began to creep in. Soon, they felt it was only natural for him to help them, even thinking that since he was so capable, collecting so many supplies he could not possibly use all by himself, why not share some with them?
In fact, many of them shared Meng Qiang's sentiment, thinking that once Park Su and Xu Nuo woke up that morning, they would definitely come to their rescue. Some, just as Xu Nuo had speculated, were planning to take advantage of the situation.
But they hadn't anticipated that things would not go according to their expectations. Park Su and Xu Nuo had actually proposed the idea of payment for rescue.
This led to a lot of cursing and grumbling from the villagers inside their homes. In their view, Park Su and Xu Nuo had the capability and could easily save them.
And given Xu Nuo's demonstrated abilities, helping them should be simple, so why demand payment?
Hadn't they already gathered plenty of supplies? Just yesterday, they had acquired several cartloads of resources for free. Since that was the case, why should they have to part with their meager reserves?
They complained endlessly, failing to realize that their lives were worth far less than ten pounds of grain. Moreover, regardless of how capable others were, there was no obligation for them to come to their rescue.
Because of this mindset, those who were cursing missed the opportunity to hang a bedsheet. They even believed that Park Su and Xu Nuo were just bluffing and wouldn't go to such extremes!
However, some individuals, fearing for their lives or with zombies nearly breaking through their doors, seized the chance for survival. Without much thought, they hastily hung bedsheets from their windows.
Others, led by Meng Shan, quietly dealt with some of the zombies near their homes. But unlike Xu Nuo, they couldn't erase the blood scent from the zombies, so soon after dispelling some, more zombies would gather.
This was a physical challenge for them, but fortunately, Meng Shan was a strategic thinker and had awakened a speed ability, understanding the tactic of 'if you can't beat them, retreat.'
He always provided cover, ensuring others got back inside before he did, employing guerrilla tactics which were exhausting but effective in eliminating a good number of zombies.
This also fostered unity among the young people around Meng Shan's home. With Xu Nuo having dealt with most of the zombies, they finally had a chance to rest and recuperate.
As for Xu Nuo's words earlier, they weren't deaf to them, but they were also aware that relying on Park Su and Xu Nuo was only a temporary solution. They could save them once, but not forever. To survive, they needed to enhance their own abilities.
Since they could hold their own against zombies to some extent, they should at least be able to save their own lives. Now that Xu Nuo had reduced the pressure by taking out most of the zombies around them, it was an opportunity to bolster their combat skills.
Over the past ten days, Meng Shan had come to a realization: this world might not return to what it once was. To survive in such times, one must learn to be ruthless. He didn't think Xu Nuo's demand for payment was wrong.
During this time, he had been morally pressured by many of the villagers, who expected him to help them without gratitude, seeing it as his duty. Just yesterday, people were shouting at him from windows, urging him to save them, not out of concern but with insults about his lack of ability and speed. It was truly disheartening, so letting them learn a lesson wasn't a bad thing!
Moreover, having witnessed Park Su's strength and Xu Nuo's ferocity, Meng Shan felt an admiration for such power. Rather than wanting them to save him, he wished to learn from them.
However, given their aloof demeanor, he doubted whether he would ever have the chance. Only people like them could so decisively demand payment for rescue and ignore the villagers' curses.
Switching scenes, Park Su followed Xu Nuo back into their house and let out a sigh of relief, though there was a hint of disappointment in his heart. Xu Nuo turned to see Park Su's expression and raised an eyebrow, "Do you think I was too harsh?"
Park Su sighed, "It's not that I think you were too harsh, but rather that people's hearts are too greedy. I suppose I've always seen people through rose-tinted glasses."