Chapter 16: Fear

“Good that you know you’re wrong. Now tie up that fat guy,” Tang Cheng said, not wanting to waste time dealing with trash like this. He ordered the guy to restrain the unconscious fatty.

“Y-yes! Right away!” Zhang Pi quickly obeyed. He grabbed some rope from the side and bound the unconscious Li Dan to the table leg, not daring to slack off. “Mr. Zombie, h-he’s… all tied up now…”

“Not bad. Now tie yourself up too,” Tang Cheng said coldly, casting a flat glance at the sniveling youth before him.

“M-myself… too?” Zhang Pi froze for a second. But when he saw Tang Cheng’s eyes, his heart trembled. He didn’t dare protest. “Yes! I’ll do it right now!”

Shrinking back, Zhang Pi began tying himself to the table leg as well. Of course, he left some slack and didn’t tie his hands too tightly—still trying to keep a backup plan.

“Tighter,” Tang Cheng said, clearly seeing through his trick. He walked over and added calmly, “Or would you prefer I throw you outside?”

“I-I’ll do it! Big bro, please don’t throw me out!” Zhang Pi’s entire body began to tremble. With shaking hands, he tightened the knot himself. To make sure he didn’t try anything funny, Tang Cheng tugged hard on the ropes, fastening him securely to the table beside the fat one.

But even then, the others in the store—the female vet and the woman who looked half out of her mind with fright—continued to huddle by the wall in fear, not daring to come anywhere near him.

Picking up a wooden stick from the ground, Tang Cheng turned to the balding middle-aged man hiding by the wall and shouted, “Uncle, you’ll keep watch over them from now on! If they make any sudden moves, knock them out. However they beat you before, that’s how you beat them back.”

“Uh… o-okay…” The man flinched at the sound of Tang Cheng’s voice, his whole body trembling. He answered softly, not daring to look at Tang Cheng’s zombie-like face.

Seeing his bruised and swollen face, Tang Cheng figured this uncle would probably take his job seriously—for now at least. He’d make sure those two punks behaved.

The situation was settled, but inside the store, the fear remained. In the eyes of these people, there was only one thing: fear—pure, bone-deep fear of a monster.

To them, Tang Cheng was still a flesh-eating beast, no better than a zombie. Compared to the two thugs who had bullied them earlier, they feared Tang Cheng even more—afraid he’d suddenly lunge at them and tear into their bodies just like a real zombie would.

He could feel it—their trembling eyes were practically begging him to leave. To get out of the room.

Of course, Tang Cheng didn’t care about how these people saw him. When people are afraid, their true nature is more easily exposed—if anything, it only made them seem even more pitiful.

Only Tang Wanyue remained standing where she was. She hadn’t run away. Although her hands were trembling nervously, it was clear that she, too, was afraid of Tang Cheng.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be leaving soon,” Tang Cheng said casually as he placed the stick on the table.

“Oh right, just a heads-up—there are quite a few zombies in the hallway upstairs. If you don’t want to end up as food, I suggest staying away from there.”

With just that brief warning, Tang Cheng turned and headed toward the entrance through which he had come.

“Cla…classmate, thank you…” A trembling voice soon sounded from behind him—it was Tang Wanyue. Though she hesitated for a moment, she quickly took a few steps toward him.

“Block the door,” Tang Cheng instructed her without looking back, then walked out the door.