Su Wan suddenly turned her head.
Xiao Han!
He strode out from the crowd, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.
Su Wan's heart tightened. What was Xiao Han going to do? She wanted to pull him, but Lu Shiyan's hand gently pressed on her arm, signaling her not to move.
Scorpion's gaze was like nails fixed on Xiao Han, a cold, amused smirk playing on his lips:
"Oh? You have a different opinion?"
"You're not distributing supplies, you're playing with people's lives, you bastard!" Xiao Han walked step by step towards the high platform.
His voice trembled, not from fear, but from anger.
Every word landed like a hammer blow.
"A beast who would drive even children and the sick to their deaths, what right do you have to make rules, you son of a bitch?!"
The air suddenly froze.
Everyone held their breath.
To openly defy Scorpion? He must be tired of living!
Scorpion narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them: "Interesting. I thought everyone in this base had learned to keep their mouths shut."
He walked to the edge of the high platform and looked down at Xiao Han, like looking at an ant that didn't know its place.
"Tell me, brave sir, what is your name?"
"Xiao Han."
Xiao Han stiffened his neck, not backing down, looking directly into Scorpion's snake-like eyes.
"Xiao Han…" Scorpion slowly repeated the name. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "Ah, it's you! The newcomer who came into the base with Lu Shiyan."
Su Wan's heart sank.
It was exposed so quickly? Pan Yong, that old fox, wasn't wrong; Scorpion knew everything about them.
"Then, brave Mr. Xiao," Scorpion grinned, revealing a smile that made one's scalp tingle, "since you're so fond of meddling, why not make a more interesting decision?"
He waved his hand.
Two of his subordinates immediately dragged the mother and son away from the high platform.
Then, Scorpion pointed to a group of trembling guards not far away:
"Over there, I have twenty of my men. Each one is watching ten C-zone wastes – the old, the young, the sickly… all of them just burdens who only waste food."
Scorpion pulled a pistol from his waist and threw it to Xiao Han with a "bang."
"Two choices. One, you get out now, pretend you saw nothing, and I promise not to hold it against you."
"Two, you use this gun, right now, to kill me." Scorpion paused, his smile widening, "The price, well… those two hundred wretched lives will end at the same time you pull the trigger. Choose."
The people below gasped.
This was a dead end!
No matter what Xiao Han chose, he would be saddled with a mountain of blood debts!
Su Wan and Lu Shiyan exchanged a look.
This Scorpion was more venomous and difficult to deal with than they had imagined!
Xiao Han stood still.
The gun in his hand was as hot as a branding iron.
His eyes were a mix of rage and despair.
"Not much time left, Mr. Xiao." Scorpion deliberately drew out his words, "Those poor souls are all waiting for you to decide their fate."
Everyone's gaze was focused on Xiao Han.
He slowly raised the gun.
But the muzzle was not pointed at Scorpion.
The cold muzzle was pressed against his own temple!
"Xiao Han!" Su Wan cried out in alarm.
"If I kill myself," Xiao Han's voice was chillingly cold, but his eyes burned like fire, "what will happen to those two hundred people? Can your game still continue?"
Scorpion was visibly stunned for a moment.
Then, he burst into a harsh, grating laugh: "Brilliant! Fucking brilliant! I like smart people!"
He clapped his hands, "You win, Mr. Xiao. You're ruthless."
"As a reward, that mother and son can leave with some food. And those two hundred wastes, I promise, I won't touch a single hair on their heads."
He walked down from the high platform and approached Xiao Han, reaching out to take back the pistol.
The gun still carried the residual warmth from Xiao Han's head.
"However, I am very curious," Scorpion stared into Xiao Han's eyes, "if I were to tell you now that everything just now was just a tiny test. Those people were never truly in danger. Would you regret pointing the gun at your own head just now?"
Xiao Han twitched the corner of his mouth, a look of disdain on his face: "I never do anything I regret."
Scorpion's eyes flickered as he stared at him for a long moment: "Gutsy. Tell me, Lu Shiyan and Miss Su are here too, right?"
Xiao Han said nothing.
But Scorpion evidently already knew the answer.
His gaze swept through the crowd, and quickly landed on where Lu Shiyan and Su Wan were hiding.
"Mr. Lu, Miss Su," he raised his voice, as if calling out to them, "hiding and sneaking around, how boring. Come out and meet me."
Lu Shiyan's face was expressionless as he took Su Wan's hand and walked out from the crowd.
He stood beside Xiao Han.
The three of them stood side by side, facing Scorpion and his vast number of subordinates, without a hint of fear on their faces.
"You're back. The mission was well done." Scorpion walked around the three of them, his gaze like he was examining a rare new toy.
"The distribution of supplies, is that your stage?" Lu Shiyan spoke coldly, his disgust unconcealed in his voice.
Scorpion wasn't angry; instead, he smiled even wider: "Living, in itself, is a play, Mr. Lu. If some play the hunter, then others must play the prey. I'm merely… helping them find their roles."
He suddenly leaned closer to Su Wan, his gaze fixed directly on her flat stomach.
"Oh, this is the legendary Miss Su? I hear you're carrying a… remarkable little something in your belly?"
Su Wan? How did he know that too?!
Lu Shiyan's body subtly shifted forward, just enough to mostly shield Su Wan. Scorpion even knew Su Wan was pregnant and pointed out the "special" aspect. How did the news leak? Could it be from Lei Laohu's side…
"What the hell are you spouting?" He rarely swore.
Su Wan hid herself behind Lu Shiyan, wishing she could become invisible.
Scorpion let out a "heh," seemingly enjoying their momentary shock, slowly swaying his head. "That old bastard Lei Laohu, he thinks he's hiding pretty well, doesn't he?"
He drew out his words, with a hint of mockery: "Haha… I, your old man, just love seeing through the thoughts of you self-proclaimed smart people!"
"Aren't you just pondering whether or not to accept Lei Laohu's olive branch?"
Scorpion grinned, revealing his stark white teeth: "So, I specially arranged this 'little surprise' for you today, so you can clearly see who really calls the shots in this base now!"
In the crowd, several people who were close by were already trembling with fear, shuffling backward.
A thin girl desperately covered her mouth, afraid that even her breathing would attract disaster.
Scorpion took a satisfied breath, as if savoring a delicious meal, and narrowed his eyes in ecstasy.
He took a small step back, his gaze sweeping over faces twisted and distorted by fear.
"See that?" His voice was not loud, but it whipped at everyone's heart like a lash, "This is my territory!"