After the meal, Shawn stood up, went to the restaurant door and stretched himself while complaining:

“Michael, I’m not having potato mash for my next meal. It’s awful.”

Michael also dropped his spoon and was cleaning his lips with a handkerchief. Hearing this, he asked calmly:

“Do you know we will attract everyone’s attention as soon as we step out?”

“So what? We were transported to the Qing Dynasty in the east for no reason, but there is no rule in this dynasty to kill every foreigner they see. At least, we can go out and have some nice food.”

By that time, Pierce and Jerre had finished eating, but neither of them joined this conversation. They were fed up with Michael’s harsh way of leading this team, but Michael was higher-ranked and better experienced. Therefore, even though they were almost equal in strength, no one dared to question Michael bluntly except for Shawn, the bald fool.

“Our side task was to kill eastern audiences, and this is their home field, so we have to be careful. Once we get out of here, no matter how hard we try to imitate a priest, there will be traces of modern life. Those unknown eastern audiences will be able to decipher us while they’re still hiding among other people.”

“So what?”

Shawn walked back and opened the bag under the table. Five or Six human heads fell out, and they all had asian faces.

“Ha ha, what can they do even if they know?”

The old priest saw human heads all over the place and was scared into shaking. He stepped back and started praying. “Mercy god…”

Michael glanced at the heads on the floor and then at Shawn:

“You really think all eastern audiences are so vulnerable?

“I believe, in this story world, there must be some strong eastern people that should be handled seriously. We just haven’t met them yet. The more eastern audiences we kill, the closer we will get to them.

“So, we have to be extra cautious at this moment. I don’t want someone in this team to be killed because he’s careless.

“Beside, our main task hasn’t been triggered yet. Before we know the main task, we should try our best to hide ourselves.”

Michael stood up and slightly bowed to the old priest. “Father, please show me a place to rest.”

The priest, still badly shaken, immediately nodded and led Michael away to the bedroom.

Shawn put his hands on his waist, puffed and said to Pierce and Jerre, “Did you see that? Michael is just a pussycat!”

Pierce and Jerre leaned over their chairs, looking cozy.

“I miss my cigar,” Pierce touched his red hair and said sadly, “Here, I can’t have my favorite coffee or cigar, only potato mash. Potato mash all the time.”

“Shawn, you are not the only one who’s fed up. I have even begun to think that maybe the only reason we haven’t triggered the main task is that we’ve been too low-keyed. We have been hiding quietly, fulfilling the side task only in the night… That’s not efficient enough. If we are more radical, we may make a greater influence, and maybe the main task will be triggered! Then we won’t have to wait here with only one side task. Although these eastern audiences were easy to kill, we were rewarded too little. After distribution, each of us will have only a few story points.”

Pierce was tidying his hair sadly. Apparently, he was not satisfied with the current situation, but he was not as reckless as Shawn, and this was not something he dared to say in front of Michael.

“Hang in there, okay? It shouldn’t be long. Dreadful Radio wouldn’t let us even if we would like to waste time eating tomato mash in this church. According to what is common practice, it will have something arranged for us. Although I’m not all for Michael’s conservative way, I do think he’s right to some extent. Maybe we just need more patience.”

Shawn was happy to see the other two team members were all on his side. He was stubborn, and because he had enhanced himself as a werewolf, such a character was highlighted in his blood.

“Are you full?” Shawn leaned over with his hands against the table and stared at his two friends. “I really regret only cutting off those heads as trophies. Should have cut off some flesh so we could have a barbecue by now. There were two eastern women, their boobs must be delicious.”

Shawn drooled while talking.

Pierce was surprised: “Shawn, you’ve gone beyond our imagination. Stay away from me, I’m a gentleman.”

Jerre nodded, “You want to eat human flesh? You’re unbelievable!”

“Ha ha, I’m a wolf, wolves eat human flesh, alright? I love human flesh.” Shawn didn’t care about morality. He was satisfied about their reaction and thought it was a kind of recognition. A wolf should be ferocious and feared by others. “You sit here, I’m gonna go out for a walk.”

Shawn opened the church door and was about to go out.

Pierce stood up, “Shawn, you’d better stay in. Michael will be angry.”

Shawn paused for a second. Apparently, he seemed to be looking down upon Michael, but deep down in his heart, he feared that calm guy.

But it was humiliating to retreat after hearing Michael’s name since he had talked so big. So he pretended to be fearless and waved his hand:

“Never mind. I won’t leave the mountain. This church is not even in the county.”

Shawn walked out despite his friends still trying to stop him.

…

“The county will be close over this hill,” Su Bai said to others in the carriage while driving, “Can you walk?”

“Bai, can’t you see? We’re injured so badly none of us can walk without resting for days. Seven and I are still negotiable, but Gyatso might never be able to walk again.”

Su Bai nodded but didn’t reply to Fatty. He turned to Seven:

“Should we have some rest here in the county, or go to the demon nest directly?”

Seven thought for a second and suggested, “Let’s have a break. Danger that’s meant for us won’t be avoided no matter how fast we go, that’s for sure. We didn’t waste much time before Mt.Fulong, so there’s plenty time before the deadline. We can use a few days for recovering. This county is less than one day away from the demon nest; we’ll be in time.”

Just like Seven had said, they had brought the kid out from Mt.Fulong in an unimaginably weird way, which might cause Dreadful Radio to control and adjust the story. For example, if one accident didn’t take place, Dreadful Radio would soon arrange something else. It was sort of a common practice in the Dreadful Radio Game.

When Dreadful Radio was messing with its audiences, these smart audiences were figuring out the Radio’s habits, or, to be more exact, its character.

“Smells good. Bai, what is it?” Fatty sniffed.

“Some beggars were cooking. Looks like Beggar’s Chicken[1].” Su Bai looked in distance. It was indeed Beggar’s Chicken: after cleaning the chicken, stuff it with fruits or dried meat slice, wrap it with lotus leaves and bury it into a burning pit.

It was how beggars cooked chickens in the old times, but in modern times, it became popular in many places.

“Go get it, Su Bai.” Fatty felt hungry. “Get it for Gyatso and Seven, they need meat for recovery.”

Su Bai rolled his eyes. Then he clapped his hands, left the kid in the carriage with Seven, checked his fake braid and jumped off.

Those fake braids were gifts from Lam Chin-Ying when they went to catch zombies for the first time. Seven and Gyatso were monks so they didn’t need it, but Fatty and Su Bai needed it as a disguise. Otherwise, they would get into trouble if they ran into officers of the government.

Su Bai was planning to buy the chicken with money. But when he walked to those beggars, a western man approached from the opposite direction. He was wearing a priest’s clothes, but they looked extremely unfitting. Beside, Su Bai had never seen any bald priest with such a ferocious look throughout history. How could he make a good impression on the local people for his missionary work if he looked so scary?

Shawn had also smelt the food and was planing to do the same thing as Su Bai. When his eyes met Su Bai’s, both of them glazed. Probably because of a sixth sense, they both felt something unusual about each other.

“Confucius never talked about super nature, power, turmoil or immortality. I didn’t read my future before going out, and now I met with this western trash. It’s pollution to my eyes. It’s bad luck, bad luck.” Su Bai said while shaking his head dramatically.

“Hum, a pathetic scholar.” Shawn couldn’t understand what Su Bai was saying, but he could understand his obvious inkhorn tone. So he forgot his doubts and went to those beggars before Su Bai.

But after a few steps, he suddenly felt wrong. He immediately looked back, only to find out that pathetic scholar was standing closely behind his back smiling. Suddenly, a sharp dagger went into his waist.

“WTF…”

—————————————

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Beggar’s Chicken: a Chinese dish of chicken that is stuffed, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, and slowly baked at low heat. It can take six hours to prepare a single serving. — Wikipedia