199 The Sizzling Chicken Leg
The man’s att.i.tude did not anger He Xing. Instead, he smiled and put his hand into his bag. Zuo Mingdong panicked when he saw this, “He Xing, you can’t…” However, before Zuo Mingdong could finish his sentence, He Xing took out a chicken leg wrapped in oil paper from his bag.
It was a big piece of fragrant chicken leg. It seemed to have been cooked not long ago, and it was still warm. As soon as he opened the oil paper, one could smell the fragrance of meat. He Xing’s slender fingers held the chicken leg, and he waved it in front of the man. Just by looking at it, one could tell that the chicken leg was definitely very delicious. Zuo Mingdong forgot to continue the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He only followed He Xing’s movements and looked at the chicken leg in his hand.
It was not that Zuo Mingdong could not eat meat, but it was just that he had not eaten such a fat chicken leg for a long time. It was obvious that this chicken leg had the perfect ratio of fat and lean meat. It was fragrant and not greasy.
He Xing turned his wrist gently and snorted. “I was thinking that I’d let you eat it if you were willing to cooperate. But if you don’t say anything… I’m the only one who can enjoy this big chicken leg.”
Zuo Mingdong swallowed his saliva, and he understood a little. He originally thought that… He Xing was about to pull out a gun and kill the man, but now, Zuo Mingdong understood. It would be too easy for this man if he was sent to his death. Taking out something he had not eaten in a long time to make him crave it like this was even more unbearable than killing him directly.
At a time when many people were starving, nothing could break one’s psychological defense more than food. Just by looking at the desire that flashed in the man’s eyes, Zuo Mingdong knew that He Xing was sure to win this round.
He Xing met the man’s eyes. “I won’t force you. Your mouth is your own. It’s up to you whether you want to tell me or not.”
The man swallowed his saliva. “If… If I tell you, will you give me the chicken leg?” Only G.o.d knew how long it had been since he had had meat. The people above him could still occasionally have a sumptuous meal, but people like him did not even have the chance to drink soup. He could not hold it in any longer. He did not want anything else but the chicken leg in that man’s hands!
He Xing smiled faintly. “I’ll keep my word. If you cooperate, this chicken leg is yours. But… if you lie to me… then I’ll give this big chicken leg to your friends. I think they’re all starving…”
“No, no, no, don’t give it to them! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!” The man did not dare to hesitate and immediately agreed as if he was afraid that He Xing would go back on his word. “Our king gave himself that t.i.tle. He has a head of silver-gray hair, which he said is a mark given by the heavens to those who were born to be kings. Although he’s dressed the same as us, if you look closely, you’ll find that the material of his clothes is very special. I’ve lived for so many years, but I’ve never seen anything like it.
“He said that he built an underground city, and as long as we’re willing to work for him, he’ll give us food. But he’s not talking about usual food. It’s a kind of medicine. After taking it, one won’t be hungry or tired. Although it can sustain my life, it doesn’t satisfy my appet.i.te at all. I’ve gotten sick of it after drinking it a few times. I still prefer your big chicken leg…”
He Xing frowned and interrupted him, “Cut the c.r.a.p. Say something useful!”
“Useful… Alright, alright!” the man said, but he was stunned for a moment. What was considered useful? “We’ve been living with him in the underground city for the past few years, and we’ve never been involved in the outside world.
“Even so, we were all very satisfied because compared to the others, at least we managed to keep our lives. However, we slowly realized that something was wrong. We were living in his shadow and hanging on by a thread! He never let us eat our fill either. He also ordered us to go out and find survivors. All the men had to become his subordinates, and any young girl with the slightest good looks would be brought into his harem.
“Even so, I don’t want to die! I can only listen to him! He asked us to come here to steal food and attack the base. Before the operation, he gave us some weapons. There are very few of them, but they’re very powerful. He even arranged for a group of us to sneak into your place and said that we should catch you off guard!
“I only know this much… I really don’t know anything else! I’m just a small fry. Now that I’ve told you everything, you can give me the chicken leg, right?” The man stared at the chicken leg in He Xing’s hand and kept swallowing his saliva.