Chapter 174: Slap Him
Su Tao didn’t move a single brick all day—she was busy studying her own changes.
It didn’t quite feel like she had awakened an ability. She remembered Shi Zijin explaining that awakening had a threshold—people would clearly feel as if they had been reborn. Not only would they immediately know the name and specific capabilities of their ability, but their physical condition would also undergo a qualitative transformation.
But clearly, aside from occasionally “seeing” glimpses of the future, nothing else had changed for her.
So what exactly was happening to her?
Feeling a little lost, Su Tao was just about to call Shi Zijin to ask when Qi Yunlan called her first:
“Boss, something happened at Panliu Mountain. Meng Qian, the daughter of Mist, killed two guests. These guests were members of a transport team called ‘Guanshan.’ Their captain dragged Manager Ma over, demanding an explanation. He was aggressive and even hit Manager Ma.”
Su Tao was both shocked and furious. As she rushed downstairs and headed for Panliu Mountain, she fired off a string of questions:
“Violence isn’t supposed to happen in Panliu Mountain! How did Da Pao get hit? Where was he injured? Is he okay?”
“Manager Ma was called outside by their captain for a talk. Things went south, and he got punched in the face. It doesn’t seem too serious.”
Su Tao’s anger exploded.
This was intentional!
Before guests checked in, they were always warned—violence of any kind was strictly prohibited within Panliu Mountain.
If anyone broke this rule, they would be teleported out. A second offense would get them blacklisted.
Clearly, that Guanshan captain knew this rule well and deliberately lured Ma Da Pao outside to beat him up.
How dare they lay hands on her people, in her territory?!
No matter the reason, she wouldn’t let this slide.
When Su Tao arrived at Panliu Mountain, she found the place in chaos—people shouting and a commotion in full swing.
Near the garage, Meng Xiaobo was standing face-to-face with a bald, scar-faced man, both glaring at each other with hostility.
Ma Da Pao was off to the side, covering half of his face as he spoke. When he saw Su Tao arrive, he quickly jogged over.
“Boss Su.”
Su Tao gestured for him to move his hand away.
Looking embarrassed, Ma Da Pao revealed his bruised right cheek and a bleeding corner of his eye. “I… I’m fine…”
Su Tao asked, “Which one is the captain of Guanshan?”
The surrounding air pressure seemed to drop. Ma Da Pao stammered,
“Th-that one… The one Xiaobo is talking to. Boss, you shouldn’t—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Tao had already pulled out her gun and stormed over.
Meng Xiaobo’s cold expression immediately shifted when he saw her, turning into a polite smile.
“Boss Su, I’m sorry to have dragged you out so late.”
Su Tao’s voice was icy. “Slap him.”
Meng Xiaobo froze.
Then, without hesitation, he delivered a vicious slap to Guan Han’s face, executing the order with full force.
The crowd gasped.
Meng Xiaobo’s slap was no joke—even though Guan Han was an ability user, he was knocked to the side, his face burning and his right ear ringing.
It took him a while to recover, and when he looked up, he saw that the one who had issued the command was just a pale, delicate teenage girl. She looked completely harmless, which only made him feel even more humiliated and enraged.
His eyes widened in fury. “Who the hell are you? I’ll kill you all—”
Before he could finish, he swung a massive fist at Su Tao with full force, aiming to smash her head in. He wasn’t just trying to scare her—he intended to kill her.
But before his words had even faded, Su Tao had already aimed the barrel of her gun at him.
Before anyone could react, the trigger was pulled.
The bullet shot straight between Guan Han’s eyebrows.
He hadn’t expected her to actually fire. He had underestimated her completely and had no time to dodge.
The bullet went straight through his forehead.
He didn’t even have time to scream before he collapsed in a pool of blood.
The moment they saw a man drop dead, the crowd collectively recoiled, stepping back in alarm.
Guan Han’s subordinates, enraged at their captain’s death, were about to charge forward for revenge—
But before they could make a move, they all disappeared into thin air.
All that remained was a corpse and a spreading pool of blood.
Everyone was stunned.
For the first time, they realized the terrifying control that Panliu Mountain held.
No one except the management could resort to violence. Anyone who broke this rule would be “removed.”
Did this mean that if Panliu Mountain turned against them, they would have no way to fight back?
That… That was terrifying.
Some people who had been harboring bad intentions immediately became devout pacifists, abandoning any wicked thoughts.
Others, however, grew more cautious and wary.
Su Tao holstered her gun and spoke firmly:
“If you have any issues, Panliu Mountain welcomes you to sit down and discuss them. But if anyone dares to lay a hand on my people—” she tapped her gun, “I won’t be merciful.”
A voice called out from the crowd.
Song Yuebin, the captain of ‘Yueling,’ was pushed forward in his wheelchair. He raised his voice:
“That’s right! Many of you here know me, Old Song. You know what kind of person I am. Boss Su is my new friend, and I trust her. She won’t throw people out for no reason, nor will she use violence against anyone unfairly.”
Song Yuebin truly lived up to his reputation as the ‘social butterfly’ of the trade convoys. His words put many hesitant minds at ease.
Some guests began to denounce Guanshan and his men:
“Those two from Guanshan deserved it. They thought that young girl at the entrance was an easy target and harassed her for days, getting bolder each time. Last night, under cover of darkness, they sneaked into her tent and tried to assault her. Who would’ve thought that despite her delicate appearance, she was a ruthless one—she slit their throats on the spot.”
Hearing this, Su Tao turned to look at Ma Dapao and Qi Yunlan.
Ma Dapao explained the full story:
“That’s exactly what happened. Those two died on the spot. Then Guan Han tied up Meng Qian and stuffed her into their truck, intending to torture her. But he was also furious about losing two of his men in Panliu Mountain. So he dragged me outside to cause trouble, accusing Panliu Mountain of deliberately using Meng Qian as bait to lure men in.”
“He demanded that we take full responsibility for his men’s deaths and wanted compensation—free water and fuel, on top of that… Boss, I got worked up and argued with him. I’m sorry, I acted impulsively.”
Su Tao replied, “You were impulsive. You should have lured him inside the mountain before arguing. Now you got yourself injured for no reason.”
Ma Dapao lowered his head, but inside, he felt deeply moved.
The boss didn’t care whether he had caused trouble—she only cared if he got hurt.
Qi Yunlan patted his shoulder. “Let Chen Xi treat you for now. Just hold on for two more days—Dr. Zhong will be on duty by the 10th.”
Ma Dapao smiled at her, but as soon as he moved his bruised cheek, he winced in pain.
After that, Su Tao ordered Old Qi and the others to cremate the bodies.
The cleaning staff arrived, trembling, to wipe away the bloodstains.
Once everything was back to normal, business at Panliu Mountain continued as usual, as bustling as ever. The deaths didn’t affect anything at all.
In the apocalypse, death was common—especially for people like the Guanshan convoy, who were universally despised.
Qi Yunlan let out a breath of relief but also deeply admired her boss’s decisive and ruthless methods.
These kinds of people had no moral bottom line. The only way to deal with them was through sheer force.
Later, Su Tao personally went to thank Song Yuebin and his crew.
Song Yuebin waved it off with a laugh:
“It was nothing. Besides, Boss Su, you did everyone a favor. That Guan Han was scum—he wasn’t running a legitimate business at all. He frequently raided small trade caravans and even led the assault of many female survivors.”
“I heard that both his father and grandfather were murderers before the apocalypse. This guy was rotten to the core—he got exactly what he deserved.”
Su Tao nodded and asked, “How have you been feeling lately?”
Song Yuebin grinned. “That drink you gave me—surprisingly effective! But it’s way too good; I couldn’t stop myself and already finished it. Boss Su, any chance I could buy some more?”
Su Tao copied his carefree tone. “It’s nothing! I’ll have someone send a whole crate over later.”
Everyone burst into laughter, the atmosphere turning warm and relaxed.
Seeing this, the other guests finally let go of any lingering doubts they had.
After chatting for a while, Song Yuebin casually brought something up:
“Boss Su, that girl is still locked in their truck. It’s parked right outside. If the remaining Guanshan members come back for her, she’ll be tortured to death for sure. If you guys are able to, you should get her out.”
