Chapter 6: How Truly Boring, to Die Just Like That

Outside the Shi family’s tarp, Chen the Second and a few other men kept a fixated gaze on the tent’s movements.

"Those damned hags, they actually dared to make me lose face." Chen the Second cursed, spitting a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground. He had remained stationed outside the Shi family’s shelter simply because he couldn't swallow his pride after what happened earlier.

"Just you wait. That fat pig of the Shi family eats a mountain of food every day. Now that all the men in the Shi family are dead, that woman of the second brother will surely have to come out to scavenge for that fat sow."

Hadn't the people in their team been condemning them for acting like animals earlier? Well, they could just wait for the second sister-in-law to come out scavenging, corner her, and pull her pants down—wouldn't that solve everything? In this wasteland, women went missing every single day. Who would know if she had been killed by them or ended up in the belly of some mutant beast?

Chen the Second and his brothers waited through clenched teeth, but until the sky grew bright, the second sister-in-law never emerged. By then, the members of the survivor camp were stirring one after another. At night, they feared the attacks of mutant beasts and dared not leave their shelters. Daytime was slightly safer, though not by much; it simply allowed the survivors to see better. If they sensed a mutant animal nearby, they could at least attempt to run.

A man standing next to Chen the Second yawned, gesturing toward the motionless Shi family tarp in the dim light. "Those burdens... they haven't already died, have they?"

The suggestion resonated with the others. With all the Shi men dead, these women were essentially useless and could never survive in the wasteland on their own. In this world, women often chose this path—knowing their future held nothing but being used by countless men, starving to death, being beaten, or ending up as monster feed—so they often opted for suicide to avoid the prolonged suffering.

Chen the Second felt a sense of disappointment. "How boring, to just die like that. That second sister-in-law was actually quite pretty." It was rumored that before the world fell to ruin, she had been a famous actress, and the Shi family had been quite wealthy—the kind of family one saw on television. There was no telling how many others in the camp had been eyeing her in secret, held back only by the strength of the Shi men.

Chen spat on the ground again, feeling it was a complete waste. They had watched all night, only to find the women had committed suicide.

"The bodies must still be warm!" one man suggested.

Chen the Second kicked him. "Then you go."

A few of the men wore leering, repulsive smiles. The man who had been kicked, emboldened, actually fumbled with his belt and began walking toward the Shi family’s tarp.

As the camp members began to head out in groups to scavenge—supplies nearby had long since been depleted, and they had to venture further afield—the other women and children in the camp watched the lone man approach the Shi tent but remained silent.

Shi Yuebai had already awakened when someone approached the tarp. She had spent the entire night regulating her internal energy, occasionally consuming some of her own body fat to channel into simple talismans, which she then transferred into the bodies of Shi Yaoyao and the second sister-in-law. This energy wouldn't fill their stomachs, but it would sustain the physical exertion they needed for the day.

"Oh, look, there’s one that isn't dead yet." The man entered the tarp, undoing his belt, and looked at the morbidly obese Shi Yuebai with disgust. He ignored her, his eyes fixed on the second sister-in-law, who was resting with her eyes closed against Yuebai's side. "Still warm, it seems."

He reached out with a sickening hand to grab her. Shi Yuebai expressionlessly extended a fat hand; with a movement so precise it was impossible to track, she tore the man’s hand clean off his arm.

"Didn't yesterday's lesson sink in?" Shi Yuebai dropped the warm severed hand, then used it to slap the man across the face. "It's still warm—do you want it?"

The man suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing the agonizing pain radiating from his arm. Just as he was about to scream, Shi Yuebai flicked her finger, and a golden light-talisman flew directly onto his lips, silencing him. "Mmph! Mmph!"

The man’s face twisted in terror as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding stump with his remaining hand. His skin turned deathly pale as blood pooled beneath him.

The commotion woke the second sister-in-law. Realizing an intruder was in the tent, she screamed, "Ah! Who are you? Who are you!"

Hearing the scream, Chen the Second and his group in the distance exchanged glances. "So the second sister-in-law isn't dead yet." Their faces twisted into lecherous grins, assuming she was putting up a struggle.

Shi Yuebai tugged at the second sister-in-law and whispered, "He’s trying to run. We can't let him escape; he has accomplices outside."

Earlier, when Yuebai had checked her own body, she realized that even after transferring so much fat energy, she had only lost four pounds. She still weighed 744 pounds, making it impossible for her to stand or chase the man herself.

The second sister-in-law, though confused, instinctively followed Yuebai’s lead. She scrambled up and grabbed a wooden club. Listening to the man’s frantic, rustling attempts to crawl away, she swung the club down.

Shi Yuebai, sitting in a recessed pile of rocks, directed her: "Second sister-in-law, your aim is terrible. A bit lower."

The second sister-in-law adjusted and swung again, this time with all her might. She was struck by how much strength she suddenly possessed—she hadn't eaten since yesterday, yet she felt no hunger, only a surge of power. She swung the club with renewed vigor, the sound of wood striking flesh echoing through the tent.

With a muffled groan, the man was beaten to the ground, his forehead slick with blood.

Shi Yuebai patted the terrified Shi Yaoyao beside her. "Don't let him go, second sister-in-law. You and I can only handle one at a time. If he escapes and calls for the others, we’ll be at a disadvantage."