Chapter 105: Calm down, it

“I’ll kill you!”

Zhang Su roared, never expecting the man who stepped out with the crossbow had such insane luck—amid flickering candlelight and shifting shadows, he still landed a perfect shot!

He knew the Anger Crossbow needed at least four or five seconds to reload, and the opponent had just picked it up—he wouldn’t be nimble yet. Seizing the moment, he leapt forward in one explosive bound, closing the distance to the tall figure holding the crossbow.

Su Chu acted with swift decisiveness; knowing he couldn’t reload in time, he slammed the door shut to buy himself precious seconds.

Behind them, Lu Yubo and the others collided with the three restaurant staff—chaos erupted instantly.

Sssss.

The server swung his blade down with practiced efficiency, the sharp cleaver slicing through Lu Yubo’s clothing—but the expected gutting never came. Layer upon layer of fabric, piled one atop another!

Crrrrr—the sound of fabric tearing filled the air, the soft, yielding resistance sending a chill through him, yet that fear didn’t last long…

Plop!

Lu Yubo gripped his food sampler and, relying on his thick armor, drove it straight through the server’s skull like he was crushing a zombie.

Brain death—one of the fastest ways to die.

The man collapsed instantly.

Chen Hanzhou and Zhao De were no slouches either; each wielded a fire axe, driving the last two servers into retreat. Shelves were overturned, goods scattered everywhere—no one cared about supplies anymore.

Wu Lue wasn’t idle either—he swung the steering wheel lock Chen Hanzhou had used earlier, chasing after the one-armed old Yang.

As soon as Zhang Su saw Su Chu shut the door, he lunged after him—there was no time to let the enemy catch even a breath!

He yanked the door open with a whoosh, then dropped low like a rolling gourd, darting inside.

At the same moment, a sharp hiss pierced the air—a bolt shot through the warehouse door, striking a shelf with a spray of sparks. From the timing, the opponent had already grown fairly adept with the crossbow.

“You bastard, die!!”

Zhang Su rose to his feet, relying on his familiarity with the space—he didn’t need to look. His left hand grabbed his axe and hurled it at Su Chu, then charged straight at him.

Clang! Clang!

Unexpectedly, Su Chu was no weakling—he swung his long-handled hammer, knocking the axe flying, then blocked the dog-leg knife slashing toward his chest. Sparks flew from the violent impact.

Zhang Su always fought with the mindset that one strike could never finish the enemy. As soon as his attack was blocked, he used the recoil to slice diagonally forward—his second strike flowed out with perfect smoothness, aimed straight at the opponent’s throat.

The Mad Dog Fist he learned from the boundless Master Chen had no flair or spectacle—it was built for one thing: killing efficiently.

Su Chu never expected to face someone so ruthless. He reeled backward in panic, not watching his feet—and tripped over Zhao Xue, unconscious in the corner.

That stumble saved him—barely avoiding Zhang Su’s blade slicing toward his throat.

Zhang Su stared at the spot where Su Chu had tripped, eyes wide.

He’d imagined Zhao Xue being tormented by bastards, braced himself mentally. He’d even felt a sliver of relief after overhearing the servers’ conversation—maybe she’d escaped. But seeing her collapsed in the corner, his heart felt like it had been struck by a sledgehammer.

Zhang Su remained in his crouching attack stance, close to the ground—Zhao Xue was clear in his view.

Her frail body, like a lamb, curled in the corner. The blanket covering her had been dragged off by Su Chu’s heel—she was completely naked. After the disaster, he hadn’t seen such a clean body in ages. But the whiter and cleaner it was, the more the scars stood out.

He didn’t even know if she was alive or dead!

After stumbling away from the dog-leg knife, Su Chu steadied himself and shouted: “Stop! We can talk!”

Swish.

His answer was a blade.

A fiercer blade!

Zhang Su was beyond furious—he was ruthless, but he’d never abuse a woman. Not even a man.

Killing was one thing; torturing was his line.

Now he saw a girl, beaten and barely alive—someone he’d known for over two years, someone he’d gotten along with well.

“Ahh!”

Zhang Su roared, his cleaver whirling like falling leaves—seemingly chaotic, but powered by his waist, arms, and shoulders, he unleashed a furious barrage of strikes at Su Chu.

“Stop! I can save you!”

Su Chu had some skill from his youth—he could handle the servers easily—but against Zhang Su’s wild tiger-like assault, he was completely overwhelmed.

His long-handled hammer had been perfect for smashing zombies or living men—the long lever gave it tremendous force. But now he had no chance to attack, only to defend—and even then, he’d taken two cuts, deep gashes oozing blood.

Zhang Su acted as if he hadn’t heard a word—he kept pressing forward, driving Su Chu back step by step.

“Don’t move! I’ll shoot you dead!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the warehouse entrance.

The convenience store battle was over. Zhao De stood at the doorway, crossbow raised, aiming.

Both Su Chu and Zhang Su froze, weapons raised—brief pause. Then Zhang Su moved again, the dog-leg knife slicing toward Su Chu’s arm.

Plop…

“Ahh… you, you, ahh!”

Su Chu’s right arm was cleanly severed, the long-handled hammer clattering to the floor with it.

He staggered back, clutching his spurting stump with his left hand, babbling: “I can save you! I have a yacht at Donggang Port—don’t kill me!”

Swish!

“Your damn yacht can go to hell!”

Zhang Su gave him no chance to speak further. He twisted his waist, driving his arm forward with perfect speed and force—and sliced clean through Su Chu’s throat.

“You, you, gurgle… gurgle…”

Su Chu hadn’t expected such cold-blooded finality—he was utterly unmoved. Clutching his gushing neck, eyes wide with rage and disbelief, he collapsed with a thud.

“I chopped his arm off—my crossbow wasn’t even loaded yet, heh!”

Zhao De walked over to Zhang Su, holding the precision crossbow, shaking it slightly. Zhang Su ignored him. Zhao De frowned curiously: “Brother, you…”

“Big Brother Zhang, Big Brother Zhang—where’s Sister Xue?”

Wu Lue burst in, not seeing Zhao Xue, frantically asking.

“What about Pei Lan?”

Zhang Su stepped in front of Zhao Xue’s half-dressed body and asked the group.

Lu Yubo stood at the door: “Lanlan got an arrow in her left arm—she won’t die. Sister Zhong’s taking care of her. Big Brother Zhang, anything we can help with?”

“Nothing. Go wait outside. And pack up anything we’re taking.”

Zhang Su pointed to the warehouse door, speaking in a low, firm tone.

“Big Brother Zhang…”

“Go outside now!”

Wu Lue opened his mouth to ask more—but got only a cold glare from Zhang Su.

“Go, go, go—don’t stand here blocking the way, you dumbass!”

Zhao De sensed something was off. His earlier excitement vanished; his face turned grim. He pulled Wu Lue out and shut the door behind them.

Zhang Su wiped blood from his face, sheathed his knife, took off his coat, and gently draped it over Zhao Xue. Then he carefully placed his hand on her neck.

“Still beating, haha—she’s alive!”

Feeling the pulse in her carotid artery, he relaxed. He guessed her nakedness and cleanliness were part of Su Chu’s preparations for a ghost marriage.

At first, he’d thought she was dead. Even if the warehouse was warm—only around ten degrees—lying naked for long would cause hypothermia.

“Xue Xue, Xue Xue, wake up—how are you feeling?”

Zhang Su sat on the floor, pulling Zhao Xue into his arms. She felt weightless—much thinner than when he’d last seen her before the disaster.

“Water… water…”

Seeing her parched lips, he glanced around, grabbed a bottle of water from a shelf, and, imitating Zhong Xiaoshan, poured a few drops onto her lips using the cap.

The cool mineral water touched her lips—Zhao Xue stirred slightly, her mouth moving unconsciously as she swallowed.

Zhang Su saw it worked and immediately fed her a few more capfuls.

“Mmm…”

Zhao Xue let out a soft moan, her body trembling slightly.

“Xue Xue, awake? Xue Xue, it’s Zhang Su—wake up!”

Zhang Su gently patted her cheek again.

“Big Brother Zhang?”

Zhao Xue’s eyelids felt heavy. She forced them open—through dim light, she saw a silhouette she’d longed for, blurred and unclear.

“Yes, it’s me. How are you?”

Zhang Su asked anxiously.

Zhao Xue’s vision slowly cleared. When she truly saw Zhang Su’s blood-streaked face, her emotions erupted.

“Let go! Let go of me, Big Brother Zhang—I’m dirty. Don’t touch me. Let me die. Let me die here!”

Her sudden struggle left Zhang Su stunned. He quickly pinned her down. “Still having nightmares? You’re awake now. It’s over. Calm down.”

“No, I’m not awake! Big Brother Zhang—I was violated by beasts! I—I—I’m ruined… waaaahhh…”

Overcome with grief, Zhao Xue collapsed into silent tears, arms limp, her heart dead.

Zhang Su knew Zhao Xue had feelings for him. In spring, she’d invited him to see the flower fields. In summer, she’d asked him to the beach for the breeze. In autumn, she’d planned routes for viewing falling leaves…

None of those plans ever happened. Their work schedules were too irregular, and Zhang Su had always stuck to his rule: never date someone from work. So things stayed quiet.

“Stop talking nonsense. A beast just looked at you—that’s not defilement. He didn’t do anything to you. He just wanted to pair you with his dead son in a ghost marriage. Look—he washed you clean. You’re fine. Calm down. Don’t cry. You’re safe.”

Zhang Su felt deep pity for Zhao Xue. This gentle girl had suffered terribly.

Hearing Zhang Su’s words, Zhao Xue calmed slightly, whispering: “He gave me medicine. I was dazed… I only remember him taking off my clothes… Did he really not… do anything while I was unconscious?”

The last thing she remembered was a man stripping her—naturally, her mind filled in the rest.

“No matter how monstrous he was, he wouldn’t touch someone he planned to marry off to his dead son. Don’t worry, Xue Xue. Can you stand? Come on—let’s kill him again, just to make you feel better.”

Zhang Su held Zhao Xue with one hand and drew his dog-leg knife, still dripping with blood.

Zhao Xue stared intently at the bloody combat knife, found strength she didn’t know she had, stood up, and reached out to take the knife.

“Be careful—the blade is sharp!”

Zhang Su draped his coat over Zhao Xue’s shoulders, intending to distract her, but hadn’t expected her to actually take the knife; watching her trembling, he grew worried she might hurt herself.

“I can do it!”

Zhao Xue marched firmly toward Su Chu, who lay bleeding in a pool of blood, raised the cleaver, and slashed down with a swift swish.

Plop.

As Zhang Su said, the blade was sharp.

Once, again, again and again.

Zhao Xue recalled the past few days’ horrors; her boundless rage surged forth, and her swinging speed gradually increased.

Plop-plop-plop…

She let blood splatter across her white body, as if washing away every humiliation she’d suffered, feeling not a trace of fear.

Zhang Su sat aside, not stopping Zhao Xue from venting her fury; he wasn’t afraid she’d grow cold and bloodthirsty—he only wanted her to break free from her inner torment.

Clatter.

After hacking countless times, Zhao Xue collapsed from exhaustion, lying on the ground like a blood-drenched demon risen from the abyss.

Sometimes, transformation happens in an instant!

“Brother Su, how did you end up at the store?”

Zhao Xue gently wiped the blood from her face and looked at Zhang Su.

“I was coming here anyway. On the way, I met Wu Lue—he told me what happened to you… This isn’t a place to talk. Come on—we’ve got over ten people now. Let’s get somewhere safe first, then talk slowly.”

Zhang Su took off another coat and draped it over Zhao Xue. Just as he was about to lift her, he noticed a set of keys lying quietly beside the meat paste. He picked them up, glanced at them, guessed the yacht key might be among them, and stuffed them into his pocket regardless of whether they’d be useful.

“Come on, I’ll carry you!”

“Mm.”

Zhao Xue softly replied, avoiding Zhang Su’s eyes, like a child who’d done something wrong and dared not face her parent.

The bloodstained coat wrapped around Zhao Xue’s upper body; with a grunt, Zhang Su lifted her horizontally and slowly walked out of the warehouse.

When Zhang Su and Zhao Xue appeared in the candlelight, everyone was startled—they looked like demons risen from hell; under the dim glow, their blood wasn’t red, but dark black.

“Brother Su, Sister Xue… Sister Xue, waaah!”

Wu Lue clutched his beloved laptop, saw Zhang Su carrying Zhao Xue with her arms hanging limp from the warehouse, and burst into tears.

“Little Wu, don’t cry—I’m not dead…”

Zhao Xue turned her head toward the weeping Wu Lue, feeling comforted—then suddenly noticed many others around her, and quickly turned her face back to Zhang Su.

“Big brother, you… you smashed and chopped up that dog?”

Zhao Dechu, seeing the bits of meat still clinging to Zhang Su and Zhao Xue, winced.

“Hmph—too good for him!” Zhang Su snorted, not saying Zhao Xue had done it.

“You—you okay? What about her?”

Zheng Xinyu rushed forward, scanning Zhang Su from head to toe.

“I’m fine. Xiao Xue is just weak.”

Zhang Su shook his head with a smile, though the smile looked terrifying against his blood-caked face.

Zhao Xue heard a girl’s voice tenderly speaking to Zhang Su, turned her head again, and saw a lovely face—her heart jolted; the flame burning inside her slowly dimmed.

Zhang Su had no idea of Zhao Xue’s inner turmoil. He looked at the chaotic convenience store and asked, “What’s the situation here?”

Lu Yubo sneered. “All five of them are dead. But Lanlan got hit by an arrow. Also… Chen Hanzhou got a cut on his face—it might leave a scar!”

“Lanlan, how are you?”

Zhang Su asked with concern.

“I’m okay… Brother Su, it’s just… a little painful.”

Pei Lan lay on her side, not daring to move freely, a crossbow bolt piercing her arm.

“Good. Back at the dry cleaner, Xiao Shan will treat you!” Then Zhang Su turned to the group: “First, grab all the weapons. Send a few people to the warehouse to bring back the crossbows and bolts. Hurry—back to the dry cleaner!”

Everyone moved swiftly. But when Zhao Dechu and Chen Hanzhou entered the warehouse, they were stunned.

Inside the dry cleaner, Tan Huajun sat alone by the window, her head poking out, scanning left and right. The star-filled night sky held no beauty for her—this silent, freezing night made her extremely tense.

Suddenly, she heard hurried, heavy footsteps. She peered toward the direction Zhang Su’s group had left—and saw dark shadows moving.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

Tan Huajun shuddered and whispered urgently to the few people sitting still like meditating monks.

Zhong Xiaoshan and Yu Wen both snapped to attention, stood up, and were about to head for the stairs when footsteps climbed upward.

“Quick, prepare a spot—someone’s injured!”

Chen Hanzhou rushed back into the dry cleaner first, his back clinking with gear he’d carried, panting heavily. He wasn’t referring to himself—his facial wound wasn’t deep, and the bleeding had already stopped.

“Injured? Oh oh!”

Zhong Xiaoshan reacted instantly—this scene resembled a night-shift emergency room, except without bright lights or clean wards.

She swiftly cleared a flat space, but hadn’t yet laid down any cloth when heavy breathing sounded—she recognized it immediately: Zhang Su’s breath. Her heart tightened.

“Has Xinyu been hurt?!”

That was her first thought.

But then she heard Zheng Xinyu’s voice: “Two people are injured—move over a bit more space!”

The second floor of the dry cleaner was spacious, but cluttered with belongings and crowded with people, making it feel cramped.

“Here, here’s space—quick, lay her down!”

Yu Wen helped the startled Yu Qing stand aside, giving up her resting spot. After heavy medication and rest, Yu Qing’s condition had improved somewhat.

“Lanlan, quick, lie down—it’s fine, don’t worry. Doctor Zhong has magic hands—you won’t die, don’t worry!”

Lu Yubo comforted Pei Lan as he laid her on the prepared spot.

Zhang Su knelt and gently laid Zhao Xue down on the spot where Yu Qing had rested, saying, “Bring some wet wipes!”

Both he and Zhao Xue were caked in blood—sticky, uncomfortable.

“Arrow wound…” Zhong Xiaoshan felt a headache coming. She looked at Zhang Su: “Brother Su, what happened over there?”

“Xiao Xue is just weak. You handle Lanlan’s wound.”

Zhang Su took the wet wipes from Zheng Xinyu and began wiping his face.

“This… fine. Help me find some thread and needles, and a sharp knife!”

Zhong Xiaoshan was thrust into the role—under these circumstances, she had to do it, even without proper conditions.

As long as Pei Lan could endure the pain, treating an arrow wound wasn’t hard for Zhong Xiaoshan—after all, it was only the arm.

“We’ve got knives—I brought back plenty of good ones!”

Chen Hanzhou immediately unslung his pack and dumped out a pile of weapons for Zhong Xiaoshan to choose from.

Yu Wen and others used flashlights to search everywhere for thread and needles.

Everyone was busy, actively helping the wounded—not just because Pei Lan was a teammate, but because everyone hoped that if they were hurt someday, their companions would rush to help.

Helping others is helping yourself.

“Brother Su, I can wipe myself—um, the medicine!”

Zhao Xue gripped Zhang Su’s wrist tightly, her eyes flickering.

“Oh, right—I’ll get it. Don’t worry. Teacher Yu, you’re feeling better, right? Help wipe the blood off Xiao Xue.”

Yu Qing had indeed improved. Hearing the task, she hurried forward.

“Here.”

Zhang Su handed the wet wipes to Yu Qing and headed for the stairs.

Zheng Xinyu’s eyes darted, then followed Zhang Su downstairs.

“Husband, you and Xiao Xue aren’t just employer and employee, are you?”

Downstairs, Zheng Xinyu pressed close to Zhang Su and whispered.

Zhang Su sighed, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and said, “She used to like me. Now… I don’t know. I used to like her too—for a while, when she first came to my shop. But when I found out she was a good girl, I didn’t pursue it.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying I’m not a good girl, so you’re with me?” Zheng Xinyu pouted.

“What nonsense? You’re just like her—a good girl. If not for this disaster, I’d still be collecting your rent!”

Zhang Su rolled his eyes helplessly. Women were strange—when everything was falling apart, she still had energy to be jealous. But remembering her earlier actions, he patted Zheng Xinyu’s head and smiled: “You did well earlier. Reward: a kiss.”

“Eww, slobbery…”

Zheng Xinyu giggled, wiping the spot where Zhang Su had kissed her cheek.

I’m in the north, but I’m from the south—I celebrate Xiao Nian according to southern customs. This morning I was busy cooking, so the update is a bit late.

Dear readers, Happy Xiao Nian! Eat well and drink well!

(End of chapter)