Snowstorm: I'm Super Rich in the Apocalypse-Chapter 73 - Squad Leader Fang
Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Squad Leader Fang
Chapter 73 -73 Squad Leader Fang
After walking a bit further, they finally saw a house with its door wide open. Inside, a middle-aged man in military uniform hurriedly put on his mask upon seeing outsiders: “Keep your distance, I said.”
The man was about 1.8 meters tall, appearing to be in his forties or fifties. His face was obscured by a mask, and he was very thin—but then again, it was rare to see anyone who was overweight these days.
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Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng hadn’t planned on getting close; after all, they were more afraid of catching a plague from him, so they stopped outside the door.
Seeing that the man was in uniform, Lu Ruisheng guessed he must be a veteran, which might make communication easier and more trustworthy, so he took the initiative to ask, “Sir, I was wondering if there are any particular rules in this area?”
His question was a clear probe to see if anyone controlled this area.
If it was controlled, they didn’t intend to attack and occupy it—after all, they weren’t bandits. They thought about finding the person in charge to negotiate and possibly settle for a part of the territory.
The man, realizing that Lu Ruisheng’s demeanor was likely that of a military man and having been a soldier himself, felt a different kind of trust and sentiment towards him.
But now, in the apocalypse, he couldn’t easily trust strangers, so he hesitated before replying, “I’m not sure. You’d better leave, I said.”
Hearing the inverted sentence structure, Lu Ruisheng felt a wave of familiarity and ventured to ask, “Squad Leader Fang?”
Squad Leader Fang’s dialect was strong, and he liked using inverted sentences, so their squad’s soldiers often imitated him behind his back. Being young and curious back then, Lu Ruisheng had sneaked out with his comrades to listen to Squad Leader Fang speak, so he remembered his voice and tone quite well.
The man was stunned: “Who are you?” This time, he didn’t use an inverted sentence, which confirmed Lu Ruisheng’s assumption that he was indeed Squad Leader Fang.
Lu Ruisheng replied, “I’m Xiao Lu from Squad One. Though I wasn’t in your squad, I often heard about you from your soldiers. However, I later transferred to the special operations department, so you might not recognize me.”
He didn’t mention his full name because it wouldn’t help Fang recognize him, and they preferred not to reveal their full identities at this point, not knowing how things would turn out when arriving in a new place.
Upon hearing this, Squad Leader Fang knew Lu Ruisheng was telling the truth, and he had always dreamt of joining the special operations department but had retired before he got the chance.
Still, he had to ask with some doubt, “Then why aren’t you with the army?”
Lu Ruisheng answered, “I was discharged due to injuries.”
The conversation suddenly grew heavy. Squad Leader Fang sighed, “It’s good you’re alive.” Then he paused before adding, “Do you want to settle down here?”
Lu Ruisheng nodded, “Yes, but we don’t know much about the situation here. Could you please enlighten us, Squad Leader Fang?”
This time, Fang didn’t hesitate and explained, “This villa area is divided into two zones, the inner and outer circles. We, in the outer circle, don’t have strict rules and just need to avoid disturbing those in the inner circle. However, resources here are scarce and finding food requires a long trek. Honestly, unless you owned property here, I really wouldn’t recommend settling down in this area, I truly mean it.”
He continued to wear his military uniform after the apocalypse, partly as a deterrent. In Huaxia Land, the status of a military person was inherently respected, which also emboldened him to leave his door open.
Listening to him, Gu Pan felt his advice was sensible. Out of curiosity, she asked, “Squad Leader Fang, what kind of people live in the inner circle?”
Squad Leader Fang stepped forward, shortening the distance between them slightly, then lowered his voice a bit: “Some folks from the Martial Arts Association and the Shooting Association. There used to be a Martial Arts Association club here; they’re very united, but as long as we don’t cross the fence, we’re fine. We’ve been coexisting peacefully, without bothering each other.”
Gu Pan exchanged a glance with Lu Ruisheng, sensing that their situation here shouldn’t be a problem.
Thus, Gu Pan said to Squad Leader Fang, “Thank you, Squad Leader Fang. We’re neighbors from now on.”
Squad Leader Fang wasn’t surprised; Gu Pan’s mention of being forced to come here probably meant there were underlying issues that drove them out of the city, so he said, “I hope you can survive here.”
At this time, no one could expect to live well; mere survival was fortunate enough.
While they were chatting, someone was stealthily watching them from a first-floor window, which was nothing unusual. In times when everyone felt endangered, it was normal for residents to be cautious about strangers talking at their doorstep.
Not wanting to delay further, Lu Ruisheng turned to Squad Leader Fang, “Thank you, Sir. We’ll get busy setting up, and visit you again when things are more stable.”
Squad Leader Fang responded, bidding them goodbye.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng then walked away from Squad Leader Fang’s home and took another round inside, believing it wise to gather more information before completely trusting what one person had said.
After a while, Lu Ruisheng said, “I really didn’t expect to meet someone I knew here.”
Gu Pan replied, “Indeed, but that’s good; at least his words are more reliable than those we might get from strangers.”
“That’s true. We’d need to negotiate if anyone is in control here.”
“Let’s keep observing and if all seems well, we’ll move in.”
As they talked, they continued to inspect the nearby houses, noting that generally, people lived with some distance between them—some houses clustered in groups of two or three, then a gap of two houses, or some stood alone, surrounded by empty lots on either side, showing a strong sense of vigilance.
They also checked the area near the inner circle as described by Squad Leader Fang. The area wasn’t large but had a road leading up a hill, which could serve as an escape route in these times.
Despite not being large and lacking extensive defenses, and with no control over the outer areas, the greatest likelihood was that the capabilities of those inside were limited. While some individuals might know some martial arts, they might not be able to apply these skills effectively in actual combat scenarios—a common understanding. Regarding shooting—well, it wasn’t like using real bullets; if it came to war, these people would likely be apprehensive.
Thus, their best strategy was probably to create an impression and preserve their own safety. They had a club, so they likely had some stored supplies, and barring any major incidents, they could probably maintain stability inside, perhaps even waiting for some restoration of order.
After walking around, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng found that the area they had first entered housed the fewest people, which probably made living at the forefront feel insecure. However, this arrangement suited Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng quite well—they preferred not to be surrounded, and living at the forefront seemed favorable even if enemies arrived; they weren’t worried, and it also better secured their privacy and ability to set up defenses around themselves.
Therefore, they chose four houses on the edge of the garden, two each to the south and north of the road.
