sinovels Chapter 257 True Freedom, America Falls
Chapter 257 True Freedom, America Falls
Atlanta, Peachtree Street, an affluent neighborhood.
Just a day ago, this was one of the largest and most respectable communities in eastern America.
Neatly trimmed lawns, detached villas enclosed by white fences, and more than two luxury cars parked in front of each house.
However, this place has now become a crime scene.
Or rather, it was a slaughterhouse.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the end of the street.
Then came the sound of shattering glass, followed by a woman's scream.
However, the scream was quickly and abruptly interrupted.
The next moment, a pickup truck covered in spray paint was seen lying across the middle of the street, with five or six shirtless, burly men standing in the truck bed.
The group was carrying various weapons, including shotguns, baseball bats, and even a fire axe.
But soon, more people poured into the neighborhood from all directions.
They are not infected, not zombies, but living, breathing people.
There were construction workers on construction sites, fast food restaurant servers, gas station cashiers, homeless people, and gang members.
At this moment, these people share a common identity.
mob.
People going mad when social order collapses.
"That building! I've never been inside that house!"
Just then, a burly man with a scruffy beard pointed to a three-story villa on the street corner.
"I've shoveled snow for this family before. The old man works in investment banking, and he has a wine cellar!"
Upon hearing his words, the dozen or so crazed people around him immediately rushed toward the villa.
Soon, the villa's door was violently kicked open by the first man who rushed forward, and the old man's trembling voice immediately came from inside:
"Don't come any closer! I've already called the police! They'll be here soon..."
"Called the police?" The bald man at the head of the group laughed. "Brothers, he said he called the police!"
Upon hearing the bald man's words, the people around him burst into laughter as if they had heard something ridiculous.
police?
Let alone the police, it's the government too.
They've all disappeared since that monster attack.
Only at this moment can they truly be free.
Now someone is actually telling them to call the police?
The elderly man was dragged out of the villa and thrown onto the lawn.
His wife was crying and screaming at the door when someone kicked her away.
The mob, now completely free, poured into the house and began a frenzied looting.
They robbed everything: food, water, medicine, weapons, jewelry, cash...
The guy who knew about the old man's situation led his men straight into the wine cellar, and soon, cases of aged red wine were loaded onto a pickup truck.
Someone couldn't resist opening a bottle on the spot, tilting their head back and taking two gulps, the red liquid dripping down their chin.
Then he burst into unrestrained, maniacal laughter.
"Fuck it! I've lived for thirty-five years, and this is the first time I've ever drunk such expensive wine!"
A thin young man was squatting on the ground nearby, rummaging through a safe that had been taken out of the house.
He tried to pry it open with a crowbar but failed, so he simply found a cutting machine in the warehouse and cut the safe open on the spot.
Upon seeing what was inside, the young man paused for a moment, then threw the cash on the ground and only took the most valuable gold bars.
Given the current chaotic state, banknotes are probably as scarce as toilet paper.
Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously in major cities across the United States.
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.
This is where the richest people in all of the United States live.
A group of gang members from the South District drove a stolen Hummer and smashed open the wrought iron gate of a mansion.
The owner of the estate is a retired tech company CEO. His house has twelve rooms, three swimming pools, and a private shooting range.
Now, the gang leader who broke in stood in the living room, stepping on a priceless Persian carpet, looking around.
"Brothers, from today onwards, this is our new stronghold."
His underlings behind him roared excitedly and began to divide up the room.
The CEO and his family were herded into the tool shed in the backyard, and all their valuables were stripped off.
"You can't do this! This is my house!"
The CEO blushed.
The gang members escorting him glanced back at him and smiled.
"Your house? Fine, go tell the police this is your house."
The CEO opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
However, compared to Beverly Hills, the affluent North Shore area of Chicago is in a worse situation.
The residents here are well-prepared.
After all, Chicago has never been a very safe place, and many residents in affluent neighborhoods have legal gun licenses.
The problem is, they are not facing petty theft, but hundreds or thousands of mobs.
A resident with a gun fired several shots from his window, knocking down two rioters who rushed in front of him.
Ten minutes later, his house was set on fire.
The family of four had no choice but to run out the back door, only to be blocked by the mob outside.
"Damn it, you dare to shoot at us? Fuck you..."
A man with a burly face walked up carrying a baseball bat.
What happened next is not really appropriate to describe.
At this very moment, the entire United States is experiencing its apocalypse.
It's not like what you see in movies and TV shows.
In movies and TV shows, when the apocalypse comes, everyone unites to fight against monsters.
However, in reality, when the apocalypse came, these free people thought of killing people first.
Because the monsters are hard to fight, but the supplies from Old Wang's house next door are easy to steal.
The poor rob the rich, gangs rob civilians, deserters in the army rob gangs, and then everyone robs each other.
Food chain?
nonexistent.
In the apocalypse, whoever has a gun is at the top of the food chain.
Ironically, those infected by the Shoggoths actually benefited the most from this internal chaos within humanity.
Because everyone was busy killing each other, no one noticed that some "people" were behaving strangely.
A middle-aged woman, parasitized, swaggered past a group of rioters who were vandalizing the place, carrying a shopping bag from the supermarket.
No one noticed that the color of her pupils was different.
No one noticed that she walked with a stiff, machine-like gait.
She walked into an apartment building and knocked on a door on the third floor.
A young mother holding a child peeked out from behind the door: "Excuse me, who are you...?"
"Hello, I'm your downstairs neighbor."
The middle-aged woman smiled, her smile as perfect as a textbook example.
"It's too chaotic outside, I'm scared to be alone. Can I stay here with you for a while?"
The young mother hesitated for a moment, then opened the door.
Then they invited the other person into the house.
The door was closed gently.
But five minutes later, there wasn't a single truly living person left in the apartment building.