49: Chapter 49 He just has a grudge against your management.

The aroma of the roasted meat did not disperse.

The wind blew down from the mountainside, continuously filling the rock crevice with that greasy, charred fragrance.

Zhao Na's stomach let out a wretched rumble. She bent over, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

No one spoke.

Everyone was looking at the Karst Cave above.

Lin Fan had already taken Song Ya and retreated back into the cave, but that wisp of cooking smoke was still there, curling out of the cave entrance, more stimulating to people than any words.

The silence lasted for about two minutes.

Xiao Zhou, a programmer from the technical department, spoke up first.

"I want to go up."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the oppressive rock crevice, everyone heard it clearly.

Wang Qiang was the first to jump up: "What did you say?"

Xiao Zhou didn't look at him. He squatted on the ground, hugging his knees, his eye sockets sunken, and his lips dry and peeling.

He looked at the patches of blood on the ground that hadn't been cleaned up yet, his voice hoarse.

"I want to go seek refuge with Lin Fan."

"Are you crazy?" Wang Qiang pointed right at his nose. "That punk Lin Fan doesn't even buy President Su's account. Who do you think you are? Do you think he'll give you the time of day if you go up there?"

Xiao Zhou slowly raised his head and glanced at Wang Qiang.

That gaze was very calm, so calm that it made Wang Qiang's heart creep out.

"Brother Qiang, Lin Fan doesn't give President Su the time of day because President Su exploited him in the past."

"But I didn't."

"When we were at the company, I never scolded him or ordered him around. It's hard to say whether he recognizes me, but at least he has no reason to hate me."

"He only has a grudge against you management, but he has no grudge against me."

These few sentences gave the few people nearby a sudden enlightenment.

The young girl from the Administrative Department squatting nearby immediately chimed in: "I've never offended Lin Fan either... I haven't even spoken to him more than a few times."

"Me too. At the company, I couldn't even be bothered to speak to such an intern. Because I looked down on him back then, I didn't offend him either."

"That's right, the one who bullied him was Wang Qiang, and the one who scolded him was also Wang Qiang. What does that have to do with us?"

As soon as those last words came out, Wang Qiang's face turned directly green.

"You guys..."

He was choked up and couldn't say a word.

Su Qingxue leaned against the stone wall. She could hear that this group of people wasn't discussing whether to go or not, but rather finding an excuse for themselves so they wouldn't be rejected if they went.

Once this logical chain was established, she wouldn't be able to stop them anymore.

"Everyone calm down," Su Qingxue spoke up. "Rescue will arrive at any moment. If you run over there now, when my rescue people come..."

"President Su," Xiao Zhou interrupted her. There was no malice in his tone, even carrying a hint of guilt. "Eight people froze to death last night."

He reached out and pointed outside the cave entrance.

"Old Zhao and Sister Liu wanted to go up and fell to their deaths, but they were climbing in a rainstorm. Now the wind has stopped, and the path can be seen clearly."

"You said rescue would come, and I believe you. But what if it comes tomorrow? What if it comes the day after tomorrow? If I freeze for another night tonight, I won't be able to hold on."

"We're just working stiffs. Please give us a chance to survive, okay?"

Su Qingxue opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"I'm going with Xiao Zhou." The young girl from the Administrative Department stood up.

"Count me in." Another boy from the technical department also stood up.

Zhao Na had been squatting in the corner without saying a word, her eyes rolling around a few times.

She looked at Su Qingxue, then looked at the Karst Cave above, and finally gritted her teeth and stood up as well.

"Sister Na, are you leaving too?" A female colleague nearby grabbed her.

Zhao Na shook off her hand and squeezed out an ugly smile: "Your sister here is so hungry her womb is about to stick to her spine. If I stay any longer, I really will have to roast and eat myself."

Zhang Tao had been cowering in the crowd without expressing his stance. He stole a glance at Li Bin.

Li Bin was also looking at him.

The two looked at each other for a second, and Li Bin shook his head slightly.

The meaning of that head shake was very clear: don't go, the influence of the Su Family is too great, you can't afford to gamble.

Zhang Tao hesitated for three seconds, finally gritted his teeth, and took a step forward.

"Taozi!" Li Bin hissed in a low voice.

Zhang Tao didn't look back. His thoughts were very simple: no matter how awesome Su Zhenbang was, his rescue ship wasn't here right now anyway.

But his stomach was really, truly hungry.

"I'm going too." Zhang Tao walked over to Xiao Zhou's side.

Li Bin's face twitched for a moment, then immediately returned to calm.

He scooted his butt closer to Su Qingxue's side and whispered: "President Su, I'm staying."

Su Qingxue didn't respond.

The people in the rock crevice began to automatically split into two factions.

Those who wanted to leave numbered around a dozen, mainly consisting of lower-level employees and their family members.

Those who wanted to stay also numbered around a dozen, mostly middle managers whose interests were deeply bound with Su Qingxue, as well as old slippery foxes like Li Bin who were calculating and didn't dare to offend the Su Family.

Watching this scene, Wang Qiang trembled all over with anger.

"Fine! All of you go! A bunch of ungrateful wretches!" He pointed at Xiao Zhou and his group, his voice changing pitch. "When Elder Su's people arrive, not a single one of you will even think about getting on the boat! All of you can stay on this damn island and be savages!"

Xiao Zhou didn't even look back.

"Brother Qiang, if we can really go back, and the company suddenly loses so many people, do you think the police will come to investigate?"

Wang Qiang froze.

"Even if President Su doesn't care about us, the state will still send people to pick us up."

Xiao Zhou's voice drifted over from the wind. "The road back isn't something only President Su can walk."

This sentence was like a needle, forcefully piercing right into Wang Qiang's lungs.

He opened his mouth and couldn't close it for a long time.

The people who were leaving had already started moving outward. Zhao Na walked at the very front, stepping on slippery gravel, cautiously climbing toward the slope above.

The wind had stopped, and sunlight shone on the mountain. That life-claiming slope from last night didn't look very steep at this moment.

"Walk slowly, step firmly before taking your next step," Xiao Zhou reminded from behind.

Su Qingxue stood at the entrance of the rock crevice, watching those dozen-odd figures walk further and further away.

Her hands were trembling, and it wasn't because of the cold.

Wang Qiang leaned over and lowered his voice: "President Su, do you want me to..."

"Shut up."

Su Qingxue turned around and walked back into the depths of the rock crevice, not wanting to say another word.

The people who stayed looked at each other in dismay, the atmosphere depressed to the extreme.

Right at this moment,

Chen Jian, who hadn't said a single word from beginning to end, suddenly stood up.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused over there.

Chen Jian patted the dust off his pants and turned to look at Wang Lan...