Chapter 329: The Consequence of Talking Too Much

Liu Shijie and the others wore expressions of terror and unease, for just five minutes ago, Qi Xiaoshuai had been half-dead—but now he sat lively and energetic atop their truck's trunk, as if he'd never been beaten, save for the dried blood still caked on his face.

This transformation froze the hearts of Liu Shijie and the others; in the apocalypse, direct death wasn't the most terrifying thing—it was the agony of being half-dead, trapped in unending pain with no hope of healing, powerless against danger, a suffocating despair.

Yet these people possessed divine medicine, capable of restoring a man nearly beaten to death back to full health within minutes!

We've hit steel plate… real steel plate.

"Big Brother, we're truly blind fools—we shouldn't have laid hands on your brother. Forgive us for our stupidity and ignorance! We'll give you everything we have—spare our lives, please!"

Liu Shijie banged his head on the ground, signaling silently to those beside him.

"Please, Big Brother, spare us."

"Give us a way to live, Big Brother—we're sorry."

"I didn't even hit your brother—please spare me!"

The fat man's words drew collective glares from the other four—wasn't this pure betrayal?

"Survival in the apocalypse still requires rules, order. I understand. Now let's discuss those rules and order properly."

Zhang Su suddenly spoke, and the crowd fell silent. He turned to Liu Shijie and said: "Come, tell me—what are the rules and order of the apocalypse?"

Liu Shijie's once authoritative face now sagged, yet he forced a smile and said: "Rules and order are decided by the strong. Big Brother, you're strong—you decide. We'll obey you!"

His words earned silent nods from many of Tianma Yu's group; such a man who could bend and submit was far more dangerous than one who stood rigid to the end—he knew how to endure and bow, then strike back at the critical moment!

"Ah, here's a man who understands the times," Zhang Su smiled, pointing at Liu Shijie, then turned to Qi Xiaoshuai, still battered: "Xiaoshuai, who first told you to hand over your things and leave?"

"Him!" Qi Xiaoshuai pointed at the fat man who'd just angered everyone: "He's the one who told me to leave everything behind and get lost!"

"You didn't hit my brother—but you came up with the idea? You deserve to die!"

Saying this, Zhang Su drew his long-unused dog-leg military knife—the blade gleamed, clearly meticulously maintained.

"No, Big Brother, I—I was just joking! Just kidding around…"

The fat man burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking his head, and within seconds his pants were soaked—he'd wet himself through layers of clothing, leaving a puddle on the ground!

Those beside him shuffled away, showing not the slightest intention to help—a textbook case of being abandoned by all.

"Just joking?" Zhang Su stepped toward the fat man, shaking his head: "In the apocalypse, joking is dangerous. Didn't your big brother teach you that? Since you talk so much… water!"

"Water? Brother Su, catch!"

Seeing Zhang Su gesture for water, Lu Yubo, though puzzled, tossed him a thermos.

Thud.

Zhang Su caught the thermos, sheathed the dog-leg knife, grabbed the fat man by the collar, dragged him to the pickup, threw him to the ground, then twisted open the lid and poured water onto the truck door.

The fat man lay limp on the ground; seeing the gleaming blade sheathed, he felt a flicker of relief—but the stranger's odd behavior still unnerved him.

Not just him—everyone present was baffled by Zhang Su's actions, until the next second, they all understood.

"You like talking so much—will your mouth still talk if it's glued shut?"

As he spoke, Zhang Su seized the fat man and slammed his face against the water-slicked truck door.

"Ahh, ah, Big Brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

In minus twenty to thirty degrees Celsius, the warm water's heat vanished instantly; within seconds, half the fat man's face was frozen solidly to the door, impossible to peel free.

Worse, the height was cruelly misjudged—halfway up, forcing him into a twisted half-squat, like a horse stance, agonizingly awkward.

A lean, agile man like Pang Dankun could easily shift position—but this fat man was clumsy, burdened by thick clothing, and could only press his body against the door, relying on friction to ease the strain.

"Daaah, daaah, aahhh…"

His face stretched taut, lips pulled wide, the fat man's expression twisted in terror—he couldn't form a coherent plea, only incoherent, guttural sounds.

Liu Shijie and the other three dared not utter a word, staring silently at the man glued to the door. They hated him for his reckless talk, yet they knew—if it were them, pinned like this, they'd wish for death over life.

"Hey, how's your relationship with each other?"

Zhang Su, having glued the fat man in place, ignored his cries and turned to Liu Shijie and the others: "Here's an opportunity—who wants to take his place? Whoever replaces him, and the fat man, both live. Anyone willing?"

At once, Liu Shijie and the three others averted their eyes from Zhang Su—clearly, none wanted to swap places with the fat man… or perhaps they didn't trust his promise.

"Hmm, seems you don't know me well. Since no one volunteers… Xiaoshuai, come!"

"Yeah!"

Qi Xiaoshuai hurried forward.

Zhang Su drew his knife and handed it to Qi Xiaoshuai: "Make it quick."

"Aaah, aah, aah!"

A flash of cold steel passed the fat man's eye—he thrashed wildly in terror, but his face was frozen fast to the door; unless he tore off his own skin, no struggle would free him!

Qi Xiaoshuai saw the fat man's pants coated in frozen urine, took the knife from Zhang Su, and nodded firmly.

"Time to send you off!"

As he spoke, Qi Xiaoshuai swung the knife at the fat man's neck. Though the delivery boy wasn't skilled with blades, he practiced daily—and killing a motionless target, especially with rage in his heart, was no challenge.

Swish…

A flash of light made several people instinctively turn their heads.

Thud…

Blood seeped from beneath the thick collar; the fat man's terrified eyes dimmed, his body went limp—but his face remained glued to the door, arms hanging, corpse bent in a twisted arc.

"Aah…"

From the crowd's rear, Su Xiaoya screamed again—but only half the sound escaped before she clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror.

Killing.

Slitting a throat with a blade.

The expression on a dying human's face was too clear, too shocking to bear.

"You remind me of a woman I once knew—always screaming."

Zheng Xinyu shot Su Xiaoya a sharp, disapproving glare.

Those around scratched their heads, unsure who she meant…

Plop!

Lu Yubo leapt out from the side, pulled out a food sampling tool, and smashed it into the fat man's skull—preventing zombification.

"Big Brother Su, here, thanks."

Qi Xiaoshuai exhaled deeply, returned the knife to Zhang Su—the satisfaction of vengeance had lifted half his inner burden.

"Don't rush!"

Zhang Su didn't take the knife back, instead patted Qi Xiaoshuai's shoulder and asked: "Who was the first to shout 'beat him'?"

As he spoke, he saw Liu Shijie's face turn ashen—he didn't need Qi Xiaoshuai's answer to know.

"Big Brother, let's talk this over! Our camp has plenty of supplies—spare me, I'll come with sincere apologies, I'll make sure you're satisfied!"

Liu Shijie, true to his role as leader, still fought for survival even at death's door—calm, methodical, not crumbling like the fat man before him.

"You're Jie Ge, right? I want to ask—after you beat my brother half-dead, where were you planning to take him? I heard the Qinglong Military Unit uses living people for experiments. You meant to sell him to them, didn't you?"

Riiip!

As he spoke, Zhang Su yanked the fat man's corpse off the door—half his face tore free, still clinging to the metal, flapping as blood froze instantly into grotesque icicles.

"No, no! That's absolutely not true!"

Liu Shijie's mouth turned bitter with fear—he denied it fiercely, jerking his chin toward Qi Xiaoshuai: "Big Brother, ask this man! I only wanted ransom—he claimed he was from Kuangzhuang. I planned to trade him for supplies at Qinglong, then go to Kuangzhuang for the ransom—I never intended to sell him to Qinglong! I swear!"

"Ah, now I remember!" Zhang Su turned to Xiao Bo: "I also claimed I was from Kuangzhuang—why didn't you doubt me?"

"Mainly… mainly because that big brother didn't react. I knew someone among you was lying, but… but surely not both sides…"

Mentioning it, Xiao Bo was filled with regret—he wanted to slap himself eighty times. Always sharp, he'd failed to see both sides were acting, falling for the trick.

"Hehe…" Qi Xiaoshuai grinned, rubbing his head: "Big Brother, you don't know—I was terrified when they said they were going to Qinglong! I was afraid I'd slip up and they'd catch on. How was my acting?"

"Awesome, Xiaoshuai! Did you used to act to fool customers when you delivered food? Hah!"

Zhao Dezhu gave a thumbs-up—he couldn't act to save his life, every emotion written on his face. If he'd been in Qi Xiaoshuai's place, he'd have been dead already…

Zhang Su nodded with a smile, then turned to Liu Shijie: "Life is a play—depends entirely on acting. My brother did well, didn't he?"

"Yes, yes—your brother, ah… uh…"

Liu Shijie hurried to flatter him—but in the blink of an eye, the blade flashed. He never saw when the knife returned to Zhang Su's hand. No hesitation—just a flash of cold light, then warmth at his throat. He couldn't breathe anymore.

(End of Chapter)