Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

They formed a loose semi-circle, subtly blocking several possible escape routes.

His gaze swept unabashedly over the corn roasting over the fire and the three people's luggage placed at their feet.

The air instantly tensed up.

Xie Yingtang sensed the danger almost immediately.

Without the slightest hesitation, he silently stood up, his figure casting a long shadow in the firelight.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes met the three burly men with a cold gaze, and his tall body blocked Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Xiao's path.

Wang Xiao reacted quickly, cursing under his breath and swiftly reaching for his waist with his right hand.

With a "whoosh," he drew the gleaming dagger, leaning forward slightly in a defensive stance.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly unzipped her backpack and pulled out a watermelon knife with a blade over forty centimeters long.

But she immediately realized that with her strength and fighting skills, wielding such a long knife would probably not be very effective.

She moved closer to Wang Xiao, her voice urgent but clear, "Wang Xiao, let's switch! You can have the longer one; it'll be more threatening! I'll just use the dagger for self-defense!"

Wang Xiao was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood her intention. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately handed over the dagger in his hand and took the watermelon knife that Xu Xiaoyan offered.

He flicked his wrist, executing a somewhat clumsy knife flourish, then flashed Xu Xiaoyan a smile that was both silly and ruthless:

"Hehe, you're right! Watch me show off my skills with this big guy! Xiao Yan, you step back and keep grilling your corn, leave this to us!"

He said this seemingly to Xu Xiaoyan, but in reality, he was speaking to the three burly men who were closing in, trying to create an aura of "we are not to be trifled with."

He stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xie Yingtang, the watermelon knife in his hand reflecting a cold light in the firelight.

Although the posture was a bit amateurish, the reckless attitude was quite intimidating.

Xu Xiaoyan took the dagger, but she didn't actually retreat to roast the corn.

Instead, they quietly retreated half a step, taking a position where they could provide support at any time.

For a moment, a brief standoff ensued around the campfire. The aroma of roasted corn lingered, but was now mingled with a tense and dangerous atmosphere.

The three burly men were clearly surprised by the other party's swift reaction and the fact that the other party had immediately revealed their weapons.

The sight of Wang Xiao's gleaming long watermelon knife made them tone down their previously frivolous expressions.

Their steps faltered, as if they were reassessing how difficult this "hard nut to crack" was.

The standoff lasted for less than five seconds. Xie Yingtang understood the importance of striking first and knew that in such chaos, any hesitation would only embolden the other side.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Before the three burly men could fully assess the situation, they suddenly exerted their strength like cheetahs and charged forward, their target being the two men standing slightly ahead!

His movements were too fast and too sudden, completely catching the three of them off guard.

Seeing this, Wang Xiao, who was standing to the side and behind, felt his blood rush to his head and roared, "Damn it!"

He gripped the watermelon knife tightly and lunged at the remaining burly man without hesitation!

The battle erupted in an instant and drew to a close in the blink of an eye.

Xie Yingtang dodged the punch coming from the front, cut to the side, and slammed his elbow into the ribs of a man on his left like a hammer. The man immediately let out a painful groan and curled up.

Almost simultaneously, he delivered a swift sweeping kick with his right leg, precisely striking the other man's knee.

A sharp, teeth-grinding cracking sound was followed by a piercing scream as the man clutched his twisted leg and collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.

Wang Xiao's side doesn't have much of a strategy.

Driven by sheer grit, he ignored the incoming stick, gripped the watermelon knife tightly with both hands, and, taking advantage of the weapon's length, slashed fiercely at the opponent's arm!

The burly man clearly hadn't expected this seemingly unruly young man to be so ruthless. Unable to dodge in time, the sharp blade struck his right arm directly!

"Ah—!!!" A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, suddenly rang out.

It was even louder and more mournful than the combined cries of the two men on Xie Yingtang's side!

Blood gushed from the burly man's wound, staining his tattered sleeves red.

The piercing scream sounded particularly jarring in the noisy night sky.

The other two burly men who were fighting Xie Yingtang were startled and their movements froze.

That's the opening!

How could Xie Yingtang miss this opportunity?

He seized the opportunity and delivered a heavy hook punch to one of the men's jaws, knocking him unconscious.

The other person was terrified when he saw this and turned to run away, but Xie Yingtang kicked him in the waist from behind.

He flew out like a broken sack, crashing face down onto the ground without uttering a sound.

The battle ended almost in the blink of an eye.

Three burly men who came to provoke him were present. One of them had his arm covered in blood and was rolling on the ground, howling in pain.

A child was clutching their twisted calf and screaming in agony.

The last one collapsed to the ground, unconscious, his screams echoing through the night sky of the makeshift camp, drowning out all other noises.

This clean, efficient, and ruthless counterattack stunned everyone around who was secretly observing or harboring ill intentions.

The area, which had been filled with whispers and restless activity, instantly fell silent.

Gazes came from all directions, landing on Xie Yingtang, who remained standing tall with a stern expression.

The attack landed on Wang Xiao, who was slightly out of breath but held a blood-dripping long knife and had a fierce look in his eyes.

The attack also landed on Xu Xiaoyan, who was holding a dagger and remaining calm and vigilant.

In those gazes, greed, prying, and contempt vanished, replaced by clear shock, fear, and awe.

The crowd instinctively distanced themselves from them, as if an invisible forbidden zone had formed around them.

It is foreseeable that after this battle, at least in the short term, no fool will dare to come and cause them trouble again.

In this migrating group that adheres to the naked law of the jungle, they have secured temporary safety for themselves in the most direct way.

After the three burly men helped each other away, the three returned to the still crackling campfire.

Wang Xiao wiped the blood-stained watermelon knife on the dry grass beside him, let out a long sigh of relief, and then felt his arm go weak.

Xie Yingtang silently examined his knuckles; the punch he had just landed on the other man's jaw still caused a dull ache.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately checked the corn on the fire. Fortunately, the conflict had been very brief, and only the edges of the corn were slightly overcooked and turned black.

Most of the corn was still barely golden and smelled of roasting. She carefully picked the corn and divided it between the two of them.