Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 378 - 15: The Iron Fist Council, Killed in a Hail of Bullets!

Chapter 378: Chapter 15: The Iron Fist Council, Killed in a Hail of Bullets!

Upon seeing the soldiers, expressions of distress and dismay immediately crossed the faces of the three wasteland dwellers, who started to curse softly.

To call them soldiers was almost generous, given their lax military discipline. Were it not for their uniform cotton military coats and black long military boots, anyone would take them for bandits. Likely due to their habitual display of dominance, they paid little heed to the vagabonds. Apart from three extremely cautious men who unstrapped their rifles from their chests and cast watchful gazes upon Tang Zheng and the others, the rest were talking and laughing, critiquing the female models.

"It seems that this Steel Council is quite impoverished too." Said Lu Fan, massaging his aching temples.

There were ten soldiers in the crew, each equipped with a gas mask and an AKM assault rifle. However, the firearms were nothing to brag about. Little Lolita noticed that the rifling in two of the guns had even worn out. They appeared to travel lightly with their equipment - each person carrying only three ammo pouches, without a single hand grenade. But despite this, the impoverished wasteland dwellers were green with envy at the sight of their gear, wishing that they could strip them off and put them on themselves.

Tang Zheng signaled to Qin Yan and the others to be ready for combat at any moment.

The ten soldiers stationed themselves five meters away from Tang Zheng’s group. Spreading themselves out slightly, they gripped their rifles aimed at them. Despite the lax discipline, years of combat experience had honed their skills. They knew what to do when the time came.

"Hey, Old Pavel, when did you quit hunting to become a pimp? And when are you going to let me have some fun with your wife?" A young man with yellow teeth jeered at Old Pavel, eyeing the female models as his gaze drifted over their faces and bodies. The women were only dressed in three-point swimsuits and tight protective clothing, which left their attractive figures exposed.

This man was better equipped than the others, with a handgun slung at his waist, signifying his status as a captain. He had a steel badge hanging on his chest, with a clenched fist surrounded by flames carved on it.

Little Pavel was furious to hear someone insult his mother but kept his head low in silent anger, gripping his fists tightly. He didn’t dare retaliate, afraid to provoke them and bring trouble to his family.

"Heh, Captain Ge’er, stop messing around. My old wife is too homely for you." Old Pavel handed over two bullets with a painful expression on his face. He forced a smile and said, "I didn’t catch any game today, but I’ll definitely bring you something another day."

"Ha, your wife is, indeed, a bit old. But Little Molly looks good. She’s still pure, right? Remember to save her for me." Captain Ge’er grabbed the bullets and pocketed them. He then removed his gas mask and scanned his triangular eyes over the crowd with a cold tone, "Old Pavel, have you filled these vagabonds in on the rules of the Moscow Number 12 Gathering Area?"

"Ye-yes, I have." Old Pavel was in distress. He sneaked a glance at Tang Zheng, and although their interaction had been brief, he could tell that Tang Zheng was not one to be dictated to or controlled. If Ge’er continued this way, he was going to get himself into trouble.

"Let them mutually destroy each other. And if there’s trouble, blame it on the vagabonds." Just as this thought crossed his mind, Old Pavel rejected it. The Steel Council didn’t care about your difficulties. If they found an excuse, they’d seize all your property.

All the survivors wore grim expressions. They glared hostilely at the patrol soldiers. The ones with guns were already holding them ready for action. The opposition, in return, were immediately on alert, ending their idle chatter. The sounds of guns being cocked filled the air.

"Ha, you told them?" Captain Ge’er chuckled, suddenly throwing a punch at Old Pavel that knocked him in the temples. He snorted mercilessly, "I don’t see any respect in them."

Old Pavel tumbled into the snow, not even having time to express his pain before he began trying to placate. Little Pavel tried to help him up, but Ge’er kicked him hard in the waist and sent him flying away.

This was indeed a savage and unforgiving kick. Seeing Little Pavel plunged into the snow, the female models visibly shuddered and instinctively stepped back.

Initially, Tang Zheng thought this was just an intimidation tactic. He later discovered that this was how they usually treated the residents.

"I’m tired of this BS. Each person has to pay twenty bottle caps to enter the subway. Otherwise, we’ll take two hundred bullets or ten rifles." Captain Ge’er spat out a lump of phlegm and walked over to Tang Zheng. He was initially planning to grab Tang Zheng by the chest, but after catching sight of the cold gaze behind the pitch-dark gas mask, he changed his mind and simply poked him in the chest, "You’re the leader, right? Better keep your crew in line."

All the survivors looked towards Tang Zheng. It was easy for Ge’er to identify Tang Zheng’s position and status.

"Agree to his terms." Old Pavel quickly advised Tang Zheng. He knew that Ge’er was already showing significant restraint. If they weren’t unsure of the vagabonds’ origins, they would have ambushed them already. However, Tang Zheng’s group would only be safe for at most a couple of days. Once Ge’er observed them for a few days and discerned their ethos, he would certainly come to rob them again. But by then, Old Pavel would have already received his guide fee and wouldn’t care about their fate.

"But it’s too expensive, I’m sorry, but I don’t agree." Tang Zheng suddenly raised his hands in a helpless gesture, all the while calculating rapidly in his mind whether he could finish them off in one go. They had already loaded their guns. Since the newbies were standing too close, there was nowhere to hide.