Liu Shijie and the others wore expressions of fear and unease on their faces because Qi Xiaoshuai, who had been half-dead five minutes ago, was now sitting lively and vigorous before them on the carâs trunk. If not for the bloodstains on his face that hadnât been cleaned off, heâd look as if he hadnât been beaten at all.
This change made Liu Shijie and the others feel chilled to the bone. In the apocalypse, direct death wasnât all that terrifying; whatâs frightening is being half-dead and hanging on, unable to recover from tormenting pain, powerless when faced with danger, leading to suffocating despair.
But these people have miraculous medicine, able to restore someone beaten half to death back to normal in just a few minutes!
Weâve encountered steel plates... actual steel plates.
"Big Brother, we truly were blind and shouldnât have laid hands on your brothers. Please consider our ignorance and foolishness and spare us. We will give you everything we have, just spare our lives. Weâre begging you!"
Liu Shijie kowtowed repeatedly, not forgetting to give his companions a signal.
"Please, Big Brother, let us go."
"Give us a way to live, Big Brother, we were wrong."
"I didnât lay hands on this brother, please spare me."
A fat manâs words drew collective looks of anger from the other four, was he selling out his teammates?
"Survival in the apocalypse also requires rules and order. I understand, now letâs talk properly about rules and order."
Zhang Su suddenly spoke, the scene quieting down immediately. He looked at Liu Shijie and said, "Come, tell me, what are the rules and order in the apocalypse?"
Liu Shijieâs face, once proud, now looked quite deflated, yet he had to put on a fawning smile and said, "Rules and order depend on the strong; Big Brother, youâre strong, so you call the shots, weâll listen to you!"
This remark made several on the Celestial Horse Island nod silently. Such flexible individuals are more dangerous than those who stubbornly clash head-on, because they know how to endure and lower their heads, then strike back critically!
"Hmm, this is what it means to know the times." Zhang Su smiled, pointing at Liu Shijie, then looked at the still weak Qi Xiaoshuai, asking, "Xiaoshuai, who initially told you to leave your stuff and go?"
"Him!" Qi Xiaoshuai pointed at the fat man who had enraged everyone, saying, "It was this guy who told me to leave my stuff, get lost!"
"You didnât lay hands on my brother, but you gave shitty advice? Damn it!"
Saying this, Zhang Su pulled out the Dog Leg Military Saber, already untouched for long, its bright blade clearly well-maintained.
"No, Big Brother, Big Brother, I, I, I was just joking, joking..."
The fat man was immediately terrified to tears, crying profusely, shaking his head frantically to plead, even wetting his pants with his tears running down his cheeks. He was soaking despite wearing several layers!
His companions shuffled aside, having no intention of helping him, a classic case of betrayal and abandonment.
"Joking?" Zhang Su walked towards the fat man, shaking his head, saying, "Joking in the apocalypse is very dangerous. Your big brother never told you? Since your mouth is so... watery!"
"Water? Brother Su, catch it!"
Seeing Zhang Su gesture for water, despite feeling strange, Lu Yubo tossed over a thermos.
Clack.
Zhang Su caught the thermos, sheathed the Dog Leg, grabbed the collar of the fat manâs shirt from the back, dragged him to the pickup truck, threw him to the ground, opened the thermos lid, and poured water on the car door.
The fat man lay limp on the ground, somewhat relieved seeing the machete put away, yet his bizarre actions still left him feeling a bit afraid.
Not only the fat man, but Zhang Suâs strange actions left everyone present puzzled, but in the next second, everyone understood!
"You like talking so much, still want to talk if your mouth is stuck?"
Saying this, Zhang Su grabbed the fat man and pressed his face against the watered-down car door.
"Ah, ah, Big Brother, ah... Iâm wrong, Iâm wrong!"
At temperatures below twenty or thirty degrees, the heat of the warm water was instantly whisked away. After the fat manâs face stuck to the car door for a few seconds, half his skin was stuck firmly, unable to separate.
Not only that, but the height at which he was stuck was terribly inconsiderate, not low or high enough, forcing him to squat awkwardly like he was horse riding, extremely uncomfortable and weird.
If it were a flexible skinny person, like Pang Dakun, it would easily be solved by changing posture. However, this fat man was inherently clumsy, wearing many layers, making him even less nimble, having only to rely against the car door trying to decrease pressure with friction.
"Large, ah, aah, ooh, ah ah ah..."
With his skin stretched, his mouth pulled open, the fat man showed a terrified, contorted look on his face, unable to articulate a single complete word, emitting only incoherent sounds.
Liu Shijieâs four companions dared not utter a word, keeping their mouths shut, watching the fat man stuck to the car door. They indeed hated him for his loose lips selling them out, but shared his helpless fate, knowing theyâd be powerless if hung like this themselves.
"Hey, howâs your relationship with each other?"
After sticking the fat man, Zhang Su wasnât interested in his pleas, turning to Liu Shijieâs bunch, saying, "Thereâs a chance now, anyone willing to replace him, those replaced and the fat man both get to live, is anyone willing?"
His words made Liu Shijieâs four companions instantly dodge Zhang Suâs gaze, signaling clear reluctance to switch with the fat man or... distrust of Zhang Suâs promise.
"Hmm, seems you guys donât know me well, since no oneâs willing, then... Xiaoshuai, come!"
"Hey!"
Qi Xiaoshuai responded nervously and quickly walked in front of Zhang Su.
Zhang Su drew out the saber and handed it to Qi Xiaoshuai, saying, "Keep it clean!"
"Ah... ah, ah!"
A cold glint flashed past the fat manâs eye, leaving him glued to the car, struggling fearfully. However, his facial skin was stuck fast to the car, and he couldnât pull free unless he was willing to tear off his skin. No amount of struggle would help!
Qi Xiaoshuai noticed the frozen urine on the fat manâs pants and took the saber from Zhang Suâs hand, nodding heavily.
"Iâll send you off!"
At those words, Qi Xiaoshuai swung the saber towards the fat manâs neck. Though the delivery rider wasnât skilled with bladed weapons, after practicing daily, cutting a target that couldnât move was easy, especially with anger fueling him!
Swoosh...
The light flashed, and many instinctively turned their heads.
Psh...
Blood started to seep out from the thick collar, the fat manâs terrified gaze gradually darkening, his body losing its support and collapsing. His facial skin remained stuck to the car door, with his arms falling limp, and the corpse bent over limply.
"Ah..."
From the back of the crowd, Su Xiaoya screamed again, though this time it was only half a scream. She covered her mouth to stifle it, her wide eyes filled with terror.
Killing.
Using a knife to slash the neck directly.
The expression a person makes right before death is profound, directly impacting the soul, unbearable.
"You reminded me of a woman I used to know, always screaming!"
Zheng Xinyu glared at Su Xiaoya discontentedly.
People around scratched their heads, unsure who Zheng Xinyu was talking about...
Thud!
Lu Yubo jumped out from the side, pulled out a food sampler, and jabbed it at the fat manâs head to prevent corpse reanimation.
"Thanks, Brother Su."
Qi Xiaoshuai sighed in relief, returning the saber to Zhang Su. The feeling of revenge was exhilarating, clearing away much of his inner frustration.
"Hold on!"
Zhang Su didnât take the saber, patted Qi Xiaoshuaiâs shoulder, and asked, "Who was the first to shout to beat you up?"
As soon as he spoke, he saw Liu Shijieâs face change dramatically. No need for Qi Xiaoshuai to answer, he already knew.
"Brother, letâs talk things over. Our camp has plenty of supplies. Spare me, and Iâll sincerely apologize, guaranteed to satisfy you!"
Liu Shijie was indeed the leader of his group, even facing death, still bargaining for his life. He spoke orderly, not acting recklessly; far superior to the fat man before.
"Brother Jie, right? I want to ask, when you beat my brother half to death and took him away, what was your plan? I heard the Cyan Dragon Corps uses living people for experiments. I assume you wanted to sell my brother to them, didnât you?"
Rip!
While speaking, Zhang Su tore the fat manâs body from the car door. Half of the facial skin came off, dangling from the car door. Blood quickly froze, the sight horrifying.
"No, no, absolutely nothing like that!"
Liu Shijie was terrified, his mouth bitter, vehemently denying it, nodding urgently towards Qi Xiaoshuai. "Brother, ask this man. I was planning to ransom him. He said he was from Kuanzhuang, so I intended to swap for supplies from Cyan Dragon Corps, then ransom him at Kuanzhuang. No plans to sell him to Cyan Dragon Corps. I swear!"
"Yeah, that reminded me!" Zhang Su looked at Xiaobo and said, "I also claimed to be from Kuanzhuang earlier. Why didnât you suspect us at all?"
"Because... the other guy didnât react. I knew someone was lying, but didnât think everyone was in on it..."
Mentioning this, Xiaobo felt utterly depressed, wishing to slap himself hard. Ever shrewd, he failed to see that both sides were acting, ensnared by malice.
"Hehe..." Qi Xiaoshuai grinned, scratching his head, "Brother Su, you donât know. When they said we were going to Cyan Dragon Corps, I was so nervous, afraid theyâd spot a slip. Howâd I do, not bad right?"
"Awesome, Xiaoshuai, did you use to act during deliveries, fooling customers, haha?"
Zhao Dezhu gave a thumbs-up; he wasnât good at acting, his emotions on display. Pondering if it were him in Qi Xiaoshuaiâs encounter, heâd probably have been dealt with by now...
Zhang Su nodded with a smile, then looked at Liu Shijie, saying, "Life is a play, and itâs all about acting. My brother acted well, didnât he?"
"Well, well, brotherâs brother, ah... uh..."
Liu Shijie hurriedly flattered, yet in a blink, the lethal blade had come over. He hadnât even seen when the deadly saber returned to Zhang Suâs hand. Without hesitation, the cold gleam flicked, his throat warmed, and breathing was no longer possible.