Chapter 267: Brazenly
And she was still asking why.
Zhuang Jia and her husband, Luo Yanan, were so infuriated by her stupidity they could almost laugh.
"What other ’why’ could there be?" Zhuang Jia raged. "Didn’t you see the bodies of the other teams lying right there?"
"My husband and I were lucky enough to get out of that pit with our lives. What about the others?"
Xu Yu shivered. "Those people... w-were they scratched by mutated cats?"
"They weren’t mutated cats at all. They were probably stray cats infected with the zombie virus."
"How could this be?" Xu Yu was still reeling in astonishment.
Xie Ning, however, waved her hand, signaling for Cres and Housekeeper Youen to restrain Yan Zhong and drag him outside.
"Where are you going?" Xu Yu hurriedly shouted. "That Yan Zhong killed so many people! You can’t just take him away like this."
Xie Ning ignored her completely and walked up to kick Yan Zhong. "The vehicle. Where’s your vehicle? Point it out."
Yan Zhong was now trembling with rage. "You... you! You."
’This girl looks so young, but her methods are so decisive and terrifying, she’s hardly human!’
"Watch these people from the Avalanche Team. Don’t let a single one get away," Li Dawei said, gesturing shrewdly. He had his men drag Zhao Jian, Lin Yiyi, and the others to follow them outside.
After three punches from Xie Ning, Yan Zhong curled into a ball and obediently took out his keys, giving up a small truck.
All of Yan Zhong’s earlier bravado was gone. Veins bulged on his face as he writhed in pain. "Young lady, you should leave some room for negotiation. We might meet again in the f-future, right? You... you can’t do this."
"Our team’s Space Ability User already handed over the goods. If you loot everything from our vehicle too, you won’t be leaving us any way to survive, will you?"
"You still think you have a future?" Xie Ning glanced at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Wang Zongxuan and Housekeeper Youen went to open the truck’s cargo bay. Wang Zongxuan smiled and said, "They collected quite a bit of cotton. If it’s not two tons, it’s at least one."
"Mm," Xie Ning nodded slightly. "Zong Xuan, you drive."
"Okay, Ms. Ning." Wang Zongxuan nodded in agreement.
Yan Zhong, Zhao Jian, and the others stared at Xie Ning with wide, incredulous eyes, as if they were looking at a Devil.
Lin Yiyi cried out, "Miss, please don’t be so cruel! We know we were wrong. Can’t you just leave us a little something to eat?"
"Xie Ning," Xu Yu’s face was flushed red with anger. "Don’t go too far! Captain Yan and his team were forced by circumstances, and they have such a young child on their team."
"You’re an adult. Why are you picking on a child?"
As soon as she said this, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Zhuang Lei’s face.
The other members of the Swift Leopard Team all looked at Xu Yu like she was an idiot.
It was one thing for this Xu Yu to act like a Holy Mother all the time, taking their team’s shared resources and giving them away to the old, weak, women, and children in the base.
At least you could argue that those people were the pitiful dregs of society.
But now?
Yan Zhong’s group had schemed against their Swift Leopard Team and gotten so many people from other teams killed!
And despite all that, this Holy Mother could still plead for Yan Zhong and Lin Yiyi?
Ah Liang and Da Xiong cursed in anger, "Captain, we can’t take it anymore! Can’t you do something about your Holy Mother girlfriend?"
"This isn’t how you help people! Yan Zhong and his crew killed all those people, and we almost died too! And you’re still defending them? Have you no principles? No moral compass at all?"
The embarrassment on Zhuang Lei’s face deepened, but inwardly, a flicker of anger ignited toward his disrespectful teammates.
’Even if my girlfriend has her faults, they can’t just chew me out—their captain—in front of all these outsiders, can they?’
’Besides, Xu Yu is just kind-hearted. At her core, she’s a good girl who can’t bear to see others suffer. What’s wrong with that?’
Hearing the shouting, Xie Ning turned her head. Her eyes lit up, and she trotted over to Ah Liang and Da Xiong with a friendly smile. "Gentlemen, have you considered leaving the Swift Leopard Team for greener pastures?"
Everyone: ???
Song Youxuan and the others: ...
Xu Yu was so angry she could have coughed up blood. "Xie Ning, you can’t be this outrageous!"
’Is this woman insane? Poaching members right in front of the Swift Leopard Team’s captain?’
’She really has no respect for me or Captain Zhuang.’
"Look, this teammate of yours is completely unreliable. If you keep following that Holy Mother around, you’re bound to get pushed around. Why not leave now? I can introduce you two to a reliable team. I guarantee your life will be a thousand times better than it is now!"
Ah Liang and Da Xiong were both taken aback. They snuck a glance at their captain’s thunderous expression, then scratched their heads and looked back at Xie Ning.
Xie Ning pressed on. "Don’t feel bad about it. It’s only natural for people to seek better opportunities. Besides, why should you have to keep putting up with a Holy Mother for a teammate?"
"Captain Xie, wh-what kind of team are you... introducing?"
"Hey, don’t you worry. My reputation speaks for itself," Xie Ning said with a boastful grin. "The team I’ll introduce you to is absolutely reliable and friendly. From the captain to the members, I guarantee there isn’t a single weirdo among them."
’Actually, there was one weirdo in Zuo Li’s team before, but they haven’t appeared yet.’
’What Xie Ning didn’t say was that this time, that weirdo would have absolutely no chance of joining Zuo Li’s team.’
’Because she would be there to watch!’
Ah Liang and Da Xiong were both tempted.
Seeing their expressions, Zhuang Lei knew this was bad.
Ah Liang was a Wood Element user, and Da Xiong was an Earth Element user. If the Swift Leopard Team lost two Superpower Users at once, it would be a devastating blow.
"Ah Liang, Da Xiong, don’t be rash. Don’t be instigated by people with ulterior motives. Xu Yu is just kind-hearted; she doesn’t have any bad intentions," Zhuang Lei said with a grim face.
Xu Yu grew even more frantic. "You can’t be serious! This woman is obviously up to no good, and you’re swayed by just a few words from her? What does our bond as a team even mean then?"
"Can you stop being so selfish? As Superpower Users, we were blessed with these special abilities so that we could contribute to society. What’s wrong with helping others?"
"Look at this poor little girl, crying her eyes out! She’s only twelve or thirteen! Do you have the heart to just let her die?"
If Xu Yu had kept her mouth shut, Ah Liang and Da Xiong might have remained hesitant.
But the moment Xu Yu opened her mouth, Xie Ning knew it was a done deal.
With cold expressions, Ah Liang and Da Xiong walked up to Zhuang Lei. "Captain, we’re sorry. We really can’t stand your girlfriend anymore. Let’s hope we can part on good terms. Please give us our share of the food."
Zhuang Lei’s face fell, his expression turning as dark as a thundercloud.
Zhuang Jia hurriedly stepped forward to persuade them. "Ah Liang, Da Xiong, we’ve all been together for so long. Please don’t be rash."
"Brother, say something."