There was no need for Zhang Xiaoqiang to wait for too long. Yuan Yi walked back to Zhang Xiaoqiang's side with a calm face. Ignoring the surprise in the eyes of the others, she first looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang. Seeing that there was no change during the time she was away, she silently stood behind him without saying a word.
Zhang Xiaoqiang saw some pride in the others' eyes. He didn't ask how Yuan Yi did. He believed in her. He turned to look at Huang Quan who was standing beside him and nodded.
"Everyone, get into position."
Huang Quan shouted. The team members and the militia picked up their weapons and entered the trench they had dug before. They calmly looked at the rippling lake in the distance.
"Bring them up …"
Three twisting sacks were dragged down from a truck parked on the side. When they got close, the sacks were untied and three disheveled heads popped out. They were gifts, gifts from the women's camp and tokens of apology. They were all captured that night. They were locked up in the camp for three days and starved for three days. At this moment, they were scarecrows to attract the big fish to come ashore.
The three people's eyes were filled with fear. They wanted to turn their necks to see where they were, but their team members pressed their faces to the ground and they couldn't move.
"Well … let's start …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked at the three people at his feet and ordered softly. There was no pity, no joy, and no heroism when taking the lives of others. In his eyes, these three people were no longer human. Since he didn't treat them as human, there was no need to show any more emotions.
The six team members went forward and dragged the three tied up men to the lakeside. The three of them could clearly see where they were going. They knew what kind of place it was. Anyone who was caught eating people in the colony would end up being thrown to the lakeside and eaten by the fish.
Their hungry and weak bodies regained new strength. They struggled desperately. Their bodies were on the ground and their feet kicked on the ground, kicking up pieces of sand. The flying yellow dust was dissipated by the lake breeze before it rolled up into the air.
The three desperate men struggled on the ground like dead fish. Their struggle was also seen by the militiamen who had a rough heart. Seeing the means and decisiveness of the convoy, their hearts jumped like a drum. Their hearts were like falling into an ice cellar, and their liver and intestines were cold. There was no longer the previous tension and pulse, only sadness was left.
In the blink of an eye, the three people were dragged to the lake. One of them, the tallest and the biggest man, who was originally fierce but now had a desolate face, was dragged to the lake and knelt down.
The previous struggle had exhausted his last bit of strength. He gave up and allowed his team members to pull him over like a soft-faced man. Kneeling by the lake, he lowered his head to look at the clear waves below him. The pure lake water shone on his face, and the man stared at his reflection in the water in a daze. The man in the water was emaciated, no longer as arrogant and flamboyant as before. His beard and hair were disheveled, and his eyes were lifeless. The lifeless eyes slowly brightened.
The man didn't care about the broadsword raised by his team member. He carefully looked at his face. The reflection in the water was him. It was his appearance in this world. It was his appearance in the eyes of others. It seemed like he was looking at himself for the first time. The reflection in the water reflected the most miserable scene of his life. But in his eyes, it was so perfect. It was nothing else but him. He looked at the reflection in a daze. The sharp broadsword flashed across the corner of his eyes under the sun.
He flew in the air like a bird. The headless body by the lake that was spurting blood, the team member who was retrieving the broadsword, and the two companions who were kneeling on the ground not far away fell into his eyes. But he didn't look at them. Everything had nothing to do with him. He was flying. He was free. He was a bird. He wanted to fly higher until he was buried by the clear waves.
Ripples appeared in the calm lake water. The ripples spread far into the distance. With a splash, the lake water turned from clear to blood red. The second round began.
The previous scene fell into the eyes of the second person. He saw it from start to finish. When it was his turn, his heart was calm. Although the cloth in his mouth was removed, he didn't cry out or beg for mercy. He was very cooperative and took the initiative to struggle to the side of the lake. Without being pulled, he knelt on the blood-soaked ground. The lake water was already dyed red.
He couldn't see his reflection like the first man, but he didn't have any regrets. Compared to his original guess of being swallowed alive by the big fish, being freed with a knife was not a bad thing. With a better choice, he was satisfied. He couldn't be too greedy. Being a human was hard, and being a survivor of the gathering place was even harder. It was better to be free.
The human head flew up, and blood sprayed out like a fountain and fell further away from the lake. The head fell into the water, but the body didn't fall down. It was still kneeling, as if it was leaving a last trace of hope for the world.
The team member who was holding the broadsword on his back used his sleeve to wipe off the small beads of blood on his face. He lifted his leg and kicked the body into the lake. He turned to look at the third man. He was also the thinnest and the most timid man. This man didn't have the calmness of the previous two. He was lying on the ground and curled up into a ball. Under his body, a puddle of water slowly seeped into the soil.
"Pei …" The executioner spat and looked at the third man with disdain. He wouldn't be soft-hearted because of other people's senseless admiration, nor would he be soft-hearted because of others' cowardice.
The executioner's footsteps were like huge waves crashing into the man's heart. At this moment, the man wasn't lying on the ground that was soaked with his own urine. It was as if he was lying on an air compressor. The frequency of his body shaking made the executioner dizzy.
"Ah!"
The man couldn't stand the overlapping fear anymore. He struggled and rolled on the ground. Wet soil, urine stains, dried grass, and large patches of dust were all over his body.
When the executioner arrived in front of him, he saw that the man had made such a mess of himself. He didn't know where to grab the man. He casually looked at the man and saw that the man hadn't soaked his hair in the urine. Although it was also very dirty and had greasy astigmatism.
"Ah … Mercy … Mercy … Grandpa ancestor, please let me go. I'll do anything for you …"
The man's hair was pulled by the executioner and he was dragged on the ground. The man ignored the intense pain on his scalp and rolled on the ground. Tears and snot rolled down his face. His mouth was still screaming for mercy.
The executioner's hand was as cold as iron. How could he be moved?
He dragged the man silently like a machine. The man's fear of death was greater than anything else. He shook his head and tore at the hair that was grabbed by the large hand. Finally, he managed to break free.
The executioner felt the weight in his hand lighten, and the man broke free from his grasp. The only thing left in his hand was a handful of dirty hair. Seeing the man rolling on the ground with his hands tied, the executioner was furious. He threw away the dirty hair in his hand, stepped forward, and kicked the man's chin.
The man screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood fell to the ground, mixed with a few teeth. Then, he was kicked by the executioner like a ball. The man screamed as he was kicked into the blood puddle by the lake. Even at this moment, he still didn't give up. He bounced around like a shrimp in a pot, trying to break free from the ropes that tied him up. His screams and begging for mercy never stopped.
The executioner raised the knife, aiming for the man's neck. The man's eyes were filled with terror. There was nothing else in the man's eyes except the chopper that was raised high. Suddenly, he shouted, "I'm useful … I'm useful … I can make explosives, I can make explosives …"