Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 960 - 17: Butcher’s Knife

Chapter 960: Chapter 17: Butcher’s Knife

After Tang Zheng and his group finished clearing the Camel Bugs and ensuring the path was safe, Han Ze was still entangling with Teng Yuangxiang. He simply loved this woman too much, unable to bear even a minute apart from her, which was why he had gone to the lengths of making a homemade bomb to attack the amusement park in a desperate attempt to win her back.

Unfortunately for Han Ze, Teng Yuangxiang had long forgotten that romance. To her, having a comfortable life without any worries about food and clothing was what mattered most. She didn’t want to work and then age through the wasting years; she wanted to enjoy everything at the most beautiful time of her life.

"Han Ze, let go, it’s impossible between us," Teng Yuangxiang’s expression turned grim as the Bomb Man tugged at her arm. She didn’t want Tang Zheng to misunderstand.

"Why is it impossible? Weren’t we happy together before? I never argued with anything you said," Han Ze was on the verge of tears, completely lacking any masculinity, which made everyone nearby purse their lips in disdain.

"Han Ze, let’s be clear, we’ve broken up," Teng Yuangxiang hesitated for a moment when she saw he still wasn’t giving up and then spoke up, "What I want, you can’t give me!"

"How do you know I can’t do it? What do you want? Tell me!" Han Ze, confused and losing his cool, didn’t catch the implication behind her words and shouted out, humiliated.

"One million, do you have it?" Teng Yuangxiang bit her lip, staring intently at Han Ze, "If you have a million, I’ll marry you!"

"Can I earn it?" Han Ze was cut off before he could finish speaking.

"How long will that take? Ten years? Twenty years? Or a lifetime?" Teng Yuangxiang gave a bitter smile, "I can’t wait that long."

"Hey, when will you ever stop? Can love that’s begged for bring happiness?" Lin Chen blamed Han Ze, "If you can’t provide for a woman, don’t blame her for changing her heart."

"That logic makes no sense, it’s this woman’s demands that are too high, alright?" Zeng Fanghai felt his companion was being foolish for missing the point.

"Pfft, why hang yourself on this one woman when the world is so full of beautiful ones? Got something wrong with you? I refuse to believe you can’t find a woman who loves you. Then again, with you being so clingy and desperate, even I feel disgusted. Your personality is awful; who would want to stick with you?" Lin Chen clicked his tongue and looked towards Teng Yuangxiang, "Now that this woman has revealed her true colors, isn’t it better that she’s broken up with you? If you’d gotten married, it would have become a question of green hats."

"I know Yuanxiang has her difficulties," Han Ze growled fiercely at Lin Chen.

"Dammit, there’s definitely something wrong with your head. Didn’t take your meds before leaving, did you?" Lin Chen gave Teng Yuangxiang a thumbs up, admiring her to death, "How did you manage it? With him acting like this, he would be no problem being your dog."

The other four male newbies also thought Han Ze was an oddity.

"You’re the dog!" Teng Yuangxiang snapped, then suddenly kicked Han Ze away and ran to Tang Zheng’s side, grabbing his arm, "Will you help me?"

"Let go of her!" Han Ze, seeing his girlfriend’s chest pressing against Tang Zheng’s arm wrapped in tight clothing, immediately flushed with anger and charged over, roaring loudly and reaching out to hit Tang Zheng.

"Get lost!" Tang Zheng kicked out, landing a blow on Han Ze’s stomach, flipping him over, and then he yanked Teng Yuangxiang’s hand away, warning, "I don’t have time to waste here with you. If anyone else causes trouble, don’t blame me for being rude."

Tang Zheng turned and left. Shi Jing and Teng Yuangxiang hurriedly followed, with the newbies also rushing after them. They were only interested in watching the commotion anyhow; now who would care about others’ affairs when their own lives were at stake?

Han Ze got up, clutching his stomach, wiping the blood from his mouth, and watched the retreating figures of Tang Zheng and Teng Yuangxiang with a fierce look.

"We need to find a way to get rid of or kill that lunatic!" Tang Zheng said expressionlessly. For an uncontrollable Time Bomb like Han Ze, elimination was necessary; thus, he turned his gaze to Teng Yuangxiang.

"There really wasn’t anything between us; he only held my hand a few times, honestly, I swear, I never even let him kiss me," Teng Yuangxiang whispered to Tang Zheng, explaining.

"This guy is just a miserable mess!" Zeng Fanghai and Lin Chen exchanged glances, both finding Han Ze downright tragic.

"We’ll talk about this later. For now, everyone keep quiet, and you two, go clear the path," Tang Zheng directed the newbies to take the lead as the vanguard as they continued forward.

Because of Tang Zheng’s authority, the newbies didn’t have much to complain about. After all, every time they encountered Bugs, the Group Leader was always there to rescue them promptly, and they didn’t dare refuse or risk being thrown out of the team.

Two and a half hours later, Tang Zheng checked the map again, confirmed they had reached the edge of the residential area, and were about to enter the Central City, immediately ordering the squad to halt.

"What’s the problem? Didn’t take a wrong turn, did we?" Lin Chen took a gulp of water, peering on tiptoes at his map.

"Can’t you say something auspicious for once?" Zeng Fanghai started bickering with him again.

"Rest for ten minutes, then we’ll enter the city," Tang Zheng headed towards a Beehive Cabin, with everyone following his lead unquestioningly and hastily catching up.

Tang Zheng took out some canned food and water and threw them to the ground.

"Group Leader, you’re really great!" The newbies cheered and complimented him a few times before they began to wolf down the food. In such a harsh environment, they were constantly burning through a lot of physical energy and hydration. If they didn’t replenish in time, they would undoubtedly die.

"Teng Yuangxiang, come out for a moment," Tang Zheng said without paying attention to them, and turned to leave.

With a look of joy, Teng Yuangxiang dropped her canned food and went out. Han Ze, with a snap, crushed the chocolate in his hand.

"Hey, what do you think they’re going to do?" Lin Chen stared at Teng Yuangxiang’s buttocks, swallowing his saliva.

"Isn’t it obvious? A man and a woman—to do anything other than get under the sheets?" Zeng Fanghai chewed on his beef voraciously, giving his buddy a meaningful glance. He knew Tang Zheng wasn’t the type to indulge indiscriminately. In suggesting so, he was simply looking to tease Han Ze.

"Tsk tsk, such firm buttocks and breasts, all for the Group Leader’s taking," Lin Chen got the hint and went along with it, "And those two long legs, wrapped around the waist—I bet that feels like heaven."

Bang, unable to contain his anger, Han Ze grabbed a can of food and threw it at Lin Chen. He hadn’t expected the newbie to dare make such a jab. The can hit him square on the forehead, swelling up immediately. He became so furious, he sprang to his feet and rushed over to deliver a heavy kick, planting his foot squarely on Lin Chen’s face.

"Bang, you don’t know whether you’re alive or dead, newbie. Understand your place," Lin Chen touched his forehead, relieved that there was no blood, then let Han Ze off the hook.

Han Ze struggled to his feet and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, intending to find Tang Zheng.

"What are you doing?" Xu Biyun pointed the muzzle of her gun at Han Ze, her voice icy cold, "Don’t disrupt our Group Leader’s private matters, or you might as well be dead."

Lin Chen and Zeng Fanghai realized that Xu Biyun wasn’t joking and felt a chill in their hearts. They exchanged a glance, unable to understand why Tang Zheng commanded such respect.

"That’s, that’s too close. They will hear the moaning," Teng Yuangxiang had more or less seen through Tang Zheng’s character and knew he wouldn’t really do anything to her. But this didn’t stop her from speaking provocatively; she was intentionally trying to tempt him.

"Shut up, I don’t care how you do it, just make sure Han Ze takes point and paves the way for the team," Tang Zheng replied, his patience running thin, "You deal with the trouble you’ve caused yourself, or get lost."

"Are you asking him to die as soon as possible? No problem, for you, I’m willing to do anything." Teng Yuangxiang wrapped her arms around Tang Zheng, pressing her cheek against his chest, "Don’t reject me."

"If you obey, I don’t mind giving you a hand. If we finish the game and return to reality, you can have everything you want—a million? Even a hundred million is no issue," explained Tang Zheng, who needed such combat power. Teng Yuangxiang was ruthless and bold, a sharp executioner’s blade when used well, who could handle some of the dirty work he was unwilling to do himself.

"That’s too far away. Right now, all I want is a kiss," Teng Yuangxiang admitted that she was tempted by the money, but as a smart woman, she knew what held the greatest value. So her right hand touched Tang Zheng’s back as she went up on her tiptoes.

"First, prove your worth. I don’t need useless people," Tang Zheng refused once more, placing his hand on top of her head, "Do well, and I’ll let you have the Seed Ability."

Teng Yuangxiang breathed a sigh of relief. If Tang Zheng had kissed her, she would have been frightened and suspicious. She couldn’t trust a man who was fickle and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Seeing Tang Zheng return so quickly, the newbies were somewhat surprised. They really thought he had called Teng Yuangxiang out to roll in the sheets, since here, human rights were worthless, and the Group Leader was everything.

"Yuaxiang!" Han Ze glared venomously at Tang Zheng before running over to Teng Yuangxiang and checking her clothes thoroughly, relieved that there were no signs they had been removed, "Are you okay? I was worried to death about you."

"What nonsense are you spouting? The Group Leader is a good person," Teng Yuangxiang frowned, regretting that she hadn’t realized sooner how stupid Han Ze could be. His malicious expression was barely concealed; if Tang Zheng didn’t deal with such a liability, that would be the real shock.

"As long as you’re okay, he’s a good person," retorted Han Ze, who couldn’t care less. He was urgently pleading, "Let’s make up, I’ll change."

"Let’s talk about it when we get back. Who knows, we might be dead by tomorrow," Teng Yuangxiang grimaced as she humored Han Ze, partly understanding why Tang Zheng didn’t act. Dealing with such trash wasn’t worth lowering himself.

"That won’t happen. I’ll protect you," Han Ze took the bait easily, eager to show his manliness.

"Are you lying to me?" Teng Yuangxiang activated her provocations. She had considered seducing Han Ze to use him as a meat shield, but thinking of Tang Zheng and the Seed Ability, she let it go, not wanting to lose the bigger prize for a small gain.

"Tell me about your encounters?" Tang Zheng turned to Xu Biyun, revealing a smile that had been long absent.

They set off once again, with Han Ze and a man named Hu Gang clearing the way. It took about twenty minutes to enter Central City. Here, buildings were no longer Beehive Cabins; the layout was not a maze but interconnecting roads, lined with steel buildings, combining leisure, entertainment, and office spaces in one living area.

"What’s next?" Just as Lin Chen finished asking, the announcement from the Silver Trojan sounded. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and your support is my greatest motivation.)