Wang Dan's mouth hung open. His tongue felt frozen, too stiff to move. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Sure, it was the apocalypse—everyone had seen their share of corpses—but never anything this gruesome.
The men's screams were already fading. Within minutes, they all went silent. From the mess on the floor, it was obvious they'd fought hard before dying, but what did it matter? That chicken was like a demon. It blinded them in seconds, then one of them didn't even get to scream before he collapsed, dead on the spot.
The unlucky one got his skull cracked open. A gaping hole, leaking out something you really didn't want to see.
The villagers stumbled back a few steps. They hadn't seen clearly before, but now they realized—they were standing in a pool of blood.
When Jing Shu walked over calmly, Li Dayou started stuttering even harder. "It, it, it killed someone! It actually killed someone! It's, it's a chicken!"
A chicken? How could a chicken be that vicious? Was that really a chicken? Could chickens even kill people? What the hell had he just witnessed? Was this a nightmare?
Jing Shu snapped her fingers. Xiao Dou, the fierce battle chicken that had just finished off the last survivor, hopped off the corpse. She wiped her beak on his back, cleaned her elegant claws, then wiggled her fat butt as she strutted over. She knew her owner hated messes, hated blood, and absolutely hated it when she ate filthy humans. So she followed obediently behind Jing Shu, head held high, clearly waiting to be praised.
"Good job," Jing Shu said with a smile, then turned to Li Dayou. "What, did you think a chicken like this survived all this time by being cute?"
Li Dayou swallowed hard. His throat felt blocked, but he couldn't look away.
The other villagers backed off even farther. Moments ago, they'd thought that chicken was just some delicious food. Now? Hell no. That wasn't food, that was a killing god. Who the hell would dare eat it now?
"That's Er Ga, isn't it? He's dead for sure."
"And the one with his head split open—that's the village chief. Damn, what a way to go."
"What the hell happened? How could anyone just let a chicken kill people? What if it comes after us next?"
Whispers spread through the crowd.
That's when Auntie Wang shouted from the back, "Are all your brains made of pig fat? If they wanted to kill you, don't you think they'd have done it already? Why bother sharing food, making porridge, and giving out eggs? You think they're raising you like livestock for later? Pah! Those men must've done something dirty. Everyone knows they were rotten to the core! Remember those missing kids from last year up the mountain? You really think no one knew anything?"
"Stop talking nonsense, how would we know?"
"Yeah, we're just saying—it's weird they died like that. We're scared too. What if the chicken loses it and starts killing randomly?"
"Quiet!" Jing Shu said.
The crowd fell silent immediately. Xiao Dou's intimidating presence alone was enough to make them freeze.
Jing Shu turned to Li Dayou. "Captain Li, tell everyone what happened."
Li Dayou took a deep breath before answering, "The chief from the mountain village brought these men onto the ship. They came to steal food. When they found me inside the kitchen, two of them grabbed me while the others tried to steal the chicken and the supply boxes. My gun was in my room, so I couldn't fight back. Then…"
He paused, eyes flickering strangely. "Then that chicken killed them all. I didn't even see how it happened. It was too fast. You all saw what's left. Those bastards were planning to take all the food, control everyone, and use us as hostages when the rescue team came. People like that deserved what they got."
He had seen everything—too clearly. It was so bloody he couldn't describe it, and he didn't want to. Better to bury that memory forever.
That wasn't a chicken. That was a wolf in feathers.
Jing Shu smiled faintly. "You all heard him. My chicken never kills the innocent. When you all chased it earlier, did it peck any of you? No, right? As long as you don't go after what you shouldn't, it won't bother you. Otherwise, you'll end up like them. Even if we reported this officially, no one could say we were wrong. Now, go on, everyone. Wang Dan, get someone to deal with the bodies."
And just like that, the matter was settled. The villagers didn't dare say another word.
Stealing food wasn't new. Some had even tried to steal seeds from the ship before. Usually, they just got caught, beaten a bit, and that was that. The ship's crew never pushed things too far.
But this time, the chief had led them himself, and they ended up dead—brutally. They'd survived everything so far, only to die right when rescue was in sight.
What they tried to steal wasn't just food. It was their own lives.
Some villagers had been eyeing Jing Shu before, thinking about robbing her. She was pretty, clearly rich, had tons of supplies, and even a chicken. Who wouldn't be tempted? But now, no one dared. When dry, rock-hard flatbreads were handed out for dinner, no one complained. They ate quietly and went back to work.
The heavy atmosphere on the ship didn't last long. Before long, excitement filled the air.
"Eleven!"
"Twelve!"
Every few minutes, another loud cheer came from the deck. The villagers below were confused. What the hell was happening up there? Weren't they terrified of that chicken?
The shouting went on all night, keeping everyone awake.
Jing Shu yawned, cleared a clean spot, and set up her private luxury tent with warm bedding. After putting in her earplugs, she muttered, "Idiots. If they wanna count eggs all night, let 'em. Bunch of bumpkins."
Turns out, no matter how scary the chicken was, nothing could beat its ability to lay eggs.
Even those who'd been terrified of Xiao Dou earlier, especially Li Dayou, completely changed once Wang Dan exclaimed, "Wait, didn't it already lay an egg just now? How'd it lay another one?"
Now, Li Dayou was personally bringing water and food for Xiao Dou, even lighting a fire to keep her warm. Wang Dan gave her massages, and the others took turns brushing her feathers, trimming her claws, and telling her jokes.
They didn't treat her like a chicken anymore. They treated her like a living Buddha.