Author’s note: It’s the 100th chapter, and it sure wasn’t easy! There have been comments that my grasp of the overall picture is not strong enough, and I would most like be unable to continue after the 100th chapter/ However, my current contributions are at about 2W, there should be no problem!
Chapter 100 – Crucifixion
The sky was getting darker. Zhang Xiao Qiang checked on the ropes used to tie the old man up. He went back to the living room, where a small oil lamp was lit. The flickering flame would cause the shadows to dance in the room, and from time to time, the shadows seem to depict scenes of demons dancing.
The food on the table was simple after Zhang Xiao Qiang sat down, everyone began to sit as well. The older sister walked in at this moment, her eyes red with tears and she kneeled beside Zhang Xiao Qiang, kowtowing and saying: “Thank you very much, I will always bear your kindness in heart. Please give that old bastard a few more slashes tomorrow!”
It seemed as though the older sister was aware of her mother’s plight. Her hatred for the old man had reached a peak, and she was barely containing herself from rushing over to bite him. The younger sister stood by her side, her eyes still staring blankly ahead. Even after seeing her dead mother, there wasn’t any response.
“Don’t worry, tomorrow, I’ll definitely make sure he gets his just desserts!” Zhang Xiao Qiang nodded to show that he understood, and thought of an idea.
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Early the next morning, Zhang Xiao Qiang stood and admired his own handiwork. He had woken up early to get busy. First, he had shoveled some earth into a ditch to cover the water collected within the ditch, He had then hammered a cross into the ditch, before pouring gas into the ditch. The gas had been collected from the petrol kiosk near the tourist stop.
After pouring over 2 tons of fuel into the ditch, Zhang Xiao Qiang was afraid that the firepower might not be enough. He then instructed Yang Ke’er to go grab the firewood behind the backyard and placed them into the ditch. By then, the initial preparations were all ready. Having been busy for 2 hours, it was time for the punishment. Zhang Xiao Qiang nailed the old man to the cross, making him suffer the same treatment that Jesus did.
He then used his military knife to carve some criss-cross lines on the body of the old man. Having suffered torment yesterday, plus being tied up the whole night, the old man was almost half-dead. Even as the military knife drew all over his body, he lacked any energy to scream, instead, just gasping. However, Zhang Xiao Qiang was not interested in truly carving him over a thousand times. He just did a few simple places and watched as the fresh blood dripped all over the firewood beneath his feet. Zhang Xiao Qiang then hurriedly climbed out of the ditch.
Standing at ground level, Zhang Xiao Qiang kicked the wooden ladder into the 5m-deep ditch. He let out a long breath. The old man had been draped with a white sheet on Zhang Xiao Qiang’s whim, and his posture was exactly like how Jesus had suffered. Adding on to the blood-stained bedsheet, the effect was truly horrifying.
The old man’s head was lowered, and his status was unclear. The older sister grabbed her younger sister by her hand, and watched as the old man bled slowly. She gritted her teeth, while her hands holding her sister’s gripped tightly as well. The younger sister lifted her head due to the pain and saw the old man suffering on the cross. A gleam flashed across her soulless eyes, and she stared fixedly at the old man, as though she had caught sight of the most precious treasure in the world. The corners of her mouth were lifted.
The morning winds blew the hair of everybody present. Zhang Xiao Qiang watched his watch for over 5 minutes. Soon, there was movement on the bridge nearby. First, it was one and two, then soon a group of them. Then, a whole horde of zombies began to clamor over, and the bridge was soon filled with them.
The small bridge was small and could only accommodate about 3 or 4 people at any one time. It wasn’t long as well, and just a few big men could fill the entire bridge from start to end. If a thousand-plus zombies wanted to pounce over, it would be too unrealistic. Other than the few in front, those behind began to pool at the back and were squeezing forward. From time to time, a few zombies would be forced underneath and stepped on by the others.
Normally speaking, the S-types were the agilest, and they would be the first to rush forward. However, the situation was that all the zombies were squeezing and stuck with one another. The S-types were small in frame, and their bodies were not as big as the ordinary zombies. Their strength was just barely stronger than those ordinary zombies, and hence, their advantage in speed became ineffective.
Zhang Xiao Qiang stood by the ditch and watched the commotion. The sisters were frightened out their wits and were getting restless. The younger sister still seemed blank, and her expression was wooden, but she had taken the initiative to grab at the hems of her sister’s clothes. The older sister did not seem to notice the change in her sister, her attention on the terrifying zombies. Seeing the thousand-over zombies trying to get over to their side, her face turned pale, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Yang Ke’er, on the other hand, was excited. Previously, she hadn’t seen the situation where Three had been surrounded by the thousands of zombies. Now, she was seeing with her own eyes how the restless zombies were trying to get over. Her hands were grabbing her Beast Horn Spear, and if it wasn’t for Zhang Xiao Qiang’s stern warning, she would have charged forwards to begin her gopher game. When she was up against a dozen, it had been exhilarating to knock their heads off. With over a thousand in front of her, her hands were twitching like a little kitten.
Yuan Yi had been frightened by Zhang Xiao Qiang’s demeanor the previous day, and it might only be Zhang Xiao Qiang that truly frightened her. Now, as she watched the thousand-over zombies squeezing over the other side, and seeing them clearly, her bloodlust began to appear. Her eyes turn bloodshot, and her tongue licked her luscious lips constantly. Her nostrils flared, and her breathing became ragged, her legs trembling slightly with adrenaline. She was totally in the zone, and the moment Zhang Xiao Qiang gave the order, she might charge forwards even faster than Yang Ke’er.
She wanted badly to rip the heads of the zombies from their bodies and kick them like soccer balls. To her, killing zombies were a pure form of pleasure. It was even more pleasurable than engaging in a fight with a fellow human. There would be no need to hold back, and she could kill as she liked, and ignore whatever stupid or stinking rules. She didn’t kill much yesterday, but the feeling had been wonderful. Thinking up to this point, that strange feeling welled up in her, slightly tingly, and she looked at the opposite bank with a heated look of anticipation.
Although Su Qian had killed off two on her own, her current condition upon seeing those thousand zombies wasn’t better than the elder sister. The most she had seen was the day prior where Zhang Xiao Qiang had brought them to scavenge resources. At that time, she was feeling jittery, although it wasn’t like the extent that Yuan Yi was feeling, it was slightly better. However, it was just that she could control herself better.
When she discovered that Yuan Yi had changed so much, she found it hard to accept and looked at Yuan Yi with a look of jealousy. She had always prided herself as being strong-willed and was slightly despondent that she might never catch up to Yuan Yi. Be it her running, or killing of zombies. When she finally started to kill some, Yuan Yi was already fearless towards even a thousand.
Right now, Su Qian’s heart was truly feeling despair. She had thought that she could catch up to the rest of the group, and she knew Zhang Xiao Qiang wasn’t some soft-hearted man. Even after the pitiful begging of the elder sister, he had made the cruel decision to send them to the chicken farm. That was where Su Qian and Yuan Yi had come from, and she knew clearly their fate. Based on their current conditions, Brother Long and Chen Yi would not accept them, which meant that they would be given to He Wen Bin and the rest, plus they wouldn’t be fed well.
As long as one wasn’t useful to Zhang Xiao Qiang, they would be eliminated. If one day, she was no longer useful to Zhang Xiao Qiang, what would happen then? Her body began to tremble, as she looked at his back, as the shaking continued through her legs.