Welcome to the Wasteland - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Seizing the Clubhouse

Manhattan was a commercial district. There were fewer people who lived there and more people who worked there. Nevertheless, on that day, many people could be seen loitering around the area. They were at a loss on how to deal with the dilemma before them.

The bustling street was filled with men and women in a state of panic who had no idea what to do. Most of these people were the elites of American Society. Nevertheless, they were now fragile and unreliable.

Many of the churches in the Manhattan district had opened their doors to provide food and lodging for those stranded in the area. Nevertheless, there were millions of people present, and no charity organization could meet all their needs. Panic was beginning to stir, and the ugliness of human nature would soon be revealed on a large scale.

There was less than 10km between the Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Sacred Heart Society building. However, it took Zhou Qingfeng and Leila Fox’s motorcade more than two hours to reach their destination. The chaos they witnessed along the way made the kidnapped passengers in the vehicle wonder if they were truly at the end of the world.

When they reached the clubhouse building, the mess that had been caused by the confrontation between Zhou Qingfeng and the police earlier that day was laid right in front of their eyes. There were even a few police cars still surrounding the place. Additionally, the door that had been hit by a police armored vehicle was blocked by a barricade of furniture. Behind it was a few nervous people waiting.

“I am Leila Fox, I want to meet Mr. Patrick,” Lady Fox called out toward the clubhouse with the loudspeaker.

Shortly after, an old man with silver hair appeared from the barricade. Patrick was the New York Sacred Heart Society’s caretaker, but the usually polite old man was not about to greet his guests warmly under such circumstances. He called out from behind the barricade, “Sorry, Miss Fox. Due to the current situation, the club is temporarily closed and we can’t serve you now.”

While the old man spoke, a black shadow crept along the wall of the clubhouse and jumped over the barricade before infiltrating the building. The calm atmosphere then shifted into panic.

“Holy sh*t, there’s a dog!”

“Don’t shoot, it’s on Mr. Patrick.”

“That d*mned dog almost bit me.”

Bang… .amidst the chaos, a gunshot sounded!

The people that had begun rushing around frantically suddenly fell silent. Shortly after, the people in the club were faced with the fierce god who had fought the police earlier that day. That person had crossed the barricade and was now standing in front of them with a grim expression on his face.

“Listen here, I’m not passing by, nor am I here to negotiate. I am here to save you. I understand how to survive this chaos more than any of you. So listen to my commands, it’ll be beneficial for you.”

Zhou Qingfeng stepped in front of them, gazing into their eyes coldly. Eventually, those people could not bear to look at his cold face and lowered their gazes instead.

The tough Zhou Qingfeng finally walked up to Patrick. The silver-haired, old man had been thrown onto the ground by ‘Dog Meat’, and his face was filled with dissatisfaction and rage. “This is a secret clubhouse protected by American law, no one can enter without an invitation.”

Zhou Qingfeng only smiled disdainfully. At the same time, Leila Fox walked up to him. She said gently, “Mr. Patrick, I understand how you feel, but you’re not professional enough.

“You should know that the government, police, army, and finance groups have disappeared. The streets are becoming more and more chaotic. Don’t you need a strong person who can help you survive?”

The silver-haired, old man was still fuming, obviously dissatisfied with how Zhou Qingfeng had barged in. He glared at Zhou Qingfeng angrily. However, when he turned to look at Leila Fox, he softened up and said, “I’m not a cold-hearted man, but I have to protect the club’s interest. Under the current circumstances…”

The situation at hand was terrible. Not everyone had experienced trials of life and death like Zhou Qingfeng had. Not everyone was as prepared as Zhou Qingfeng for the catastrophe. Faced with such a desperate situation, the people in the club needed support.

“Alright, I’ll agree to let you two into the clubhouse.” The panic in the clubhouse made Patrick compromise with them. However, he still wanted to uphold some authority, “But you must abide by the clubhouse management rules.”

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head and said, “Put your rules aside, they’re suitable for times of peace. But now… war is coming. You have to act according to my rules.”

“No, that won’t do! The New York Sacred Heart Society is a meeting place for the upper-class society of the United States. We have been established for more than a hundred years, and I have also worked there for more than 40 years. I can’t just hand the club over to you.”

Patrick shook his head fervently, he knew that Zhou Qingfeng was trying to seize absolute control over the clubhouse, so he was unwilling to agree. This made Zhou Qingfeng press his hand against his holster impatiently.

“No! Victor, don’t be like this.” Leila Fox reached out her hand to stop Zhou Qingfeng. She said to the old man, “Mr. Patrick, we’ve known each other for a long time. You’ve served me ever since I was a little girl. I know you have a lot of management experience, but now I hope you can recognize the reality of the situation.

“We’re not here with the intention of depriving you of your power, we just want more people to have a chance at survival. If you stick to the clubhouse like this, you’ll indeed be able to guarantee them temporary safety, but what will happen after a few days? Have you thought about how long your subordinates will be able to hold on to hope if the police never come back?”

“For how long will they be able to hold on? Look at the streets that are packed with troubled crowds; trouble may overwhelm the clubhouse at any time.”

Leila Fox’s words stunned Mr. Patrick for a while. The 70-year-old man sighed several times. Finally, he started crying and said, “This must be God’s punishment for our sins!”

When he saw that Patrick’s demeanor had softened, Zhou Qingfeng stopped persecuting him. Nevertheless, he still needed the old man to calm the people’s hearts. So he asked, “Tell me, who else is in the club?”

The old man slumped down on a couch in the main hall feebly and wept as he said, “Our building has around 100 rooms, four dining halls, two bars, and over hundreds of servers. We’ve always tried our best to ensure that every guest who enters the club gets to enjoy the best experience. Therefore, we have more than 300 excellent employees.

“Many police officers had been here investigating and collecting evidence in the clubhouse this afternoon. Their sudden disappearance frightened everyone present.

“We quickly learned from various media sources that the police in all parts of the United States and even the world had disappeared, and so had officials, soldiers, and rich people.

“That’s right, there were rich people too. There were originally more than 30 distinguished guests in the clubhouse, but they all disappeared. Faced with the unimaginable situation, we didn’t know whom to turn to for help.

“The 300 service staff in the clubhouse also began to worry about their families. In just a few hours, fewer than 30 service staff members were left under my supervision.”

“Ask them all to come out here, I need to record their identities.” Zhou Qingfeng needed to know how many people he could use.

28 staff members appeared in front of Zhou Qingfeng. They were all single youngsters without any concerns. 18 of them were women while 10 of them were men. Among them were five cooks, one security guard, three handymen, and 19 people that managed the guest rooms and bar.

On another note, all the women who worked in the club were pretty, young, and beautiful. They each had their own style! However, faced with such a large catastrophe, those women who were beautiful would only cause trouble!