Welcome to the Wasteland - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Execution

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Mister Policeman, you were unconscious for about 36 hours.” The white man’s words made Zhou Qingfeng feel slightly better. He made a mental calculation—the time now was about 6 a.m. on August 4th, 2030. There were about 12 hours before the Catastrophe.

“How’s the situation outside?” The memory of his ongoing feud with the police and kidnappers abruptly returned to Zhou Qingfeng.

“I don’t know. I didn’t dare go out. I saw those kidnappers killing people, so I could only hide and wait for police reinforcements. I didn’t see anyone else in the last two days except for you.” The white man could not provide Zhou Qingfeng with any information about the situation outside.

Zhou Qingfeng did indeed feel that his mind was working faster compared to before. He immediately made a mental list of the problems he had to deal with. Aside from his plans for the robot dog Dog Meat, the lab was another thing that he had to acquire right now.

Manhattan would be the part of New York that was hit the hardest by the effects of the Catastrophe. Illegal immigrants and residents of the lowest circles would migrate here en masse, hoping to acquire riches from this prosperous land. The area would soon be destroyed, reduced to an unsalvageable state, which of course included this hospital. 

“I need to transfer all the lab apparatus to a safe place as soon as possible.” Zhou Qingfeng had a vague plan in his mind, but he had to deal with the immediate troubles first.

Zhou Qingfeng found some devices complementing the armband computer, including a charger and an in-ear voice control unit. After packing up the things, he quickly gave the white man instructions on how to escape the hospital. The white man could leave, but he could not. It was already the second day of the kidnapping; the police were still surrounding the hospital.

One option for Zhou Qingfeng was to barricade the door with some furniture and then think of a way to weather the next 12 hours until the police dispersed before leaving.

“12 hours. 12 hours. That bastard Tony Parker has probably gone to nab the robot dog while I’m here wasting time.” Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the armband computer he had just acquired. There was nothing much else for him to do but read some of the material Professor Alenzo had left behind to pass the time.

While Zhou Qingfeng settled down, the kidnappers led by Locke were facing yet another problem. After a 36-hour long standoff, the Fox Conglomerate finally agreed to pay the ransom. The police also agreed to let Locke and his gang leave as long as they did not harm Miss Leila Fox.

As a renowned individual in the upper crust of the United States, Leila Fox felt completely exhausted. Even though she tried to stay calm, having her life threatened during the course of 36 hours had depleted all her energy.

After the chaos Zhou Qingfeng stirred up during the first day, nothing else of note happened in the hospital. The noblewoman was beginning to doubt if she could get out of there.

The door was thrown open with a bang, and the gang leader Locke walked in. He said in an impossibly giddy voice, “The board of your conglomerate has sent me a message. Not only did they acquire the rights to the conglomerate’s supercomputer, but they had also spent a day to confirm that the corporation’s accounts are complete and all in place.

“The Fox Conglomerate has agreed to pay us the ransom. I can take the money to an island in the Caribbean and spend the rest of my life there. The beautiful Miss Fox, now it’s time you ascended and met God. Hahaha…!”

“Congratulations!” Leila Fox spat coldly. She forced herself to take deep breaths in an attempt to let herself face death with composure.

“Hahaha…” Locke turned back and said to his younger brother Raj, who was standing guard, “Kill her, take the body away, and then make a scene for the public. Let people believe that Miss Fox isn’t dead yet to buy us more time to get out of here.”

Locke left happily after issuing his orders. Only Leila Fox and Raj were left in the room. The ex-bodyguard stood up and fished out a length of rope, walking forward to kill his ex-employer with it. “Miss Fox, sorry about this! Remember to be remorseful when you meet God.”

As Raj approached Leila with a sneer on his face and raised his hands to tie the rope around her neck, Leila Fox said abruptly, “Don’t you want to know how I figured out there was something wrong with you?”

Raj froze. He paused his actions automatically. He asked gruffly, “Yeah. How did you know?”

“Because you’re as dumb as a pile of rocks!” Leila Fox pointed her open mouth at Raj. She had bitten on the hard “seed” she had hidden in the corner of her mouth. The object, no larger than the first section of her pinky finger, cracked open after it was bitten on, and a thin needle shot out of it.

Its trajectory of the needle did not travel further than a meter, but it was enough to close the short distance between her and Raj. The ex-bodyguard felt a numbness in his neck, as if he was bitten by some insect.

“What’s this?” Raj reached up to feel at his neck, but his neck had gone completely numb in an instant. He tried to cry out, but the numbness spread further and further. Soon he was reduced to a state where no sound came out of his open mouth.

The door was still open. Locke, who had left a few minutes ago, was still squealing in joy. Leila Fox reached out quickly to hold Raj’s body upright, and then she withdrew a pistol from below her arm.

“You… you… you…” Raj had already lost all feelings of his body below his neck. He could no longer move his tongue as well.

“Don’t forget. What is Fox Conglomerate’s main source of money? Did you really think that I’m a harmless kitten?” Leila Fox monitored the situation outside meticulously. She lowered Raj’s body to the floor quietly and spat, “Remember to be remorseful when you meet God.”

She put Raj’s corpse down for the final time and stepped out of the room gingerly. Her gun was already aimed at Locke’s head a few meters away, but she did not fire lest she alerted the other kidnappers.

Breathing evenly and looking composed, Leila Fox stayed calm even though her heart was beating 180 times a minute. She moved slowly. After leaving the room, she crept through the corridors to find a spot to hide in.

The area Locke was currently in was filled with his lackeys. A short while after Leila had left the room, a kidnapper yelped in surprise, “Huh, Leila Fox has escaped.”

When a chipper Locke heard the shout, he turned back immediately and heard the sounds of two bullets firing. Then he looked on in shock as Leila Fox turned and ran.

“Sh*t, how did this woman get out?” Locke ran to the room he had locked her in and was welcomed with the sight of his brother laying on the floor, lifeless. He immediately roared, “Kill her, kill her, we can’t let her get out of here!”

Following Locke’s order, all the kidnappers dashed toward the direction Leila Fox had followed as she bolted. Sounds of gunfire filled the building during the pursuit.

Leila Fox fired wildly but did not succeed in hitting a target. She could only run for her life, not turning back. In order to run faster, she even made the decision to put down her gun.

Run, run, run… Leila Fox ran from the corridor she had started from to the other end. When she reached the fire escape door at the exit and tried to push it open, she found that it was locked.

F*ck! Leila Fox kicked on the door desperately. 

Rapid footsteps were catching up to her. Then, eight kidnappers cornered Leila Fox by the fire escape. Locke, out of breath from all the running, stomped a few steps forward viciously. He snarled, “Miss Fox, you killed my brother. Unforgivable. Didn’t you want to die elegantly? I tell you, you will meet a nasty end!”

As he spoke, Locke raised his gun and aimed it at Leila. The globally famous American socialite could do nothing but shriek softly, her face deathly pale, “No…”

And then there was the loud bang of rapid gunshots.