Chapter 106: Something's Off
Ah Biao thought for a moment and found Xiao Mei's reasoning sound.
If Su Chen was only sending supplies, what danger could there be? At worst, he might have poisoned the food. If that were the case, he just needed to be cautious—have other survivors taste the food first. Once safety was confirmed, they could enjoy the supplies!
Thinking this, Ah Biao gave a slight nod. "Alright then. Bring the supplies first, and then we'll talk about anything else!"
Hearing Ah Biao agree, Zhou Xinhong visibly relaxed and smiled. "Boss Su already has the supplies ready. We'll leave them at the hotel entrance shortly. You can collect them there."
Once the details were settled, Zhou Xinhong swaggered off. Watching his retreating figure, Ah Biao felt an inexplicable unease settle over him. It's probably just lingering paranoia from being screwed over by Su Chen so many times before, he reassured himself.
To the surprise of Ah Biao, Gao Xiangjun, and the others, things proceeded smoothly. Shortly after Zhou Xinhong returned to the Eulton Hotel, several men emerged pushing a large crate.
The crate was roughly the height of a man, about two or three meters long and wide. It seemed heavy, laden with goods, as the men struggled to push it through the snow. They maneuvered it to the intersection, signaled to Ah Biao's men, and then withdrew.
Ah Biao's subordinates took possession of the wooden crate and laboriously pushed it back to the hotel. The faction leaders gathered around it, expressions satisfied. A crate this size could hold a significant amount of supplies. Even divided equally, it should provide enough for everyone for two or three days!
"Biao Ge, shall we open it?" Li Jiawei rubbed his hands together eagerly, looking expectantly at Ah Biao.
"Fine. You do the honors," Ah Biao nodded.
Eagerly grabbing a nearby crowbar, Li Jiawei stepped forward. As all eyes focused on him, Ah Biao subtly exchanged glances with Xiao Mei and his other close subordinates. They quietly took a few steps back. With Su Chen involved, caution was paramount.
Unbeknownst to Ah Biao, this instinctive move would save his life and the lives of Xiao Mei and the others.
Crack!
Li Jiawei pried open one side of the crate with the crowbar. The interior was revealed to the waiting crowd.
But instead of the expected supplies, the crate was largely empty. Only deep within its shadowed depths could they make out a few figures huddled together.
"Who the hell are you? Get out here!" Li Jiawei roared, furious at what felt like a cruel joke from Su Chen, pointing his crowbar at the figures.
At his shout, the figures stirred. Slowly, they began to shuffle forward. As they emerged into the light, gasps rippled through the crowd. They instantly recognized the figures: Zhou Shixian, and the two underlings who had gone with Song Shuai to confront Su Chen!
But that wasn't right! Weren't they all supposed to be dead? Killed by Su Chen? How could they be here?
"You two! What's going on?" Gao Xiangjun demanded, frowning at his former men.
The two underlings ignored him completely. Their eyes, filled with a predatory, bloodthirsty gleam, were fixed solely on Li Jiawei standing before them. The raw savagery in their gaze sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Stop fucking around!" Li Jiawei barked, trying to project bravado. He swung the crowbar hard, striking one of the men squarely on the shoulder.
The man merely swayed slightly from the impact. Otherwise, he showed no reaction.
Before anyone could fully process this, Zhou Shixian burst into action. With terrifying speed, he lunged at Li Jiawei.
Li Jiawei had no time to react. Zhou Shixian slammed into him, knocking him to the snow-covered ground. Zhou Shixian opened his gaping maw and sank his teeth deep into Li Jiawei's neck!
"Aaaarrrggghhh!!!"
A huge chunk of flesh was torn from Li Jiawei's neck. His agonized screams tore through the air. The onlookers watched in horror as Zhou Shixian actually swallowed the chunk of meat he'd ripped free.
The scent of blood seemed to ignite the other two figures. They threw themselves onto the prone Li Jiawei, tearing and biting with feral ferocity.
Within moments, Li Jiawei was a mass of bleeding wounds. The snow beneath him turned crimson.
Only then did the stunned crowd react. Li Jiawei's loyal men surged forward, trying to wrestle Zhou Shixian and the other two off their boss.
But the attackers seemed possessed by demonic strength. Two or three men struggled to restrain just one! In the chaotic melee, over a dozen more people were bitten and clawed by the frenzied trio.
By the time Zhou Shixian and the two underlings were finally subdued, Li Jiawei had already bled out, his life extinguished. The survivors who had managed to restrain the attackers were themselves covered in deep, bleeding bite and claw wounds.
"Biao Ge! What do we do with these bastards?!" Zhao Xiong shouted, his face contorted with rage. Several of his own men had been bitten by Zhou Shixian. He wanted nothing more than to execute the man on the spot.
As the chaos subsided, Ah Biao slowly walked towards the grim scene. He studied the restrained Zhou Shixian and the two others, his brow furrowed. "What's wrong with these three?" he asked the group.
"I think... it looks like rabies," Xia Bowen spoke up cautiously. "I've seen rabies victims before. They become extremely aggressive, bloodthirsty. In extreme cases, they attack others."
"But the problem is... how would they get rabies?" someone else questioned. "There aren't even any birds on this mountain!"
"And even if it is rabies," another leader chimed in, "why would Su Chen send them over? What's his game?"
A flurry of anxious speculation broke out.
"Enough!" Ah Biao cut through the chatter, his face dark. "Regardless, Su Chen had no intention of negotiating in good faith. He caused Boss Li's death! If we don't make him pay, he'll think we're afraid of him!"
"Lock Zhou Shixian and the others up for now!" he ordered. "Everyone else, prepare yourselves. As soon as it gets dark, we move out!"
The leaders stopped arguing and immediately sprang into action, following his commands. Ah Biao, with Xiao Mei beside him, started heading back into the hotel.
"Biao Ge," Xiao Mei said quietly, clutching his arm, "I feel something is seriously off. Like, really off."
"Where?" Ah Biao asked. He relied on Xiao Mei's intuition.
"Even if Zhou Shixian and the others do have rabies," she reasoned, "what was Su Chen's purpose in sending them here? Surely not just to annoy us?"
"What are you suggesting?"
Xiao Mei paused, her voice dropping even lower. "Looking at their condition... could it maybe be... the zombie virus?"