C8 Robbery

"Brother Dog, there are a couple of seriously scary big rigs coming our way."

Chen Xiaoming lowered his binoculars and called out loudly to his boss, Big Dog Chen.

"Why the hell are you yelling? We've hit big rigs before. They won't make it through the roadblocks we've set up."

Big Dog Chen gestured for the two masseuses to step aside and rose to his feet, striding over to where Chen Xiaoming stood, with the rest of their crew trailing behind.

Taking the binoculars, Big Dog Chen surveyed the scene. Indeed, there were two massive black behemoths barreling down the road, looking formidable and unstoppable, as if they hadn't even noticed the obstacles, intent on plowing right through them.

Before the apocalypse, Big Dog Chen was nothing more than a thug, the notorious Dog Ignored in Chen Family Village, a frequent guest at the local police station, though he never did anything serious enough to land in prison.

But after the world ended, this petty criminal rallied a band of misfits from Chen Family Village, setting up highway blockades nearby to rob travelers. With no law enforcement to fear, his audacity grew, and he descended into lawlessness, treating those in the village who didn't join his ranks as nothing more than slaves.

The fate of the travelers they robbed was grim: the men were killed, and the women taken back to a fate hardly better than death. Big Dog Chen and his cronies had become ruthless villains, devoid of any moral compass—their deaths would be no loss to the world.

Gu Ming, of course, was oblivious to all this, his attention only drawn by a warning from Zeus while playing with his daughter.

From the driver's seat, Gu Ming eyed the car-littered roadblock in the distance and knew trouble was brewing. Someone was targeting survivors, clearly with malicious intent, but he needed a closer look.

The tank's rooftop hatch slid open, and a drone zipped into the sky. Within minutes, it hovered high above the roadblock.

On the display screen, Gu Ming saw a gang of armed men lurking behind the barricade, brandishing an assortment of weapons—fire axes, makeshift guns, police pistols, and pipes. It was clear they were nothing but thugs.

The sight of a dozen male corpses piled to one side made it clear how they dealt with any survivors who happened to pass by.

"Shoot that drone down!"

Chen Da Gou bellowed in a rage. He wasn't blind; the enemy's drone was brazenly hovering overhead, surveilling them. He couldn't just turn a blind eye.

His underlings, upon hearing their boss's command, quickly took aim and fired their pistols and shotguns skyward. But their efforts were futile against the drone soaring hundreds of meters above.

"Enough, save your ammo. Everybody, let's head out."

Chen Da Gou barked the order to cease fire and commanded his men to follow him outside. He was convinced that their group could easily overpower a single vehicle.

...

As the drone returned, Gu Ming's armored vehicle rolled to a stop not far from the barricade.

"What's the matter, Hubby?"

Gu Ming noticed his wife and Zhang Tine approaching the driver's seat and gestured for them to step back.

"Nothing to worry about. I've got this handled. Why don't you two head to the living room and watch a movie?"

Ye Xiaomei and Zhang Tine could see the situation unfolding outside, but they both understood that they wouldn't be of any help. Besides, Gu Ming's demeanor told them he wasn't concerned, so they refrained from commenting.

Gu Ming had Zeus close the door to the driver's compartment, sparing them from witnessing any forthcoming gore.

"Listen up, people inside the vehicle! Get out now, or don't blame me for what happens next. Are you listening?"

Chen Da Gou, brandishing a crude homemade firearm, strutted about menacingly. In the past, survivors would quickly capitulate at the sight of his gang armed and ready. And if there was any resistance, it was swiftly quelled due to Dweania's stringent gun control laws, leaving civilians with scarce access to firearms. The men would be executed, and the women taken back to the village for their amusement—a brutal and ruthless practice.

His lackeys echoed his commands with their own raucous shouting.

"Get out of the car!"

"Boss, let's blow this car to smithereens!"

"If you don't want to die, get out now!"

"Step out and meet your end!"

Their cacophonous yelling roused the zombies slumbering in the derelict vehicles along the road, who began to stir and howl.

"Roar~~~"

"Hiss—"

"Squeak—"

Zombies were howling, some ramming their heads against obstacles, others resembling ravenous ghouls eager for a feast, yet immobilized within the confines of their vehicles, which trembled violently.

Dog Chen and his crew had grown all too familiar with such chaos. Initially fearful the creatures might escape, they soon grew bolder with the realization that the threat was contained. They had dispatched zombies back in their village; it was a matter of nerve, really. Of course, this bravado came at the steep price of several dozen lives to clear the village of the undead.

Gu Ming had no intention of stepping out to parley with them; as far as he was concerned, they were walking corpses, their actions sealing their fate, compelling him to expedite their departure from this world.

Before Gu Ming could act, the ruffians outside initiated their assault.

"Boss, no one's getting out."

Chen Xiaoming reported to Dog Chen.

"Am I blind?"

Dog Chen glared at him, sending him stumbling back in alarm.

"Prepare yourselves, take aim at this vehicle and fire."

Impatient to wait, Dog Chen commanded.

As his minions lifted their weapons and took aim, he bellowed.

"Fire!"

"Boom—"

"Pop, pop—"

A volley of gunfire later, Dog Chen realized incredulously that not a single mark had been left on the car's surface. It defied logic—could it be armored?

"Halt!"

"Move aside, or face death."

Gu Ming's calm voice emanated from the armored vehicle, his final ultimatum to the gang.

"Hahaha!"

Dog Chen hadn't heard such a laughable claim in ages. Since the apocalypse, he had reigned supreme over Chen Family Village, living a life of divine luxury with women and slaves at his beck and call, eliminating any dissenters. This was the first time he'd encountered such defiance, and it incensed him.

"Xiao Ming, take some men and fetch gasoline. I'm going to torch his car."

"Alright, boss."

Gu Ming had no desire to linger any longer. He chose not to witness the ensuing battle, as its outcome was inevitable.

"Zeus, take them out."

"Understood, sir."

Leaving the driver's seat behind, Gu Ming settled onto the living room sofa.

"Daddy, play with toys with me!"

Nannan was overjoyed to see her father and clamored for his attention.

"Sweetie, your dad's busy right now."

Ye Xiaomei, aware of the turmoil outside, tried to draw her daughter close.

"It's alright, we'll be back on the road shortly."

Gu Ming scooped Nannan into his arms, planting a kiss on her cheek. The ruffians outside were a trivial concern to him.

......

Chen Xiaoming was about to call for help to fetch gasoline when he noticed several machine guns extending from the sides and front of the peculiar vehicle. Shock gave way to terror, and then he heard his boss's desperate cry.

"Mercy, please!"

Chen Xiaoming witnessed a barrage of bullets turn flesh to shreds, his vision fading to black as he realized, 'So this is what it's like to die under machine gun fire.'

In just two sweeps, no life remained standing before him, only a heap of mangled remains. Gu Ming was spared the sight, which was fortunate; the sight would have made him sick, having never before witnessed such a devastating onslaught. Humans were utterly defenseless against such mechanical warfare.

"Ugh!"

Thankfully, the barricade provided cover, sparing the two women in the back of the car from death. But the horrific scene nearly drove them to madness, and now they were retching.