Still hoarding supplies in the apocalypse? I'll just go on a killing spree and looting!

Lin You noticed it too, but just looked at him coldly, appearing extremely cold and cruel.

Seeing the extremely tense atmosphere, Mu Xue couldn't help but try to ease it.

"Let's discuss things calmly and not make things so tense."

Lin You said coldly, "Two hours, to five residential areas in total. Not counting the time spent on the road, just here, right here, it will take two hours."

The bite was very intense for two hours, considering how many hours there are in a whole day.

Seeing the silent Team Leader Song, Lin You added, "He wants to take everyone to their deaths, but I don't want that. Let's go, Mu Xue."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Mu Xue hesitated for a moment, then called out "Wait for me!" and quickly ran to catch up with Lin You.

Old Li, standing nearby, hesitated, wanting to speak, but his wife pulled him back to his lips.

Old Li shut his mouth, but some people didn't.

The elderly couple spoke first, "Officer, they are my neighbors. You can't just stand by and watch them die. Do you even deserve to wear this uniform?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're all from the same neighborhood, we see each other all the time, we can't just stand by and watch them stay in such a dangerous place. Right, Xiao Li?"

The old woman called out Officer Li's name, but received no response.

Old Li pursed his lips and remained silent.

The group members who came with him all looked at Team Leader Song without saying a word.

This kind of gaze carries real pressure; if not handled properly, morale will crumble.

Someone nearby, unable to bear it any longer, sneered, "Why save them? You two old geezers, are you their father or mother? I heard a commotion outside, so I looked out the window. When I saw it was the police, I packed my things and ran out."

The old woman was instantly displeased. She glared at the middle-aged man and angrily rebuked him, "You old bachelor, you not only don't learn to be good yourself, but you also stop others from saving people. Do you have any conscience?"

"Conscience? Ha! It's been so long, are you going to go and beg them if they don't want to come out?" The middle-aged man put down the large and small bags he was carrying and pointed to the police lights that were flashing red and blue.

"Look, look. Those flashing lights are shining on my window, so conspicuous anyone could see them. Only an idiot wouldn't know the police are here. What are you waiting for? To die? Do you expect someone to come and get you? Think you're some big shot?!"

"Shut up!" Team Leader Song slammed his fist on the hood of the car.

The scene fell silent instantly, and even the three people who had been arguing incessantly shut their mouths.

Team Leader Song regained his composure and ordered the others, "Evacuate immediately."

The team members who had been watching him breathed a sigh of relief and immediately got into the car.

Old Li approached Team Leader Song and whispered, "What should we do about Miss Lin?"

Team Leader Song rubbed his face. "I'll go tell them."

After saying that, he ran straight towards Lin You, who had disappeared at the gate.

The vehicles started and drove out of the residential area one after another.

Lin You didn't go too far; the two of them kept looking for a vehicle in the surrounding area.

Lin You walked up to a car, glanced through the window, and shook her head. This car's anti-theft system couldn't possibly be as simple as just connecting two wires and starting the engine, as seen in movies.

It can only be said that we underestimated today's car manufacturers.

Mu Xue asked Lin You, who was looking for transportation, "Why did things suddenly get so tense?"

While searching for available vehicles, Lin You said, "People still living in the pre-apocalyptic world haven't realized that people will die right now. Do you want to die?"

Faced with Lin You's cold, even angry, reply.

Mu Xue remained silent for a moment, then seemed relieved.

She's all alone now, with no ties or worries, so why should she think about anything else?

All you need to know is that Lin You in front of you is your support and your benefactor who allows you to survive.

She's just an ordinary person, or perhaps an ordinary person with a little superpower.

In this apocalyptic world, what more could one ask for than someone sheltering them from the wind and rain?

Lin You had her sights set on a shared bicycle and had already taken out her finger bone dagger, ready to unlock it.

Just then, a hushed shout came from behind.

"Wait a moment."

Song's voice came from behind, followed by hurried footsteps.

When Team Leader Song caught up, Lin You had already forcibly opened the lock of the shared bicycle.

I heard a sound.

Lin You straightened up and heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind, then stopping three meters away.

Lin You turned her head to look at the figure rushing out of the gray fog, and said expressionlessly, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."

"I'm sorry." Team Leader Song's voice was a little dry, but his tone was very sincere.

It's that feeling of helplessness after you've thought things through, suppressed your pride, and finally faced reality.

"I went too far just now. I apologize."

Lin You's bald head gleamed with a cold, white light in the gray fog, and his face was expressionless.

It wasn't anger, disappointment, or mockery.

There was no expression on his face.

This expressionless face made Team Leader Song feel more uncomfortable than any other expression, because he realized that what he had just said was not even worth getting angry about in this woman's eyes.

Mu Xue stepped back a few paces, pretending to check the door of the pickup truck next to her.

She didn't want to embarrass Team Leader Song, but she also didn't want to miss this conversation.

Lin You looked at Team Leader Song. She remained silent for about five seconds before speaking.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was unusually heavy.

"You think I'm cold-blooded. You think I should spend hours turning the whole neighborhood upside down, knocking on every door, dragging out everyone huddled in their homes, stuffing them into a truck, and taking them back to base. Because you're a cop. You've worn this uniform for over a decade, you're trained to rush into danger in a disaster, not avoid it. It's not your fault. It's your professional ingrained habit."

Team Leader Song's face turned pale, and his expression became even more complicated.

The cars leaving the residential area behind us slowly came to a stop, waiting to see how things would unfold.

No one spoke; they all watched quietly.

Lin You showed no mercy to Team Leader Song; one person's face was at stake, and many people's lives were at stake—a choice that required almost no thought.

"But the apocalypse doesn't care about inertia. The apocalypse only cares about results. If you spend two more hours in this neighborhood today, the other four neighborhoods will have two less hours. It's getting dark. The gray fog is more dangerous at night, and the monsters and mutated plants are more active then. If you save these five more units, the price is that the people in the other four neighborhoods will take longer to be rescued. You save fifty people, but what use are they to you and your team? Are they your family? Are they the pillars of your spirit for surviving the apocalypse? Have you thought about the brothers who risked their lives to come out with you?"

Team Leader Song opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but could his actions really refute the other party's words?

No, what I did was exactly what Lin You said.

This time, the main task was to bring the families of those brothers back to the scenic area base. It was because of the brothers that they agreed to the plan I had rashly made.

And now, what am I doing? Rescuing everyone I can?

The fact that none of my brothers spoke just now says something.

They are human beings too, and they also want to find their loved ones as soon as possible.

Protect them, even at the risk of your life, instead of protecting everyone and paying with your life.

That's a savior who has abandoned humanity, not a living, breathing human being.

People naturally have different degrees of closeness and distance, especially in the face of impending doom.

Lin You's tone grew even colder, "There are even worse consequences. The more people you bring back, the faster the base's food, medicine, and fuel will be consumed. Without enough supplies, you'll be forced to go out on raids more frequently, and your men will be exposed to the gray fog more often. Every exposure is a death gamble. To save fifty people, you'll have to sacrifice five or ten combat-capable comrades later, or even suffer total annihilation."

Team Leader Song's face had turned deathly pale; he knew the situation at the scenic area base.

There are building materials, solar power, water sources, and even a water purification system, but there is no large amount of food.

Going out to collect supplies was almost inevitable, but going out meant danger.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if they were all really dead.

How will the brothers' families survive in the apocalypse, relying on the strangers they rescued?

Lin You's tone grew increasingly cold.

"You're a police officer. You're trained to protect as many people as possible in a crisis. But that was before the apocalypse. Before the apocalypse, there were power grids, communications, reinforcements, and a complete logistical chain. After the apocalypse, you have nothing. You have no reinforcements. You have no logistics. Have you ever counted how many bullets you have in your gun, how many liters of diesel you have in your car?"

"I...I..."

Team Leader Song was unable to answer such a pointed question and could only stammer for a long time.

Lin You's tone remained sharp, even ruthless to the extreme.

"So those people you can't take with you today. It's not that you don't want to save them, it's that at this point in time, with the resources and manpower you have, you can't save them. This isn't a moral judgment, it's not a law, it's about survival."

Team Leader Song's lips moved slightly.

He wanted to say "yes," "I understand," and "I won't do it again."

But he knew that these words were too light to bear the weight of what he had just said.

So he simply nodded with great difficulty, bowing to reality.

This nod doesn't mean admitting defeat; it means acknowledging it.

He acknowledged that the woman in front of him was not more cold-blooded than him, but rather more rational and better adapted to the apocalyptic world.

"Get in the car." Lin You turned and walked back to the convoy parked on the side of the road. "From now on, I'll make these decisions."

Team Leader Song stood still for two seconds.

"You play the bad guy, and I'll play the good guy?"

Team Leader Song's face turned bright red; it was the first time he had ever felt his face so hot.