Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Moral Kidnapping

"What kind of selfish person eats good food all by themselves? We’re all stuck here eating hard buns!"

"I know, right? I’ve never seen someone so shameless. Eating bread right in front of everyone without even offering. It’s not like we were going to snatch it from her." Many people saw Chen Xing eating her bread. On the surface, they said nothing, but inside, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Now that Chen Xing had gone out by herself, their discontent grew, and they wouldn’t be satisfied until they’d voiced their complaints.

"She’s eating her own food. Why does she have to ask if you all want some?" Qiao Qiao hadn’t really trusted Chen Xing at first, but hearing everyone talk about her like this, she immediately took her side.

’These people are just trying to guilt-trip her.’

’It’s perfectly normal for her to eat her own food and not share. What do they have to complain about?’

Ever since she was a child, she’d known that you had to rely on yourself for everything. If you wanted something to eat, you had to go get it yourself.

And by the same token, no one else should even think of coveting her things.

"It’s not that we wanted her food. We just feel she should have at least asked. Isn’t that common courtesy?"

"We weren’t talking to you. What are you getting so worked up about?"

"Or did you two secretly plan something together?"

Qiao Qiao was speechless.

’Are these people completely unreasonable?’

"Qiao Qiao just wants everyone to calm down. She doesn’t mean anything by it, so please don’t talk to her like that!" Gu Xinyan immediately interjected. "We’re all in the same boat here, so we should trust each other. All this suspicion isn’t helping anyone! It’s not dark yet, so let’s just trust her for now! What do you think, Sister Feng?"

She knew Sister Feng’s words carried a fair bit of weight with the group.

Sister Feng immediately nodded. "We can only get out of here if we work together. I, for one, definitely trust Chen Xing!"

She had spoken with Chen Xing briefly in private and learned her name.

"For Sister Feng’s sake, we’ll trust her for now. But... I don’t think there’s much hope of her actually coming back. You all shouldn’t get your hopes up, lest the disappointment be that much greater!" Wu Jiran said, throwing a wet blanket on their optimism.

’Why does Chen Xing get to eat bread while I have to eat buns?’

Qiao Qiao couldn’t stand people like her.

In her experience, sarcastic people like that were always the first to run at the slightest glimmer of hope.

And the first to snitch if they sensed any danger.

"I can’t wait to see you eat your words. If you’ve got such nerve, then don’t you dare run with us when the time comes!"

"You..." Wu Jiran was so furious she nearly lunged forward, but thankfully, the person next to her held her back.

Qiao Qiao didn’t even spare her a glance.

She might have been slightly built, but having spent years fending for herself on the outside, she naturally had a few tricks to protect herself.

Everyone had agreed to trust Chen Xing for the time being, but as more time passed, they grew increasingly uneasy.

Ironically, Qiao Qiao, who had been suspicious of Chen Xing at first, was now the one who firmly believed she would return.

The sky was completely dark now, and most of the group had lost hope.

It was approaching seven o’clock.

Wu Jiran wore a smug, I-told-you-so expression. "See? I told you she was no good. I knew she wouldn’t come back. Only a bunch of idiots like you would believe her. Now what? What are we going to do when they come in?"

"We really shouldn’t have trusted her. What a disappointment!"

"We’re done for! If they find out someone escaped and no one reported it, we’ll all be suspects!"

"Being suspected is the least of our worries! I’m afraid they’ll dish out their own ’justice’. Didn’t you hear what happened to the two women who tried to escape last night? They were beaten half to death!"

"She’s totally screwed us this time!"

Qiao Qiao rolled her eyes at them.

The ones complaining were the same people who’d never believed Chen Xing would return in the first place.

Just then, the door suddenly opened.

Everyone’s heart leaped into their throats, and no one dared to speak.

The door to the adjacent room opened, and a man’s coarse voice called out, "Chow time, chow time..."

Everyone froze. ’We’re finished!’

If the person delivering the food discovered someone was missing, they would all be done for!

’We should have just reported her from the start!’

Most of them stared nervously at the door. There had never been a moment they wanted food delivered less than right now.

But the door opened all the same.

A group of them cowered back in fear, as if that would somehow prevent the delivery man from noticing someone was missing.

Qiao Qiao and a few others were so exasperated they wanted to start cursing.

She immediately ran forward to block the delivery man’s line of sight. "I’m so hungry, I’m starving..."

Seeing this, Sister Feng and Gu Xinyan quickly rushed forward as well, clamoring about how hungry they were.

"A pack of starving ghouls," the delivery man sneered. He had just tossed down the basin of buns and was straightening up when he saw Wu Jiran sidle up to him. "What is it?"

Anyone could see she was up to something.

Sister Feng immediately stepped forward and tugged on Wu Jiran’s arm. "She was just going to ask for everyone—when can we use the toilet? It’s getting really inconvenient with so many of us in here!"

Unwilling to back down, Wu Jiran still wanted to snitch.

"In your dreams." The delivery man gave them a deadpan look, not giving her a chance to speak. "If you want to stay alive, you’ll eat, drink, shit, and piss in this room! You know who gets to leave?" He swept his gaze over them mysteriously.

This sent another shiver of fear through the crowd.

"Only dead people get to leave, understand? So you’d better behave and stay put!" He sneered, but as he was about to turn, someone knocked him unconscious from behind.

The captives were stunned into silence.

As he collapsed, Chen Xing appeared, her expression calm as she pulled the door wide open. "I’ve taken care of the sentries on the mountain. Once you’re out, head directly for the mountain behind the manor and hide. Don’t show your faces unless I call for you!"

Although Qiao Qiao desperately wanted to mock the people who had just been cursing Chen Xing, she knew this wasn’t the time. Instead, she took the lead and was the first one out.

Inwardly, however, she was completely in awe of Chen Xing.

According to Chen Xing, there were at least a dozen sentries on the mountain, and she had taken care of all of them. Her abilities were not to be taken lightly.

Some of them had the decency to realize they had wronged Chen Xing, and they followed, their heads lowered in shame.

However, a portion of the group still didn’t quite trust Chen Xing.

’None of us ever saw those sentries she mentioned. Who knows if she’s just bluffing?’

Still, an opportunity to escape was an opportunity to escape.

The consequences of being caught were easy to imagine, and no one wanted to be left behind.

It was completely dark outside now.

To avoid attracting zombies, the manor’s lights were kept off.

The few rooms that did have lights on were covered by thick blackout curtains, making them nearly invisible unless you looked very closely.

With the sentries gone, their escape was proceeding safely.

When Chen Xing saw they had all run toward the mountain, she began to sneak toward the buildings down below.

She hadn’t had a chance to investigate the lower area during the day, so she wasn’t sure how many people were actually here.

She had decided to rescue her group first because she’d guessed the others would lose faith and give Sister Feng and her friends a hard time. Plus, she had noticed it was dinnertime and someone was already bringing food up the mountain.

If the delivery man discovered someone was missing, he would have certainly called for reinforcements.

That’s why she’d decided to take out the delivery man first before going to investigate the lower section.

Chen Xing was moving quickly, but she hadn’t gotten far before a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the mountain above.

The sound was absolutely piercing, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

People emerged from the buildings below to investigate the commotion.

The scream had come from a girl who was shoved by Wu Jiran in her selfish haste to be the first to escape.

The girl lost her balance and tumbled down the slope, landing right on a dead body. The shock made her let out an uncontrollable scream.

Chen Xing knew they’d been discovered. She immediately turned back, ran up the slope, and started opening the doors to all the other rooms one by one.

There were at least several hundred people locked up. If they all worked together, they could surely defeat the Migratory Clan.

"There’s trouble up the mountain! Someone’s escaped!" People had already spotted Chen Xing and began dispatching large groups to pursue them.

The doors could be opened from the outside by just pressing the handle, so it didn’t take her long to make a circuit and open all the occupied rooms.

But...

Chen Xing realized that not a single person was coming out.

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