120 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

xbanxia.com Transmigrating into a Dystopian Novel as a Scumbag A - Chapter 120 The Return of Peace The plump person soon returned, breathless and speaking rapidly, "Brother Qi, the accommodations for those four are arranged in the brick house in the village center. They were immensely grateful, really treating this place like some kind of paradise." "Well, isn’t this place indeed a paradise? You two keep an eye here until Yidan returns. I’m heading to the village to arrange things. With new guests, we should bring them some gifts." Han Qi chuckled as he spoke. "Sure thing, brother. We've got this covered. You go ahead," Li Ze Nan grinned as he replied. As soon as Han Qi entered the village, he was quickly surrounded by several male Alphas in their forties. "Chief, did more outsiders come today? Are there any female Omegas or Betas?" A long-faced man urgently inquired. "Uncle Zhou, take it easy. We need to properly host our guests first," Han Qi smiled reassuringly as he answered. "This kid, what are you saying? Elder Sun already has a wife. It should be my turn this time, right?" Uncle Zhou pressed impatiently. Han Qi smiled, trying to appease him, "Don’t worry, it will be everyone’s turn eventually. It's just a matter of time." "I saw it myself. There are several girls in that RV. I don’t care; it’s my turn now." Elder Zhou continued clamoring. Han Qi's expression darkened. "You can't touch those Omegas in the RV. As for the one in her fifties, it's whatever. You all better behave, or don’t blame me if nothing comes your way." Seeing Han Qi upset, Elder Zhou quickly relented, "Don't be mad. We’ll listen to you. You choose first, then we’ll take what’s left. Ayi and your mother are causing a ruckus over in the warehouse. You best take some food over, or they'll go crazy from hunger." "I’m aware. I’ll handle it swiftly. Tell your folks to keep it together. And those who've already been assigned a wife, keep them in line and prevent any gossip." Han Qi frowned as he said this. "Got it, got it. We'll inform everyone right away. You go ahead," Elder Zhou and the others quickly gave way for Han Qi. Upon returning home, Han Qi called out, "Wang Yi, we have guests—two groups in fact. Quickly steam some buns and prepare a few side dishes for them." Wang Yi's face was troubled as she twisted a rag in her hands, hesitating before advising, "Those are innocent people. Are we sure about this?" "Innocent? If no new people came, what would happen to my mom and the others in that warehouse? Or are you so selfless that you want to join them?" Han Qi’s voice grew cold, losing all humor. "No, no, I’ll start right away," Wang Yi hastily complied, hurrying to knead the dough. Han Qi smirked, thinking that such was the nature of people. They could act magnanimous when it didn’t concern them, but the moment their own interests were involved, they surrendered swiftly. Seeing Han Qi intimidating Wang Yi, Han De Liang intervened, "Han Qi, show some respect to Wang Yi; she could be considered your mom now." "She's not my mom. She's just a woman I found for you to blow off steam. By the way, Dad, the new Omegas are pretty. Remember Shen Ming Yan? She's back, and the ones she brought along are quite good. I’ll keep two, and the rest will be distributed, with the leftovers sent to the warehouse." "But I get along well with Wang Yi. Wouldn't it be bad?" Han De Liang’s question revealed a wavering conscience. "Why should it be? It’s the apocalypse, and I'm the village chief. What I say goes. Having more women is no big deal." Han Qi spoke as if it were the natural order. He hadn’t arranged anything for himself previously because he wanted to win the village over and wasn’t interested in past arrivals. Shen Ming Yan and her companions intrigued him, though. One beta in their group was notably attractive, someone out of reach for him before the apocalypse. But now, he ruled the River Village. After being intimidated, Wang Yi quickly steamed buns and brought out wild veggies from the pickling jar, calling Han Qi, "All done, have someone take these." "Alright," Han Qi called to those nearby, and a few male Alphas came over to help carry the food, including Elder Zhou and the plump man who had guarded posts with Han Qi. The plump man couldn't help but remark, "Brother, you’re really generous, giving such nice buns away. Isn't that a waste?" Han Qi shot him a glare, snapping, "What do you know? This is casting a long line to catch a big fish. Without showing them a bit of sweetness, how will they bite?" "True, Brother Qi, don’t be mad. We all follow your lead," the plump man flattered him, fearing he'd miss out on benefits. Shortly, Han Qi took four men to visit the two men and women living in the village center. His demeanor shifted to one of polite courtesy as he knocked on their door. Inside, a male Alpha opened the door and, recognizing Han Qi, called back, "The village chief is here to see us. Everyone, come out; we haven't thanked him yet." The others quickly joined them outside. A tall man spoke first, "Thanks so much, Chief. I'm Fei Ming, and this is my wife, Chu Li Li. Our friends from the base, Xu Wan Kun and Hao Jie, are with us. We're grateful for your shelter. We didn’t expect to find such a paradise in the apocalypse." Han Qi patted Fei Ming’s shoulder with a smile, "I understand. It's tough for everyone, but now you're here, you’re one of us. No need for formalities. We've prepared some basics. My aunt steamed buns and we picked some wild veggies. I brought some over for you. Coincidentally, another team arrived today. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange a proper welcome for you all." "No need for the trouble, you've done so much already," Fei Ming thanked him, taking the food. "No problem, we’re all family. Enjoy your meal before the buns get cold. We still need to deliver food to the other group." Han Qi smiled at them. Fei Ming thanked him once more before the group returned inside, singing praises of the village along the way. "Wife, we’ve truly found good people," Fei Ming commented, joy evident as he eyed the food with a grin. Chu Li Li felt relieved to have found a safe haven, though she felt uneasy about the gazes from the Alphas accompanying Han Qi. Still, hunger outweighed her unease. "Wan Kun, Hao Jie, let's eat and find out more about the village tomorrow. We should contribute if we’re eating their food," Chu Li Li suggested. “Definitely, we’ll ask the chief tomorrow,” Xu Wan Kun agreed, too famished to delay. They quickly gathered to eat, noting Han Qi had deliberately placed them centrally to ensure the whole village watched them. Meanwhile, Shen Ming Yan’s grandparents’ house was located in the village’s southern part, their yard quite spacious with several rooms, a bathroom, and modern amenities thanks to pre-apocalypse projects. Chen Wan and others stepped off the RV into the serene courtyard, feeling as if on a retreat, yet she and Qin Ke remained vigilant, sensing something amiss. While inspecting the home, Chen Wan quietly advised, "Let's sleep in the RV. We can cook or eat in the yard, but given this situation, I don’t trust too many good people out here." "I also feel something's off here," Qin Ke shared her thoughts. "Then why did we come into the village?" Jiang Wan Ning asked, puzzled. "In these times, it's the same everywhere. Besides, the sun is setting. If we didn't stop here, we'd have to find another place for the night. We're not afraid of trouble; if someone insists on courting death, we won't stop them," Chen Wan replied nonchalantly. In a post-apocalyptic world, everywhere was more or less the same. Apart from her companions, no sweet-talking outsider held any significance for her. "Chen Wan is right. It's the end of times. We can’t judge people by past impressions anymore; people change, especially here," Shen Ming Yan maintained a straight face but recalled the events she and Qin Ke had experienced at the police station. Even though she recognized most of the villagers, she wouldn’t trust them easily. Her confidence lay with her companions on the RV. Hearing Chen Wan's words, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan grew worried. Ye Lan, particularly, held Chen Wan's hand tightly and asked, "Chen Wan, should we leave at first light tomorrow?" Chen Wan smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. We’re here to keep you and dad safe. Besides, now that we're here, let's stay a few days and see how things go. The ones who should be worried may not be us." Chen Wan had faith in their team. Before her powers awakened, she and Qin Ke managed to stir up trouble in their base; how much more could they achieve now? With members like Yi Yi and Shen Ming Yan—a Level 4 biotic and a Level 4 zombie—plus the RV’s advantages, stability and safety were no concern. "Alright, I'll go with your decision," Ye Lan felt relieved after Chen Wan's assurance. Ye Lan believed that if Chen Wan said it was safe, it would indeed be safe. Her family could always rely on Chen Wan. Jiang Zhao Yuan agreed, "Exactly, let's just follow the kids' arrangements. Where they go, we go." Jiang Yan Xin smiled as she kissed little Zai Zai in her arms, saying, "We haven’t been out of the RV for a few days. Tomorrow, when the sun is out, would you like to come out and enjoy the sunshine with mommy and mama?" "Yes~" Zai Zai wiggled its little legs with excitement, having missed being outside for quite a while.