Rotting Land: Survive

Yao Ruyi and his men, each armed, guarded the door. Huang Yong was worried that someone from the villa might launch an attack, so he made these arrangements to prevent potential mishaps.

Even though he knew that doing so was futile against opponents with guns, his character didn’t allow him to sit back and wait for death. That was simply not how a true man should act.

In his view, even if he knew he would die in the next second, he still had to fight back like a man. Who knew, he might just seize a slim chance to survive. If not, at least he would die with honor, without complaints.

However, even though Huang Yong thought this way, it didn’t mean that Yao Ruyi and his men shared the same heroic resolve.

At the end of the day, if a conflict arose with the villa, the root cause would be attributed to Liu Yunpeng.

As they say, "There’s always a reason for enmity, and a debtor for a debt." The target of the other’s revenge was Liu Yunpeng, not them.

Moreover, they didn’t want to risk their lives for that troublemaking kid, especially after they had narrowly escaped death and gained a new lease on life not long ago.

They initially thought that after arriving at the villa, they could live in peace for a while. Yet it had only been one day, and they were already facing a life-and-death trap.

The culprit behind all this chaos was that damned Liu Yunpeng. How could Yao Ruyi and his men not harbor resentment towards him?

Yet, at this moment, Huang Yong still instructed them to guard the door, intending to confront the others for one last battle as cornered beasts. How could Yao Ruyi and his men accept such a decision?

Despite their strong reluctance, they had no choice. From the moment they kidnapped Old Zhao and others, they bore the mark of the Liu Clan’s underlings.

Therefore, as people tied to the same fate as Liu Fugui and the others, they knew that their only chance of survival was to protect this towering tree.

While Yao Ruyi and his men were lost in these chaotic thoughts, Liu Fugui’s low voice suddenly questioned from inside, "Speak! What exactly did you go to Yang Xue’s room for tonight?"

Yao Ruyi instinctively glanced at his subordinates. The latter had their face pressed against the wooden door, gripping their cleaver tightly, appearing as if they were facing a dire enemy. Upon hearing the commotion inside, Yao Ruyi slowly took a step back.

Since he hadn’t been at the Factory long, just under a month, he wasn’t familiar with the group’s affairs and rumors, let alone knowing the history between Liu Yunpeng and Yang Xue.

So at this moment, he felt extremely curious. He wanted to figure out what exactly this playboy had done to incite such anger from people in the villa who seemed fairly reasonable.

"Dad, didn’t I just say? I went to Yang Xue’s room to apologize. Who knew that Wang Qiang would suddenly go crazy? He didn’t even knock and just kicked down the door, rushed in without a word, and started beating me up. I didn’t even fight back. I..."

"Hmph, so you’re saying Old Xu and the others wronged you?"

"Yes, Dad, I’m innocent! Yang Xue can testify!"

"Enough!"

"Slap!"

Yao Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat. He unconsciously raised his hand to touch his face. Even at this distance, the sound of the slap was clear, indicating considerable force.

Liu Yunpeng clutched his cheek, looking fearfully at his father, trembling as he spoke, "Dad, why... why did you hit me?"

"Why did I hit you? Can you tell me why? Do you think your father is an idiot? I’m giving you one last chance to honestly tell me what you were doing in Yang Xue’s room!"

"Dad, I really went..."

"Huang Yong, take this kid outside and cut off his fingers in front of Wang Qiang."

"President Liu... this..." Huang Yong wasn’t sure if he had misheard. In contrast to his uncertainty, Liu Yunpeng was terrified. He dropped to his knees with a thud and hastily confessed the truth: "Dad, no... don’t, I’ll tell you the truth! I went to Yang Xue’s room intending to apologize, but I had had a bit to drink and got confused, and thought of doing something with her, you know she and I had a thing before, so it’s normal. Besides, Yang Xue was willing to do that with me, but Wang Qiang, for some unknown reason, suddenly burst in and beat me up. I..."

Liu Fugui grabbed Liu Yunpeng by the collar and yanked him forward. Face almost against his, he shouted, "Did you ignore everything I’ve told you? Don’t you know Yang Xue is friends with Wang Qiang? What are you, bored with our peaceful life, trying to find us trouble? Do you know, you damned idiot, that you’ve gotten us all into this mess? How am I supposed to face Huang Yong and the others now?"

"Dad... Dad, I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again." Liu Yunpeng was truly scared out of his wits.

Liu Fugui exuded a palpable pressure that suffocated him. In front of Liu Fugui, he no longer seemed like a father but a beast ready to devour him at any moment.

Huang Yong was also astonished by Liu Fugui’s behavior today. He understood the latter’s rage. After all, his son caused such a huge problem, endangering everyone, and even the most pampering parent would be angry.

But looking at Liu Fugui’s demeanor now, it seemed he was determined to punish his precious son. This was a rare occurrence indeed.

Though shocked, Huang Yong was glad to see Liu Fugui disciplining his son thoroughly. One could serve as a lesson for him, and two, it would show the people at the villa their stance. Maybe this could even diffuse the conflict.

"Huang Yong, how do you think I should deal with this unfilial son?"

"Ah?" Distracted, Huang Yong snapped back to attention upon hearing Liu Fugui calling his name. The latter gave him an unpleased glance and repeated, "I’m asking you how to deal with this unfilial son."

Huang Yong inexplicably glanced at Liu Fugui, then looked at Liu Yunpeng, thinking: Why are you asking me? How to punish your son is your choice. Why put me on the spot like this?

Yet quickly, the clever Huang Yong understood Liu Fugui’s intention: He’s really a cunning old fox, calculating to this extent.

He knew I’d hesitate to harshly punish his precious son due to concerns, so he passed the decision to me.

Huang Yong really wanted to blurt out, "Punish Liu Yunpeng by getting him killed," but could he say that? No, he couldn’t. In fact, he had to act indifferent to the matter, which made him so frustrated he felt like hitting someone. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian.com, with your support being my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)