Chapter 55: Robbery, an Unexpected Surprise

Jiang Si and the others discussed a strategy: when the two steamships approached, she and Qin Shen would each board one of them. The rest would stay behind on the yacht to defend against any attackers.

Jiang Si and Qin Shen were the most skilled fighters—they were agile and strong, giving them the best chance to stop the enemy from fleeing with the ships.

The two steamships circled around them with steel chains and secured the yacht in the middle.

Through the observation port, Jiang Si spotted at least twenty men on the steamships. Aside from the two leaders, none of them appeared to be armed with guns.

Their plan was simple: if they took out the two leaders, the others wouldn’t pose much of a threat.

The two steamships slowly drew closer—but no one disembarked.

Jiang Si strained to hear what they were saying, but Qin Shen, with his sharper hearing, whispered:

“They’re convinced we’ve been poisoned to death. They’re waiting for the sun to dry out the toxins on the yacht before boarding.”

If they hadn’t had oxygen tanks and gas masks, that sinister plan might have worked.

Jiang Si’s expression turned cold. She told everyone,

“Eat something and conserve your strength. As soon as both ships close in completely, we strike back.”

“Understood.”

Shen Baoying passed around the sesame sugar pastries she had made the night before. Their rich, sweet flavor quickly restored everyone’s energy.

Dahei and Xiaohei quietly ate their dog food, then lay down obediently by Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying’s feet. Their sharp ears were alert—always listening for enemy movement.

They waited in tense silence. By the next day, the long-lost sun finally came out—but there was still no movement from the enemy.

They were being extremely cautious—probably wary of the Poison Guava’s lingering effects, and perhaps not fully convinced their targets were dead.

So the stalemate dragged on for several more days. The rising heat and bright sunshine evaporated all moisture from the yacht.

Suddenly, Dahei picked up on a faint sound. He scratched at Jiang Linhai’s leg, signaling a warning.

Jiang Si looked closely and saw that people were starting to appear on the steamship decks.

From her days of observation, she had estimated that one steamship held at least 18 people, and the other around 12.

The ships crept ever closer. Their hulls collided with the yacht, sending a tremor through the deck. Everyone tensed up, gripping their weapons tightly.

They had practiced shooting before, but firing at alligators and garfish in the water was nothing like pointing a gun at a human.

Shen Baoying was pale and sweating, while Niuniu’s whole body trembled.

Lu Zhifeng had hoped to shield Niuniu from the world’s cruelty for a bit longer—but now realized that would only make it harder for her to adapt and survive.

He gently reassured her,

“Don’t be afraid.”

Niuniu gave a pitiful smile, then remembered her earlier brave words:

“Niuniu’s not scared. Niuniu will shoot and kill the bad guys!”

To hear such violent words from a child in this apocalypse was both heartbreaking and oddly comforting—a grim reflection of the world they now lived in.

Five men in raincoats, gloves, boots, and hats climbed down from the steamships.

They used chains to bind the steamships to the yacht. Jiang Si and Qin Shen exchanged a glance.

Qin Shen, gun in hand, opened the cabin door, kicking three men straight into the water, then quickly fired two shots, taking down the remaining two.

The pirates on the ships were completely shocked. They hadn’t expected anyone to be alive.

The two leaders were even more stunned to realize that Qin Shen still had a gun.

As they reached for their weapons, Jiang Si, aiming through the observation port, fired—

“Bang!”
—headshot, killing one of them instantly.

As the man collapsed, another pirate reached for the dropped pistol, but Jiang Si shot again—

“Bang!”
—blasting the gunman’s hand apart.

On the second ship, the leader instantly realized that this ambush had backfired.

He crouched low, shouting for his men to unhook the chains linking them to the yacht while trying to retreat into the cabin.

Jiang Si didn’t give him the chance—

“Bang!”
—she shot him in the thigh.

He screamed in pain. His subordinates panicked and scrambled to unlock the chains, leaving him behind.

Jiang Si turned to Jiang Chengwu and the others:

“All yours.”

“Got it!”

Qin Shen leapt onto the deck of one steamship. Two men rushed at him with machetes, but—

“Bang! Bang!”
—Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Chengwu shot them dead before they got close.

Meanwhile, with cover from Jiang Linhai, Jiang Si jumped onto the other steamship.

Gun in hand, she faced a group of stunned men. Seeing she was a woman, they hesitated—but soon lunged at her with knives.

“Bang!”

Jiang Linhai shot one. Jiang Si kicked another, sending him flying. The rest of the crew was quickly overwhelmed by their coordinated assault.

Qin Shen had entered the cabin of the other steamship—but no one was visible.

When Jiang Si stepped into the same cabin—

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

A sharp-eyed woman opened fire, bullets whizzing by.

Jiang Si dodged and ducked behind cover. She could hear the woman approaching.

Jiang Si aimed by sound—

“Bang!”
—bullet to the heart.

The woman collapsed. As Jiang Si stepped in, she noticed the dying woman glaring at her, full of resentment and helplessness.

“Bang!”
Jiang Si ended her suffering and moved on.

Further in, two doors suddenly burst open—two men attacked from both sides, kicking at her simultaneously.

Jiang Si struck one with her elbow and spun into a side-kick, smashing into the other’s head.

Before she could catch her breath, two more men emerged, this time holding a girl, around ten years old.

They pleaded,

“Don’t kill us! Please! We surrender!”

The girl cried out,

“Big sister! Big sister! Hug me! Please!”

Jiang Si froze briefly—then saw it coming.
The girl was thrown at her as a human shield, and a sharp axe flew toward her.

Jiang Si caught the girl and twisted away, barely dodging the axe.

But just as she thought she was safe, the trembling girl revealed a hidden blade and slashed at Jiang Si’s throat:

“I’ll avenge my parents!”

Jiang Si reacted instantly—smacking the girl to the ground, then grabbed the axe and dispatched the remaining enemies in just a few strikes.

The girl lay on the floor, glaring at Jiang Si with pure hatred.

If left alive, she would become a deadly threat in the future.

In another life, Jiang Si might have hesitated—let fate decide.

But there were no second chances in this apocalypse.

She would never let any threat—even a child—harm her family.

“Bang!”

Jiang Si shot her without an ounce of guilt.

Once every person aboard was dead, Jiang Si began searching the cabin.

The harvest was tremendous.

She found:

• Grains: rice, millet, flour
• Canned goods, instant noodles, dried fruit—all long-lasting food supplies
• A stash of gasoline and diesel under a bed
• In the ship’s cargo hold—several tons of coal

But the most surprising find was in the back room of the ship:

A milking goat, and a pregnant wild boar.