Chapter 6 The Door-Blocking Crocodile
Loud footsteps echoed from the emergency exit, accompanied by laughter and chatter.
As the footsteps approached his floor, Qin Ziwen opened the door, his younger brother following behind.
Emerging from the building, Qin Ziwen realized they were two families.
A very traditional modern family structure; both the husband and wife were around forty years old.
Their two children, a boy and a girl, were likely in high school.
Qin Ziwen approached them, "Uncle, did you see anyone in the hallway when you came down?"
The man, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, of medium build, smiled and replied, "No, there was no one in the hallway when we came down."
He seemed to realize something, glancing at Qin Ziwen a few more times. "You're the new neighbors who moved in on the fifth floor,
right?" "Yes,"
the man nodded, giving a soft "Oh."
A few seconds later, the man suddenly said, "The reputation of the family in apartment 602 upstairs isn't very good. They used to be involved in organized crime, often causing trouble in the neighborhood while drunk. Be careful."
"I heard he's been to jail before?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know about that."
The man's wife spoke up: "He has been to jail, and it seems 602 and 501 have an improper relationship."
The man was taken aback. "How do you know?"
His wife rolled her eyes: "You only go to work and go fishing all day. When have you ever cared about these things? Once, when I came home from grocery shopping, I saw the man from 602 use his key to unlock 501's door.
What do you think? There's only one woman living alone in 501." Qin Ziwu, following behind his brother, frowned. If the man upstairs had a key to the apartment across the hall, wouldn't they know each other?
Why didn't the woman say anything last night, and why did they both pretend not to know each other?
Unless they were acting.
Qin Ziwu felt he had guessed the truth!
Qin Ziwu secretly observed his brother's expression, but found it remained unchanged.
The muscular man with thick eyebrows extended an invitation: "Hey buddy, wanna go fishing? I've noticed the fish population in this river is pretty good."
Qin Ziwen shook his head: "I don't have a fishing rod."
The muscular man said, "No problem, I have an extra one."
Seeing Qin Ziwen's surprised expression, the man laughed, "I'm a fishing enthusiast, I used to love fishing, I have tons of fishing rods at home."
The man's wife found it amusing, "You're just a noob, you've got too many fishing rods."
"What do you mean by 'too many fishing rods'? It means sometimes the weather's bad and the fish aren't biting." The man turned to Qin Ziwen and asked, "How about it, want to go fishing with me? In my experience, there are plenty of fish in this river, I guarantee we'll have meat to eat every day."
Qin Ziwen agreed: "Sure, I'm a fishing novice, I'll need your guidance, bro."
The man laughed, "It's not really guidance, let's work together, and beginners usually have good luck."
He patted the bag on his back, "I just happened to bring an extra rod, you can come with me."
"Brother, are we going fishing later?"
"Come on, you can learn too."
The man with thick eyebrows called out to the man from the other family next door, "Old Liu, this young man can fish with us too. More people means more excitement. Yesterday I saw someone catch two fish in a row on that steep bank, and then several people went over and took the spot."
Old Liu, who was thin and tall, said, "I have no objection. More people is better. You decide, Brother Deng."
Qin Ziwen followed the group out. He hadn't considered fishing before because he didn't have the equipment and also because he had no experience.
Now that someone is willing to guide him, he's willing to give it a try. After all, fishing is an essential skill for wilderness survival.
Moreover, according to his observations, his daily score is related to his harvest.
Yesterday, he got an eight-point score thanks to the bonus from foraging for wild vegetables.
Now that the wild vegetables are almost all gone, the only way to achieve that high score is to venture further into the forest, away from the residential area.
Compared to going deep into the forest, fishing by the river near the entrance of the residential area is obviously much safer.
Arriving at the entrance, he found many people standing on the ladder.
After squeezing through, he saw a giant crocodile lying motionless on the floor of the south gate lobby. Its dark brown, hard skin was covered in bumps. Although it wasn't moving, the sheer size of its body, even just lying there, made many people's legs go weak.
"Wow, it's huge! I estimate it's at least five meters long."
"That size could probably swallow a person whole."
"What do we do if it's blocking our way? How do we get rid of it?"
"Why not just kill it? This is land; crocodiles aren't that agile."
A young man wearing a delivery helmet said from the crowd, "I used to work at a zoo, where I was in charge of crocodile care. I know a bit about their habits."
The crowd quieted down.
"This crocodile looks a bit like a saltwater crocodile, but its head is proportionally larger, meaning its bite force might be stronger."
"Its weaknesses are its eyes, abdomen, and the area behind its head near the spine. But never confront it head-on. While it's not as fast on land as it is in the water, its short burst speed isn't slow." "
A crocodile's bite force is very strong, but the force with which it opens its mouth is far less than its bite force. In other words, if you can grab its mouth before it opens it, you might be able to prevent it from opening its jaws."
The others silently watched the crocodile in the hall, which was longer than a small car.
"Of course, that's all idealistic thinking. This crocodile is bigger than the biggest I've ever seen in a zoo. I wouldn't recommend attacking a crocodile of this size. Just try to drive it away; crocodiles aren't usually that brave."
Someone suddenly said, "If it were timid, would it still be lying here motionless? Dude, you're talking about Earth's crocodiles, this isn't even on Earth anymore."
"Yeah, I feel like this crocodile doesn't even consider us a threat."
"Didn't someone fall into the water and get eaten by a crocodile the other day? I suspect these crocodiles see us as prey."
"Damn, that's too arrogant! With so many of us, are we afraid of a single crocodile? I won't say anything in the river, but once it's on land, it's just a salted fish. Let's just kill it and share the meat!"
Old Liu teased Old Deng, "Have you ever caught such a big fish? This one down there is huge."
Old Deng, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, chuckled, "If I caught one this big, I'd drive around the city twice."
Old Deng's wife gently patted him, "You're just talking nonsense. Don't show off. If you see a crocodile coming into the river, just walk away. You can't catch all the fish. You're the pillar of the family."
Old Deng held his wife's hand, "Don't worry, I know."
Their daughter, following behind, saw the couple's mushy scene and hugged her arm.
From the back of the crowd, someone pulled out a thick curtain from somewhere. "Here it comes! Make way, everyone else, don't block the way. Anyone planning to take on this crocodile? Let's be clear from the start, only those who fight will get the spoils. Those who don't, don't try to take advantage!"
Qin Ziwen recognized the man carrying the curtain; it was the bearded man he'd confronted with Huang Tao on his way home last night.
Beside him, he also saw Huang Tao and the property management staff.
Chapter 7 Hunting the Crocodile
"Let's get it!"
Several more people stepped forward, wielding sticks and clubs.
Qin Ziwen thought of the card acquisition methods his home had told him about: one was to explore high-risk areas, and the other was to kill powerful creatures in the current area. He
wondered if this crocodile counted as a powerful creature in the area.
In terms of physique, if it were in the river unarmed, even a dozen or twenty adult men wouldn't be a match for it.
But on the shore, the crocodile's agility and stamina were affected.
"Let's go."
Qin Ziwen took a step forward with a clothesline spear with a fruit knife strapped to it, his younger brother following behind, holding a wooden stick.
A quick glance revealed at least a dozen men who had stepped forward.
The bearded man said, "I'll throw the curtain over later to cover the crocodile; it'll definitely struggle. Then we'll find a way to entangle it with the curtain."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have an idea."
The bearded man looked over.
Qin Ziwen offered his suggestion, "If you just throw it, the curtain is too slippery. If the crocodile turns and runs, the curtain will have a hard time entangled. I think it's better to tear some holes in the curtain, so that when it escapes or struggles, its head and feet can more easily come out of the holes, like a fishing net. The more it struggles, the tighter it gets entangled."
The bearded man's eyes lit up after hearing this, "That sounds more reliable."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have curtains at home too, I'll go get mine."
The bearded man waved his hand, "No need for all that trouble, just use mine. The salesman raved about how good their curtains were, even protecting them from cat and dog scratches, let's give it a try."
With that, the man pulled out a boning knife and stabbed it into the curtain in his hand. The action was quick and precise, making Qin Ziwen's eyes twitch.
Soon, the curtain was pierced with holes of various sizes, but how to get the crocodile to accurately put its head into the holes was another problem.
Qin Ziwu suggested, "How about we use sticks to prop it up and try to push its head as far into the hole as possible?"
Huang Tao said, "That seems like a good idea, but who's going to do it?"
The group looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
The crocodile lay there, its limbs thicker than a person's waist, its eyes slightly narrowed. Although it was motionless, no one really considered it just a sculpture.
The sticks or clotheslines they had were no more than two meters long, and that distance felt incredibly unsafe in front of a five-meter-long crocodile.
A young man from the property management company, wearing a white security uniform, said, "How about we throw it over there? If we hit it, great; if not, we'll just get a curtain."
Everyone agreed to this plan.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, I'll do it." Qin
Ziwen's eyes sharpened. "Stand back."
Qin Ziwu immediately stood obediently in place.
Old Deng put down the box containing the fishing rods, had his wife carry it, and then rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
His wife asked worriedly, "Are you going?"
Old Deng laughed heartily, "Other young men dare to go, why should I just watch from the sidelines? I've never eaten such a big fish before, I'll get some crocodile meat for you and your son."
Old Deng asked Old Liu beside him, "Want to come along?"
Old Liu cautiously shook his head, "Never mind, you guys do it."
Qin Ziwu, who had been staring at his older brother, felt a couple of pokes in his waist. He turned around, and the girl behind him teased, "Your brother looks so serious, are you afraid of him?"
Qin Ziwu recognized her as Deng's daughter and said disdainfully, "You talk like you're not afraid of your dad."
"Tch, I'm not afraid of my dad."
"I am afraid, I'm afraid something will happen to my brother."
After saying that, Qin Ziwu turned back, staring at his older brother's back, gripping the stick in his hand, ready to pounce.
The girl blinked, watching Qin Ziwu's retreating figure. She wanted to continue chatting with him, but her mother patted her shoulder: "You talk too much. Your dad and the others are doing serious business. Be quiet."
"Oh,"
Old Liu's son chimed in, seizing the opportunity: "Yingying, I think going to hunt crocodiles is too dangerous."
The girl wrinkled her nose. "Don't talk."
"Brother Deng, you're here too?"
Qin Ziwen looked at Old Deng beside him in surprise. Old Deng raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think you are? I was a soldier too, okay?"
The six of them each grabbed a corner of the curtain, stood on the ladder, and took two steps forward.
As they got closer to the crocodiles, Qin Ziwen heard the breathing of those around him grow heavier.
Not to mention the others, even his own hands were starting to ache.
Those who haven't had unrestricted close encounters with large, ferocious beasts can't understand this feeling.
The crocodile's tail suddenly twitched.
"Bang!"
The young man in the security guard uniform on the far left suddenly felt his legs buckle, almost falling to the ground, only managing to stay upright by bracing himself with his left hand.
The sudden commotion immediately attracted the crocodile's attention.
The crocodile opened its cold eyes, its vertical pupils devoid of any emotion as it turned its head, staring intently at the six humans who dared to approach. A
murmur rippled through the crowd gathered on the ladder behind it. "Thump,
thump, thump."
The crocodile suddenly sprang to life.
Its thick limbs burst forth with incredible speed, charging towards the fallen security guard.
"Throw it!"
the bearded man shouted.
People threw the curtains they were holding, but because a corner was being held by the fallen guard, they couldn't be thrown very far.
The charging crocodile crashed headfirst into the curtain, its head and most of its body obscured.
But its speed didn't slow down at all; it slammed directly into the guard.
The security guard's thigh was pinned down by its claws, and he screamed in terror, "Help! Help!"
The bearded man grabbed the guard by the back of his collar, trying to pull him back.
But the crocodile sensed its prey trying to escape and instinctively hooked it with its claws.
The others' sticks rained down, striking the crocodile's back.
"Ah!!!"
A group of onlookers exclaimed in the distance, "That crocodile's scream is so pitiful."
"You misheard, it's the security guard screaming."
The crocodile's claws were sharp, like hooks, deeply embedded in the guard's thigh.
After being attacked, the crocodile let out a furious growl, like a roaring engine.
Its thick tail lashed out repeatedly, scraping against the ground with a swishing sound.
Qin Ziwen gripped the clothes rack tightly with both hands and thrust it towards the side of the crocodile's head under the curtains!
He aimed for the eye, but struck a hard spot, like tough leather, unable to penetrate.
Then, a tremendous force came from the other end of the clothes rack, forcing him to stagger backward.
The crocodile charged towards Qin Ziwen. A furious
shout came from behind, "Get out of the way!"
A dark figure leaped from the side, swinging a long stick in a semi-circle.
"Crack!"
The thick wooden stick snapped in two with a loud crack.
But the charging crocodile stopped in its tracks.
The solid blow had stunned it.
"Kill it!" A burly man wielding a fire axe rushed out from behind the crocodile, the axe slamming heavily into the curtain the crocodile was using to cover it.
"Agh!"
The crocodile howled under the curtain, its tail flashing behind it.
"Thump!"
A muffled sound, like a heavy hammer hitting a tattered sack.
The burly man with the fire axe didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying backwards without warning!
He flew three or four meters before crashing to the ground like a lump of mud, his lower leg twisted irregularly; it was clear to anyone with eyes that his lower leg was broken.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
The previously heated atmosphere was suddenly dampened.
Chapter 8 Distributing the Meat
The burly man was thrown away, but the axe got stuck on the crocodile's head. The intense pain made it shake its head violently from under the curtains, letting out a furious roar.
Huang Tao shouted, "Don't go to its side, attack it head-on!"
A large shovel slammed down on the crocodile's head.
"Clang!"
The shovel made a loud noise.
The crocodile's head immediately jerked up.
"Clang!"
The shovel swung down again, this time hitting the axe handle, causing the crocodile to shake its head in pain.
Qin Ziwen stepped forward, raised the handle, and thrust it straight into the crocodile's skin, the impact making his arm go numb: "Such tough skin, we need a heavy weapon."
The bearded man grinned: "Damn it, no matter how fierce it is, it's still just a beast. It'll run away when it hurts."
The crocodile rammed to the other side, and with a hiss, its head finally emerged from a small hole in the curtains.
It glanced back at the humans, then twisted its clumsy body and fled towards the river.
"Grab it!"
A group of people chased after it, but in the grass, the crocodile was no match for the humans.
Two security guards, armed with riot forks, positioned themselves on either side of the crocodile's head.
The crocodile instinctively opened its massive jaws, and Qin Ziwen, who had moved to the front, seized the opportunity. He used a clothesline pole to forcefully shove it into the crocodile's gaping maw, delivering a deep throat.
Qin Ziwen, unsure what he had struck, gripped the pole and twisted it.
The crocodile clawed at the mud, struggling desperately.
Axes, iron bars, and wooden sticks rained down on it.
The crocodile's strength waned.
Finally, it stopped struggling.
Qin Ziwen stared at the crocodile, wanting to see if it would "drop" a card (i.e., reveal its true nature).
Three seconds, four seconds...
until someone nearly severed the crocodile's head from its neck with an axe, there was no change.
It seemed this crocodile didn't meet the criteria for a powerful life form in the area. It took
a dozen strong, adult men, after first obscuring its vision with curtains, taking turns attacking it with long weapons on land before finally killing it.
"The crocodile is dead?"
"Amazing!"
The crowd that had been watching gradually approached, some even kicking the crocodile's carcass with their feet.
Huang Tao pulled out a measuring tape from somewhere and measured it.
"Five meters and three inches long!"
"Wow, that's pretty long."
"Wow, you guys are amazing, killing such a big crocodile so easily."
The young man, who had once been a crocodile keeper, squatted down and couldn't help but exclaim, "Five-meter-long crocodiles are rare in the wild, even zoos rarely keep crocodiles of that size."
Because he had kept crocodiles, he knew better how terrifying a crocodile of this size would be in the wild.
Qin Ziwen came out from the crowd and found the security guard who had been swept away by the crocodile.
He was dragged to the back by the crowd and sat against the wall. His exposed calf was twisted unnaturally, covered in blood, and white bone fragments were sticking out of the wound, probably a broken tibia and fibula.
If he could have been taken to the hospital immediately, he might have been saved, but here he was basically done for.
The security guard's face was covered in sweat, his eyes were closed, and a large pool of blood had accumulated beneath him.
The middle-aged man wearing glasses, who had been crouching beside him, carefully examined him before standing up. "Unless he receives immediate surgery, his chances of survival are very low. He's in aortic hemorrhagic shock and needs a transfusion right away. There are no surgical facilities here. Does he have any family?"
"Dr. Lin, none of these security guards have families here."
Dr. Lin shook his head regretfully. "Based on my experience, even if they are lucky enough to survive, the aftereffects will be severe, and they won't have family to take care of them."
An old man next to him said, "Dr. Lin said there's no hope. Sigh, this young man is just unlucky." An
old woman wearing a floral shirt shook her head: "Dr. Lin is a top doctor at the city hospital. If even he can't treat him, then it seems there's no hope."
"Isn't Dr. Lin a chief physician? Even the chief physician can't save him?"
Dr. Lin's face turned green. I'm a doctor, not a god.
Give me an emergency room and I might try. Without an emergency room, how can I save him?
Huang Tao pushed through the crowd, walked over, squatted down, and gently shook the security guard. "Dou Gu, Dou Gu."
Dou Gu's eyelids trembled, and his lips moved, but he ultimately couldn't respond.
Dr. Lin said, "Shock isn't just being asleep. It's the collapse of the body's circulatory system, with severe ischemia and hypoxia in the brain and vital organs. It's physiological coma."
Huang Tao hesitated upon hearing this. "Then… he's hopeless?"
Dr. Lin sighed softly and did not answer.
The bearded man walked over, glanced at the unconscious Dou Gu, hesitated for a moment, and said, "What a pity for this brother. Let's divide the meat; it won't keep well in this weather, or it'll spoil."
Huang Tao nodded, "Okay."
The bearded man behind him extended his hand to Qin Ziwen, his eyes full of admiration, "Brother, you were pretty brave just now, shoving the long spear right into the crocodile's mouth. Let's be friends, my name is Zheng Yuan, I live in Building 3."
The two shook hands.
"Qin Ziwen, Building 8."
Old Deng came over from the side, laughing heartily, "Brother Qin, that cast was spot on! Thanks to you, I caught a five-meter-long fish, I've never caught anything this big in my life."
Qin Ziwen said modestly, "It was only through teamwork that we managed to do it; I couldn't handle a crocodile by myself."
Someone brought over a weighing scale and a large iron basin from home. They
spent the whole morning dividing the crocodile meat.
Many people gathered around, and some even tried to morally blackmail them, wanting a share of the spoils.
Zheng Yuan, known for his fiery temper, snapped back, "Get the hell out of here! I didn't see you when we were killing the crocodile, but now you're shamelessly showing up to divide the meat . There are so many crocodiles in the river, go kill one yourself if you want some!"
Zheng Yuan, who was cutting meat, stood up and raised his boning knife, startling the man who quickly retreated back into the crowd.
Huang Tao tried to ease the tension: "Brother Zheng, you're quite skilled at cutting meat. What did you do before?"
Zheng Yuan sliced off a piece of bright red meat with his boning knife: "I used to butcher pigs. This crocodile has a really low yield, probably only half that of a pig."
In the end, Qin Ziwen received eighty jin of meat.
The crocodile yielded a total of six hundred and four jin of meat. Sixteen people had killed the crocodile, but Dou Gu had an accident and had transmigrated alone, so everyone else tacitly omitted his share.
Zheng Yuan was responsible for dividing the meat; butchering a crocodile was physically demanding, and this one weighed one or two tons—most people couldn't handle that kind of work.
So the extra four jin were considered Zheng Yuan's "labor fee."
Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu, brothers, shared a total of eighty jin (approximately 40 kg).
The heavy meat, mostly whitish with pale pink veins, was packed in bags.
Qin Ziwen received the tail meat, which from a distance resembled a huge, coarser-fibered chicken breast.
After receiving their share, not only Qin Ziwen but also Old Deng lost all interest in fishing.
Such a large piece of meat would last the family a long time.
Old Liu was even more envious, his eyes reddening – forty jin! He had only caught a little over two jin of fish all day yesterday.
Chapter 9 Interrogation
After being shoved a few times by his wife, Old Liu rubbed his hands and walked to Qin Ziwen's side with an awkward smile. "Young man, you've divided up so much meat, you probably can't finish it all, right? It'll spoil if it's left out too long in this weather. How about lending me some?"
Qin Ziwen frowned.
Deng Guang's voice came: "Old Liu."
Liu Fude turned his head and looked at Deng Guang who was walking over, his expression somewhat unnatural.
Deng Guang said: "This meat was obtained by other young men at great risk. Aren't you making things difficult for them?" Liu Fude
chuckled: "Oh dear, it's all my fault. My legs were numb at the time, and I didn't dare to go up. If I had known it was this simple, I would have gone too."
Deng Guang pointed to the unconscious Dou Gu: "It looks simple, but it can be very dangerous if you're not careful."
Hearing this, Liu Fude was a little annoyed. It's not like I'm asking you for it, why are you pretending to be a good person now?
He immediately changed the subject, "Then how about you lend me some?"
Deng Guang hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Sure, I'll cut some for you in a bit, you can come to my house to pick it up later."
Deng Guang's wife, walking behind, looked a little unpleasant, but since there were outsiders present, she only glanced at Deng Guang.
"Little Qin? Little Qin! It really is you." A familiar voice came from behind.
Wang Juan ran over, her eyes burning as she looked at the crocodile meat Qin Ziwen was carrying in his bag.
Wang Juan smiled and tried to ingratiate herself, "Hey, Xiao Qin, I might have been a little inappropriate with my words the other day. I apologize."
"Could you give me some of that meat? I certainly won't let you give it away for free; I can buy it!"
Wang Juan's husband walked over, gently tugged at his wife's arm, and said amicably, "Brother Qin, you and my wife used to be colleagues, and it's fate that we're all here now. We're almost out of food at home; could we borrow some? We'll pay it back later. By the way, we can also hunt together sometime; you two are practically acquaintances, so we can work together then."
"No, no way. We're not acquainted." Qin Ziwen waved his hand dismissively, stopping the other man from speaking further.
Rejected so decisively, Wang Juan's husband's face darkened. He adjusted his glasses and watched Qin Ziwen's departing figure.
Wang Juan complained to her husband, "I told you I wasn't coming, but you insisted I come to apologize to him. Now I haven't gotten the things, and I've lost face for nothing."
Wang Juan's husband gritted his teeth, "Your colleague is so cold-hearted! Can he finish all that meat? It'll go bad in a couple of days, he'll choke!"
The three families entered the apartment building. Old Liu secretly glanced at Qin Ziwen. Compared to the two who came after him, Qin Ziwen, although he hadn't lent him anything, wasn't as aggressive.
This comparison made him feel a little better.
As they went upstairs, they heard footsteps overhead.
A woman wearing sportswear, a sun hat, and arm sleeves came downstairs.
When the woman saw Qin Ziwen, she seemed pleasantly surprised, "Hey, you're back so early? That yesterday..."
Because there were other neighbors present, the woman seemed unable to say it directly, only hinting at it subtly.
Old Deng greeted Qin Ziwen, "We'll go back first."
"Okay, Brother Deng, you guys go ahead."
After they left, the woman's gaze fell on the large bag of meat Qin Ziwen was carrying, her eyes growing increasingly eager.
She pressed herself against Qin Ziwen's arm, squeezing it against his soft flesh.
"Is it convenient to come to your house?"
Qin Ziwen smiled slightly. "Sure."
Back home, he closed the door.
The woman was about to speak when Qin Ziwu pressed her shoulders against the sofa from behind, covering her mouth with one hand to prevent her from screaming.
Qin Ziwen put down the bag he was carrying, holding a clothesline pole-like spear in front of the woman's eyes, the sharp tip pointing directly at her forehead.
"Shh."
He raised his index finger, making a shushing gesture.
Then he whispered, "Don't say anything after my brother lets go. I'm easily frightened; if you make a sound, I might stab you randomly, understand?"
The woman nodded hurriedly, her eyes filled with panic.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
Qin Ziwu released his hand from her mouth.
The woman gasped for breath, tears welling in her eyes.
Qin Ziwen glanced at the security door, then pointed to the bedroom inside. "Let's talk in the bedroom."
They went to the bedroom, the door closed, and the woman's body trembled involuntarily.
Qin Ziwen sat on the bed, looking at the woman in front of him with a serious expression: "Have I offended you?"
The woman shook her head frantically.
Qin Ziwen scratched his head, looking puzzled, his tone full of incomprehension: "Then why did you hurt me?"
The woman quickly protested, "I didn't hurt you!"
Qin Ziwen sighed, his expression suddenly turning sinister: "Still not telling the truth." He
abruptly stood up, grabbed the woman's neck, and slammed her against the wall behind her. "If you don't talk, then don't talk. There are no police here anyway. Even now you're still being stubborn, thinking I won't kill a woman."
The veins on his fingers bulged, and the woman's face turned even redder.
Just as she was about to roll her eyes back, Qin Ziwen released her.
The woman clutched her throat, bending over and coughing repeatedly.
Qin Ziwen's tone was calm: "Keep your cough down."
The woman trembled, forcibly suppressing her cough, coughing softly. Now she was truly terrified; this man seemed like he really would kill her.
"I'll ask you one more time, who ordered you to do this?"
The woman spilled everything she knew: "I...I...it was Xie Jun who made me do it, it was him, he forced me! How could a woman living alone like me dare to plot against you? Waaah!"
Qin Ziwu was still shaken after hearing her story.
If things had really gone as she said, with two strange men sneaking into his house while he slept, the consequences were obvious.
He looked at his older brother with admiration.
Just now, when they entered the house, his brother had whispered in his ear, instructing him to cover the woman's mouth and control her.
But if this woman continued to be stubborn, would his brother really take action?
Although he had already been in this other world for three days, Qin Ziwu's mindset hadn't completely changed.
Qin Ziwen said, "You mean he told you to sneak into our house, and then to secretly open the door in the middle of the night to let them in?"
The woman said pitifully, "That's right, but they made me do it. I didn't want to at first, but how could a weak woman like me resist two grown men?"
"My name is Wang Xiaoli, the one with the scorpion tattoo is Xie Jun, and the other one who's not very bright is Xie Guang, Xie Jun's cousin. Xie Jun used to be involved in loan sharking. He and Xie Guang were in charge of debt collection. They used to throw chicken blood and excrement at people's doors, and even broke someone's leg. Xie Guang isn't a good person either. His nickname is Dazhuang. He's often in jail for fighting. Once, when his cousin wasn't around, he even..."
It seems they're a bunch of scum.
Qin Ziwen wasn't interested in these stories and interrupted her directly, "Alright, get to the point. Did they have any weapons, especially guns?"
Wang Xiaoli bit her lip, trying hard to recall, "They didn't have guns. I've never heard them mention them. But they both had machetes, the long kind."
She even gestured to indicate the approximate length, about half a meter.
Qin Ziwen smiled enigmatically, "Did they tell you what to do with me and my brother after they came into my house?"
Wang Xiaoli fell silent, hesitant to speak.
But seeing Qin Ziwen frown, she quickly blurted out, "They didn't say specifically, but it should be, it should be..."
Qin Ziwen continued, "They killed me and my brother. After all, we've both been offended. They'd definitely eliminate any potential threats, right? Especially in a place where the law doesn't reach." Wang Xiaoli
lowered her head.
Qin Ziwen stared at her. "Did you leave any secret signals?"
Wang Xiaoli quickly shook her head. "No, to avoid being exposed, he told me to just sneak in the door in the middle of the night."
Qin Ziwen sighed and said quietly, "I'm still too kind. In this environment, I only thought about going out hunting for myself instead of robbing others. This Jun'er is the kind of person who does great things."
Qin Ziwu agreed wholeheartedly: "I think you're just too kind, big brother. Good people like us are easily bullied."
Wang Xiaoli's lips twitched.
Kind?
If I hadn't confessed just now, I might really have died.
Qin Ziwen patted Wang Xiaoli's head: "Tonight, you follow the original plan and call them over. I hope you don't do anything stupid, like secretly tipping them off. Otherwise, they might live, but you will definitely die. If you do as I say, I will spare your life."
Wang Xiaoli nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
At ten o'clock that night,
Qin Ziwen set up a rope trap inside the bedroom door, tying one end to the bed leg.
The night was thick with darkness, the moon obscured by clouds—a perfect opportunity to strike.
He gestured to Wang Xiaoli.
Wang Xiaoli quietly opened the door, went to the opposite door, and gently knocked four times.
"Beep beep beep beep."
Chapter 10 Day 3 Settlement
The door opened a crack.
Xie Jun poked his head out, glancing warily at the half-closed room opposite, then at Wang Xiaoli beside him. A smile
spread across his face as he whispered in Wang Xiaoli's ear, "Good job, I'll reward you properly later."
He turned and waved to those behind him, "Dazhuang, come here."
"Big brother." Dazhuang walked over, handing Xie Jun one of the two machetes he was carrying.
Xie Jun walked to the doorway, looking at the dimly lit room, and asked in confusion, "Why are the curtains closed?"
Wang Xiaoli whispered, "They drew them before they went to sleep, saying they were afraid birds would hit the glass in the middle of the night. I was afraid that drawing the curtains would be too loud and wake them up, so I didn't open them."
Xie Jun instructed her, "Go and open the curtains a little, be quiet."
Wang Xiaoli went over and gently pulled open the living room curtains.
Thin moonlight shone into the living room. Xie Jun first cautiously surveyed the room; the view was open, and there was nowhere to hide.
Then he beckoned his younger brother to follow him.
Xie Jun lowered his voice, "Which room?"
Wang Xiaoli pointed to the room Qin Ziwen had arranged beforehand.
Xie Jun waved back and walked to the door with his brother.
The two exchanged a glance. Xie Jun told Xie Guang to go first.
Xie Guang turned the doorknob and pushed it in.
The curtains were drawn, but a bulging outline on the bed could be vaguely seen, along with a long snoring sound.
Xie Guang took a step forward, and suddenly felt his foot step on something.
"Whoosh—"
The rope tightened, binding his calf.
Thump!
Caught off guard, Xie Guang stumbled.
The wardrobe next to him opened, and Qin Ziwen strode forward, raising his spear and thrusting. In the darkness, he couldn't see clearly, but he stabbed the fallen man's upper body several times, causing him to scream and howl in agony.
Then, he decisively thrust the spear towards the narrow bedroom door.
Xie Jun was stunned for a moment after hearing his cousin's screams, then realized he had been tricked. That bitch Wang Xiaoli had betrayed him!
Looking back, the door to another bedroom diagonally behind him slammed shut, the bolt locked, and Wang Xiaoli slipped into another room.
He cursed under his breath, preparing to step forward, when a spear thrust towards him. He tried to dodge, but the door was right beside him, the space too narrow, and he was stabbed in the shoulder, the pain making him gasp.
Before he could react, the snoring on the bed abruptly stopped, and Qin Ziwu leaped up, aiming a blow at the head of the man on the ground.
His hand was a little weak with the first strike, but the second, fueled by a surge of adrenaline, landed heavily, splattering blood all over his face.
Qin Ziwu quickly retreated, standing next to his brother. The two glared menacingly at Xie Jun, but Qin Ziwu caught a glimpse of the machete lying on the ground, his eyes flickering.
Xie Jun glanced at his cousin, who was groaning on the ground, his face grim, and slowly retreated, machete in hand.
"Brother, I admit defeat this time. We'll run into each other again eventually, no need to fight to the death. I have a knife. If you insist on coming, I'll take one of you with me even if I die!"
Qin Ziwen was too lazy to waste words with him and directly thrust out with his spear.
He'd already decided to kill, so why bother arguing if he wasn't going to eliminate the threat completely?
Xie Jun swung his knife, the clothesline pole was blocked, and the tip of the knife pierced his shoulder.
A fierce glint flashed in Xie Jun's eyes. He grabbed the clothesline pole with his left hand to prevent it from being pulled back. As the two struggled, he leaned forward, suddenly met with a gust of wind from a blade.
Instinctively, he swung his knife to block.
"Clang!"
A powerful force made his arm go numb.
Qin Ziwu laughed, "Your knives are really useful! Die!"
The half-meter-long machete in Qin Ziwu's hand was like an axe, relentlessly hacking at Xie Jun's head.
Just hearing the whistling wind from the blade made his scalp tingle.
With each strike, Xie Jun's arm went weak, almost dropping the knife.
"That guy's incredibly strong.
" The thought had barely crossed his mind
when his left hand loosened its grip on the clothesline pole, the blade slicing across his palm. He didn't even have time to feel the pain before the pole was upon him again.
"Oh no!" A sharp pain shot
through his eyes, his head snapped back, and he felt dizzy.
He felt something sharp pierce his eye, cold and chilling, almost making him lose consciousness.
Xie Jun crashed into the wall with a thud, slowly sliding down against it.
"Plop."
Qin Ziwen stirred the clothesline, then pushed it in hard again.
Only when Xie Jun's right hand loosened, and the machete fell to the ground, did he withdraw his spear.
The battle was over, and an indescribable emotion swept over him.
Qin Ziwu stared blankly back and forth between the two motionless figures on the ground.
Qin Ziwen's heart was pounding, and he clutched his chest.
"Knock, knock, knock." He knocked on the tightly closed bedroom door. "Alright, it's over. You can come out now."
There was no response from inside the bedroom.
Wang Xiaoli was probably scared.
Qin Ziwen's voice was low. "Come out. I don't want to say it a second time."
"Click."
The bedroom door unlocked.
Wang Xiaoli opened the door, head down, her body trembling, glancing fearfully at the two corpses on the ground.
In her heart, Xie Jun and Xie Guang were not to be trifled with.
The Qin brothers, Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu, who could kill them, held a position in her heart equal to, or even higher than, Xie Jun's cousin.
Bloodthirsty Qin Ziwu suddenly asked his elder brother, "Brother?"
Qin Ziwen replied, "Let her go. I'm a man of my word. She kept her promise to me, and I'll keep mine."
Qin Ziwu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Huh? Oh."
Impatiently, Qin Ziwu shouted, "Get lost!"
Wang Xiaoli quickly fled without looking back, fearing the two would renege on their promise.
Outside the stairs, Old Deng, hearing the commotion, came down carrying his things and cautiously peered into the house.
Wang Xiaoli, running out, nearly bumped into him, letting out a scream in fright.
Qin Ziwen and his brother dragged the bodies out and were somewhat surprised to see Old Deng outside the door. "Old Deng?"
Old Deng looked at Xie Jun, who was being carried out, but because it was dark, he couldn't see his face clearly. "I heard a commotion and thought something might have happened to you, so I came down to check."
Qin Ziwen said with a smile, "The Xie brothers heard that I got some meat and tried to rob me tonight. I acted in self-defense."
There had been screams and wails earlier, and it was impossible to hide it in the quiet night, so he didn't intend to. It was good that Old Deng was a witness.
Old Deng was a little shocked, but he quickly understood. The situation was different now. He looked at the Xie brothers' bodies with some complicated feelings, thought for a moment, and rolled up his sleeves. "I'll help you carry them."
With Old Deng's help, the three of them quickly carried the two bodies downstairs.
The best way would naturally be to dig a pit and bury the two men, but digging a pit large enough for two people would be too strenuous, and they didn't have the tools.
It wasn't worth wasting so much energy on those two scumbags, so they just dumped them outside the south gate of the residential area. The three of them didn't go out; the wilderness at night was more dangerous than during the day.
After working for a while, Old Deng wiped his hands and said, "My family is planning to smoke the meat tomorrow. Want to come along?"
Qin Ziwen readily agreed, "Sure, let's do it together tomorrow. What time are you getting up?"
"We were supposed to get up at six, but after this happened, we'll sleep a little longer, so we'll get up at seven."
When they got home, a faint smell of rust still lingered in the house.
Qin Ziwen found an old piece of clothing and quickly wiped the bloodstains on the floor.
Soon it was midnight.
"You have successfully survived the third day in the wilderness. Your team hunted a crocodile, and you were allocated some raw meat. Human nature is more terrifying than wild beasts; someone tried to attack you, but you successfully used a trap to kill them. Overall score: 32 points."
"You have received the following rewards: [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Micro) *1, Mountain Plant Encyclopedia Fragment *2, [Building Card] Level 1 Animal Cage *1, Bag of Salt *3"