Chapter 32 - Li Deng

Chapter 32: Li DengThe middle-aged man named Song advised, “Li, don’t lose your temper. Filling your stomach is the most important thing.”

Li Deng clenched his fists tightly, a fire burning within him. He was a student at East Capital University, destined for a promising future. How could he end up rotting here for the rest of his life?

Working over ten hours a day in exchange for two meals made from some unknown substance. Li Deng looked at the black, mushy food in his lunch box, finding it incredibly hard to swallow.

He glanced at Uncle Song and quietly asked, “Uncle Song, they took all your assets away. Don’t you hate them?”

Uncle Song was startled, quickly shushing him, then forcing a bitter smile, “Being alive is what matters. There’s no point in hating. Besides, this makes me luckier than many others.”

Looking at the numb expression on Uncle Song’s face, Li Deng unwillingly scanned the others around him.

Their faces all showed the same numbness, covered in grease, with indifferent expressions and dull eyes.

They seemed like walking corpses.

Fear crept into Li Deng’s heart. Although they were living people, they seemed even more terrifying than zombies!

Who could have imagined that just a while ago, they all had different jobs and personalities, filled with hope for the future? Now, they seemed to have no thoughts.

Their ultimate goal was simply to fill their bellies! Just like pigs….

At that moment, Uncle Song nudged Li Deng, saying, “Supervisor Hu is coming.”

A portly middle-aged man with his hands behind his back and dressed in a suit walked over. His face was full of fat, and his beady eyes glowed with a cunning and vicious light.

Seeing him, the workers all showed expressions of fear, quickly lowering their heads to work. They were terrified of drawing his attention.

This man was Hu Weimin, the supervisor of the workshop, holding the power of life and death over the 2000+ workers there!

Hu Weimin strutted around his domain with a smug expression. In the old era, he was a small-time construction boss with a business worth a few million.

But he could rub shoulders with government officials, living a carefree life. The reason was simple—his wife had once worked as a nanny for the Qin family—the kind who could enter the mansion!

She could even chat with a distant relative of the Qin family. With this connection, Hu Weimin barely managed to claim he was part of the Qin family….

So when the apocalypse hit, Hu Weimin transformed overnight, becoming the supervisor of the B2 workshop in the third military factory, wielding life and death power over the 2000+ workers.

To him, these 2000+ people were mere slaves, to be squeezed at will. Some of the workers’ wives, if they were decent-looking, were coerced into his bed through various means.

Those who were stubborn were driven to death! Just yesterday, seven workers had dropped dead from exhaustion….

He was a classic scumbag!

Seeing Li Deng and the lunch box on the machine, Hu Weimin’s eyes turned cold, and he said slyly, “Li Deng, are you dissatisfied with the food?”

Li Deng, a notorious troublemaker in his eyes, had been on his list for a while. He had been thinking of ways to deal with him!

Uncle Song quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, “No, no, I was just talking to Li, and he didn’t have time to eat.”

Hu Weimin looked at the stubborn Li Deng, whose lips were pressed tightly together, not saying a word, and sneered inwardly. Did Li Deng think he was still a promising university student?

But Hu Weimin liked breaking such hard-headed people because it gave him a sense of accomplishment….

That was why he hadn’t let Li Deng “drop dead” yet! Thinking this, Hu Weimin felt a thrill—he loved this era! 

In the old days, as a small boss, he had dozens of workers under him.

But he couldn’t treat them so harshly. At most, he could scold them a bit. He didn’t dare hit them because the workers knew their rights and could report him!

Even with his Qin family connection, they wouldn’t back him for trivial matters, but now it was different. He had the power of life and death over these people!

If he didn’t like someone, he could get rid of them. No one would resist, and no one would care. 

There would soon be new workers to replace them—there were countless people outside eagerly waiting for such jobs.

In this workshop, he was the tyrant!

Hu Weimin sneered at Li Deng, saying, “Alright then, but you dirtied the machine. Your merit points for today are all deducted!”

Hearing this, Li Deng’s eyes flared with anger. The machine was already filthy with grease. How had he dirtied it? Hu Weimin was clearly picking on him!

Just as Li Deng was about to argue, Uncle Song pulled him back, urging him to stay calm. He had nothing now. How could he fight Hu Weimin?

Suppressing his fury, Li Deng remained silent.

Satisfied, Hu Weimin snorted and swaggered off. The other workers watched silently, not daring to offend this big shot.

Li Deng trembled with rage, feeling an urge to cry. After all, he was just a second-year university student, still a young adult….

The death of his parents weighed heavily on his heart, and the accumulated grievances made him want to weep, but Li Deng held back his tears.

He picked up his lunch box and began eating the sour, foul-smelling mush in big gulps.

Uncle Song was right, at least he was still alive, but he wasn’t living just to stay alive; he was waiting for a chance to resist!

He wouldn’t rot here for the rest of his life! sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.