Chapter 33:Behave Yourself' or 'Know Your Place
It happened at night. The parking garage was pitch black.
A series of horrifying screams echoed throughout the underground space.
Some of the survivors had found flashlights and other lighting equipment when they looted the convenience store. Now, it was finally coming in handy.
When they aimed the beams of light at the source of the screams, everyone was stunned.
A survival team of seven or eight had set up camp in that area.But now, those people were sprawled all over the ground, unmoving.
It wasn't clear if they were dead or just unconscious, but the blood pooling on the ground was enough to tell the story: if they weren't dead, they were close.
In the middle of the scene, over a dozen people were rummaging through the camp, searching for something.
Everyone squinted to get a better look—weren't those Ah Biao's men?
Caught in the flashlight beams, Ah Biao frowned. He waved the blood-soaked axe in his hand and growled,"What the hell are you all staring at?! Turn those d*mn lights off!"
His face was savage, his body radiating a terrifying aura.
The survivors immediately turned off their flashlights in fear, their scalps tingling.
The emergency lighting in the garage had long since run out of power, but thankfully, they had found some small night lamps in the convenience store. They barely served as makeshift lighting.
Under the dim glow, the shadows cast by Ah Biao and his men stretched out long and menacing—like demons from the depths of hell.
"What's the meaning of this, Brother Biao?"Someone finally couldn't hold it in and asked.
"Nothing much," Ah Biao said lazily, narrowing his eyes. "I ran out of food, so I came here to find some."
His tone was casual, but everyone who heard it felt their hearts sink.
That b*st*rd—he was robbing and killing for supplies!
"You've gone too far!"
"Yeah! Just because you're good at fighting doesn't mean we're afraid of you!"
"Better to go down fighting than let you kill us all!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and soon, others followed suit. Their voices were filled with anger and defiance.
Because Ah Biao had crossed a line.
Back when he'd taken their supplies, he claimed he'd redistribute them fairly. But not only had he hoarded them, he'd beaten and even killed anyone who resisted.
And now, he was outright murdering for food.
People began to realize: if he could kill one group tonight, what would stop him from killing another tomorrow?
In that moment, the rest of the survivors began to unite. Their fear was replaced by fury.
"You trying to start a rebellion?"Ah Biao tightened his grip on his weapon, frowning slightly.
He sensed something was off.
There were over a hundred survivors gathered here.Sure, he and his men were tough—but even they couldn't take on everyone at once.
He had relied on fear and violence to control them before.
But now, after so many days of hunger and heat, the survivors had changed.During the last supply run, some had secretly hidden knives, hammers, and other weapons—just in case something like this happened.
Ah Biao wasn't stupid.He quickly put away his weapon and softened his tone.
"Everyone, no need to panic."
"I, Ah Biao, and my brothers are not bloodthirsty killers."
"It's just—we ran out of food, so we came here to ask these people for help."
"They refused and even insulted me. That's what led to the fight."
Of course, it was obvious to anyone that this was pure nonsense.
Ah Biao and his crew looked like walking nightmares.And that survival group he attacked? They were just ordinary people—no way they dared to insult him.
Still, his words helped ease the tension.
"But even if that's true, Brother Biao… did you have to kill them?"A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward from the crowd, his voice steady and righteous.
His name was He Wang, a retired soldier who had brought his family to Phoenix Mountain for a vacation.Because of his bold and fair nature, many survivors had gathered around him for protection.
With nearly thirty people in his group, he led the largest faction in the garage.
As soon as He Wang spoke, others nodded in agreement.
"It was the heat of the moment,"Ah Biao shrugged, pretending to be innocent."The weather's still hot, but it can't last forever."
"Brother Biao," He Wang said calmly,"Time to drink some rat tail juice."
(Note: "Drink rat tail juice" is a sarcastic internet meme in Chinese slang—meaning: 'Behave yourself' or 'Know your place.' It originated from a mispronounced phrase by a celebrity and became viral.)
Though He Wang was disgusted by Ah Biao's behavior, his military training and respect for order kept him from escalating the conflict.
He hoped to talk Ah Biao down and prevent more violence.
"Don't worry, Brother He. Just this once, won't happen again."Ah Biao nodded and replied with a forced smile.
"Good,"He Wang replied, giving Ah Biao a deep look before turning back to his group.
The rest of the survivors followed his lead and returned to their resting areas.
However, they all subtly repositioned themselves around He Wang's group—for safety.
Ah Biao stared at their arrangement, a flicker of murderous intent in his eyes.
"Brother Biao."Manager Dang walked up beside him.
After following Ah Biao for so long, he had essentially become the second-in-command of their group.
"How much did we get?"Ah Biao asked quietly.
"Not great," Manager Dang replied."After counting everything, it's only enough for us to last two days."
Ah Biao frowned but quickly understood.
The team they had just wiped out only had eight people—half of them not even adults.
It was no surprise the supplies were limited.
So much effort, just for two days' worth of food—it was disappointing.
"We'll have to find another way."Ah Biao's eyes swept over the rest of the survivors again, growing colder.
"Brother Biao, we probably shouldn't act again so soon,"Manager Dang quickly cautioned."With He Wang around, he'll definitely organize a resistance."
"In that case,"Ah Biao said coldly,"Let's take out He Wang first."
"What?!"Manager Dang hesitated, stunned.
He thought Ah Biao was out of his mind. He Wang was highly respected—attacking him was suicide!
But Ah Biao saw the hesitation in his eyes and smiled darkly.
"It's exactly because of him that the others are united."
"If we remove him, we can crush the rest one by one."
"Don't worry. I won't be reckless about it…"