Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Black Syndicate

“Alright, let me take a look.” Liu Chang nodded. “After all, we’ve already survived the first wave of mass death in the apocalypse—what could be harder to get through than that?”

“No, nothing could be worse than that,” Dr. Huang replied with a smile, her thoughts drifting to her parents. At that moment, Liu Chang was also silently remembering the same thing.

“So, I’ll get registered and settle down here.”

“Yes, of course.” Dr. Huang nodded.

And so, Liu Chang, together with the little girl, completed their registration at Dr. Huang’s place. Under her guidance, he met several of the community’s administrators and then received an armband from the community’s security team.

“From now on, you’re one of our community guards. Today, I’ll show you the ropes. Usually, we patrol alone, but if anything happens, we’ll gather everyone together,” said the guard who handed Liu Chang the armband—the same one he’d seen earlier. “I checked your name, Liu Chang, right? We’re family. I’m Liu Rui.”

“Hello, Brother Liu,” Liu Chang nodded.

“No need to be so formal—I’m a few years older than you. Just call me Big Liu,” Liu Rui replied, his manner friendly and approachable.

“Alright.”

“Since it’s your first day, let me show you around our neighborhood. At this time, some people are out scavenging for food, others are busy with their own affairs, and I’m not too occupied myself, so I’ll just take you and your sister for a walk.” After saying this, Liu Rui turned to Dr. Huang, gave a nod, and then led Liu Chang and the little girl outside. “I’ll take them out for a bit.”

“Go ahead,” Dr. Huang nodded.

Liu Rui led Liu Chang and the little girl out the door, and the three of them strolled through the community courtyard, chatting casually, with a deliberate intent to deepen their mutual understanding.

“So, Liu, what’s that thing you’ve got at your waist?” Liu Rui asked, looking for conversation, his gaze landing on one of Liu Chang’s belongings. “I noticed it earlier and meant to ask. It’s not quite a gun, but it’s pretty big. What is it? Some kind of special weapon?”

“It’s actually just a gun,” Liu Chang replied with a smile.

“You’re kidding me—a gun? It doesn’t look like any gun I’ve seen. It’s shaped like a pistol, but it’s longer than a submachine gun. Is it real?” Liu Rui tapped the holster. “Whoa, it’s solid too. Is it heavy?”

“It’s alright.”

“Well, if it’s really that solid, you could swing it like a metal club!” Liu Rui joked.

“Exactly—a single blow from the butt could split someone’s head open,” Liu Chang played along.

“So, are you planning to stay here long-term, Liu?”

“At least for a while, yes.”

“Then I’ll have to fill you in on everything you need to know about this place.”

“Thank you, Brother Liu,” Liu Chang nodded, showing genuine interest.

“No need for thanks. We all have to look out for each other now. Let me show you our food production area first!” With that, Liu Rui led Liu Chang to the heart of the community—the place that used to be a garden, now transformed into a field for growing food. Of course, the crop was singular: the military-issued ‘Liang beans.’

“This is where we grow our food. It’s our main concern,” Liu Rui said, pointing to the bean fields. “These things mature fast—seven days from seed to harvest—and they keep a little better than most things. Still, we can’t keep them overnight. So, we’ve divided the plot into seven sections, one for each day of the week. Every day, after getting seeds, we sow one section. That way, a different section is ready for harvest each day, and there’s always something to gather. That’s why we have to keep an eye on this area.”

“Otherwise, it’s not hard to grow. These beans are easier than weeds—just toss the seeds, and they’ll sprout without any care. So, there’s rarely anyone around here.” Looking at the vigorous crop, Liu Rui’s expression was both pleased and troubled. “The problem is, you can only get these seeds from the military, and the beans we grow can’t be replanted. If they could, we’d never have to worry about food again.”

“Wait—these beans can’t be planted again?” Liu Chang walked closer to examine the plump, green beans.

“No, they can’t. They say it’s synthetic food, with incomplete genes so they can’t reproduce. I don’t really get the details—all I know is we have to wait for the military to issue more seeds if we want to grow anything.”

“I see. So, whether everyone gets enough to eat depends on the research institute and the army?”

“Exactly. Besides them, we also have to deal with those mafia-like gangs.”

“Mafia?” Liu Chang found the term amusing. “What kind of gangs?”

“You really don’t know?”

“No. I’ve heard about them on TV, but never seen one in real life,” Liu Chang answered truthfully.

“I don’t know how you survived a month in Zhengzhou like some kind of hermit. These gangs are everywhere—one for every district. We survive as a small community group,” Liu Rui explained. “They’re just like in the movies: they collect protection fees. We get seeds and grow crops; they also get seeds, but we do the planting. Not only do we have to grow their share and hand it over, we also have to give them an extra portion. In return, they ‘protect’ us—keep other gangs from causing trouble here. Of course, it’s in their long-term interest to do so.”

“But don’t we have our own security team? Why do we have to listen to them?” Liu Chang was puzzled.

“We don’t have enough people—most of us have families and aren’t fighters. Those gang members are all young, desperate, and some even have firearms. If they weren’t tough, no one would obey them,” Liu Rui laughed. “In times like these, everyone’s life hangs by a thread. If they didn’t have a bit of menace, they wouldn’t last long.”

“I understand a bit more now,” Liu Chang nodded.

“If you’re still unsure, just come along tonight when we make our tribute. See for yourself—they come every evening to collect food,” Liu Rui explained.

“Alright, I’ll go and see,” Liu Chang agreed.

With that, Liu Chang spent the day patrolling with Liu Rui, talking and getting to know the community. Apart from breaking the leg of a drifter who tried to assault a girl in the neighborhood and throwing him out, Liu Chang did little else.

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, dusk was falling.

Around four or five in the afternoon, a few women returned to the community and collected the day’s harvest of Liang beans, storing them in various containers. By six or seven o’clock, those who had been out scavenging returned home one after another. As everyone gathered, a group of men armed with makeshift weapons arrived right on schedule.