The woman, who had been called out by Meng Qiang, stood trembling. She had positioned herself behind Park Su, thinking that with his protection, she would be safe.
But she hadn't anticipated Meng Qiang suddenly rushing forward, with the zombie following suit, which scared her half to death. If Park Su hadn't acted, she would probably have been torn apart by now.
She knew from the energy she felt when she had grabbed Park Su's arm earlier that he could have easily dodged the zombie if he wanted to. So, by killing the zombie, Park Su had, in a way, saved her.
In the end, this man hadn't considered her safety at all, only his own survival. Now, with his behavior towards Park Su and trying to drag her into it, she couldn't help but hesitate.
She remembered how Park Su had used his energy to break free from her grip earlier, which she had held onto with all her might. If she hadn't endured the pain and held on tightly, she would have been pushed away by now.
So why couldn't he use his energy to push Meng Qiang's arm away now? Was it simply because of the difference in their strength? She didn't think that was the case. She had a feeling that Park Su's current calm demeanor was too unsettling, giving her the creeps.
Who knew if he was just pretending to be weak? Should she take the risk?
She recalled being abandoned by her husband and father-in-law in a crisis and how her mother-in-law, who had been considered a nuisance by everyone, was left behind.
She had a feeling that if she helped Meng Qiang now, her mother-in-law's fate might soon become hers. After all, the stronger one's abilities, the more people would cling to them. Wasn't Meng Shan, who had recently awakened his abilities, being courted by many women in the village?
Having been married to Meng Qiang for seven or eight years, she knew he couldn't resist such temptations. So when Meng Qiang called out to her like that, she only stood there, ultimately not stepping forward.
Instead, she tried to persuade him, "You should let him go. If you hurt him, Xu Nuo won't let you off. And with his skills, you can't kill him anyway. Don't do something foolish. Instead of making an enemy out of him, we should beg him to save us, to give us some protection."
Meng Qiang hadn't expected his wife to turn against him at this moment, cursing her out, "You d*mn woman, have you fallen for this pretty boy? Speaking up for him? Don't you dare waste time, get over here and stab him! We'll take his Green Vine and flee far away. Xu Nuo won't find us for sh*t. Don't just stand there, do it!"
Park Su was somewhat surprised by the woman's reaction. He had expected her to follow Meng Qiang's lead and kill him, but instead, she spoke out to dissuade him.
And she was still hesitating even at this point, which was interesting. After all, he had seen her joining Meng Qiang in cursing them that day. It seemed there must have been some developments between this couple that he wasn't aware of. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in their marital affairs.
However, watching this drama unfold wasn't a bad way to pass the time, especially since he couldn't freely collect supplies with them around. Moreover, with the blood scent spreading, zombies from the first floor would soon gather here. Even if he didn't act, they wouldn't survive long, and getting to the second floor later would be much more troublesome.
Seeing his wife still not moving, Meng Qiang spat in disgust and dragged Park Su towards his father, thinking he would have his father take action.
However, his father was currently struggling with three zombies, unable to spare any attention to help, and had already been scratched due to his distraction.
The little boy, who had been crying behind his grandfather, knew who Park Su was, even if he hadn't paid as much attention to their neighbors as Meng Qiang. He had seen Park Su easily kill the toughest zombie, recognizing his abilities.
Now, hearing that these abilities came from Green Vine, and knowing his father's intent to kill for it, he thought it was a fantastic plan. If they had Green Vine, he and his son wouldn't have to struggle so much.
He felt his son was on the right path. On the other hand, his daughter-in-law was uncooperative, turning against them at a critical moment.
He thought that once this was over, he would teach that woman a lesson. At the same time, he believed that if his son could acquire the treasure from that "pretty boy," they would gain strength in this world, and with strength, any kind of woman would be attainable.
Why bother with this shrew of a wife? He only needed his grandson; as for women, he could find another, couldn't he?
So, when he saw his son approaching, he quickly said to the still crying child, "Be good, Xiaobao, don't cry. Grandpa can't hold out much longer. Go help your dad over there, so you can have something good to eat."
The child, already frightened by the zombies surrounding him, had seen his grandfather get injured, which only heightened his fear. He felt that if those zombies killed his grandfather, he would be next.
Hearing his grandfather's words and seeing no zombies around his father, he didn't care about his grandfather's situation anymore. He stumbled towards his dad, especially when grandpa mentioned helping him would mean having something good to eat. Knowing that lately, he had been getting less food, even when he cried, his father wouldn't give him more. Now, with the promise of food for helping his dad, he ran even faster.
He threw himself into Meng Qiang's arms and looked up at him with wide, eager eyes, "Daddy, what do you need me to help with?"
Meng Qiang hadn't anticipated his father would resort to this. He understood his father's intent: to make the child act.
But did he really want his young son to learn how to kill? This made Meng Qiang hesitate; he didn't want his child to get involved in such sordid matters so early.
Sometimes people are like that; even if they are morally compromised, they don't want their children to follow suit.
Unfortunately, his hesitation didn't last long, as he soon saw zombies that had been hiding on the first floor begin to converge on their location!
He knew very well that without Park Su's help, he had no chance of surviving amidst so many zombies. The only way out was to seize Park Su's Green Vine and let it fight for them.
With his wife unwilling to assist and his father entangled with zombies, unsure if he could even survive, the only help he had was his son. At this critical juncture of life and death, he couldn't afford to hesitate. He tightened his grip on Park Su's hand, obviously trying to force him to drop the dagger.
Park Su didn't actually feel much pain, and if he wanted, he could have held onto the dagger, but he believed in playing the part fully. He also wanted to see just how far this child would go.
In his view, Meng Qiang had already sealed his fate with what he had done, but the child was innocent. However, involving the child in this way had now stripped away Park Su's last reason to spare them.
With a cold face, he intentionally let go, dropping the dagger to the ground. Meng Qiang, unaware that this was deliberate, thought his plan was working and immediately shouted to his son, "Xiaobao, quickly pick up that knife. If we kill this uncle, no more scary monsters will chase us, and daddy can find lots of good food for you."
The child, still catching his breath from his earlier crying, stood before Meng Qiang in a daze. He had run to his father for comfort out of fear.
Hearing his father's instructions, he was initially confused, but upon hearing that stabbing this uncle would mean food and no more terrifying chases, he was overjoyed.
Without hesitation, he picked up the knife and aimed it at Park Su. However, the woman who had been silent and observing had been closely watching Park Su's reactions. She felt that since her son had come over, Park Su had become even more composed. If he truly felt in danger, why would he be acting like this?
Especially his eyes, which were not filled with fear but rather a look as if he were looking at a dead man. This increased her sense of unease. Now, seeing her son about to stab Park Su, she panicked and shouted to stop him, "Baby, don't do it. If you stab this uncle, you'll lose both your dad and me."
Her voice was loud, immediately startling the child who was about to strike, causing him to freeze. He looked at his mother with confusion, then at his father, momentarily torn.
Meng Qiang's face darkened at this, and he cursed loudly, "If you're not going to help, then stay out of it, okay? Don't you see the situation we're in? Zombies are coming from over there. Do you think this guy would help us even if I let him go now?
In the end, we'd still be doomed. Instead of that, we should at least take a chance. Besides, this kid is under my control now, what the hell are you afraid of? Kill him, and our future will be bright. If we keep hesitating, we'll all die by the hands of the zombies."