Chapter 59: Control over Life or Death
“Fine. Since you don’t appreciate my kindness, there’s nothing I can do about it. I have no choice but to consider that being kind doesn’t pay!” Zhao Hui tucked away the metal rod behind him and unblocked the doorway. He beckoned towards Yao WeiDong with his hand.
“I’m sorry. Then, we’ll be leaving first. No matter what, we are very grateful towards your kind intentions.” Yao WeiDong courteously said to Zhao Hui. He then hurriedly asked his wife and daughter to leave the restaurant.
Just at that moment, Zhao Hui suddenly waved the metal rod in his hand and smashed it against Yao WeiDong’s kneecap when he wasn’t paying attention. It was followed by the “KACHA” sound of his bones being shattered. Yao WeiDong screamed and knelt on the ground.
The pain of one’s kneecap being shattered wasn’t something most people could endure. Instead, it would lead to a loss of control in one’s leg and the inability to continue standing. In this post-apocalyptic world, the presence of a shattered kneecap would cruelly signify death.
Yao WeiDong’s wife and daughter were scared sh%tless when they saw what had happened. They had no idea as to why Zhao Hui, who had displayed a smiling facade this whole time, would suddenly critically injure Yao WeiDong. He proclaimed that he was very helpful and had agreed to let them go.
Cheng Qi and Yao Yi rushed towards Yao WeiDong to support him. Looking at Yao WeiDong grimacing and moaning in pain made them heartbroken. Then, they looked towards Zhao Hui with a face full of anger and resentment.
“We didn’t provoke you, and neither did we obstruct you. Why did you have to do this?” Yao WeiDong endured the pain and questioned Zhao Hui. There was a trace of hopelessness on his face. His face was deathly pale after his kneecap was shattered, and what tormented him the most was that he could not walk properly. He was now a burden, and he had lost the ability to protect his family.
“I had kind intentions to gift you some food to eat, but you rejected me. Do you know this made me very angry? What I just did was to teach you a small lesson. I wanted to let you know how to be a good person and how to be a truthful father in front of your daughter.” Zhao Hui said to Yao WeiDong, as he reverted to his previously smiling face.
“I am very sorry. I know that I am in the wrong. Please spare my wife and daughter. If you want to punish someone, punish me. I will take responsibility.” Yao WeiDong grit his teeth and begged Zhao Hui. From the first impression Zhao Hui gave him, he suspected that something was wrong with him. Now that the truth had come to light, he really wasn’t a good person.
However, he had already lost the ability to fight. He was completely unable to protect his wife and daughter. The only thing he could do now was to beg Zhao Hui and hope that there was a tiny trace of humanity left in his heart.
“I definitely have no problem with sparing them, but what is the purpose of the wooden stick in your hand? Are you looking for an opportunity to take revenge?” Zhao Hui waved his metal rod again.
“No, I use the wooden stick to help me look for things…” Yao WeiDong tossed his wooden stick a few meters away to show his sincerity.
“Very good, only… you are already seriously injured. What will they do without you? They can’t abandon you? What sort of people would they be? How about this? Why doesn’t your whole family kneel down while I will teach you three a lesson and lecture you regarding the truths of life. After my lecture, I will release you.” Zhao Hui replied to Yao WeiDong and then glanced at ChenChen.
ChenChen took the hint and raised the machete in his hand high up, as if about to chop the mother and daughter pair. Cheng Qi and Yao Yi were frightened, and they hurriedly knelt beside Yao WeiDong. Each of them held tightly to Yao WeiDong’s arm, as their whole body was visibly shivering.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Zhao Hui felt very satisfied. When he was in the real world, he already had a tyrannical habit of killing cats and dogs. He loved to see the pitiful expressions on the animals’ faces. His power to control life and death fed his desire to rule over everything and gave him deep satisfaction in his heart. Now in [The Trembling World], he could not only murder cats and dogs, but he could even murder any he encountered. He had their lives completely in his hands, and he watched them beg pathetically for their lives. This satisfaction he gained was far superior than that from murdering cats and dogs.
“When I came in, I really had no intention of making things difficult. I only wanted to give you some food to eat.” With a smile, Zhao Hui took out the BBQ and looked at Yao Yi.
“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted your kind intentions. I sincerely apologize. Please spare the two of them.” Yao WeiDong begged again.
“So you know your mistake and are now willing to eat the meat?” Zhao Hui passed the BBQ to Yao WeiDong.
“I’ll eat. I’ll eat the meat!” Yao WeiDong hurriedly replied Zhao Hui. He was very worried that Zhao Hui would be enraged and harm his wife and daughter. They were his only mental support in this post-apocalyptic world. He couldn’t just sit by and watch them suffer any harm.
“Then hurry up and eat it. This is my newly collected BBQ. It definitely doesn’t have any traces of rotting. Give it a try; the taste is pretty good.” Zhao Hui said.
Yao WeiDong worriedly looked at the BBQ in Zhao Hui’s hand. He was really worried that the meat came from zombies, so he was hesitant to put it in his mouth for eating.
“Are you worried that after you eat, you will get infected?” Zhao Hui asked.
Yao WeiDong did not reply, but his face was full of hopelessness. He now knew that there was definitely a problem with the meat. He also knew that these two had malicious intent towards his family, but he didn’t have the ability to resist them. He could only meekly accept their orders and follow them. If not, the consequences would get worse.
“So are you eating it or not? If you don’t want it, then your daughter should eat it. She looks like she really wants some of the BBQ.” Zhao Hui looked at the silent Yao WeiDong and spurred him on.
“I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” Yao WeiDong said immediately after he heard Zhao Hui’s words. Then, he stuffed the meat into his mouth. The piece of meat did indeed taste weird, but he wasn’t able to find out why it tasted weird.
[Feldy: I wonder why it tastes weird…]
“See, nothing happened right? The meat is perfectly clean. It definitely doesn’t have any diseases. You bunch of people didn’t trust my kind words. You misunderstood my kind intentions, so I became angry. If you had been good and accepted my kind intentions, none of this would have escalated this far right?” Zhao Hui haughtily reprimanded Yao WeiDong.
[xDh20: Yao WeiDong is so gentle… Reminds me of Hodor…]