54: Village meeting

"Dong, dong, dong—"

The village's broken bell began to toll.

This was the signal for all the villagers to gather.

Strong Ox and his lackeys spread the news that their Big Brother had taken over Xiaohe Village to every household.

Upon learning that the tyrannical Village Chief had been killed by Strong Ox, everyone was overjoyed.

"Oh, that scourge oppressed us for so many years; he's finally been dealt with!"

"The taxes in other villages are at the national legal rate, but our village paid two or three times more. He really treated us like leeks to be harvested at will!"

"The Village Chief gave everyone high-interest loans, and the compound interest forced so many families into ruin. We've finally gotten our revenge!"

"Exactly! He forced the Village Flower to marry him and stole Dazhuang's sweetheart. He was always greedy for more!"

"Wasn't that girl who died before tortured to death by his first wife?"

...In less than an hour, the square at the east end of the village was packed with thousands of residents.

The Village Chief's corpse was hung from a large tree.

The crowd pelted it with stones and eggs.

The scene was as lively as watching a grand opera during the New Year.

It had been a long time since they felt so vindicated!

Some people even started setting off firecrackers.

"Crack! Pop! Bang!"

It was very festive.

Amidst the crowd, the Little Security Guard questioned Strong Ox beside him.

"It's not the New Year, so why are they setting off firecrackers?"

Dazhuang said, "Big Brother, you might not know, but that man's daughter was forced into marriage by the Village Chief and later tortured to death by his first wife."

"He tried to report it to the authorities, but he was captured halfway by the Village Chief's men and locked in a cellar for two or three years."

"After killing the Village Chief, my boys went to raid his house and found him in the cellar where the Village Chief stored sweet potatoes!"

"If it weren't for Big Brother's kindness, everyone would have thought this man had simply vanished!"

The man could be heard crying and laughing at the same time.

"Daughter, someone has avenged you."

"The Heavens have finally opened their eyes!"

"They sent a Big Brother to kill that Village Chief who deserved a thousand cuts."

"Now your father can die in peace!"

"Old woman, you were hounded to death by the Village Chief. When I meet you in the afterlife, I'll finally have something to tell you!"

After saying this, he went up to the platform and kowtowed to Big Brother in gratitude.

The Little Security Guard quickly ordered Strong Ox to help him up.

The neighbors sighed as they remembered how beautiful and lovely his daughter had been and how happy their family once was, only to be ruined now.

Strong Ox said, "Big Brother, we seized a large amount of grain from the Village Chief's house."

"My boys and I discussed it and decided to give half to the villagers and offer the other half to you."

"Later, I'll have the young men transport the grain to your home."

"As long as you protect our village, we will be your grain base from now on."

At that moment, hundreds of young men carried out thousands of bags of grain, piling them up in the square like a small mountain.

Seeing that Strong Ox had gained power, the village's young men all came to join him.

The youth squad organized by Strong Ox expanded from a dozen people to several hundred.

The Little Security Guard was delighted; heh, this trip wasn't in vain.

Looking around, he saw the thousands of villagers below staring blankly at the grain, salivating.

If the Little Security Guard hadn't been there to keep order, they would have rushed forward to snatch it.

The Little Security Guard asked doubtfully, "Is there enough grain left for your village to eat?"

Strong Ox hesitated for a moment. "Since the start of the Apocalypse, I've heard the cities have been taken over by zombies."

"We're in a rural area far from the city, so there are fewer zombies, but they aren't non-existent."

"Panic has spread through the village, so everyone tries not to go out and just eats their stored food."

"However, most of the grain was taken by the Village Chief, so the supplies won't last long."

"The summer grain isn't ready for harvest yet; we're right in the middle of a food shortage!"

The Little Security Guard said, "Forget it, forget it. Distribute it to the people and use it to win their hearts!"

"As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about firewood."

"As long as there are people to work, they can provide me with a steady stream of grain in the future."

Strong Ox was overjoyed.

The Village Chief had snatched grain away, not hesitating to use violent robbery.

Originally, he wanted to use this grain to win over Big Brother and get him to provide protection for Xiaohe Village, essentially like paying protection money.

He hadn't expected that Big Brother wouldn't be greedy.

I'm definitely sticking with this Big Brother.

"Big Brother, won't you suffer a huge loss then?"

The Little Security Guard laughed. "We need to take a long-term view."

"I'm not lacking this bit of grain. As long as people survive and are willing to accept your leadership, it'll be the same if they produce more grain for me later."

Strong Ox said, "What? You want me to lead? Aren't you here, Big Brother? With you around, I'm just here to hold your horse and stirrups and run errands."

Strong Ox's little scheme was that he hoped Big Brother would stay here to keep things under control.

The Little Security Guard said, "I'm used to being free and easy; I don't like being tied down by mundane affairs."

"You manage the village for me and produce plenty of grain."

"If there's danger, have the youth patrol team handle it first. If they can't, then come find me at Bright Moon Villa."

He described the location of Bright Moon Villa.

Strong Ox said, "I will follow your orders, Big Brother."

The two walked onto the high platform, and the square immediately fell silent.

Everyone looked up, admiring Big Brother's presence.

Strong Ox stepped forward and spoke loudly to the crowd below, "Fellow villagers, the Village Chief collected heavy taxes, gave out high-interest loans, snatched wives and daughters, and committed countless evil deeds."

"Since the Apocalypse began, he even resorted to murder and robbery, oppressing the people and causing great public outrage."

"Now, a Boss has descended from the heavens to uphold justice. He led our youth squad to kill the Village Chief and his lackeys, saving the thousands of villagers in Xiaohe Village from their misery."

"I propose that we all honor this young man—who is talented, skilled in martial arts, noble in character, and warm-hearted—as the Boss of our Xiaohe Village."

"Does everyone agree?"

The Little Security Guard thought to himself, 'Huh? Since when did I become so grand and noble?'

Everyone had already heard of the Little Security Guard's heroic deeds and admired him.

A chorus of cheers erupted from below the platform.

However, a shifty-looking young villager was still a bit skeptical and stepped forward. "Dazhuang, we've only heard that this young man's martial arts are superb, but some of us still don't believe it."

"This young man is just like the youths in our village—one head, two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two hands, and two feet. How could he kill so many people?"

Everyone was taken aback.

They had only heard about the killings; they hadn't seen them firsthand.

If they said Dazhuang killed someone, it would be somewhat believable.

Dazhuang's body was as tall as a mountain and as strong as a bear.

Compared to him, the Little Security Guard looked like a skinny monkey.

Hearing the old man's words, the Little Security Guard understood that if he didn't show off a skill today, he wouldn't be able to win them over.

However, he couldn't show too much.

His true strength was a core secret, and there was no need to let too many outsiders know.

The Little Security Guard pointed at the grain in front of him. "How many bags of this grain can you carry?"

The young man said, "Hehe, one bag of this grain is at least 100 catties."

"With my build, I can carry one bag."

"As for Brother Dazhuang, he can carry five."

The Little Security Guard said, "Fine, today I'll let you see my strength."

Standing in place, he said, "Start piling the grain on me!"

The young man laughed. "I'm not trying to be mean, but I reckon with your frame, you can carry one bag at most, and you'd better be careful it doesn't crush you."

Dazhuang scolded, "Are you looking for a beating? Don't be disrespectful to Big Brother."

The Little Security Guard laughed. "It's fine. With so many people here, he's certainly not the only one thinking that."

"Just pile the grain on me and see how many bags I can carry."

With a wave of Dazhuang's hand, several young men began carrying the grain bags and walking toward the platform..."}],