Chapter 276 - 212: Home

Chapter 276: Chapter 212: Home

The onlookers from Li Village watched, their hearts pounding in fear. Gasps of "So that’s Zhao Wendong!" rippled through the crowd. Li Daya sucked in a sharp breath. ’So this is Zhao Wendong’s influence in the Commune,’ he thought. ’It’s truly terrifying. Even the young men from my own village listen to him, striking down their own people without mercy.’

"Brother Dong, the more I look, the angrier I get. Why don’t we just burn their house down?"

Seeing that Zhao Wendong showed no reaction, Li Bing narrowed his eyes and made the suggestion directly. Losing your house in the dead of winter was basically a death sentence. The moment he said it, Li Heihu couldn’t take it anymore. He scrambled to his knees and started kowtowing, begging for mercy.

"Bingzi! Brother Dong! Please, spare us! We’ll never dare to do it again!"

Just as Zhao Wendong was about to speak, Zhao Damei finally couldn’t hold on any longer.

CLANG—!

"Sis!"

Zhao Ergou scrambled over to check on Zhao Damei. Lin Zhiyin and Liu Xiufen rushed over as well. After a moment, Liu Xiufen’s tone relaxed as she called out.

"She’s alright! She’s probably just weak from hunger, but she’s conscious."

Zhao Wendong scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling Li Heihu and the sprawled-out members of the Li Family. He then turned to Li Bing with a slight smile.

"Brother, I’m going to take my sister home first. Can I leave this to you?"

"You got it, Brother Dong! Just tell me what you want done!"

Li Bing thumped his chest without hesitation. He was a key card in Brother Dong’s hand and would die to complete the task he’d been given.

"Smash up their house. If it’s a thing, smash it. Don’t even leave them a cooking pot."

"That’s it?"

Hearing Zhao Wendong’s command, Li Bing and the other thugs from Li Village were all stunned. They had thought Zhao Wendong would want to wipe out the Li Family, or at least break all their arms and legs. They had even prepared for the worst and were already figuring out who would take the fall for it.

"Smash it all!"

Li Bing shouted the command and led the charge, grabbing a stool and smashing Li Heihu’s kerosene lamp with one blow. The others immediately followed his lead. Amidst the CRASHING and BANGING, Zhao Damei was wrapped up tightly in blankets, and her two children were bundled in several layers as well. Zhao Wenwu carried Zhao Damei on his back while Lin Zhiyin and the others carried the children, and they all headed for the door.

Seeing them about to leave, the people from Li Village instantly parted, clearing a path down the middle. Zhao Sanwa, reaching the doorway, seemed to remember something. He ran over to the rice crock, retrieved the fish that he and Er Gouzi had brought, and clutched them in his arms. As he passed Li Heihu’s mother, he "accidentally" stepped on her face.

Zhao Wendong took the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle from Zhao Weiguo, racked the bolt, and aimed at Li Heihu’s bowl rack. He let loose a full magazine. Everyone flinched, startled by his action. After the burst of gunfire, they looked at the bowl rack. It was completely shot to pieces, teetering for a moment before crashing to the ground. The pots, bowls, and ladles inside shattered across the floor. No one had expected Zhao Wendong to be so audacious, opening fire just like that. Many of them were mentally calculating the cost. ’Just that one burst must have cost several yuan.’

"Captain Li, I’m taking them with me now. If the mother and children are unharmed, we can let this be. But if anything is wrong with any of the three of them, I’ll be back to settle the score with this family. How does that sound?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Li Daya nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grain. All he wanted was to send this terrifying man on his way as quickly as possible. ’He seemed so polite at the Commune last time,’ he thought, ’I never imagined he had such a brutal, tyrannical side.’ On the ground, the members of the Li Family, who had been playing dead, felt their backsides clench. They began to pray fervently that nothing would happen to Zhao Damei.

"We’re heading out, brothers."

Zhao Wendong waved to Bingzi and his men. They all immediately stopped what they were doing to wave goodbye, and Li Bing shouted another guarantee.

"Brother Dong, don’t worry! I guarantee not a single thing in this house will be left in one piece!"

After shouting his promise, Li Bing smashed a stool against the window, shattering it. A blast of cold wind immediately blew in. Zhao Wendong was concerned for Zhao Damei’s safety; getting her home and taking care of her was more important than anything else right now. He simply nodded at them.

"If you need anything, come find me at Dragon King Pond!"

With that, he turned and left. Behind him, the PINGING and PANGING of destruction erupted once more. The villagers of Li Village watched as Zhao Wendong’s officer-style wool overcoat disappeared into the large truck. They watched it drive away until it vanished from sight. Then, they turned to look back at Li Heihu’s wrecked home, at Li Bing and the others who had turned traitor, and at the Li Family, beaten and lying miserably on the ground, looking less than human. Everyone stared at each other, momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

Only one word could describe what everyone was feeling: badass. On this day, the image of a young man in a wool overcoat, a mink-fur hat, and black leather gloves would be forever seared into their minds, impossible to forget for the rest of their lives. His domineering and decisive nature, his casual yet strategic confidence, and his aura of complete control—it all left an indelible mark. For many of the young women from Li Village who had come to watch the spectacle, it felt as if they were suddenly falling in love for the first time.

The truck sped towards Dragon King Pond. In the truck bed, Zhao Ergou wore a relaxed smile.

"Brother San, for a minute there, I really thought I’d never see you guys again."

Zhao Wendong patted his head, his own expression showing a trace of lingering fear. Looking back at the situation, if they had been even a little bit slower, the consequences would have been unimaginable. ’Thank goodness for Niu Yuesheng’s truck,’ he thought. ’In an era where everything moves slowly, a vehicle is just too useful.’

"If you ever run into a situation like this again, get yourself out first. We can figure out a new plan after you’re safe. Don’t put yourself in danger like that."

"Mm, I know, Brother San. Sis will be okay, right?"