Paranoia and Conspiracy

Su Huan repeated those words one by one, his eyes filled with a playful glint. "They killed the hostages."

Hu An's body began to tremble like chaff in the wind, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his face.

"Brother Su, there must be a misunderstanding here. It must be someone else... it was those two people who wanted to frame me!"

"You were the one who chose those people yourself." Su Huan smiled noncommittally and turned to look at the worker below. "So, the other side refused the trade?"

The worker froze for a moment before nodding heavily. "Those two went up and said a few words, then tried to join that group to capture us. In the end, Boss Gao used his ability and blew them to pieces."

"Impossible, they wouldn't have the guts!" Hu An blurted out.

"Shut up!"

Su Huan's voice turned abruptly cold.

Hu An shivered and dared not speak another word.

Su Huan narrowed his eyes and asked the worker, "Are you saying those two went to capture you alongside them?"

The worker hesitated. "Yes, and then Boss Gao started fighting them. I took advantage of the chaos to run back. Boss Su, we need to hurry and save Boss Gao."

Su Huan patted Hu An's cheek with a smile. "It seems they really don't care whether you live or die."

As soon as he finished speaking, without giving him a chance to respond, he drove his reddened index finger directly into Hu An's temple.

The man's eyes bulged, and he collapsed, tumbling off the side of the carriage.

The worker scrambled to dodge, but he was still splattered with mud and blood.

Su Huan said indifferently, "Liang Kuan, take a team and clear the zombies around the train."

Liang Kuan grunted in acknowledgment, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are we still going to the Water Plant?"

"Of course we are going!"

Inside Carriage 9, an elderly man with a vigorous spirit stood by the window, speaking with absolute confidence.

The Scar-faced man rubbed the scar on his cheek and asked curiously, "Lao Qin, why are you talking in circles? Didn't you say that Su fellow wouldn't leave the train? Even if Star Property Management refused the trade, there's no reason for them to kill Boss Gao, is there? Aren't there too many holes in this logic?"

The old man glanced at him and shook his head. "Su Huan is paranoid. Furthermore, he is dealing with Gao Zhe. Even if you gave him a hundred reasonable excuses, he wouldn't believe them. But if you give him a few pieces of information riddled with errors, he'll start doubting everything."

"From the first day the apocalypse broke out, he decisively seized the train, collected supplies, and retrofitted it for combat. This kind of temperament and decisiveness could be called that of an overlord in any era. And people like this all have one weakness."

"Arrogance?" the Scar-faced man asked thoughtfully.

"It's paranoia!"

Lao Qin took a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the sweat from his beard, and said earnestly, "Every capable person has their own brand of paranoia."

"They don't give up easily. Once they make a plan, they must see it through. This is both their strength and their weakness."

"Since he went to such great lengths to get a water purifier, he won't give up easily."

"Even if he knows Gao Zhe is waiting for him in the shadows."

The Scar-faced man rubbed his chest, covered in sweat, and said irritably, "What if it just drags on? That Su fellow has food, drink, and air conditioning in his carriage, while Boss Gao is out in the dangerous wilderness."

"It won't be long. Su Huan is more anxious than we are. Look, isn't he coming out now?"

Lao Qin watched the two figures passing by outside the window, his eyes flickering.

A worker in work clothes walked behind, dragging a corpse, while a young man in a gray T-shirt and jeans walked in front.

The worker followed nervously, carefully observing Su Huan.

He was terrified that if zombies appeared, the other man would just dump him and run.

Seeing the weeds growing thicker and thicker until the train was almost out of sight, the worker couldn't help but ask, "Boss Su, where are we going? Are we going to save Boss Gao?"

Su Huan scanned his surroundings, his gaze suddenly fixing on one spot.

It was a patch of grass a meter in diameter, a cluster of green wrapped in several red vines.

The vines had dark red, vein-like patterns and were densely covered in transparent barbs.

At first glance, it looked a bit like sea buckthorn, growing in a wild, aggressive sprawl.

"Throw the corpse you're holding over there."

The worker swallowed hard. He dragged the corpse forward, then grabbed its legs and swung it with all his might, throwing the upper body into the grass.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly quiet plant suddenly moved.

The red vines struck out like sharp swords, piercing the corpse.

"Pfft!"

One vine passed through the corpse and stabbed directly into the worker's arm.

The worker let out a scream and tried to run away, but his feet had been entangled by vines at some point, causing him to stumble as he took a step.

In less than ten seconds, both of his legs were tightly bound by the vines.

Watching as more vines crawled up like living creatures, the worker wept and begged the approaching Su Huan for help.

Su Huan watched the worker entangled by the Blood-Thirsty Vine, his gaze deep. "You said just now that those two came together to capture you all?"

"Yes, yes! They were the ones who struck first. Boss Su, save me, please save me!"

The worker was dragged by the Blood-Thirsty Vine, struggling frantically.

A red glow emanated from Su Huan's hand; the approaching Blood-Thirsty Vine hesitated for a moment, bypassed Su Huan, and chose to turn back to continue constricting the worker.

Vine after vine pierced through the worker's body, revealing blood-stained thorns.

Su Huan extended a finger, poking at the vines as if a branding iron were piercing butter; the branches and flesh carbonized simultaneously, leaving a hole where he poked.

The worker let out another scream, wailing, "I was wrong, Boss Su. I shouldn't have lied to you. Please, spare me this once."

Su Huan poked at the vines on his body, unhurried.

It was like playing Whac-A-Mole.

Although he had curbed the devouring of the Blood-Thirsty Vine, the worker's body was already riddled with a dozen holes of varying depths from his poking.

The pain was agonizing enough to make him wish for death.

"What did you lie to me about?"

"They... they didn't attack us. Gao Zhe hadn't even entered the Water Plant... he just, he just used his ability to kill those two."

The worker said intermittently.

Su Huan narrowed his eyes. This worker likely didn't know about the bomb hidden in the rear, mistaking that for Gao Zhe's ability.

As for why this worker would cooperate with Gao Zhe, there could be many reasons.

Either he had been subdued back in the carriage, or he had been threatened on the spot.

There might be other details, but the general picture was much as he had guessed.

Gao Zhe had only one goal: to lure him out of the vehicle!

While he was lost in thought, the Blood-Thirsty Vine launched another attack.

The worker tried to beg for mercy again, but a cluster of bright red, vein-like branches had already sprouted from his mouth.

He let out a few strange, rattling sounds before falling completely silent.

The light faded from his eyes.

Having absorbed two corpses, the Blood-Thirsty Vine became even more vibrant and crimson.

Within a few minutes, several fruits had formed between the branches, encased in a thin membrane with a pool of blood inside.

They looked crystal clear and luscious.

[ps: The stats are poor, I'm posting two extra chapters to ask for your continued reading.]