Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The engine turned over, and the black car merged into the night. The surrounding scenery grew increasingly unfamiliar as we left the city center behind in the blink of an eye.
Old Zhang didn’t try to strike up a conversation with me again.
He was likely afraid that a few more words from me would shake his materialistic worldview even further.
The car twisted and turned along a mountain path, its speed gradually dropping.
I knew we were nearing our destination.
At the same time, my opportunities were running out.
“Big brother.”
I took the initiative to speak, but he continued to ignore me.
“An Adult Corpse Worm has a specific trait: it naturally abhors water. Your partner is currently possessed by one, so he’s definitely afraid of water too. You might want to test him.”
Although he didn’t respond, I knew he was listening.
The mountain road was bumpy. After another half hour of driving, the car finally cut its engine deep within the forest.
Through the mountain mist, I spotted a burly figure slowly approaching from a distance.
As the figure drew closer, the white patch on his chest became clearly visible.
Old Zhang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed loudly.
He didn’t get out of the car immediately.
The dark silhouette drew closer, step by step.
Three steps.
Two steps.
Suddenly-
A face pressed abruptly against the car window.
Under the glow of the pale headlights, the face looked bloodless, split in two by the light-half in shadow, half in white.
“Old Zhang, *click*-what’s the matter with you? What took so long? *Click*-the buyer is getting impatient!”
He opened his mouth to speak, and the creaking sound in the silent environment was hair-raising.
Ah Chen stood on Old Zhang’s side of the car, his flesh deforming as he pressed against the window. “Why aren’t you coming out? *Click*-I’m freezing to death out here!”
“It’s so damn cold in these mountains. If I’d known, I would’ve stolen a couple of padded coats…”
It would look suspicious if we didn’t get out now.
Old Zhang unlocked the doors, but he didn’t move.
He opened the door for me and commanded, “You get out first.”
Then, keeping his voice steady, he called out, “Picked up a girl on the way. Keep an eye on her for me; this little thing is nothing but trouble.”
His plan was to lure Ah Chen over to my side.
But Ah Chen didn’t move either. He leaned against the car door and chuckled.
“So this is the brat who tricked you into thinking I was dead? You’re young and able-bodied, why are you in the business of swindling people?”
He made two *click* sounds. “Come on, let her out to run a few laps. I want to see where she thinks she can run to.”
I wasn’t about to start running.
The scene fell into a tense stalemate.
Resigning himself to fate, Old Zhang opened his door and slowly stood up beside it.
Ah Chen tried to put an arm around Old Zhang’s shoulder, but Old Zhang shivered and dodged him. Ah Chen raised an eyebrow. “Hey brother, you’re acting a bit strange today.”
“You didn’t actually believe that girl’s nonsense, did you? She just saw she couldn’t escape and wanted to stir up infighting between us.”
Old Zhang forced a strained smile, though his eyes involuntarily drifted to the white patch on Ah Chen’s chest. “How could I? Since when can dead men stand around and chat?”
“Haha.”
“Exactly,” Ah Chen agreed, laughing along. The muscles in his cheeks wobbled, and his pupils didn’t reflect any light. Suddenly, he leaned in and lowered his voice.
“Old Zhang… why do you keep staring at my chest?”