Chapter 16: Falling Out

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After the man collapsed, the bystanders along the road screamed in terror. Murder was still one of the most horrifying crimes, after all. The Brooklyn citizens could turn a blind eye towards robberies, but homicide still carved fear in their hearts.

Noticing that he was drenched in blood, Zhou Qingfeng regained his senses and felt a strong bout of nausea. He had imagined himself eventually killing enemies in the world of Wasteland, but not now, not in this situation, not like this.

There were two days before the start of the Catastrophe. The police system would only dissolve two days later. If he was caught by the police before that happened, that would be rotten luck. If he was thrown into jail, it would be impossible to escape, and he would inevitably starve to death inside.

Zhou Qingfeng discarded the switchblade and took off his blood-soaked T-shirt. While attempting to get rid of the blood on his palms, he hurried to where Catarina had parked her car. As he arrived at the parking lot, he spotted her walking out from Target, seemingly in high spirits.

“Okay, I’ll buy two hundred thousand SS109 bullets, ten thousand .45 ones, and ten thousand bullets for the 9mm Parabellum. I also want one of the newest gauss rifles. Thank God for being able to pay in installments, or I’ll be bankrupt by now.”

Straightforward as ever, Catarina pulled the car door open. She immediately addressed Zhou Qingfeng who was sitting beside her. “Didn’t you go get burgers? And why do I smell blood?”

“I killed someone.” Zhou Qingfeng confessed immediately. As this was the first time he killed, he felt like he could not control his body. His limbs and muscles were trembling uncontrollably.

“What?” Catarina snapped, shocked. She turned to look at the direction of McDonald’s. The body on the ground and the blood flowing everywhere was a gory sight. “FUCK! What did you do, kid?”

“Can’t we leave quickly?” Zhou Qingfeng, shouted agitatedly, trying to suppress his turbulent emotions, “I don’t wanna be caught by the police.”

“Are you a serial killer or something?” Catarina growled. “I went to Target for a few minutes, and you killed someone? If you don’t want to get caught by the police, I don’t either! We’re not that chummy that we’d face the police together. Get out of my car this instant.”

“I didn’t expect to be robbed, alright? I just went for some burgers, but then someone pointed his gun at my gut! This is legitimate self-defense, okay?” Zhou Qingfeng shouted exasperatedly. “I knew that New York was chaotic, especially Brooklyn.”

“Now I understand why the McDonald’s in other cities can open their doors, while here they have iron gates and bulletproof glass windows. So people in other cities fear being robbed at night, while here robberies happen in broad daylight. And people don’t find this crazy!”

“If you were mugged just give the other dude twenty bucks. The issue can easily be solved with cash, so why did you go and kill someone? Don’t you think that you’re being too violent?” Catarina was furious as well.

“Haha! Ms. Mason, are you lecturing me for being violent? You’ve killed way more than I did. Who’s the one who ran onto the streets after midnight, kills people, and dumps the bodies into the trash bin? How can someone who does that have the right to tell me off for being too violent?”

Zhou Qingfeng was pissed. He had encountered a robbery, committed murder, and was facing an impending police chase, all for the first time, and it all happened on the same day! This was even more stressful than robbing the mafia thugs last night. He was already in a foul mood. He could not stop himself from retorting after Catarina reprimanded him.

When she heard Zhou Qingfeng airing her dirty laundry, Catarina’s expression hardened. She gave a low growl, her expression ice-cold. “Where did you get that information? How do you know what I do at night?”

“Do you want to continue trashing me for being violent? I killed someone. So what? I killed a robber. If that guy wanted to rob me, he must be prepared to accept the possibility that I’d kill him.” Zhou Qingfeng avoided her last question. He continued to glare at Catarina, trying to justify his murder.

Police sirens were sounding from afar. The safety in Brooklyn was the worst in New York. The police here were also exceptionally brutal. Some busybody must have made the call, causing them to arrive at the scene within so soon.

As she heard the police sirens, Catarina had no time to hesitate. She started her SUV immediately, and it zoomed out of the parking lot with a screech of tires. They left the area quickly. She cursed as she drove. “Damn it. The cameras at the crossroads might get a shot of my car, and the dots will lead them to me.”

Zhou Qingfeng sat in the passenger seat silently. He knew that Catarina planned to wash her car and change her license plate. That was the standard protocol for every crook in Brooklyn district when they ran into trouble. Unexpectedly, Catarina parked her car after passing only a few streets. She said coldly, “Get out.”

“You’re asking me to f*ck off?” Zhou Qingfeng was momentarily flummoxed.

“Of course I am! I’m saying this for the last time. I’ve met you for less than a day. We’re not the ‘face-the-police-together’ kind of pals. If you weren’t introduced by David, I would have sent you to the police by now. Now I’ve taken you this far out of kindness. Get out immediately, and leave me out of this.”

Zhou Qingfeng wanted to plead, as he had no idea how he could survive in New York all on his own. Hunger alone would be agonizing. However, when he saw Catarina’s disdainful gaze, he found that his pride refused to voice out those words.

“I know. I won’t involve you in this.” Zhou Qingfeng tried not to show his anger and fear. He bit his lip and got out of the car silently. Although the road awaiting him was thorny, he did not want to wait until he was kicked out to surrender.

After disembarking, Zhou Qingfeng stood by the road and watched as Catarina drove away. He looked left and right at the street he was standing by. He had no idea where he was.

“F*ck! In this situation, what can I do?” Zhou Qingfeng cursed himself. He felt around his pockets—there were only thirty dollars left. The money would only be enough for one or two meals. “Will I die if I can’t depend on someone else? I don’t believe it.”

Noticing the bloodstains on his arms and clothes, he knew that he could not stay on the streets with his current appearance. If he bumped into the police and got interrogated, he would have no way to escape.

“I must find a solution quickly. Should I find somewhere to hide?” Zhou Qingfeng racked his brain and considered what he knew about New York. “I need to weather two more days. Then, when the world becomes a mess, I can escape the police easily. These two days will be hell for me, though.”