Chapter 279: Hostage-taking
Powerless to resist, Fang Mu could only be dragged by these people, along with the driven flock of sheep, to beneath a deep cave.
By the time Fang Mu slowly shook off the control of dizziness, he already didn’t know where he was.
Although his body was recovering its strength, he didn’t dare counterattack immediately at this moment. The opponents outnumbered him, and this was their turf, so he needed to observe for a while first. Thus, Fang Mu chose to show weakness to the enemy, pretending to be weak as he asked, “You… who are you, where are you taking me?”
“Heh, awake already?” The six people heard his voice and all sneered as they looked at Fang Mu, whom they were dragging like a dead dog. The flat-headed man who had been sitting in the passenger seat earlier said in a disdainful tone, “You look like one of those bookish nerds who never lift a finger. I hate your kind the most. If the goddess didn’t fancy your type lately, I would’ve killed you long ago.”
“Why do this? I haven’t offended you.” Fang Mu spoke in a puzzled tone, but having dealt with anomalies for many years, he knew very well that those who associated with anomalies weren’t right in the head.
Hearing this question, they seemed impatient, as if they’d heard it countless times. The tall fatty who was yanking his collar by the back disdainfully said, “The goddess likes it, we don’t like the look of you, why so many questions? Why don’t you ask a mosquito why it sucks your blood?”
“Bastards…” Fang Mu’s cursing drew even greater mockery from the six. The more fiercely Fang Mu cursed, the more they felt he was powerless to resist.
Fang Mu cursed restrainedly, only targeting them and not touching on the goddess they mentioned. He didn’t want to get stabbed.
With his powerful eyesight, Fang Mu glimpsed sharp knives hanging on all six of them, and even the flat-headed man who was their leader had a pistol clipped to his waist.
In this era with limited oversight, pistols— weapons that would be nearly impossible to circulate on the market in future generations— could still be easily obtained with money now.
Seeing that dark, cold metal gun barrel, Fang Mu absolutely didn’t dare risk it lightly. He still needed to find an opportunity to escape.
These six people of unknown identity drove the flock of sheep toward even darker depths. The further down they went, the colder it got, with water dripping everywhere, but Fang Mu saw that the water dripping in this cave was red in color, just like blood.
The flock of sheep kept making uneasy calls. The deeper they went, the harder they were to drive. Though sheep were very stupid creatures, they still had an instinctual fear and resistance to death. They all wanted to escape this place, but the group of humans behind forced and restricted them from such behavior, still pushing them toward death.
The six showed cold expressions, faces blank. They seemed to have done this many times, acting with practiced ease. For any disobedient sheep, they would lash it hard with the sheepherding whip. The pained sheep would bleat miserably once, then obediently follow the main group’s pace.
The lead sheep at the front of the flock wasn’t the largest one, but the little goat that had been affectionate with Fang Mu multiple times on the vehicle.
At this moment, though Fang Mu heard the little goat’s calls, he could tell its voice was completely different from the sounds it made on the vehicle. Rather than sheep bleats, it was more like imitated sheep calls, with other sounds hidden within— sounds only Fang Mu could hear.
The little goat seemed to be exchanging messages with something deep in the cave, like continuously sending position pings to each other.
That thing communicating with the little goat must be the goddess these six mentioned. Fang Mu was now very certain he hadn’t encountered some gang of deranged madmen. The goddess wasn’t an imagined being, but a real existence.
Feeling himself drawing closer to danger, Fang Mu grew increasingly anxious inside. He was racking his brains for a countermeasure.
“Damn, if only the Toad God and Its kin appeared now and they dogfought, that’d be great.” Fang Mu fantasized wildly. While hiding his emotions and feigning weakness, he stealthily observed his surroundings and spotted a sharp, pointed stone scattered on the ground. Taking advantage of their inattention, he secretly picked it up and hid it in his pocket.
“We’re here.” Fang Mu heard a change in the flock of sheep’s sounds ahead. He soon passed through the tunnel into a stuffy yet spacious underground space. The flat-headed man then revealed an excited smile.
The fatty dragging him suddenly exerted force with his wrist, hurling the roughly 120-jin Fang Mu flying into the flock of sheep. The sheep keenly dodged in advance, letting Fang Mu slam hard into the ground, his whole body wracked with intense pain.
The fatty said coldly, “Crawl the rest of the way with these sheep.”
As he spoke, the fatty drew a watermelon knife from his waist. Its silvery blade reflected chilling gleams, and the others quickly followed suit, pulling out their weapons.
The flat-headed man drew his pistol, its deathly muzzle aimed at Fang Mu’s body. He sneered, “Don’t try any tricks. We’ll be watching you. See that stone gate on the ground ahead? I want you to open the door and go down with these sheep.”
“Why don’t you go together?” Fang Mu gritted his teeth.
“Heh, you and them are both sacrifices.” The flat-headed man looked down disdainfully. “Feel honored. As nutrients for the Evolving Daughter, Mother Earth!”
“Heh heh heh…” Hearing the flat-headed man’s words, Fang Mu suddenly laughed, louder and more maniacally.
“What the hell are you laughing at!?” The fatty got pissed and angrily wanted to rush up and beat Fang Mu.
However, the seemingly weak Fang Mu suddenly erupted with extreme speed. He didn’t charge forward or stab the dead fatty with the stone from his pocket. Instead, he swiftly retreated to the lead little goat’s side, pressing the sharp stone from his pocket against its neck, and mocked, “Come on, this little goat must be pretty important to you, right? Dare to bet how sharp this stone is? On the way here, I’ve already ground it as sharp as a freshly sharpened new blade. I can take this little guy’s life in one go!”
Sure enough, seeing this, the group immediately halted their preparations to lunge, frozen in place.
“Even if you do that, you won’t escape.” The flat-headed man said with a grim expression.
“So what? Mutual destruction isn’t a loss for me.” Fang Mu laughed, quickly grasping their psychology. “I don’t know who this goddess you mention is, but she must be both great and terrifying to you, right? Missing an important sacrifice means one of you has to go instead, right?”
Hearing this, the five besides the flat-headed man all changed expressions.
Fang Mu sneered, “Look at your faces. You’re really so pious, huh? Not even the courage or resolve to offer your lives for your goddess. You mongrels deserve no blessing.”
Fang Mu was still cursing, but this time it broke their mental defenses.
“If you want to achieve your goal, then from now on, obey my one command. Come down with me. I’ll go first, you follow behind, sheep at the rear.” Fang Mu ordered the six.
The six eyed him with resentment and unwillingness, but could only do as Fang Mu said, walking down the deeper underground passage with him amid the flock of sheep, somewhat terrified and uneasy.
