CHAPTER 76: CHOOSE HOW YOU WANT TO DIE OUTSIDE

"Fuck, who the hell cut me?!"

"Ah! My back hurts like hell!"

"It’s crushing me!"

The few who fell at the very front weren’t so lucky. A sudden burst of momentum caused the people behind to slip. Their knives flew out of their hands, unfortunately striking those in front directly in the head and back. A chorus of agonized wails immediately erupted.

Hiding at the very back, Brother Dabi also plunged onto the people in front. He felt an agonizing tightness around his foot that prevented him from walking any further—he was trapped!

God damn it, what the hell is this! Brother Dabi struggled to pull his foot free to no avail. He touched it; a cold sensation transmitted from a metal hoop firmly fixed to his ankle.

I have to run! Brother Dabi thought. Over twenty of my brothers, all armed, have fallen, and we haven’t even seen anyone from inside the villa. That goddamn Gou Yitian said it was just a young girl and her family! Did he ever mention this house was riddled with traps?

We’ve really kicked an iron plate this time.

"Where is my knife?!"

In the pitch darkness, he had no idea where it had flown; even the flashlight had been thrown far away. Supporting himself on Old Zhu’s back as he stood up, Brother Dabi felt something sticky in his hand, and a warm flow emerged. "Is... is this blood? Old Zhu, Old Zhu, how are you?"

It was once again a scene of utter chaos.

Those running at the front heard the screams from behind and, thinking reinforcements had arrived, turned to see what was happening. It was a fateful glance. The next moment, they heard a WHOOSH! by their ears, and three huge nets crashed down, felling another swath of men.

At the same time, the nets were laden with nails, thumbtacks, and sharp little knives. A rain of glass shards, lime powder, chili powder, and other assorted bizarre things fell from above, temporarily incapacitating those underneath.

Jing Shu dashed out from the chicken coop and shouted, "Shoot toward the entrance!"

So, the family members, their minds utterly blank, just fired repeatedly—THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!—without much aim. But given the close-packed crowd, someone was always hit. The ones in front were especially unlucky, becoming human porcupines. The villa’s courtyard instantly echoed with cries of pain.

From the Magic Cube Space, the remaining repeating crossbows loosed several more volleys at those under the nets, ensuring these dozen or so men were completely incapacitated and couldn’t get up again.

Jing Shu could clearly see the remaining shadows in the dark night.

Some were panicked; some misstepped and fell into the fish pond. A few who had slipped through the nets clutched machetes, creeping through the vegetable patch toward the house. Others had already lost their nerve and tried to flee outside, but the entrance was now choked with trapped men.

Gently raising her repeating crossbow, Jing Shu, after half a year of practice, was finally able to hit moving targets. "One, two, three..."

The screams from the villa grew even louder.

"CLUCK! CLUCK! CLUCK!" The fat chicken, its eyes glowing green in the dark, suddenly pounced at Jing Shu’s signal. It violently thrust a stainless-steel awl in and out of a raider. After a ferocious series of stabs, the person was riddled like a sieve. Even Jing Shu winced at the sight, a phantom ache in her own teeth.

After easily dispatching one, the fat chicken began to prowl, seeking its next target.

In this unfamiliar villa, these men were like loose sand; none were capable of putting up a fight.

The entire battle lasted less than a minute. Not a single raider was left standing in the villa.

"Is... is it over?" Mrs. Jing choked out, her voice thick with emotion. Have we truly escaped? "Jing Shu, Jing Shu, where are you?" Mrs. Jing’s legs trembled as she descended the stairs.

"I’m here. Don’t come out yet," Jing Shu said, emerging from the chicken coop. She turned on the two rows of lights in the villa.

The pitch-black villa suddenly blazed with light, revealing a gruesome, bloody scene. The yard, awash with blood and horrific sights, caused Third Aunt Jing Lai to instantly vomit the meal she had just eaten. Mrs. Jing, terrified, took a large step back.

The dozen or so men trapped at the entrance stared wide-eyed at bright red apples, white apricots, and a pond full of water...

At the villa’s entrance, three huge nets ensnared over a dozen men. They now lay half-dead on the ground, pierced with arrows, blood pooling around them. Some of the less fortunate had been struck by falling nails or glass shards, which embedded into their temples or other vital spots, knocking them unconscious instantly.

The eyeballs of some men caught in the nets had been pierced by nails and squeezed out.

In the vegetable garden on one side, several bodies lay perforated like sieves, their blood soaking the entire patch.

Two men had fallen into the pond on the other side and never resurfaced. A few others who had slipped through the initial traps lay moaning on the central path; Jing Shu had hit them with several arrows, but they weren’t dead yet.

"Cousin, please help them inside. It’s safe outside now," Jing Shu said to Wu You’ai.

It’s better they don’t see what comes next, Jing Shu thought. Having survived ten years in the apocalypse, she was accustomed to all kinds of gruesome deaths, but she feared leaving such traumatic shadows in her family’s hearts.

Wu You’ai nodded, a hint of excitement in her eyes. She helped Grandma Jing, Third Aunt Jing Lai, and Mrs. Jing inside to rest. Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) went out to repair the traps. "There’s another group coming," he said grimly. "We must be prepared."

In critical moments, Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) was very reliable. In front of his family, he was willing to risk everything to become stronger.

"I’ll help with the traps too. What about the dozen or so men outside?" the elder Mr. Jing asked, having recovered from the shock.

"No rush. I’ll clean up our yard first," Jing Shu said, a grim smile revealing her white teeth.

Jing Shu’s idea of "cleaning up" was brutally straightforward: dragging one corpse after another to the door.

Dead or alive, she twisted every neck. Jing Shu now performed this task with practiced ease. Using a knife would just dirty the villa again, and that’s too much trouble, she thought.

The dead, of course, felt nothing. But the few who weren’t yet dead had to endure not only their grievous injuries but also the raw terror of impending doom. Waiting for death was the most horrifying torment of all!

One man, fallen into Jing Shu’s grasp, looked at her with chattering teeth, his words slurred, "P-please... please, don’t kill me."

SNAP! With a sharp crack, his neck was broken. Jing Shu tossed the body beside the group at the door, where it landed with a dull THUD. The dozen or so men still clinging to life at the entrance watched, their faces bloodless with terror.

Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) and the elder Mr. Jing both ignored this. Earlier that day, when they had caught Gou Yitian, Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) had even advised Jing Shu that killing was illegal. And what was the result? he now thought bitterly. If we had only agreed to kill Gou Yitian then, none of this would have happened!

These men deserve to die! Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) thought, his jaw tight. If they don’t die, then we will! He couldn’t bear to imagine their roles reversed.

A few men in the middle began crawling towards the door. So terrified they had soiled themselves, they left a trail of filth and blood. "Brother Dabi, save me! Call Brother Dari quickly, save us!"

Brother Dabi’s hands trembled as he fumbled all over his body for his phone. Suddenly, another THUD. Another body was tossed over. A warm stream flowed down Brother Dabi’s legs as he finally broke down, sobbing.

Jing Shu clapped the dust from her hands and stepped out. "There are 23 bodies inside, all accounted for. As for you out here... choose your way to die."