Chapter 51: Soft and gentle
Translator: Letty / Editor: DarkGem / IceTea
“d.a.m.n it, I really don"t understand what you’re thinking.” Pang Zi mouth twitched as he unhappily said, “Since you got us all the food, I can’t say anything about who you share it with. If you want to share with them, go ahead.”
“Well,” Chang sighed as well, he shot a strange glance at the two and realized that since the time he had decided to kill them, they seemed less unsightly.
Therefore, Chang waved at them and his mouth forced a smile, “Let’s eat together.”
“There we go; Chang is much more reasonable than you kids!” The mother expressed the elation of winning a bargain. She pulled up her son from the bed and spoke arrogantly to Pang Zi, “It’s not a big deal. We are living together anyways, so why shouldn"t we help each other out?”
“Pooh, stop giving us that insincere flattery. If you were this reasonable before, why I didn’t get any help from you in the previous days. Not only had you not been helpful, but you also disturbed us. Don’t talk to me, I don’t care for your presence.” Pang Zi turned away his head, and apparently, his att.i.tude provoked the mother and son. But fortunately, Chang broke this awkward atmosphere in a timely manner.
“Come on, I guess you’re already hungry, since I am too.” Chang sat on his own bed and took a deep breath, “Jing, can you lock the door?”
“Sure,” Jing nodded and fastened the latch.
On the other side, Qing Shui took out the frog meat from the formalin barrels and rinsed off the chemical thoroughly in the last barrel that filled with clear water. He tried his best to dilute the chemical residue on the meat and distributed one piece to each person in the room.
The piece was quite heavy even though the mother and son received it with both hands. Their dissatisfaction vanished immediately as they no longer complained. As if they were primitives, they chomped on the meat messily.
This was also Chang’s first time eating raw meat, but it didn’t taste bad and the texture was chewier than cooked meat. Although the pungent smell of formalin persisted on the meat, it was still much better than the vegetable ‘soup’ he had on the first day in the base.
Also, from observing from the gluttonous manner of the mother and son, Chang learned that the meat was much tastier than roots and gra.s.s.
Perhaps the discomfort from the burning made Chang lose his appet.i.te, but he only finished half of his portion before he felt full. Chang stood up and placed his piece into the formalin solution again, and then he returned to his bed and stared at the air feebly, with unfocused eyes.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Pang Zi asked Chang with concern. “Are you sure your burn has healed? Why it still so b.l.o.o.d.y? Do you want me to ask Dr. Huang to come over? Do you want some antibiotics as well?”
“Don"t worry, I feel pretty good except for the pain. It should be fine after a few days; I’ll take the medication on time.” Chang turned away his head so that he could avoid seeing everybody gnawing on the b.l.o.o.d.y raw meat.
“We’re finished; do you have more?” The mother’s voice was still there.
“Are you serious? We gave a pound of meat to each of you and you still want more?” It was Pang Zi’s voice.
“Let them, they have been starving since the beginning, it must be not easy for them.” The last voice was Qing Shui’s. The sound of dripping and rinsing came after his words.
All these sounds upset Chang out of sudden, and Pang Zi’s words snuck into his chaotic mind. It reminded him of that doctor, so he turned to look at that dull figure.
“Dr. Huang, thank you for taking care of me today, do you want some as well?” Chang shouted to the person who was facing the wall.
“I am not hungry,” The young woman turned and glanced at Chang warily as if there was something strange.
The emotion in her eyes stopped Chang from inviting her.
The silence caught into Chang’s mind. Before the night arrived completely, his mind was full of the sounds of the mother and son chomping. He leaned his back on the wall as if he was pondering, but his mind gradually became blank. The light disappeared at the horizon bit by bit.
“Jing, we can’t stay on the same bed as my chest and abdomen were burned. It hurts even though I only stroked it softly.” The darkness came very soon as time pa.s.sed in silence, and the air cooled down. Chang helped Jing climb on the empty upper bunk bed, and he smiled with difficulty, “Are you afraid of sleeping on your own?”
“It’s fine, you should rest and get better soon.” Jing nodded to indicate that she wouldn"t be afraid, then she laid down on the bed. She closed her eyes even though she felt worried.
“The blood stain on the woven bag smells terrible. Do you want me to take it out of the room?” Before they went to bed, Pang Zi noticed the b.l.o.o.d.y odor from the bags they used today.
“Just leave them there first, I’ll take them out tomorrow.” Qing Shui restrained Pang Zi, “Go sleep.”
“Okay,” Pang Zi didn’t say much either as he climbed on his own bed.
After settling down everyone in the room, Qing Shui took out the pills that he brought from the hospital today. He hunkered down and spoke in low voice, “Anti-inflammatory pills and antibiotics. You still need to be careful even though your body is stronger now. Take them and get some good rest.”
Qing Shui laid back on his bed as he made sure Chang swallowed the pills.
Chang didn’t take the pills at first as he stared at the little pills feebly. He put them in his mouth without reading any words on the instructions. The foggy world attracted all of his attention.
Later, the night had fully descended.
This night was especially long for a sleepless person; Chang silently counted numbers in his mind to pa.s.s the boredom. He kept doing so until his internal clock told him that the time had approached midnight and everyone’s breath became regular. Chang got out of bed without making any sound. He took out a knife from under his pillow and cautiously walked barefooted to the slumbering mother and son.
Chang’s footsteps were so soft and gentle that he couldn"t even notice his own movement. This move helped him approach his target without exposing himself, not to mention that his targets were asleep.
However, he was still extremely nervous. Although he already knew how to regulate his emotions and mind, the sourness in his mouth sold out his nervousness.
It was indeed the first time he would kill someone in a calm state. The last time he killed a human was to save Jing. When those thugs made a long cut on Jing’s face with their dagger, he just couldn"t repress his rage and killed them. He didn’t feel anything special during the process aside from a slight pleasure. He behaved without any senses when he was furious.
However, this time was different. Chang wasn"t angry at all; his mind was peaceful even though he his body was tense. He knew exactly what he was going to do – kill them with the sharp knife, even though they were defenseless and completely vulnerable.