Su Huan repeated the words slowly, amusement glinting in his eyes. "They killed the hostages."
Hu An's body immediately began shaking like a leaf, and beads of sweat rolled down his face.
"Brother Su, there must be some misunderstanding. Someone must have... Those two were trying to frame me!"
"You chose them yourself." Su Huan smiled without committing either way, then turned to the worker below. "Did they refuse the deal?"
The worker froze for a moment, then nodded emphatically. "Those two went up and said a few words, then tried to grab us along with the others. But Boss Gao killed them with his ability in an instant."
"That's impossible! They wouldn't have the guts!" Hu An hurriedly protested.
"Shut up!"
Su Huan's voice turned icy.
Hu An shuddered and fell silent.
Su Huan narrowed his eyes and looked at the worker. "You're saying those two came with them to grab you?"
The worker paused. "Yes. Then Boss Gao fought them, and I took the chance to run back. Mr. Su, we need to hurry and save Boss Gao!"
Su Huan smiled and patted Hu An's cheek. "Looks like they really don't care whether you live or die."
Before Hu An could say a word, Su Huan's reddened index finger plunged straight into his temple.
The man's eyes bulged as he toppled over and fell beneath the train car.
The worker hurriedly dodged, but mud and water still splattered all over him.
Su Huan said coolly, "Liang Kuan, take a squad and clear the zombies around the train."
Liang Kuan grunted in acknowledgment. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are we still going to the Water Plant?"
"Of course we are!"
Inside Car 9, a vigorous-looking old man stood by the window, speaking with confidence.
Scarface touched the scar on his cheek, puzzled. "Lao Qin, why do you keep talking in circles? Didn't you say Su wouldn't get off the train? And even if Star Property Management refused the deal, there's no reason they'd kill Boss Gao. Aren't there too many holes in this story?"
The old man glanced at him and shook his head. "Su Huan is deeply suspicious. Besides, the person he's dealing with is Gao Zhe. You could give him a hundred perfectly reasonable explanations, and he still wouldn't believe them. But give him a few pieces of information riddled with errors, and he'll start doubting everything."
"From the very first day of the apocalypse, he decisively seized the train, gathered supplies, and converted it into an armed stronghold. That kind of disposition and decisiveness would make him a formidable leader in any era. And people like that all have one weakness."
"Arrogance?" Scarface asked thoughtfully.
"Obsession!"
Lao Qin took a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the sweat from his mustache. "Anyone with ability has their own obsessions."
"They don't give up easily. They make a plan, and they have to see it through. That's both their strength and their weakness."
"Since he went to all that trouble to get a water purifier, he won't give up easily."
"Even if he knows Gao Zhe is waiting for him in the shadows."
Scarface touched his chest, damp with sweat, and said irritably, "What if he just stalls? Su has food, drink, air conditioning, and beautiful women in the train car. Boss Gao is out in the wilderness, surrounded by danger."
"It won't take long. Su Huan is in more of a hurry than we are. Look, hasn't he already gone out?"
Lao Qin watched two figures pass the window, his gaze flickering.
A worker in overalls walked behind, dragging a corpse. A young man in a gray T-shirt and jeans walked ahead.
The worker followed nervously, watching Su Huan with great care.
He was afraid that if they attracted zombies, Su Huan would leave him behind and run.
As more and more weeds crowded around them, nearly hiding the train from view, the worker couldn't help asking, "Mr. Su, where are we going? Are we going to save Boss Gao?"
Su Huan scanned his surroundings, then suddenly fixed his gaze on one spot.
A clump of grass, about a meter across, stood amid the greenery, with several red vines tangled through it.
The vines had dark red, vein-like markings, and their surfaces were covered in transparent barbs.
At first glance, they looked a little like sea buckthorn, growing in a wild, thorny tangle.
"Throw the corpse you're holding over there."
The worker swallowed, dragged the corpse forward, then grabbed it by the legs and swung it hard, flinging its upper body into the grass.
The plant, which had been still, suddenly moved.
Its red branches shot toward the corpse like swords.
"Pfft!"
One branch pierced the corpse and stabbed straight into the worker's arm.
The worker let out a scream and tried to run, but somehow vines had already wrapped around his feet. The moment he stepped forward, he stumbled.
In just over ten seconds, both his legs were tightly bound in vines.
As more vines crawled toward him like living things, the worker wept and begged Su Huan for help as he approached.
Su Huan looked at the worker, bound by the Blood-Thirsty Vine, his gaze deep. "You said those two came to grab you along with the others?"
"Yes, yes! They attacked first. Mr. Su, save me! Please, save me!"
The worker thrashed wildly as the Blood-Thirsty Vine dragged him away.
A red glow flared in Su Huan's hand. The Blood-Thirsty Vine hesitated as it drew near, then went around him and turned back to bind the worker.
One branch after another pierced the worker's body, their bloody, sharp tips sticking out.
Su Huan extended a finger and jabbed at the branches as if poking a hot poker into butter. The branches and flesh charred together, and he stabbed a hole through them.
The worker screamed again and wailed, "I was wrong, Mr. Su! I shouldn't have lied to you. Please, spare me this once!"
Su Huan unhurriedly poked at the branches on his body.
Like a game of whack-a-mole.
He had stopped the Blood-Thirsty Vine from devouring the worker, but had already poked more than a dozen holes into him, some deep, some shallow.
The pain drove the worker to the brink of death and back.
"What did you lie to me about?"
"They... didn't attack us. Gao Zhe hadn't even entered the Water Plant... He just used his ability to kill those two."
The worker spoke haltingly.
Su Huan narrowed his eyes. The worker probably didn't know about the bomb hidden in the man's rear end; he'd assumed that was Gao Zhe's ability.
As for why the worker had cooperated with Gao Zhe, there could be many reasons.
Maybe Gao Zhe had won him over while they were still in the train car. Or perhaps he'd threatened him on the spot.
There might have been other details, but overall, things were much as Su Huan had guessed.
Gao Zhe had only one goal: to lure him off the train.
While Su Huan was thinking, the Blood-Thirsty Vine attacked again.
The worker tried to beg for mercy, but a mass of bright red, vein-like branches had already grown inside his mouth.
He made a few strange "gurgling" sounds, then went completely still.
The light faded from his eyes.
After absorbing two corpses, the Blood-Thirsty Vine grew even more vivid and red.
In just a few minutes, several fruits formed among its branches. Each had a thin outer membrane and a pool of blood-red liquid inside.
They looked crystal clear, vivid and tempting.
Before you continue