Chapter 77: Each Cleans the Snow Before Their Own Door

The chill wind stirred Big Cover Brother into tearful confession, overcome by the dread of facing a demon. Under her merciless gaze, he had inadvertently shined his phone light, cautioning Big Sun, "Careful, the ground's all slick."

Big Sun, cautious yet compelled to lead, followed at a distance, secretly pulling out a gun for added security.

A repeat of earlier events unfolded as they neared the house.

"Where you guys at, Big Cover?"

"Damn, what's this slippery stuff all over the ground? Can't someone turn on a flashlight?"

As they crossed the threshold, the same nets that had ensnared their predecessors fell upon them, and the remaining men were swiftly immobilized by the traps. In the darkness, Jing Dad, Jing Shu, and the spatially hidden crossbows began their assault. Unprepared, the intruders could only scream and curse in agony as they were struck.

The nets trapped eight men; the metal rings at the doorway caught the rest. Compared to the earlier skirmish, this group was easier to manage due to their unpreparedness and smaller numbers.

"Damn it, Big Cover, did you betray us? Where’s that woman? Did she buy you off?" Gou Yi Tian yelled indignantly.

"Big Cover, let’s talk this out, I can step down and let you lead if that’s what you want—just let us out first," pleaded Big Sun as he struggled against the metal ring and pointed his gun in desperation.

Observing their futile efforts and the carnage from the nets, those still free to move panicked and fell to the ground, discovering too late that they were sitting in pools of blood.

From the shadows, Jing Shu keenly noticed Big Sun’s gun. Her eyes glinted with opportunity.

She released Big Cover Brother, kicking him into the light, "You've served your purpose, you can go now."

Jing Dad objected, "We can’t let him go." Jing Shu silenced him with a gesture, "Shush, watch."

Big Cover stumbled into the dim light, his face twisting into a grimace, "They’re all dead, all of them!"

"What happened, explain yourself!"

"They’re all dead, they are demons, too terrifying. That woman, she tricked you into coming here, blame her," Big Cover blurted out as he quickened his pace, desperate to escape.

He fled past his restrained comrades towards the darkness.

A gunshot rang out, and Big Sun, in a swift turn, shot at the fleeing Big Cover, who staggered and fell after a brief pause.

"So you just obeyed her and led us here?" Big Sun sneered, soon to be distracted by the sound of several more gunshots. Suddenly, he felt an excruciating pain in his back and collapsed as his gun clattered away.

Jing Shu rolled out of the shadows, swiftly retrieving the gun. The remaining bandits finally saw the woman Gou Yi Tian had warned them about.

"Nice, another gun," Jing Shu muttered as she secured the weapon, noticing several of the surviving bandits attempting to call for help. She wasted no time snapping their necks.

Big Sun, lying wounded, watched as Jing Shu methodically executed each survivor before dragging their bodies out of the house, realizing too late why Big Cover had called her a demon. This simple, brutal efficiency had annihilated their entire group.

Terrified, Gou Yi Tian shook his head in disbelief, "Impossible, this can’t be happening! Damn it!" He now understood that the leniency shown at his home was a facade; this was her true nature.

"Help!" he screamed.

Jing Shu approached with several wet sheets of paper, binding a frantic Gou Yi Tian before taunting, "Ever heard of 'sticky execution'? It’s said to be more painful than a broken neck. I was planning to send you off tonight anyway."

Gou Yi Tian wept in fear.

Big Sun, enduring agonizing gunshot wounds, pleaded for a quick death as he closed his eyes, preferring a snapped neck to the torturous death Jing Shu planned.

Just then, sirens wailed, and soon, several patrol cars arrived at the villa, carrying heavily armed police led by Commander Niú, rushing from their vehicles.

Jing Shu’s mother also emerged from the house.

"Commissioner Su, Jing Shu, is your family alright? I came as soon as I heard the news, hoping I’m not too late. What’s the damage?"

"We’re okay, we survived," Jing Shu’s mother said, shaking hands with Commissioner Niú in gratitude.

Commissioner Niú had braced for the worst, expecting to recover bodies after learning that dozens of armed robbers had besieged the villa. He’d pulled strings to bring a substantial force but hadn’t anticipated this outcome...

"Huh? It seems like Jing Shu has the situation under control? And what about all these bodies?" He gestured towards the corpses piled near the doorway and the few living individuals lying on the ground.

Gou Yi Tian seized the moment, gasping, "Help! I’m saved at last! This woman, she’s a devil—she killed dozens. She was about to kill me too; you must arrest her!"

"This is?" A young police officer accompanying Commissioner Niú appeared confused. "I thought we were here to save people. Where are the victims, and where are the armed robbers?"

"I’ll introduce you," Commissioner Niú said, turning to the young officer. "This is Major Yang Yang from the military police, who I had to beg to bring all these men here today."

Addressing Major Yang’s question, Jing Shu hesitated before responding, "These piled-up bodies are the armed robbers. This man is Gou Yi Tian, the leader of 'Day Barrier,' a group attempting to take control of our neighborhood. And this is their Big Sun, another one of their leaders."

"‘Day Barrier’? How fortuitous!" Major Yang’s eyes lit up. "None of them are dead, right?"

"No."

"We’ll take this one then," Major Yang said, pulling Big Sun to his feet. "You must know where that person is, right?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Big Sun clenched his teeth.

"Don’t know if you know, but a cow can be injected with dozens of pounds of water and not die. If a human gets three pounds of water injected, it’ll be agonizing beyond words..." Major Yang started, leaving the threat hanging as he dragged Big Sun away.