Seeing the change in expression on the Salvation Army leader's face downstairs, the young girls beside Song Min all felt somewhat anxious. But indeed, they didn't know the whereabouts of Li Yu and the others.
Behind Song Min, there were also a few people, including Teacher Liu, who had joined recently. They didn't know where Li Yu and the others were either.
Song Min looked at the leader of the Salvation Army and said, "We don't have much contact with them. They seem to be in the northern part of the city."
Song Min actually knew that Li Yu and his group were actually in the south; she had seen the direction they left in was towards the Southern area.
After all, the fact that Song Min and her group had survived until now was because Li Yu had saved them. Song Min had a clear sense of gratitude in her heart, and repaying kindness with enmity was not something she should do.
So, when faced with these inquiries from the Salvation Army, it was better to give a false answer to placate them rather than not responding at all, which would certainly provoke their wrath.
The Salvation Army members downstairs, having heard Song Min's answer, did not seem too hung up about it.
Their more important business was to sign agreements with these groups and set terms for periodic protection fees.
The money captain of the Salvation Army got down from the top of the vehicle, walked over to the door, and said, "About the conditions I discussed with you earlier, how have you considered them? We are quite reasonable, and we also take into full account your actual capabilities before setting such a standard."
It sounded reasonable, but if they agreed to the terms set by the Salvation Army, then 70% of what Song Min and her group harvested would have to be handed over to them!
This would mean they were essentially collecting for them! With just the remaining 30%, they couldn't possibly support so many people, especially with food already in short supply.
Song Min, looking at the pressing Salvation Army, felt a surge of anger within her and wanted to fight it out with them right then and there.
There were about forty people on the opposing side, while Song Min's group only had about a dozen, and most of them were women.
Song Min hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed to the Salvation Army's terms.
The money captain of the Salvation Army looked at Song Min with a somewhat mocking gaze and said, "Starting from next month, we will come to collect the protection fee you'll pay. If you back out, be prepared to face the consequences!"
As he spoke, the smile at the corner of his mouth was filled with mocking undertones.
After saying these things, the people drove away from the small building, and Song Min and the others watched them leave.
The chubby boy beside Song Min asked worriedly, "Sister Song, what do we do now? According to their demands, we have to provide them with those supplies next month,
basically, we'll be cleaned out giving them everything! And the month after that, and the following months, we'll have to pay every month. Can we really do this?"
Song Min shook her head, bit her lower lip, and said, "It's going to be tough!"
Teacher Liu behind her also spoke with concern, "Luckily, they didn't just burst in earlier, otherwise we would have been finished."
Having been in this post-apocalyptic world for a while, Teacher Liu knew all too well, that women like them were easy targets for some scum... in this day and age, strength was the most important.
"We could just die then!" Hearing Teacher Liu's words, one of the younger girls beside Song Min spoke up.
"Right, we're not afraid of anything. If they dare to come up here, we'll fight them to the death," said the youngest but most lively girl in Song Min's group, raising her fist with fury.
However, Song Min continued to watch the back of those leaving, with her worries growing even deeper.
Next month, hopefully, before then, they could meet up with Li Yu and his group.
Song Min and her group had always been unaware of the exact location of Li Yu and his group, passively waiting for contact from them every time.
Therefore, up until now, Li Yu and his group had maintained a mysterious status.
In this small team of a dozen people, Song Min and their subordinates had almost ten people. Teacher Liu had two male students and two female students.
There was also Song Qi, Song Min's younger brother, so Song Qi had a somewhat special status in this team, serving as a bond between the two sides, playing the role of a glue.
This Song Qi, after encountering Li Yu and his group last time, instantly became a hardcore fan of Li Yu. He kept urging Song Min to join Li Yu's group.
Song Min had actually thought about joining Li Yu's group earlier as well, but since Li Yu didn't invite them, Song Min felt it inappropriate to ask.
If they were rejected, and it became awkward later, preventing Li Yu from contacting them again, that wouldn't be the outcome Song Min wanted.
Among Teacher Liu's students, the two male students were especially despised by the two female students because they ran away earlier and did not stay to fight with Teacher Liu and the others.
Song Qi also found them very unpleasant, which made Song Min and their group look at these two men with little friendliness, but after all, they were in the same place, so a surface level of peace was maintained.
Song Min frowned and then asked the chubby one beside her to keep watch on the rooftop, to see if they could spot Li Yu's group coming.
"Sis, if they come, let's just join them directly. They seem like decent people, and they saved us last time! We're not strong enough on our own, we definitely need to join a powerful group to avoid being bullied by others. Today it's this Salvation Army, it could be someone else another day."
"Besides, they have guns! Sis, why don't you just bring it up when they come?" Song Qi was by her side, pulling on Song Min's arm, persuading her.
Song Min was somewhat moved by the idea, but it also had to be something the others were willing to do.
Li Yu at the base, smoking on the balcony, sneezed three times in quick succession.
"Who's talking about me..." Li Yu muttered to himself.
He had almost choked on his cigarette just now, so he picked up a cup of water from the table beside the rattan chair to moisten his throat.
The mountains were shrouded and the rain was peculiar; several days had passed since Qingming Festival. It had been clear for two days, but now it had started raining again. On the surface of the lake at Mountain Pond Lake in the base, a layer of mist rose, complementing the lush green mountains, absolutely beautiful.
During this time, Li Yu was very relaxed.
The sloppy girl in the base also began to try handling firearms, with Li Yu teaching her personally.
Unexpectedly, she showed a strong talent for shooting. It had already been noticed when she used Crossbow; her aiming was quick and accurate.
That day was just the start of teaching the sloppy girl to use guns, and she was learning at a rate three times faster than the average person.
It didn't take long for the sloppy girl to begin live-fire practice...
Lately, it has often rained since the apocalypse began, the rainfall has increased a lot.
Originally, the area where Li Yu was located already had high annual rainfall, but after the apocalypse, it became even greater. Whenever it rained, the zombies would go mad.
At night, zombies would move, when it rained, zombies would go crazy.
This had become a common understanding. To ensure everyone's safety, Li Yu had recently not allowed anyone to go out.
Moreover, after encountering the group from the Salvation Army, those more than forty strong individuals, Li Yu wasn't afraid of them. What he was worried about was that, apart from the Salvation Army, there might be other groups after them.
During this time, nobody from the base went out, so the atmosphere inside the base was pretty good.
Although occasionally the rain would get heavier, it had not yet formed a Zombie Tide, which gave everyone a sigh of relief.