The Post-Apocalyptic Big Farm Owner

Chapter 2: The Weak Have No Dignity

He had barely dozed off when Li Ba was jolted awake by a commotion. He sat up with a start and cursed furiously: “You bunch of bastards! Can’t you let a man get some sleep?” He had just been tearing into a plump suckling pig in his dream, ready to feast to his heart’s content, when he was woken up—his rage was understandable. Stepping outside, he found it was already pitch black. Through the hazy moonlight, he could make out six or seven emaciated men in the distance, attacking an old man and a young boy. “The old man’s about to kick the bucket!” “Kill him! We’ll have meat to eat tonight!” Those men were like wild beasts, their eyes blazing with greed as they pounced on the old man lying on the ground, tearing at him and cursing like madmen. A small figure nearby kept trying to intervene, attempting to block these beasts from harming the old man on the ground. Cannibalism! In the apocalypse, this had become all too common. Such atrocities occurred daily in the refugee camps outside the city. Li Ba was powerless to stop them—and had no desire to do so. People had long since been tormented into numb indifference by this damned world. “Keep your voices down, you bastards! If you push me too far, I’ll chop you all into mincemeat and steam you into buns!” Li Ba let out a torrent of curses at the top of his lungs. A build like his was rare in the refugee camp; while he kept a low profile inside the city, out here, no one had dared to provoke him yet. That was also why those women earlier had called him “Master Ba.” In reality, though his name sounded imposing, Li Ba himself was anything but—timid by nature, smooth in his dealings, and never one to meddle in others’ affairs. If it weren’t for these guys shattering his sweet dreams, he probably wouldn’t have even let out that shout. And to be honest, his imposing build, paired with his booming voice, did indeed strike fear into those men, causing them to stop for a moment. But as soon as he turned and walked back into the house, those beast-like men viciously pounced once more on the old man and the child. “Help! The cries for help seeped through the cracks in the shack’s wooden planks and reached Li Ba’s ears. He wore an exasperated expression, lay back down, covered his ears with both hands, and went back to his sweet dreams. Rule Number Two of Post-Apocalyptic Survival: Mind your own business and don’t invite trouble—that’s the only way to live long. “Aha, so this kid’s just a rookie!” “Guys, we’re in for some fun tonight… Let’s take care of this kid first, have a little fun, and then enjoy her tender flesh—it’ll be absolutely top-notch!” “Help—” The cries for help, along with the maniacal cackling of those beasts, reached Li Ba’s ears without missing a single word. The moment he removed his hands from his ears, he immediately heard the little girl’s piercing screams. “Those beasts!” A long-forgotten memory surfaced in his mind—the greatest pain of Li Ba’s life. In that moment, an indescribable fury flashed across his plump face. He reached behind him, pulled a dagger from under the bed, and strode out. By the time he arrived, the old man from earlier was already lying on the ground, his eyes wide open and his lips trembling uncontrollably, as if he were trying to call for help but couldn’t utter a single word. Several other beast-like men were tugging at the clothes of a short-haired little boy, who was struggling desperately. A high-pitched voice gave “him” away—it turned out to be a little girl. The beasts were reveling in the thrill of their prey’s death throes, completely oblivious to the fact that Li Ba was already closing in on them. Thud! Don’t let Li Ba’s heavy build fool you—fueled by rage, his movements were swift and ruthlessly precise. With three consecutive strikes, he drove his dagger straight through the hearts of all three men. Struck by these fatal blows, their bodies went limp, blood gushing from their wounds, and they died instantly. The remaining thugs, catching sight of Li Ba—his eyes ablaze with murderous intent as he brandished his dagger—were terrified out of their wits and fled in panic. Li Ba didn’t chase after them. Having killed three men in a row, he felt not a shred of guilt—only an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He stepped forward to help the little girl to her feet and asked, “Are you all right?” In the moonlight, he saw that her face was covered in grime, making her features indistinct, but her large eyes were exceptionally bright and clear, brimming with tears, and utterly endearing. “Grandpa!” The little girl tugged at her torn clothes, barely covering her body, then ran toward the old man lying on the ground and burst into tears. Li Ba walked over. With just a glance, he could tell the old man was barely clinging to life and wouldn’t last much longer. “It’s for the best that he’s dead! Far from this damned apocalypse, with less suffering—it’s a form of deliverance!” A vague sense of gloom washed over him. He crouched down, gently stroked the little girl’s head, and offered silent comfort. “Gurgle…” Seeing him crouch down, the old man seemed to experience a final burst of strength; his throat convulsed as he struggled desperately to make a sound. “Old man, what do you want to say? Take your time—don’t rush.” At that moment, Li Ba seemed to have forgotten the post-apocalyptic survival rules he had always followed; a rare look of compassion flashed across his face as he leaned in to listen. “Give… give it to… you… you… are… a good person… take… care of…” The old man uttered these words in a halting, broken voice. Before he could say the final, most crucial word, his head lolled to one side, and he drew his last breath. Just before he died, he managed to grab Li Ba’s hand and press something into it. It was a bracelet, of an ancient design, engraved with many strange and intricate patterns; it looked like an old artifact—what people commonly call an antique. “This piece of junk—it’s not like I can eat it. You’re giving it to me… expecting me to take care of her for you? Is that even possible?” Li Ba had regained his composure by now, but felt a twinge of regret—he’d meddled in this business and brought trouble upon himself. He looked at the old man’s eyes, which remained wide open in death, staring straight at him. Torn by inner conflict, he finally ground out the words through clenched teeth: “I promise you!” After he said those words, something strange happened: the old man’s wide-open eyes slowly closed, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of his mouth. After all, we’re all human! Faced with this scene, even Li Ba—who had always adhered to the survival rules of the apocalypse—couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. In the apocalypse, human nature is treacherous; while there are those who are more vile than beasts, there are also those who stand by one another, sharing life and death. “Maybe I really should do one good deed—to make it worth it for the old man… especially after he said, ‘I’m a good person!’ ” Li Ba picked up the old man’s body and strode off into the night. The little girl stopped crying; as if she knew what he was about to do, she followed closely behind him. Leaving the refugee camp, Li Ba found an open space, gathered some firewood, and cremated the old man’s body. The refugee camp was full of all sorts of despicable people; if he buried the old man’s body, someone was bound to dig up the grave and have ill intentions toward the remains. Cremation was the best way to put an end to it all. Amid the roaring flames, the old man’s body gradually turned to ashes. The little girl wept silently. Li Ba saw this, gently pulled her into his arms, and said softly, “In this damned world, your grandfather has passed away—for him, it may not be a bad thing after all!” The little girl stopped crying, lifted her head, and stared at him with her big eyes, not blinking once. After a long moment, she nodded, as if she half-understood. “Little one, what’s your name?” “Yan'er。” “Are you hungry?” “Mm-hmm!” “Um… I’ve got half a steamed bun left here. Here, have it!” Watching the little girl named Yan’er wolf down the bran bun, Li Ba swallowed hard. A pang of hunger gripped his stomach, and an indescribably bitter smile spread across his face. Early the next morning, the wooden door creaked open. Li Ba shuffled out listlessly. His gaze swept the area—the bodies of the three men he’d stabbed to death the day before had already vanished without a trace. “You eat people—you should’ve realized long ago that one day, you’d be the ones getting eaten!” Li Ba shook his head, turned around, and called into the house, “Little girl, I’m off to work. Stay home and don’t wander off. Uncle Li will bring you something good to eat tonight!” “Uncle Li” was the name the little girl Yan’er, whom he’d saved the night before, had given him. The first time he heard it, Li Ba didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, thinking to himself, If I really had Uncle Li’s skill as a pickpocket, I wouldn’t have ended up in this mess. Thoughts aside, Li Ba accepted the title “Uncle Li” with equanimity. He glanced at the bracelet on his left wrist, which glowed with a faint silvery sheen in the morning sunlight. He’d heard that someone in the city was buying gold and silver; this bracelet appeared to be silver, so if he took it there, he might be able to trade it for some food. Li Ba didn’t consider himself a good person. But after spending the night with her, he found he got along exceptionally well with Yan'er. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but deep down, he felt this little girl was particularly endearing. Since he’d accepted the bracelet, he didn’t want the old man to die with unresolved grievances and turn into a malevolent spirit that would haunt him day after day. Plus, given his connection with Yan'er, he gritted his teeth and resolved to look after the little girl on the old man’s behalf. In the midst of the apocalypse, Li Ba was barely managing to survive on his own; now, with a burden to carry, the hardships ahead were all too predictable. “Ah, I’ll just take it one step at a time!” He let out a soft sigh and prepared to get to work. Just then, a frail little figure ran out of the house, her tiny hand gently tugging at the hem of his shirt, refusing to let go. “Do you want to come with me?” “Mm-hmm.” Seeing the little girl’s wide eyes filled with pleading, Li Ba thought for a moment and finally agreed. The refugee camp was too chaotic; if she were left alone at home, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t be targeted by those man-eating beasts. Keeping her by his side might be safer. “Let’s go!” He ruffled Yan’er’s hair, and the two figures—one big, one small—set off slowly into the morning sunlight. The Xibu settlement consisted of an inner city and an outer city. The inner city was the residential area. The outer city had just been constructed—a curved defensive wall—and the settlement’s leadership had modeled it after ancient city walls, creating a bailey primarily designed to fend off zombies. Li Ba’s workplace was located in the outer city. To prevent potential disasters, the settlement’s leadership decided to reinforce the outer city walls. That way, even if a zombie horde attacked, the two layers of walls—especially the sturdy outer wall—would provide effective defense. Even if, by some chance, the outer wall were to fail, the inner city wall would still act as a barrier, providing enough time for the settlement’s survivors to evacuate. Outside the city gate, two squads of Armed Police officers in camouflage uniforms, guns in hand, watched the laborers streaming in from all directions of the refugee camp with impassive expressions, their faces devoid of any emotion. Even though Li Ba was accompanied by a small child, he was not stopped. With so many laborers coming and going through the outer city, there was no need to be on guard against them. Inside the inner city, there were guards armed with live ammunition; the moment they detected even the slightest attempt by a refugee to cross the line, they would immediately open fire and shoot to kill. The apocalypse had hardened people’s hearts, and even these soldiers were no exception. Over a thousand laborers poured into the outer city, heading to their respective work stations at different sections of the city wall. Li Ba’s work site was on the southern city wall. When he arrived with Yan’er, he spotted several people sitting by the workers’ barracks from a distance—all dressed in camouflage uniforms and fully equipped. His chubby cheeks twitched instantly, and he jogged over. “Good morning, Brother Chao! Good morning, everyone!” Last night’s exhaustion hadn’t dimmed the smile on Li Ba’s face in the slightest. He hunched over, bowing and scraping like a lap dog as he nodded and greeted each person inside the work shed. He was particularly effusive toward the guy sitting at the table with his legs crossed, his face a mask of fawning smiles. “Fat Pig Li, we’re starting work today—why’d you bring a kid along?” the guy sitting on the table said leisurely. His pale face turned toward Li Ba, who was bowing and scraping before him, revealing a sinister grin. This guy’s name is Li Chao; as it happens, he’s actually a colleague of Li Ba, though their relationship isn’t exactly great. Before the apocalypse, Li Ba’s business division had one manager and two deputy managers. Aside from Li Ba, the other deputy manager was Li Chao, and the two had always been secretly competing with each other at work. After the manager was promoted, Li Ba managed to secure the top position following a fierce contest, which left Li Chao harboring a grudge. Back in the good old days, Li Ba held the reins of the business division and had plenty of opportunities to get rid of Li Chao, so he wasn’t afraid of the other guy’s jealousy. Who could have predicted such a dramatic plot twist? When the damned apocalypse struck, Li Chao—by some stroke of luck—actually awakened as an Evolver, while Li Ba remained just an ordinary person. Seeking to settle old scores, Li Chao had more than once considered eliminating Li Ba during their escape that day. However, since there were several other Evolvers on their team—two of whom were even colleagues from the company—he feared that acting too overtly would lead to his colleagues’ condemnation. And so, they fled Wucheng and made their way to the Xibu settlement. Because of his status as an Evolver, Li Chao was highly valued, living the high life with no worries about food or clothing. Li Ba, on the other hand, ended up in a refugee camp outside the city, barely scraping by. Just as Li Ba joined the ranks of the forced laborers, Li Chao—having somehow obtained inside information—actually volunteered to take on the role of city defense captain, tasked with supervising the laborers’ work. For an Evolver, this was clearly a case of being underutilized. His true motive, however, was to seize this opportunity to torment and humiliate his old rival, thereby venting his pent-up resentment. With such an arch-enemy looking after him, one can only imagine what Li Ba’s days of hard labor were like. But adhering to the survival rules of the apocalypse, he endured even the greatest humiliations—as long as he stayed alive, one day he would be able to exact his revenge. Facing Li Chao, Li Ba was mentally prepared. With a smirk on his face, he explained, “This kid’s parents owe me half a bran bun. They promised to pay it back but didn’t keep their word, so I grabbed the kid and put him under my watch. If his parents don’t pay up, I’ll make him work himself to death!” “Oh ho, I never would’ve guessed you’d be such a ruthless bastard, you fat pig!” Upon hearing this, Li Chao snorted lightly and beckoned to Yan'er. “Kid, just stay in the work shed today—don’t go anywhere. You’ll get your bread when it’s mealtime. With me looking out for you, don’t be afraid of this fat pig!” Yan'er shuffled over timidly, crouched in the corner, lowered her head, and didn’t say a word. “Brother Chao, this…” “Shut up, you fat pig!” Li Ba was about to speak when he saw Li Chao’s expression turn icy. With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Chao slapped Li Ba across the face with a loud “smack,” sending stars dancing before Li Ba’s eyes and knocking him flat on the ground. “According to the city regulations of Xibu City, no one is allowed to oppress or exploit their fellow citizens. You fat pig—how dare you commit such a heinous act!” Li Chao stood up, planted his foot on the table, and pointed at Li Ba as he railed against him. Seeing the look of righteous indignation on his face, anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was a man of principle, standing up for justice on behalf of the poor child. In reality, only Li Ba knew this guy’s true nature: if he said white, Li Chao would insist it was black; if he threatened to abuse Yan'er, Li Chao would never let him get away with it. “Brother Chao, I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold a grudge against a good-for-nothing like me!” Li Ba rose, trembling with fear, begging for mercy over and over. Without meaning to, he lowered his head, a hint of smugness flashing across his face—paired with the trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth, it made for an utterly hideous sight. In the post-apocalyptic world, might makes right. The so-called Xibu City regulations forbidding the oppression and exploitation of fellow citizens are nothing but bullshit. If true impartiality were possible, there wouldn’t be all these laborers in the outer city, toiling at backbreaking work while barely having enough to eat. Li Chao was deliberately looking for a fight, and Li Ba had no way to avoid it. “To acknowledge one’s mistakes and make amends is the greatest virtue!” Li Chao delivered this line in a pretentious, literary tone. Looking down on him from above, he leaned over and patted Li Ba’s chubby face, saying with a vicious sneer, “Li Ba, Li Ba (your dad)—even your name, you fat pig, is a slap in the face. Just hearing it pisses me off.” Li Ba shuddered, the fat on his face quivering, and said with a mournful expression, “Brother Chao, it’s all my dead parents’ fault. Of all the names they could have chosen, they had to pick one that’s so repulsive… Rest assured, sir, I’ll go home and change my name right away.” “Hmm, your attitude’s not half bad!” Li Chao snorted and nodded toward the leather boots on his feet. Li Ba immediately caught on and began polishing the boots with the sleeve of his Armani suit. Li Chao looked incredibly smug as he pulled a melon out of his pocket. After taking a few bites, he waved it in front of Li Ba and asked, “A crisp, delicious melon—Fat Pig Li, do you want some?” “I do, I do.” Li Ba looked up, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the juicy melon. His drooling, hungry expression made Li Chao burst out laughing. “If you want some, lick my boots clean with your mouth!” Li Chao deliberately took another big bite, letting the juice from the melon drip onto Li Ba’s face. Li Ba licked his lips, wearing a smug, lecherous expression as if savoring the taste. “I’ll lick it, I’ll lick it—Brother Chao, you’d better keep your word!” To everyone’s surprise, Li Ba actually stuck out his tongue and began licking the leather boot on Li Chao’s foot, just as if he were eating an ice cream cone—licking it with relish and with the utmost seriousness. “You fat bastard, you’ve got some skills with that tongue. No wonder that slut Dingxiang promoted you to sales manager—looks like you’ve been licking her plates clean all this time!” Li Chao roared with laughter. When Li Ba had almost finished licking, he picked up the melon—still half-eaten—waved it in front of Li Ba, then suddenly tossed it to Yan’er, who was cowering in the corner, and said maliciously, “You fat pig, you pig-headed fool—I’d love to skin you alive. Why would I share something this good with you? You can dream about it in your next life!” He’d rather throw it to the kid Li Ba had brought along to torment than give it to Li Ba, who’d worked so hard licking his boots for half the day. This showed just how twisted this guy’s mind was and how deeply he hated Li Ba. Yan'er picked up the melon from the ground and immediately began devouring it. Li Ba glared at her with a face full of venomous hatred. Li Chao watched this unfold, his twisted mind seemingly finding immense satisfaction. He kicked Li Ba to the ground and laughed loudly, saying, “Fat Pig Li, that’s enough for today. Get back to work!” Li Ba meekly got to his feet and turned toward the construction site. “Brother Chao, since you can’t stand this good-for-nothing so much, I’d be happy to do you a favor and take care of him for you!” “No need, no need. If I wanted to kill him, it’d be a matter of seconds. Keeping this fat pig around so I can have a little fun every day—seeing how long he can last—isn’t that much more satisfying?” Li Chao’s loud laughter echoed, as if he were deliberately making sure Li Ba heard it. Li Ba, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, dragging his heavy legs as he walked away step by step. But for a split second, a vicious glint flashed across his face. “Li Chao, just you wait. If one day I become stronger than you, I’ll make sure you’ll wish you were dead but can’t even die!” Rule Number Three of Post-Apocalyptic Survival: The weak have no dignity. If you want to survive, you must endure!