Chapter 241 - 225: They Don’t Deserve to Be Human

Chapter 241: Chapter 225: They Don’t Deserve to Be Human

The logistics team brought in a high-powered lamp, illuminating much of the underground mall.

The entire basement level was divided into a retail area and a supermarket area.

The retail area was lined with shops that had transparent glass doors. Before the apocalypse, they housed businesses of all sizes. Now, they were filled with makeshift beds, their glass doors covered with paper and cloth for privacy.

This was the main living quarters for the residents. It looked normal, just like any other settlement.

"Brother Dong, we’ve tied them all up. Thirteen in total, every one of them a real piece of work. We’re rescuing the victims in the back."

Yan Yikai reported. He had been paying more and more attention to his appearance lately—training his martial arts, giving reports, and combing his hair like a grown-up to better suit a future high-ranking position.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have mistaken him for a young man in his twenties.

"Brother Dong, get over here and look! See what these bastards have done to these girls!"

Zhao Wenjie’s furious voice came from the back.

Yu Dong hung up the phone and walked in Zhao Wenjie’s direction.

Behind the small storefronts was a service corridor.

Yu Dong followed the corridor inside until he reached some dark rooms, which were probably storerooms of some kind.

Inside... a group of people were locked away.

Even before stepping inside, Yu Dong was hit by an acrid stench of urine, mingled with the complex odors of foot odor, feces, semen, sweat, and rotting food.

It was quite the bouquet.

But compared to the stench of a zombie horde, this was nothing.

Yu Dong simply wrinkled his nose and walked inside.

Several members of the combat team were at the doorway, using flashlights to illuminate the scene inside.

Huddled inside was a group of about thirty women. They were dressed in rags, with dog chains fastened around their necks and tied to pillars.

In front of each of them was a filthy dog bowl, though the bowls themselves were licked clean.

Upon seeing people enter, the thirty-odd women instinctively dropped to the ground, raised their backsides... and began to sway, their faces completely numb.

One woman, who was a little cleaner than the rest, saw that these new arrivals were different. She couldn’t help but stand, hot tears flowing once more from her dry eyes. She forcefully raised a hand toward Yu Dong and called out in a raspy voice:

"Save... me..."

An overwhelming wave of suffering washed over him, and a surge of hot fury rose in Yu Dong’s chest.

This was the ultimate depravity of human nature.

After asking a few questions and learning more sickening details, Zhao Wenjie’s face flushed red with fury.

"Fuck! I’m going to kill those goddamn animals!"

He was the most provoked. In all his years, his values dictated that men were meant to conquer the world and protect their women. A man who hit a woman was the most fucking useless of all!

Back in his hometown, only cowards took their anger out on women!

But here, they were treating women like dogs... Zhao Wenjie couldn’t hold back any longer. He drew the tactical knife from his belt and stormed out!

Yu Dong grabbed Zhao Wenjie, his own eyes blazing with killing intent.

"Don’t kill them... That would be letting them off too easy."

Yu Dong then checked another warehouse nearby. Inside were several muscular, sparsely-clothed men covered in wounds. They too were chained up inside the room.

Most of the men had bruised and swollen faces, clear evidence of frequent beatings.

There were fewer of them, only eight in total.

Seeing Yu Dong and his men enter, they all struggled to their feet, their faces filled with ferocity.

Yu Dong saw that these men’s eyes weren’t numb with despair. He said, "Don’t be afraid. We’re with the authorities. The people outside have been arrested."

Instantly, the tension in the eight men finally eased, though their fists remained subconsciously clenched.

"What did they do to you? Why are there so few men?"

One of them, a man who stood two meters tall and was built like an ox, answered in a rough voice, "They made us fight each other to the death... They watched us brawl and kill for their entertainment. All the weaker men were killed."

Yu Dong let out a heavy breath through his nose.

’So few people survived the apocalypse... and yet there are still those dragging human civilization backward, watching men kill each other for sport.’

This group forced men into deadly combat and kept women to be trained like dogs.

Yu Dong figured that if Lin Xiaojun were resurrected, even he would have to call these people animals.

Lin Xiaojun’s evil was one of gathering followers and beautiful women to monopolize resources. He controlled his women by giving them food, drink, and promises.

But this group... they practiced a completely senseless evil, a pure manifestation of the darkest side of human nature.

Sun Yu cursed, "Fuck, who the hell do they think they are, pulling this shit! What’s the goddamn point? The women are this filthy and they can still get it up? These guys are fucking disgusting. Boss, let’s not bring them onto the cruise ship. They’ll just make everyone sick."

Zhao Youcai added with contempt, "A bunch of fucking idiots. Dongzi, you’re not planning to take them back to the ship for a trial, are you? If Wang were here, he’d have blasted these mongrels on the spot."

He figured Yu Dong would do what he did at the hospital—deal with them on the spot and then take the victims back to the cruise ship.

By this point, Huang Zhiqiang had already taken some men to rescue and console the victims.

"Don’t worry. You’ll be safe once you’re back with us. We’ll protect you... You’re free now."

Seeing Liu Hao go to unshackle some of the men, Yu Dong was suddenly reminded of something.

"These people... cuff them. Take them back and keep a close eye on them. Victims... aren’t always the good guys."

Two lives ago, Zhao Yun had also been a victim, and she had ended up killing both Zhou and Liu Ye’ye.

Yu Dong no longer trusted victims unconditionally. Every single person had to be thoroughly vetted.

After dealing with the victims, Yu Dong stood with members of the combat and logistics teams, pondering how to handle the thirteen captives.

Huang Zhiqiang didn’t understand the hesitation.

"Dongzi, I know I don’t usually approve of killing, and Youcai calls me a bleeding heart for it, but... I’ve got no objections when it comes to these animals. Just kill them and be done with it."

The others all looked at Yu Dong. They knew he was a good man, but he was also ruthless when dealing with criminals. This group today was by far the most disgusting they had seen in the last three months.

So why was the boss hesitating?

"A few of you, come with me..."

Yu Dong found a quiet room and brought his most trusted people inside, then told them about the phone call he had just received.

Instantly, everyone was overjoyed.

"There’s hope for a vaccine? Does that mean we won’t die if we get bitten by a zombie? Holy shit, that’s fantastic news!"

"I’ve stood guard duty for Professor Meng. She’s a truly dedicated scientist. She only sleeps six hours a day and spends nearly all her other time working. I was exhausted just from keeping up with her for one week."

"Yeah, Professor Meng is incredible. She studies those mutated zombies up close every day, running tons of experiments, drawing so much blood from them they shrivel up..."

"Some people were complaining that Professor Meng had been researching for months with nothing to show for it, while we were busy supplying her with good food and drink... They can eat their words now, huh? She’s the type to be silent for a while and then shock everyone with her results!"

"A zombie virus vaccine! This is a huge deal, a benefit to all humanity. What’s there to even discuss? We have to meet Professor Meng’s needs, no matter what they are."

News like this was enough to lift the spirits of any survivor of the apocalypse.

At that moment, Zhao Youcai, Huang Zhiqiang, and the other core members of the group understood what Yu Dong was hesitating about.

While Zhao Youcai was still mulling over what to say, Sun Yu couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Let me go first," Sun Yu blurted out. "I only went to vocational school, and I’ve been knocking around on the streets ever since I graduated. But even I know scientists are the real deal. Letting these scumbags be lab rats for a scientist? That’s an honor for them!"

"They’re just a bunch of dregs. This is letting them live a little longer than they deserve!"

Sun Yu was Zhao Youcai’s die-hard subordinate and was also extremely loyal to Yu Dong, which was why he was included in the meeting. Many of the others agreed with what he said.

Yu Chengfei sighed softly. "We certainly need to advance science in the apocalypse, but sending people to be test subjects for a new drug... isn’t that going too far?"

It reminded him of the horrific stories his father used to tell about the war.

Huang Zhiqiang quickly chimed in, "Yeah, that’s right! Dongzi, I’m fine with killing them, but sending them to be drug test subjects... isn’t that a bit much? If the military finds out, won’t they just come looking for trouble again? Things are already tense enough as it is."

"Trouble? My ass!" Zhao Youcai shot back. "Are they researching a vaccine? No! We’re the ones making a contribution to all of humanity! This is the apocalypse... why are you guys still looking at things with your pre-apocalypse morals? Shouldn’t eliminating zombies and protecting humanity be our top priority? When the vaccine is developed, won’t they benefit too? The military has firepower; if they don’t have to fear zombie bites anymore, they’ll be practically invincible!"

Zhao Youcai felt that Huang Zhiqiang would never grow up. He was a leader now, but he still thought like a naive college student.

In contrast, he felt Yu Dong had matured a lot.

The Yu Dong of the past would have probably rejected the idea of sending them off for testing without a trial. Now, at least he was discussing and considering it.

’That’s the kind of mindset a leader needs in the apocalypse.’

Everyone voiced their opinions. Most agreed to send the thirteen scumbags to the research institute, while a smaller faction believed it was inhumane and that it would be better to just kill them outright.

Zhao Wenjie, who had always been a good-natured guy, glanced at the rescued women, his eyes filled with rage.

"Brother Dong, I’ve always followed your lead, but today... I need to say something."

"When they were training women like dogs and forcing men to fight like bulls... were they thinking about humanity then?"

"They’re the ones who stopped being human first!"

"Criminals like them deserve to die by a thousand cuts! Sending them to be test subjects is an act of mercy!"

"Brother Dong, this... we can keep it quiet, among ourselves. We don’t have to let the military know. They’re leaving soon anyway."

Zhao Wenjie was a simple, honest man, but today he was truly enraged.

Zhao Wenjie’s words were the last straw that broke the camel’s back, solidifying Yu Dong’s resolve.

He took a deep breath and addressed the group.

"Wen Jie is right. There’s no need to show them any humanity."

"I know... some of you in our team can’t stomach this. You’re good people, all of you my good brothers. But my brothers... our mercy shouldn’t be wasted on criminals like these. It should be saved for people who are more deserving of our help!"

"If we trade their lives for the creation of a zombie virus vaccine, we can save the people we care about. We can live to see the day the apocalypse ends, and then we can get married, have children... and build a beautiful future together on this land."

"Achieving that future will require sacrifices. But it’s not just our people who have to make them. These goddamn scumbags... their only value to this world is to become lab rats at the research institute!"

"They don’t deserve to be treated as human!"

"Send them to the research institute! I will take full responsibility for any and all consequences!"