Chapter 278: The Rabbit
Xue Yuanjie caught his beloved pet.
The crow flapped its wings and landed on his arm, cawing: “They’re coming, they’re coming—”
The fat sheep had arrived!
A gleam flashed in everyone’s eyes, like starving men spotting an oasis.
“Brothers! Remember what I just said—don’t alert them. Act like a passing convoy in need of help. Once they let their guard down… Yue Niang, this part is up to you.”
Yue Niang was the only female ability user in the group of bandits, and she was also an expectant mother in mid-pregnancy.
Her ability was called “Rabbit”—as the name suggested, it was quite useless.
But whenever she teared up, her ability triggered intense sympathy in others, making them subconsciously see her as harmless and pitiful, unable to resist helping her.
Half a year ago, she met Xue Yuanjie while fleeing for her life. Unable to survive on her own, she willingly joined them and had since used her pregnancy to trick many unsuspecting victims.
None of those who had once helped her survived—every one of them fell into Xue Yuanjie’s trap and ended up dead.
Yue Niang was only about thirty, with decent features. Her messy hair added a touch of charm.
Hearing Xue Yuanjie’s words, she flashed an innocent, harmless smile. “Rest assured, Brother Jie.”
Xue Yuanjie nodded in satisfaction, taking the opportunity to stroke her cheek with a grin before calling out another name:
“Once the fat sheep take the bait, Ma Liu, you’re up.”
Ma Liu was a one-armed man with sharp, sinister features. His skin was unnaturally pale, covered in sunspots, and he was so thin he looked like he could be blown over by the wind.
His ability was called “Negation”—as the name implied, he could temporarily disable other ability users, reducing them to ordinary people with no powers.
Since awakening his ability, no ability user who faced him had managed to resist.
However, despite how powerful it was, his ability had a weakness—his physical condition was extremely poor, even weaker than an average person.
His missing arm? It had been broken by an ordinary man.
Ma Liu, looking weak and weary, lazily nodded, though his slightly trembling hands betrayed his excitement.
It had been a long time since their last ambush.
Finally, Xue Yuanjie turned to the rest of the group and gave further instructions:
“Monk, once the fat sheep’s abilities are disabled, you’ll act immediately—make them and their vehicles ‘weightless’ so they float helplessly in midair, unable to fight back. Then Zero will freeze them one by one into ice statues. Everyone else, stay alert and act accordingly!”
The ones called upon responded enthusiastically, eyes burning with excitement.
This plan had never failed before—it always worked.
This job was sure to bring them a fortune!
Su Tao had no idea what was going on with Black Sesame. It wouldn’t stop yowling and kept sharing its vision with her. The shared image was odd—over and over again, she saw a crow circling in the sky.
“A crow?” Shi Zijin frowned.
Cen Tianjiao shrugged. “We’re in the middle of a vast desert. Plenty of people die along the way. When corpses rot, crows show up—it’s not unusual. What, is Hei Dou thinking of hunting birds now?”
Black Sesame couldn’t talk, so it couldn’t refute him.
All it could do was continue warning its master. Then it climbed onto the roof of the RV, fur bristling as it vigilantly scanned every corner of the sky.
Su Tao also sensed something was off.
Black Sesame wasn’t like its sister, who only cared about food—it definitely wasn’t acting like this just because it wanted a snack.
Shi Zijin glanced outside but didn’t see anything unusual. Still, he remained cautious and reassured Su Tao:
“You go get some sleep. Nothing will happen with me here.”
Hearing him say that, Su Tao felt instantly relieved.
At 2 AM, the convoy stopped at a small, run-down supply station for a break.
The station was deserted, with few vehicles passing through for refueling.
They parked near the edge while some people took turns using the gas station’s restroom.
At that moment, Su Tao woke up and noticed Black Sesame still perched by the window, staring warily at the sky. She called out to it.
Hei Zhima’s ears twitched. It turned to look at her, then meowed toward the sky, looking unusually troubled.
Shi Zijin saw her awake and asked, “Did we wake you?”
Su Tao shook her head. “Just couldn’t sleep well.”
Suddenly, Black Sesame bolted like a black arrow just as Cen Tianjiao was opening the car door.
“Black bean!” Cen Tianjiao called.
But Black Bean seemed deaf to his voice, vanishing into the night in an instant.
Afraid something might happen to it, Su Tao was about to chase after it when Shi Zijin grabbed her arm and signaled to Cen Tianjiao.
Cen Tianjiao immediately responded, “I’ll go find it!”
Su Tao sat back down but felt uneasy—Black Sesame was acting way too strangely today.
Neither she nor Shi Zijin could sleep. They weren’t in the mood to chat or work, so they just stared at each other in silence.
Then—a knock on the door.
Su Tao assumed Cen Tianjiao had found Hei Zhima and quickly got up to open the door.
However, the person standing outside wasn’t Cen Tianjiao.
It was a pale-faced pregnant woman.
Yue Niang hadn’t expected the one answering the door to be such a young girl. She looked barely in her teens.
For a moment, she was stunned, her carefully rehearsed lines completely forgotten.
“H-Hello.”
Since she looked weak and harmless, Su Tao didn’t feel any immediate danger—just confusion.
“Hello, can I help you?” she asked, glancing down at Yue Niang’s round belly.
Pregnant?
What was a pregnant woman doing out here in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night?
Hearing Su Tao’s voice, Yue Niang momentarily blanked out.
Then, Shi Zijin appeared behind Su Tao, scrutinizing Yue Niang with sharp eyes.
The moment she saw him, Yue Niang snapped back to her senses—and tears started rolling down her cheeks, as if on cue.
Normally, this would be the moment when the fat sheep’s sympathy kicked in. They’d ask what was wrong, what happened, and how they could help.
Then, she’d lead them straight into the ambush.
Sure enough, Su Tao felt a strange sense of empathy, a rising urge to ask about Yue Niang’s troubles and offer help.
But just as she was about to speak, her eyes flickered to a dried-up tree behind the woman—where a crow was perched.
The moonlight was dim, but with the glow spilling from inside the RV, she could clearly see it staring at them—like a living surveillance camera.
Wasn’t this the same crow that had driven Black Sesame insane earlier?
Su Tao’s instinctive premonition kicked in. The fleeting sympathy she’d felt instantly shattered, and she immediately labeled this seemingly harmless pregnant woman as dangerous.
At the same time, Shi Zijin’s expression darkened—he had just “peeked” into her ability.
