AWB Chapter 30 Snake or Rat?
Chapter 30 Snake or Rat?
Miao Yin glanced at the rabbit.
As soon as the little creature returned to its owner's arms, it immediately buried its head in his arms, hiding itself like a thief trying to hide, just like its owner.
"Since you say its use is for eating—"
Miao Yin lifted the rabbit out of his arms. The scorching flames surrounded the rabbit, and the high temperature instantly scorched the tips of its fur. The rabbit cried out in terror, its dark eyes turning into two teary, fried eggs, and its little paws trembling.
"I happen to have a snake, so I might as well use it as snake food from now on."
"No!" Yan Shuzhou cried out hurriedly. The fear emanating from the rabbit made him clutch his chest in distress, his mind flashing back to the pain of the knife piercing his body in the control room.
He began to have difficulty breathing and his whole body was trembling.
"Sister...no, please don't do this..."
"How pitiful." Miao Yin patted Yan Shuzhou's head. Her left palm was alive, and her right palm was dead. Her dark eyebrows and eyes were kind and compassionate.
"But I've said before, I don't raise useless animals. You know I don't lack food. If your rabbits are only good for being eaten, then they have no value."
"I can keep them out and not let them bother you."
"No, I'm naturally cruel. I like to kill things to relieve stress, and your little animals would be perfect for that."
Yan Shuzhou shook his head, his expression one of great pain.
Miao Yin's expression changed, and she said angrily, "You're asking for it! You think you can stay in my house with such little skill? Don't you know what kind of world this is!"
The flames then spread, engulfing his body. The intense heat instantly turned his skin red, and he began to sweat.
"No! Don't, don't kill me!"
He sat on the sofa, too afraid to move, his mind filled with images of the grotesque figures turned to charcoal.
He didn't want to die like them!
Miao Yin admired his panicked and bewildered appearance for a while before mercifully forgiving him.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance. If you can tell me the value of the rabbit, I'll let you go. Otherwise, go to hell and experience that master-servant relationship!"
"I'll only give you five seconds."
"five--"
The value of a rabbit...
As if grasping at the very last glimmer of hope, Yan Shuzhou racked his brains and began to think.
From the very beginning of gaining superpowers, to the first time summoning a rabbit, to being questioned, insulted, and isolated, and then to being killed and devoured, repeatedly exhausting her superpowers.
"Four--"
In his mind, the faces of the people in the control room blurred into featureless faces, emitting eerie laughter, and cold, sharp knives were raised high.
The little animal that was his confidant lay on the chopping board, held tightly by someone, its innocent eyes looking at him with fear.
'Since you brought me into this world, why didn't you protect me?'
'Is my existence simply about dying?'
No... I'm not...
"three--"
"You ungrateful wretch! Did I bring you back so you could treat your brother like this?!"
The kindness of his adoptive parents at the orphanage contrasted sharply with their狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) faces when they physically punished him. The broken rattan cane and discipline whip were thrown into the trash can, and his younger brother would secretly spit on him when no one was around.
In the dark room during his confinement, the only sound was his own breathing.
"two--"
The elevator is full; no more people can get in!
In the crowded elevator, everyone who had eaten rabbit firmly occupied their seats, showing him an expression of extreme disgust and wariness.
The door, adorned with fairytale characters, slowly closed, revealing cartoon images with grinning mouths and ugly faces on a parallel line, one side hell and the other earth, like satirical art from some absurd comedy, making one want to laugh out loud.
"—Haven't you thought it through yet?"
The flames grew even larger, and half of the rabbit's fur was burned away.
"Eek—"
It tried to curl up its limbs to avoid the flames, constantly sending distress signals to its owner, its tears falling in a steady stream, only to be evaporated by the embers in mid-air.
—No…no…no no ...
'Ding, elevator descending—'
Yan Shuzhou's vision suddenly went black. The memories he had subconsciously sealed away because of the pain loosened, and a flood of words poured out.
"one."
"Nine-Tasseled Rabbit!"
Yan Shuzhou suddenly grabbed Miao Yin's arm and shouted hoarsely, "Its name is Nine-Tails Rabbit! It can hear all sounds within 300 meters! And it can transfer its abilities to me!!!"
……
……
As the scorching flames subsided, Miao Yin curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Yan Shuzhou's tense nerves finally relaxed. He leaned on the sofa, feeling a little dizzy.
"It seems I'm about to produce an all-around superpowered individual under my command."
With Yan Shuzhou's talent, he can summon rabbits now, and maybe lions and tigers in the future. He can use all the abilities that animals have, and his superpowers are so numerous that his enemies can't count them all. Wouldn't that be a top-notch hand?
Miao Yin stroked the rabbit's ears, which still hadn't had their fur burned off, with great pleasure. The Nine-Tails Rabbit trembled in her hands.
My little boat has given me such a pleasant surprise.
Seeing that he was still trembling, she put the rabbit in his hand and looked at him sideways.
"Did I scare you? I just wanted you to remember quickly, so I used this method. Xiaozhou, are you angry with me?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shuzhou raised his head and shook it, forcing a stiff smile onto his bloodless face.
He hugged the blackened nine-tasseled rabbit tightly, like two small animals huddling together for warmth.
"I knew you were a sensible person."
Miao Yin smiled, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Speaking of snake food, I haven't even visited Lady White Snake since I got home."
When was the last time I fed them?
Will they starve to death?
"...Come with me to take a look."
She swayed to the enclosure in the shaded area of the living room. Looking through the glass, she saw that the artificial tree branches were empty, and the baby mice in the bowl below had been eaten clean.
Miao Yin tapped on the glass and then waited patiently.
Before long, a small white head darted out from among the lush green leaves. It raised its body and swam toward the glass, flicking its tongue at Miao Yin, seemingly with a hint of resentment.
"Lady White Snake, it's been two days, have you missed me?"
"Hiss."
"Okay, okay, I'll get you some food right away."
Miao Yin opened the cabinet under the enclosure, where several red-skinned pinkie mice were kept, along with a few female mice for breeding.
She opened the enclosure, picked up a pair of clips, and fed a pinky mouse to the white snake.
The White Snake Lady's cold, inorganic red eyes stared at the struggling baby mouse. She approached silently, then suddenly bit its head. With a twist of her body, she tightly coiled the baby mouse, her snow-white scales reflecting a chilling, murderous light.
As the snake's body tightened, the baby mouse gradually lost its breath. Lady White Snake moved her left and right jaws alternately, slowly swallowing the entire baby mouse into her stomach.
—In just a few seconds, the most cruel law of nature, known as the law of the jungle, is revealed.
“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” Miao Yin smiled and showed it to Yan Shuzhou.
"...Hmm...very beautiful." In reality, he just felt a chill run down his spine.
Doesn't this look familiar?
"what?"
"Snakes and rats, humans and mutations."
—Predator and prey.
Yan Shuzhou looked at Bai Niangzi. The round, bulging protrusion slid from the snake's mouth all the way to its belly. Soon, it would become flat, and the baby rat would turn from a living organism into nutrients and waste, as if the slaughter had never existed.
"Yan Shuzhou, do you think humans are snakes or rats?" Miao Yin asked in a low voice, her dark pupils revealing an ambiguous light.
Yan Shuzhou carefully observed Miao Yin's expression. Her expression remained normal, and she did not seem to favor either answer.
His lips trembled before he tentatively said, "...abnormality, very powerful."
—So humans are more like mice.
"So--"
Miao Yin moved closer to him, the scent of sandalwood emanating from her body faintly visible. Her bright red fingernails silently traced his neck, and her eyes shimmered with tears.
"Yan Shuzhou, are you a snake or a rat?"
Yan Shuzhou felt a lump in his throat, his eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.
……