The woman, taken aback by Park Su's half-serious, half-joking words, dared not continue clinging to him, especially with the seemingly friendly smile on his face that gave her goosebumps. She reluctantly let go, but still stayed behind Park Su, unwilling to leave.
Park Su glanced at her, knowing further threats would be useless. If she wasn't going to cause trouble, then let her follow. After all, people who were afraid of death would cling to a lifeline with all their might, and continuing to tangle with her would only give him a headache.
Perhaps he could choose to kill her directly, as her presence was indeed slowing down his supply gathering. However, while she was annoying, she hadn't done anything truly heinous, and killing her in front of her child was something Park Su found himself unable to do.
Since they were so afraid of Xu Nuo, he might as well head upstairs to join him, see if they could seize more supplies, and escape these people. He was also curious about the formidable woman Xu Nuo had mentioned.
Park Su had to admit he wasn't as decisive as Xu Nuo when dealing with such matters.
He was well aware that if Xu Nuo had been here, they wouldn't have dared to cling to him like this. Moreover, even without Xu Nuo's abilities, Park Su knew the zombies on this floor weren't just surrounding them.
Their movements had been relatively quiet before, but with the shelves falling and the noise from the woman and child, more and more zombies would be drawn here. He had no interest in being a free bodyguard for them.
More importantly, he could imagine that if he did help, not only would he receive no gratitude, but he would also have more people vying for supplies with him. The thought of being responsible for a bunch of dead weight was unappealing, so he ignored the woman closely following him and headed towards the second floor.
However, he forgot that to reach the second floor, he had to pass by where they were fighting. Just because he didn't want to deal with them didn't mean they wouldn't cling to him.
Meanwhile, Meng Qiang, although fighting zombies, had been watching Park Su's situation closely ever since he saw him through the fallen shelves, hoping for rescue. However, he hadn't expected Park Su to ignore his wife's pleas for help. Struggling more fiercely, Meng Qiang's heart filled with resentment. Why wouldn't he save them? They were all human, after all.
At the end of the day, it must be because of that man named Xu Nuo. When Park Su had first arrived, he was willing to help clear the zombies around them. If he had continued doing so, why would they have had to leave their home, and how would they have ended up in this situation?
In truth, Park Su was just clinging to Xu Nuo. If Xu Nuo wasn't so strong, why would Park Su be so obedient to him?
Heh, at the core of it, Park Su was just relying on someone stronger because he couldn't compare.
Regardless, Park Su had become their only lifeline, and Meng Qiang wasn't about to let go. When he saw Park Su intending to pass by and head upstairs, a gleam of hope flashed in his eyes.
He quickly grabbed a bag of laundry powder from the shelf and threw it at the head of one of the zombies. Although it didn't smash the head open, it snapped the zombie's neck.
If the zombie hadn't had a crystal nucleus in its brain, it would have died from that blow.
Unfortunately, the zombie he faced had a crystal nucleus, and despite the broken neck, it felt no pain, only staggering back two steps before continuing to lunge at him with its head askew.
Meng Qiang seized this moment when the zombie retreated to rush towards Park Su. As he expected, the zombie followed, and just as he was about to reach Park Su, he dodged with a burst of energy, letting the zombie's mindless attack fall towards Park Su.
A cold light flashed in Park Su's eyes as he inwardly sneered. Refusing to help was indeed the right choice, especially now that they had brought trouble to him.
With no trees around to amplify his wood-based abilities, Park Su summoned Green Vine, which instantly strangled the zombie, stealthily absorbing its crystal nucleus into its leaves to avoid detection.
Meng Qiang, seeing the threat to his life neutralized, breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Green Vine with a more fervent gaze.
His previous suspicion was correct; the boy's abilities were indeed derived from this peculiar Green Vine. If he could possess it, he wouldn't have to beg Park Su for help.
At the end of the day, what was so special about Park Su? He was just using this heaven-sent treasure to survive. With this thought, his earlier idea resurfaced. If, if Park Su died, Green Vine would be ownerless, giving him the chance to claim it for himself.
If he succeeded, he would have a chance to survive in this apocalypse without being cornered by zombies over a few scraps of supplies.
However, they had demanded too much, and he had also noticed Park Su and Xu Nuo preparing to leave the house. He knew that they would be leaving in the next couple of days.
Therefore, they had decided to follow Park Su and Xu Nuo, despite their concerns that Xu Nuo might drive them away. They thought since Park Su had been neighbors with them for a while and was easy to talk to, if Xu Nuo tried to chase them away, they could plead with Park Su.
But they hadn't expected Park Su to be so indifferent to their plight, making Meng Qiang realize the vast difference between relying on someone else for protection and having the ability to safeguard oneself.
He was also aware that if he killed Park Su, Xu Nuo would likely seek revenge. Being targeted by someone of Xu Nuo's caliber would not be pleasant.
However, with Xu Nuo not currently by Park Su's side, if he could quietly dispose of Park Su, take Green Vine, and flee far away, even if Xu Nuo wanted to retaliate, finding them in a country as large as China wouldn't be easy.
Besides, even if Xu Nuo found him, there would be no evidence to prove that he had killed Park Su. After all, with eyes to see, Park Su appeared much stronger than him, so there would be no reason to suspect him. In this apocalypse, people died every day; what was one more Park Su?
The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone, feeling that an enormous opportunity lay before him. So, almost immediately after Park Su had dealt with the zombies, Meng Qiang lunged at him again.
He tightly embraced Park Su, preventing him from leaving, while also instinctively restraining Park Su's arms, "Good neighbor, just help us out a bit! It won't cost you anything, and with your abilities, killing these zombies is nothing but a minor effort. Why would you refuse to save us?"
Park Su knew Meng Qiang was shameless, but he hadn't anticipated the extent of his shamelessness. In a moment of distraction, he was caught off guard.
Due to his sexual orientation, Park Su usually kept a physical distance from men. Being forcibly hugged like this was a first for him.
To be honest, the feeling was dreadful, especially since Meng Qiang smelled of decayed flesh, making Park Su feel nauseous. He wanted to break free.
However, the more he struggled, the tighter Meng Qiang held him, showing no intention of letting go.
Park Su's expression darkened even further, sensing the malice emanating from Meng Qiang. This wasn't just about asking for help.
For someone like this, Park Su could only resort to more direct methods. Without hesitation, he stabbed the dagger into Meng Qiang's arm, eliciting a sharp scream as blood started to spread.
To his surprise, even in this state, Meng Qiang didn't let go. Instead, the arm on his shoulder moved to his neck, while the other hand gripped his wrist holding the dagger, preventing further movement.
Then, he heard Meng Qiang's angry voice, "You refuse the toast only to drink the penalty wine, you d*mn sissy. Do you really think you're all that? You're nothing without that plant helping you. Since you won't save me, I'll kill you today and take your treasure. Let's see you act high and mighty then."
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Park Su's neck and held his wrist firmly, not giving him any chance to move.
He believed that by doing so, Park Su wouldn't be able to command Green Vine anymore. He then shouted to his wife, "Useless woman, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me take the knife from his hand and stab it into his heart. Once I have his plant treasure, protecting you and the kid will be a piece of cake."
Hearing this, Park Su gave a cold laugh. He hadn't expected Meng Qiang to have such a plan. Indeed, the depths of human shamelessness were beyond imagination.
He didn't know where Meng Qiang got the idea that he was so weak as to be easily subdued. Park Su was, after all, an ability user; if he were to be killed so simply, wouldn't that be an embarrassment to all ability users? Moreover, controlling Green Vine only required his will, no words needed.
However, he didn't want to resist just yet. He was curious to see just how far this family would go.
He also thought it would be more satisfying to let them feel they had the upper hand before sending them to hell. Otherwise, wouldn't his captivity have been for nothing?
With this in mind, Park Su's face became expressionless, and a flicker of killing intent passed through his eyes. He said nothing, merely observing their next moves.