Chapter 11
"There's a ton of stuff in there," Brother Long said, eyes gleaming. "But half isn't enough. I want everything."
"What?" my boyfriend asked, stunned. "Brother Long, we had a deal—we split it fifty-fifty."
Brother Long sneered. "A deal? With you? Who do you think you are?"
He stepped closer, his tone mocking. "You really thought I'd share just because I said so? I just needed you to lead me here."
And without warning, he slapped my boyfriend across the face—hard. The sound echoed.
Then Brother Long turned to Bai Yueguang, who was standing frozen nearby.
"This little thing's too pretty to waste on trash like you," he said with a grin. "She's mine now."
Without asking, without waiting for a reaction, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms like she was a possession.
My boyfriend lunged forward, rage flashing in his eyes—but before he could do anything, Brother Long's men grabbed him and threw him to the ground.
They didn't hold back. Fists flew, boots slammed into his ribs. Within seconds, he was bruised and bloodied, his screams filling the hallway.
Finally, he dropped to his knees before Brother Long, sobbing. "Please… please forgive me…"
Brother Long looked down at him with disdain.
"You thought you were negotiating? What a joke. If you'd groveled from the start, maybe we could've skipped the beating."
"But don't worry," he added, mock sympathy in his voice. "I'm not heartless. If there are supplies in there, I might toss you a bone—for your woman's sake. But if not…"
His voice turned cold.
"Then start praying."
At his signal, a few of his men stepped forward, axes in hand.
They took a few heavy swings at the reinforced door—but no matter how hard they hit, there wasn't even a scratch.
Frustrated, they turned to the wall and started smashing it instead.
The noise echoed loudly, too loudly.
It didn't take long before the sound stirred the undead.
Zombies in the area began shuffling toward them, drawn by the commotion, though Brother Long's men managed to hold them off—at first.
Inside, after what felt like an eternity of hammering and hacking, they finally broke through.
Only to find…
An empty room.
Not a single box. Not a crumb of food.
Nothing.
Brother Long's face darkened.
"Where's the stash?" he barked, grabbing my boyfriend by the collar and dragging him forward.
Another slap. Harder than before. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"I swear, Brother Long!" the scumbag cried. "I did stockpile stuff here! I even took pictures—look!"
He fumbled for his phone, desperation in his eyes.
But Brother Long wasn't having it.
He kicked him aside like trash, sending him sprawling across the floor.
"You think I'm a fool? Where. Are. The. Supplies?"
"I-I don't know!" he wailed, now on his knees again. "We definitely stored stuff here—tons! It must've been her! That bitch must've used some kind of trick!"
"Trick?" Brother Long laughed—sharp and humorless.
"You think this is a fantasy novel? You insulting my intelligence now?"
He turned to his men.
"Beat him. Beat him until he forgets how to lie."
And they obeyed.
The fury they unleashed had been building ever since they started swinging axes. Now that it turned out to be a wild goose chase, they vented all that frustration on him.
One of them even grabbed a wooden stool and smashed it across the boyfriend's back.
He collapsed completely, curling up, hands shielding his groin, screams rising and falling in waves. He begged for mercy, for a second chance, for anything—but no one listened.
They only stopped when they were panting from exhaustion.
It was around then that my phone rang on his end.
Still whimpering, my boyfriend shakily pulled out his phone. When he saw the caller ID, a twisted smile appeared on his battered face.
"Brother Long," he croaked, "it's her. She's the one who changed the lock. She's the one who took everything."
Brother Long's eyes sharpened.
At his nod, the boyfriend answered the call.