Chapter 76: Choose Your Way to Die, Outsiders

"Who the hell hit me?"

"Ah! My back hurts so much!"

"I'm being crushed!"

Those who had fallen in front were not so lucky. The unexpected inertia caused those behind to slip and their knives flew out of their hands, accidentally striking those in front on the head and back, leading to a chorus of agony.

Hidden in the back, Big Cover Brother also fell onto the people in front of him, feeling a severe pain in his ankle, trapped and unable to move forward.

What is this? He struggled to pull his foot free, to no avail, touching something cold—it was a steel ring, firmly clamped around his foot.

Big Cover Brother had the urge to turn around and flee. They had lost over twenty men, all armed, yet they hadn't even seen anyone from inside the villa. Did the damn Gou Yi Tian not tell him about all these traps? Were they about to hit a steel wall?

"Where’s my knife?!" It was too dark to see, and his flashlight had been thrown far away. Supporting himself on the back of Old Zhu, Big Cover Brother felt something sticky and warm, "Is that... blood? Old Zhu, Old Zhu, how are you?"

Chaos ensued.

Those at the front, hearing the screams from behind, thought more people were coming and turned to see what was happening. That’s when they heard a whoosh next to their ears, and suddenly, three large nets fell from above, taking down another group.

Along with the nets were nails, tacks, and sharp little knives. A barrage of glass shards, lime powder, and chili powder followed, rendering those beneath the nets temporarily incapacitated.

Jing Shu ran out from the chicken coop, shouting, "Fire towards the door!"

Her family, still in shock, fired the crossbows randomly. Luckily, the crowd was dense, and arrows found their marks, particularly in those at the front, turning them into porcupines. The villa's courtyard echoed with cries of pain.

From her magic cube space, Jing Shu launched several more volleys at those under the nets, ensuring they were thoroughly incapacitated before stopping.

Jing Shu carefully eyed the remaining shadows.

Some were panicking; some fell into the pond and didn’t resurface; a few others, escaping the nets, cautiously moved through the vegetable garden towards the house; and some, realizing the futility, attempted to flee but found the door blocked by those trapped.

Jing Shu raised her crossbow, now proficient after half a year of practice, and started counting her targets, "One, two, three..."

The villa filled with even more screams.

"Ko-Ko-Ko!" The Fat Chicken, with its glowing green eyes in the dark, pounced fiercely upon her signal. It used its stainless steel spike to repeatedly stab into a body, turning it into a sieve. Jing Shu watched, a shiver running down her spine at the brutality.

Efficiently clearing another target, The Fat Chicken moved on in search of the next.

The intruders, unfamiliar with the villa, were like scattered sand, no match for the organized defense.

In less than a minute, no standing invader remained in the villa.

"Is it... over?" Jing Mum stammered, overwhelmed with relief. "Jing Shu, Jing Shu, where are you?" She trembled down the steps.

"I’m here, don’t come out yet," Jing Shu called from the chicken coop, turning on the villa’s floodlights.

The dark villa was suddenly bathed in light, revealing a gruesome scene that made Aunt Jing Lai vomit instantly, and Jing Mum step back in horror.

The few trapped at the entrance stared wide-eyed at the lush apples, white apricots, and a full pond of water...

Under the nets, about a dozen people lay either unconscious or grievously injured, covered in arrows and blood. Some had nails and glass shards embedded in fatal places like temples, others’ eyeballs popped by the sharp projectiles.

A few unfortunate souls lay in the vegetable garden, turned into bloody sieves by The Fat Chicken. Others drowned in the pond, and a couple more, hit by Jing Shu’s arrows, groaned on the pathway, not yet dead.

"Cousin, take them inside," Jing Shu suggested, knowing the forthcoming cleanup should be shielded from the women's eyes. Her experience in the wastelands had inured her to such sights, but she didn't want to scar her family.

Wu You Ai, slightly excited, nodded and helped the older women back into the house. Jing Dad came out to repair traps, “There’s another group coming; we need to be ready.”

In times of crisis, Jing Dad proved reliable, ready to do whatever it took to protect his family.

"I’ll help with the traps too. What about the people outside?" Jing Grandpa had also recovered.

"No rush, let me clean up our yard first," Jing Shu said, showing her teeth in a grim smile.

Her idea of "cleaning up" was simple: she dragged the bodies of the dead to the doorway.

Whether dead or alive, she broke their necks with a practiced twist. The living suffered immeasurably from both their wounds and the fear of impending death.

Those captured by Jing Shu begged for mercy, but with a snap, she ended their lives, dropping their bodies by the doorway, causing the remaining trapped assailants to pale with fear.

Jing Dad and Grandpa continued their work, ignoring the carnage. Having witnessed Jing Shu's actions and the day's events, they understood the brutal necessity. If these men didn't die, their family might have.

The remaining attackers crawled towards the doorway, dragging trails of blood. "Big Cover Brother, save us, call Big Sun Brother, help us..."

Finding his phone, Big Cover Brother was suddenly interrupted by another thud—a body dropped beside him. He wet himself in fear.

Jing Shu dusted off her hands and walked out, "There are 23 bodies, all accounted for. Now, those of you outside, choose how you want to die."

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Author's Note:

Rewrote this four or five times, still not satisfied, but let's settle for this. Pushing my OCD to the edge! Thanks to the readers for your tips, much appreciated.