"Keep blowing hot air—now it's a drug trade station, huh? Why not say it's a haunted house? That'd be even scarier," Chu Zhixin said with contempt before looking around at everyone:
"Don't listen to his nonsense. I think there's nothing wrong with this tavern. Besides, what are the odds of us just happening to run into a bunch of drug traffickers? Even if they really are traffickers, we're in their country to help them. I think they won't give us too hard a time."
As soon as Chu Zhixin said this, everyone began to waver. They were thirsty and tired now, just wanting to find a place to rest well. There happened to be a tavern right before them, like a lifeline in the snow. At this moment, few could resist such temptation.
Led as if by ghosts, everyone headed towards the tavern. Seeing that he had swayed them, Chu Zhixin then cast a provocative look at Hao Jian.
"Idiot," Hao Jian's lips curled with mockery. Chu Zhixin's recklessness would get these people killed.
"Is there really danger inside?" Cheng Weiwei couldn't help but ask Hao Jian at this moment.
"Highly likely," Hao Jian nodded without denial.
Cheng Weiwei was instantly alarmed, "How do you know that?"
"Remember what I told you about the beastly senses?" Hao Jian said with a smile.
A hint of panic flashed in Cheng Weiwei's eyes as she said, "Then why don't you stop them? Aren't you intentionally harming them?"
"Cheng Weiwei, you'd better listen carefully; I am your bodyguard, not theirs. I'm only responsible for your safety; their fate is none of my concern. Besides, if it's destined to rain and a woman destined to marry, what can I do if they're seeking death even after I've already spoken?" Hao Jian sneered.
"You're too heartless!" Cheng Weiwei said coldly before walking into the tavern. Hao Jian might disregard their lives, but she couldn't.
Hao Jian, feeling helpless, could only follow her inside.
Upon entering the tavern, Chu Zhixin and the others were immediately terrified by the eerie atmosphere within.
The tavern was neither big nor small, seating dozens of men—all brawny, either carrying weapons or with faces full of scars, all exuding a menacing air.
Upon seeing Cheng Weiwei and the others enter, they immediately cast malevolent gazes upon them.
Especially towards Cheng Weiwei. After all, she was pretty, and the men stared at her intently, not hiding the greed and lust in their eyes.
Cheng Weiwei and the others sensed something was off but dared not make any rash moves, as everyone's eyes were fixed on them.
All of them were desperados; the scars on their faces and their fierce demeanors were clear reflections of this.
In their eyes, Cheng Weiwei and her companions were like lambs to the slaughter, the kind waiting to be carved up.
Hao Jian walked in whistling, hands clasped behind his head, looking flippant, but at this moment, nobody dared cast him a malevolent look, as they sensed a kind of aura from him that was only present in those of their ilk.
"What would you like to drink?" The bartender was a one-eyed man with a toothpick in his mouth, exuding a bandit's air.
"Bring up something drinkable," Chu Zhixin said in English.
"Okay," the One-Eyed Dragon agreed and then let out a strange laugh before walking into the kitchen. After a short while, he brought over a few drinks.
Being extremely thirsty, everyone dove in like starving wolves at the sight of the drinks, disregarding the odd atmosphere and gulping them down!
But as soon as the beverages touched their lips, they realized something was off.
Little Mei, with a look of thirst, suddenly grimaced with disgust, spewing out the liquid while retching, "What on earth is this? Why does it taste so fishy?"
The others also spat out their drinks, feeling a strong taste of blood.
However, after they had finished retching, they saw several puddles of fresh red liquid on the ground. Chu Zhixin immediately panicked, "What did you give us to drink?"
The One-Eyed Dragon smiled sinisterly, his mouth spitting out two words: "Human blood!"
Cheng Weiwei and the others were all petrified by his words. The One-Eyed Dragon had made them drink human blood? And where did this blood come from?
Seeing this, Cheng Weiwei and the others finally realized Hao Jian was telling the truth—this place was indeed a den of thieves!
"Ugh," Chu Zhixin and the others began vomiting violently, as if even bile was about to come out. The bartender had actually given them human blood to drink, which was horrifying.
Just then, a desperate voice came from behind Hao Jian and the others.
They all turned around and saw a bespectacled young man among them being held up by a burly man with a big beard. The man's hand was holding a blunt, rusty kitchen knife, with which he promptly slit the young man's throat.
Seeing the big man murder, Chu Zhixin and the others' legs went soft with terror. They couldn't understand why the big man wanted to kill their companion, and it was precisely this incomprehensible action that chilled them to the bone.
Only Hao Jian continued whistling nonchalantly, unaffected, seemingly used to such things.
Only Cheng Weiwei maintained her composure. Staring at the big man with a face full of anger, she demanded in fluent English, "By what right do you murder?"
"By what right?" The big man paused, seemingly surprised by Cheng Weiwei's question.
He then burst into laughter, "Did you hear that? She's asking me by what right I kill people, hahaha."
The rest of the people also joined in with laughter as if they had heard the world's funniest joke.
Cheng Weiwei and her companions did not understand, was this question really that funny?
"In a place of turmoil like Atama, where there is no order, no rules, everyone can do as they please, murder needs no reason," Hao Jian explained to everyone.
After hearing this, everyone was struck with terror. Murder needs no reason? Wouldn't that lead to utter chaos?
They finally understood the reason for the perennial warfare in Atama: the nation had no concept of law.
Then they all cast frightened glances at Hao Jian, desperate to know why he was so well-informed about such matters, what exactly had he been through?
"If Bart really needs to give a reason," the stout man Bart muttered, "it's because Bart hates his hairstyle!"
Hate someone's hairstyle so you kill them, what kind of reason is that? Chu Zhixin and the others couldn't accept this explanation, but they didn't dare contradict Bart.
Suddenly, another young man behind Chu Zhixin was struck, falling into a pool of blood with a knife in his back, as a gaunt man laughed eerily behind him: "I really like your boots, would you mind giving them to me?"
The corner of the young man's eye twitched, he couldn't fathom why the other party would kill first before asking. If he had just asked first, would he have dared to refuse?
Why? Because the gaunt man thought it was too much trouble to ask first, it was simpler to just act.
In just a few short minutes, two people were bizarrely murdered, an assault on the minds of those volunteers. The men were so frightened their legs went weak, the women burst into loud sobs, and the scene descended into chaos.
Cheng Weiwei's expression was extremely grim, as she finally realized that this country, this world, was not as simple as she had imagined.
She began to regret, to wonder why she had come here, why she had doubted Hao Jian's words earlier. If she hadn't doubted him, maybe her friends wouldn't have had to die.
And then, she went hysterical.
"Hao Jian, kill them all for me!" Cheng Weiwei shouted hysterically.
The same being English, the outlaws present couldn't help but shock.
A meaningful cold smile played on Hao Jian's face, "Kill them all? That goes against the purpose of your trip, do you not care about that?"
"I don't care!" Cheng Weiwei roared, her face ashen.
"Even if this means you'll become a profiteer, you don't care about that either?"
"Even if later you will feel uneasy about this, feel regret, it doesn't matter to you?"
"I don't care!" Now, Cheng Weiwei just wanted all these thugs dead!
"Then, as you wish!" Hao Jian drew the Nepalese kukri from his back, walking slowly into the fray.
The thugs frowned, they could overlook Cheng Weiwei and her group, but they couldn't ignore Hao Jian.
"Everyone, out," Hao Jian said to Cheng Weiwei, the smile fading from his face, replaced by bone-chilling coldness.
Without a moment's hesitation, Cheng Weiwei strode towards the exit.
The volunteers hesitated at first, but seeing Cheng Weiwei leading, they quickly followed in her footsteps.
But suddenly, Bart wielding a large knife, blocked everyone's way, how could he let such a ravishing beauty escape so easily?
With a lecherous smile, Bart said, "The men can leave; the women must stay!"
Upon hearing this, all the female volunteers shivered, visibly petrified.
Originally, he hadn't intended to let anyone go, asking for only the women was simply out of respect for Hao Jian.
No sooner had Bart finished speaking than a figure swept in like a cheetah and kicked him in the head. With a loud bang, his head flew off.
Blood spurted wildly, staining the entire bar red.
Everyone including the thugs was stunned, all thinking: Who is this guy who can kick someone's head off with a single kick?
All the thugs stood up, glaring at Hao Jian with rage. Of course, their anger wasn't because of Bart; the concept of friendship didn't exist among them. They were furious because Hao Jian was trying to take Cheng Weiwei away, and that was something they could not tolerate.
"Go!" Hao Jian said gravely.
Hearing this, Cheng Weiwei and the others stopped daydreaming and hurriedly made for the exit.
It was only after Cheng Weiwei and the others had all left that Hao Jian finally allowed himself a relieved laugh, then tossed all the pistols from his waist onto the ground, faced the villains with a raging laugh, and said, "Come on! Let's die a more dignified death!"