"Do you know what it feels like to wish you were dead?" Yang Yang deliberately drew out his words. Seeing Brother Da Ri pale and drenched in cold sweat, Yang Yang's lips curved upward in satisfaction.
He took out a syringe, slowly drew water from the mineral water bottle in his hand, and injected it straight into Brother Da Ri's body.
"Still don't know? Hm?"
Sweat streamed down Brother Da Ri's face like a waterfall. By the time the third syringe was injected, he was howling in pain, tears, snot, and drool flowing together as he finally broke down and confessed everything.
Jing Shu shivered. She knew this notorious tactic well. Before the apocalypse, some unscrupulous businessmen would inject water into cattle to increase their weight and fetch a better price, utterly ignoring the tortured animals' agonized cries.
This method was later secretly adopted by certain police officers during interrogations. It was simple, excruciatingly painful, and left no evidence behind.
Yang Yang's leather boot tapped lightly on Brother Da Ri's neck as if keeping rhythm. After a pause, he said, "So, it's pretty much what we thought. Where's the gun that person gave you?"
Knowing there was no point hiding it anymore, Jing Shu sighed softly. "I have it."
Yang Yang lifted his head and studied her seriously for the first time. Other than her striking beauty, she didn't seem extraordinary. Yet she had managed to lure dozens of men to their deaths with her home-made traps?
"And the rest of the 'Bi Ri' group?" Yang Yang asked again. There were only a dozen corpses here. Were the others still in the villa?
Jing Shu led them to the ring of pits near the entrance. Even the battle-hardened armed police gasped sharply when they saw the gruesome traps. Their gazes toward Jing Shu immediately changed.
"There were more than forty others guarding other buildings. They probably ran when they heard the sirens."
Gou Yitian, seeing that Jing Shu's slaughter was undeniable, began screaming frantically. "Officers, you saw it, right? She killed all these people! Arrest her! Hurry!"
"Please, even if you're arresting me, take this lunatic away first!" He couldn't bear another second with her. Someone, save him!
Yang Yang sneered. "We're armed police, not regular police. This isn't our jurisdiction. If you want her arrested, call the police yourself."
Despair filled Gou Yitian's eyes. "Then take me away too! I'd rather rot in prison! She's going to torture me to death. She'll kill me!"
Yang Yang ignored him and turned back to Jing Shu. "We're taking this leader with us. The gun is your trophy; we won't interfere. As for the rest of the Bi Ri members, we're not interested. If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."
"Wait, you came all this way, you should at least take some fresh vegetables home. Please share them among yourselves. We're really grateful you came," Su Lanzhi said as she hurried back into the house. With help from Jing An and Grandpa Jing, she brought out a crate of garlic sprouts, a crate of bean sprouts, and a jar of pickled vegetables.
Yang Yang looked a little surprised and glanced hesitantly at Niu Moo.
Minister Niu clapped Yang Yang on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "Director Su is in charge of crop cultivation. Go ahead and take them. I'll consider it a favor repaid separately."
"Alright then. We left our posts today and will get punished for this. We didn't do much to help you this time, but next time you need something, just call me directly."
It was a gesture of goodwill, forging a new connection and adding another card to their deck.
They came quickly, and left just as quickly.
Su Lanzhi sincerely thanked them again and promised to visit Minister Niu in a few days. After exchanging knowing smiles, the patrol team left discreetly. They had really come out this time as a favor to Minister Niu.
Looks like they owed their superior a proper thank-you. Best to hold onto this valuable connection tightly.
"Still, when it comes down to it, we can only rely on ourselves. If we'd waited for them to save us, we'd already be dead. Even if they'd arrived in time, the price we'd pay wouldn't just be a couple crates of vegetables as a courier fee," Su Lanzhi said with a sigh.
She made a silent vow in her heart. She couldn't keep letting her daughter stand at the frontlines. At her age, Jing Shu should be carefree, not burdened with protecting her entire family alone.
As soon as Minister Niu left, Wang Qiqi arrived with Young Master a Baby, and Wang Dazhao. They had been lurking in the darkness for a while and only came over once they saw the police. After ensuring everything was safe, they left quickly again.
The Bi Ri members had scattered when they heard the sirens, but some had invaded homes, killing entire families. The group had to check the casualties.
…
After seeing everyone off, Jing Shu's family began cleaning the battlefield. Restoring the villa to its former state would be difficult. The vegetable patch was trampled, the ground was stained with blood and bits of flesh, littered with nails, glass shards, lime powder, and debris.
Su Lanzhi forced herself to get used to cleaning the gore. Third Aunt was on her hands and knees scrubbing blood from the passageway with a scouring pad. Grandpa Jing and Jing An worked on repairing the traps. Thankfully, the house itself and the chicken coop were unharmed.
"I was originally planning to smother you to death in one go," Jing Shu said as she crouched beside Gou Yitian, sticking a damp piece of paper onto his face. "But I changed my mind. It'll be more satisfying to take my time."
Gou Yitian struggled desperately, shaking his head. He felt suffocated, increasingly so. His blood vessels felt like they were going to burst.
Jing Shu added another sheet. "I heard that in ancient times, the top eunuchs could endure twelve sheets before dying. How many can you handle? Let's try six first."
Veins began bulging on Gou Yitian's head and neck. Jing Shu removed the eight sheets she'd already applied. "Not bad. Let's try nine."
Gou Yitian gasped for breath, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. "Please… give me… a quick death… I beg you… please…"
Jing Shu acted as if she hadn't heard, placing the sheets on his face one by one. She whispered softly, "I'm terrified of dying. That's why I hate people who try to kill me the most. You don't understand, do you? Death is terrifying. Do you know just how terrifying it is?"
Gou Yitian thrashed violently, veins standing out as if they'd burst any second. Gradually, his struggles weakened until he stopped moving entirely.
"Eleven sheets. Not bad at all." Jing Shu disposed of his body and helped tidy up the villa.
That night, after finishing cleanup, the family held a meeting. The world had changed. Peace was gone. If not for Jing Shu's decisiveness and ruthless actions today, they might all be dead.
From tomorrow, everyone except Grandma Jing would start practicing with crossbows to prevent future tragedies. They would also begin carrying knives at all times.
Most importantly, the traps around the villa needed upgrading. They had to be deadlier, more brutal, and more efficient.
Surveillance cameras were kept running, and once all traps were repaired, the family finally got some rest for the night.
The next day, Jing An, Jing Shu, and Grandpa Jing began designing even deadlier traps.
"This net is too gentle. I want to use reinforced steel plates, weld dense steel spikes onto them, and drop it from above. If it doesn't crush them, it'll impale them. Plus, this way, we won't have to replace arrows all the time," Jing Shu said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.