Su Meimei's condition was pitiful. Her body was swollen with more than thirty large welts, each purple and yellow, making her look like she had gained a whole size.
The largest lump was about the size of a fist, and the smaller ones were still walnut-sized. Her face had swollen so badly from the stings that her eyes had disappeared under the swelling. A few welts had even grown so large that Jing Shu could see the fluid beneath the skin.
Jing Shu had no idea what caused this reaction, nor had she expected bee stings to be this vicious. It seemed that using Xiao Dou, who already had a level of resistance, as a test subject had not been an accurate measure.
She was very satisfied with the results. Now she just wondered if the damage was ongoing.
"You? Bitch!" Su Meimei exploded the moment she heard Jing Shu's voice. Her words were slurred, but she cursed wildly, thrashing her arms and clawing at the air. She stumbled into the corner of a table in the guardroom, fell heavily to the ground, and burst several of her swollen welts. Yellow pus splattered across the floor as her screams echoed.
"Wuuu! It hurts!"
With her skin split open and raw flesh exposed to the air, even Jing Shu winced. "See? This is called karma. By the way, do the rest of you still want to visit my house?"
The three other men, though stung less severely, had over a dozen welts each, all raised high and ready to burst. They were terrified. None had ever seen bees this venomous.
"You… you'll pay for this," Su Meimei seethed with hatred. She had imagined countless ways to kill Jing Shu, but she had never expected to be ambushed by bees halfway through her scheme.
Eventually, Su Meimei had someone call her father to pick her up. The others limped away too. In this heat, with their bodies covered in festering swellings and no medicine available, Jing Shu could only shake her head. They were on their own now.
Half an hour later, the group chat finally stirred.
[Zhang Bingbing's Older Husband]: "What's going on? Was her place really full of eggs and vegetables?"
[Zhang Bingbing's Younger Husband]:"Yeah. Did you just eat everything yourselves? No updates?"
[Shi Zi]:"We got stung by a damn swarm of bees on the way. Su Meimei had to be carried off. We're all covered in welts."
[Wang Xuemei]:"Serves her right."
Jing Shu knew Su Meimei's words earlier that day would make some people jealous. Most of the community was out of food. A few exceptions existed, like Young Madam With a Baby's house, which still had lots of dried sweet potatoes, and Wang Qiqi and Wang Xuemei, who both had some grain. But eggs and vegetables were too tempting.
That evening, over dinner, her family discussed the situation. Su Lanzhi cursed Su Meimei fiercely, disgusted that she was still causing trouble despite being estranged. "Tch! Just like her heartless father. A white-eyed wolf who can't be raised right."
Just then, someone approached the villa. Jing Shu's phone alarm rang.
"Even if that woman didn't kill my mom, she's tied to it. I'm definitely going to kill her. And once we get the villa's stash, you all take the bigger share, I'll take a smaller one," Zhou Pancheng whispered to his friends.
They had come running the moment they heard the villa was full of supplies. They were veterans, experienced with this sort of raid, each carrying weapons or tools. They had worked together many times. But recently, their own homes had run dry, and even items to trade for work points were gone. Hunger had forced them to act.
"No worries. We kill first, take the loot later."
"Next time you find a target like this, call us again. Damn it, I heard all the food is in the hands of the government and Qian Duoduo, and none of it's being handed out."
"Huh, the door's open. Saves us the trouble. Let's go."
"Move!"
The night was pitch black. As soon as they stepped through the gate, there was a loud boom—the gate slammed shut by itself.
"Who's there?!"
The group spun around, startled. In the darkness, a pair of glowing green eyes flashed. Then a scream pierced the villa.
…
When Jing Shu's phone alarm went off, she checked the infrared monitor. Five intruders were approaching, all carrying weapons. "Someone's coming for the villa. Probably because Su Meimei ran her mouth today about how well we eat. They're here to rob us."
Grandma Jing's hands shook. The scene of that mob of dozens flashed through her mind.
"Don't worry. It's only a few people. I'll turn on the traps." Jing Shu stepped into the yard and froze at the sight before her.
Xiao Dou had used its beak to unlock the yard gate, letting the intruders in. Jing Shu frowned. Then Xiao Dou flapped its wings, slammed the gate shut, and turned to her with bloodthirsty eyes. It seemed to be waiting for a command.
Jing Shu understood immediately. She issued the attack order, feeling a strange sense of suppressed willpower.
Then Xiao Dou launched itself at one man, talons clamping down on his head. Its beak stabbed mercilessly, gouging out an eyeball and swallowing it whole. Xiao Dou became more excited and lunged for the other eye.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Ahhh! My eyes!"
The intruders panicked, swinging their weapons wildly.
Xiao Dou dodged a cleaver, took a hammer blow, and let out a furious cluck cluck cluck. Then it soared at another man, locked onto his head, and pecked his eyes out.
The battle ended quickly. The men's initial resistance crumbled as Xiao Dou gouged and devoured their eyes one by one. Soon the screams stopped. Jing Shu stepped forward and saw a body lying motionless, empty sockets oozing. Even the brain matter inside was gone.
In the darkness, Xiao Dou radiated a terrifying aura. It let out a triumphant cluck cluck cluck, voicing its excitement.
"Xiao Dou?"
"Cluck cluck cluck!" What?
Jing Shu studied Xiao Dou's eyes and sensed something different. After a moment, she realized it. Its eyes no longer looked like those of a chicken. They held a spark of… human intelligence.
The eyes were windows to the soul. Through them, Jing Shu could read emotions. Now, she could almost understand Xiao Dou's thoughts.
She finally understood what had felt off about Xiao Dou these last few days. Had it reached a bottleneck? Today, after eating several human eyes, had it broken past the limits of a chicken? From a cold-blooded creature into a warm-blooded predator? The more it devoured human eyes, the more its own eyes resembled a person's. What would change tomorrow if it kept eating?
Jing Shu inspected the spot where Xiao Dou had been struck with the hammer. Its thick hide had rendered the blow meaningless. She had worried for nothing.
After taking photos, she disposed of the bodies. She decided to send a warning to the community chat. People needed to stop coveting what was not theirs.
[Jing Shu]:"@Everyone, someone just tried to rob my house. Anyone missing family members, come claim them."