Chapter 168

Chapter 168

After everyone learned about this, they prepared to head to the scene immediately. However, Yang Yang, who had already reached the entrance of the slaughterhouse, stopped in his tracks.

The rusty gate of the slaughterhouse was tightly closed, and it was impossible for an ordinary person to push it open from the outside!

"Someone must have locked it from the inside," Yang Yang said, furrowing his brow as he glanced at the gate before turning to the others.

Though no one spoke, they all understood the implication.

If everything had been normal inside, the gate wouldn’t be closed without cause.

That it was closed now meant the situation inside wasn’t looking good.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do next.

Director Wang was especially troubled.

He had pushed for the shoot to continue just moments ago, but if something went wrong with Yi Tiantian, how would he explain it to others?

Director Wang quickly called over a few strong young men, preparing to have them try and break open the gate of the slaughterhouse.

Though the crew members were big and strong, they weren’t sure if they could force the rusted gate open.

While they hesitated, Yang Yang had already started kicking the door.

Seeing Yang Yang’s actions, everyone else finally snapped out of their daze and joined in.

Meanwhile, inside the gate, Yi Tiantian had been cornered by Xiao Lu in the hallway.

The corner of the hallway was dark and cramped, with black mold spots on the walls, and the unmistakable stench of blood from the slaughterhouse hit Yi Tiantian’s nose, making him feel extremely nauseous.

But Yi Tiantian didn’t have time to think about that anymore, because Xiao Lu in front of him had already raised his gun.

His mouth curled into an almost insane, maniacal smile.

"Xiao Lu, you need to stay calm..." Yi Tiantian tried, backing into the corner, his heart racing.

But he knew it was futile. Xiao Lu couldn’t hear him.

"Xiao Lu has been completely manipulated by those three people!"

[He’s been injected with the substance that Zu Xiaohua brought, and now he’s extremely agitated. In layman’s terms, he’s "high"!]

[There’s no way he can listen to reason right now!]

Sweat was pouring down Yi Tiantian’s forehead, and he felt completely cornered, unable to fight back.

Now, Yi Tiantian could only hope that Director Wang and the others watching the live feed would notice something was wrong.

But Xiao Lu, clearly losing control, burst into manic laughter in front of Yi Tiantian.

"Hahahaha, did you ever imagine you’d end up like this?!"

Xiao Lu’s eyes were dilated from the drugs, his entire body trembling uncontrollably, completely in a state of reckless abandon.

Yi Tiantian was thinking hard about how to get out of the current predicament as he looked at Xiao Lu in his state.

However, Xiao Lu had completely lost his rationality by now, and the bloody smell in the slaughterhouse was eroding Yi Tiantian's mind, making it impossible for him to think clearly.

"Xiao Lu would never have imagined that the gun Liu Liu gave him was actually loaded with bullets!"

"He still thinks that raising the gun is just to scare me!"

In the emergency, Yi Tiantian checked the rumor system and soon discovered this detail.

And surprisingly, Xiao Lu, who was high on drugs, actually understood Yi Tiantian's thoughts. He frowned, then pointed at Yi Tiantian's face and burst into laughter.

"Look at you, still up to your old tricks even when you're about to die!"

Xiao Lu muttered, but the hand holding the gun remained steadily aimed at Yi Tiantian's forehead.

Although Yi Tiantian didn't understand what Xiao Lu was saying, anyone who could hear Yi Tiantian's thoughts might realize that Xiao Lu's words were connected to those thoughts.

"How is it possible that..."

Xiao Lu couldn't voice what he wanted to say next.

He still didn't believe the gun was loaded. Liu Liu had told him beforehand that the gun contained non-lethal items, definitely not bullets.

So pulling the trigger wouldn't hurt Yi Tiantian.

From the beginning, Xiao Lu knew the gun's purpose was just to scare him.

Xiao Lu was eager to see Yi Tiantian, who usually exposed everything through his thoughts, freak out when faced with a gun.

Without thinking, he agreed to Liu Liu's plan to hold the gun.

"Xiao Lu definitely won't believe that Liu Liu deceived him now!"

"In fact, Liu Liu and the others wanted Xiao Lu to kill me and then frame him for the crime!"

"While Xiao Lu was preparing to commit the murder, the others had already prepared false evidence. When the time came, Xiao Yemin and Zu Xiaohua would both testify that Xiao Lu was a drug addict and that the entire murder plan was his own idea!"

Yi Tiantian had already discovered their next moves in the rumor system and expressed them through his thoughts.

After hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts, Xiao Lu blinked, seemingly confused.

Initially, Liu Liu and Yi Tiantian entered the slaughterhouse together, but later, while Yi Tiantian was filming alone, Xiao Lu switched clothes with Liu Liu and appeared in the surveillance video.

Meanwhile, Liu Liu, who had changed clothes with Xiao Lu, stayed near the entrance.

He stayed to ensure everything went smoothly and to avoid raising suspicion.

But just then, Liu Liu also heard Yi Tiantian's thoughts and started to panic.

Although Xiao Lu was confused now, Liu Liu couldn't be sure that he wouldn't believe Yi Tiantian's thoughts.

If Xiao Lu discovered they were just using him, the consequences could be disastrous...

As Liu Liu anxiously thought, he heard hurried footsteps from the nearby corridor.

Immediately, his hair stood on end, and his breathing became difficult, as if someone was choking him.

Could it be...

In the next second, Xiao Lu, holding a handgun, appeared in front of Liu Liu.

Xiao Lu walked unsteadily, his face covered in tears, large drops falling down, yet he had a compassionate expression.

Liu Liu panicked, because Xiao Lu looked very ominous!

...

The time rewinds a few minutes earlier.

After hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts, suspicion arose in Xiao Lu's heart.

He didn’t know why he suddenly started crying, and it was uncontrollable.

"This is the side effect of doing drugs!"

"It seems the drugs have started to kick in, and if this continues, who knows what terrifying things Xiao Lu might do!"

Yi Tiantian swallowed, his breathing becoming more rapid.

But to his surprise, almost instantly, Xiao Lu, who had just been pointing a gun at him, suddenly turned and ran towards the other side of the corridor.

Seeing Xiao Lu leave his front, Yi Tiantian finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

In this state of tension, every muscle in his body had tensed up. Now, Yi Tiantian only felt his legs turning soft.

He took a few deep breaths and prepared to find a chance to leave this creepy slaughterhouse.

...

"Bro Liu, is there a bullet in this handgun?"

Xiao Lu asked loudly in a very strange tone, looking at Liu Liu.

"Xiao Lu, Xiao Lu, calm down, didn’t I tell you before? This gun is a fake, there’s no bullet inside!"

Liu Liu waved his hands frantically in front of him, trying to make Xiao Lu regain his composure.

But the dose of drugs was quite large, and since it was Xiao Lu's first time using them, he was now on the verge of losing control.

"But why..."

Though Xiao Lu couldn’t finish his sentence, Liu Liu understood what he meant.

"If there really isn’t a bullet, then can I pull the trigger on you?"

Hearing this, sweat beads the size of peas instantly appeared on Liu Liu’s forehead, and his back was soaked with sweat.

His face turned red, and his voice started to stammer.

"No, we agreed, this gun is to scare Yi Tiantian! You should be pointing it at him!"

Liu Liu felt his heart pounding in his chest, his heartbeat racing crazily, as if he were sprinting a hundred meters.

Ah... but...

In frustration, Xiao Lu pulled off the cap on his head and threw it aside in a huff.

"But didn't you say there were no bullets in the gun? If there aren't any, then why won't you let me shoot you in the head?"

Clearly, Liu Liu was losing his grip on reality, rambling incoherently.

Without hesitation, he raised the gun and pointed it straight at Liu Liu.

Liu Liu instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, outside the door, the burly young men used all their strength but still couldn't kick the iron door open. It wasn’t until the slaughterhouse staff arrived with a crowbar that they finally pried the door open.

Yang Yang took the first steps into the slaughterhouse, determined to protect Yi Tiantian.

Closely following behind were Zu Xiaohua and Xiao Yemin, as they also wanted to convince Xiao Lu to finish off Yi Tiantian before things got worse.

Liu Liu and Xiao Lu were in a corridor not far from the main gate, so when they heard someone coming in from outside, a glimmer of hope sparked in Liu Liu's heart.

Everyone was searching for Yi Tiantian inside the slaughterhouse, but before they could find him, they saw Xiao Lu holding a gun aimed at Liu Liu's head.

Zu Xiaohua and Xiao Yemin froze in terror, their mouths hanging open in shock.

"Xiao Lu! What are you doing!"

Zu Xiaohua let out a shocked cry.

At this point, she couldn’t care about the situation being exposed anymore, her eyes wide as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"I... oh right... and you two as well!"

Xiao Lu’s hand trembled as he shifted the gun’s aim toward Zu Xiaohua and Xiao Yemin.

"You two, come here as well."

The room fell silent, everyone too terrified to even breathe.

Director Wang discreetly signaled to the staff still outside the corridor to call the police right away.

Everyone present raised their hands.

Despite hearing Xiao Lu’s command, Zu Xiaohua and Xiao Yemin remained frozen in place, unable to move.

Seeing his wife’s cold indifference at this life-or-death moment, the last shred of hope Liu Liu clung to began to shatter.

"What are you two standing there for?! Come here now!"

Xiao Lu looked at Zu Xiaohua and Xiao Yemin, placing his index finger on the trigger.

"If you don’t come, I’ll shoot you both right here, right now!"

Only then did the two women, reluctantly, raise their hands and slowly walk forward.

They walked trembling all the way, with Zu Xiaohua, once a domestic abuser who had no qualms about hitting her husband, now so frightened she could barely walk.

"Tell me, is there really no bullet in this gun?"

Xiao Lu rubbed his hair irritably and shouted out loud.

"Yes, yes, there are no bullets in the gun—it’s just a toy!"

In order to survive, Xiao Yemin had no choice but to speak up immediately.

"Alright, I understand... Are you sure about this?"

Liu Liu asked one last time.

This time, he received a definite response from everyone.

Liu Liu, Xiao Yemin, and Zu Xiaohua all nodded.

"Yes, this gun is just a toy."

However, Director Wang and the others, who were standing further back in the corridor, weren’t convinced. They had noticed the tremor in the three people’s voices as they spoke.

If the gun was really a toy, why were they so visibly shaken?

Something wasn’t right.

"Alright... If it's fake, then I can relax..."

Liu Liu's mouth suddenly curled into a bloodthirsty arc, and he aimed the dark, menacing barrel of the gun at Liu Liu's head.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three shots rang out in quick succession, each one hitting its target without fail.

Everyone froze in shock as the gunshots echoed through the corridor.

Liu Liu looked at the three people falling in front of him, his face twisted in confusion.

"Liu Liu seemed to snap, and before anyone could react, he fired three shots, killing the three people in front of him."

Yi Tiantian had been lurking in the shadows at the far end of the corridor, realizing that the only way out was through the iron gate.

But just as he was about to reach the exit, he witnessed the shocking scene.

At that moment, the people on the other side of the corridor finally screamed as if waking from a dream.

Because Liu Liu had just shot and killed the three people standing in front of them.

The three who had been standing there were now lifeless bodies on the ground.

As panic erupted around him, Liu Liu stared at the bodies in front of him, clearly bewildered by what had just happened.

He raised the gun in his hand and looked at it again, then aimed it at his own temple.

Liu Liu muttered, "Huh? Is this gun real or not?"

And as soon as he finished speaking, he pulled the trigger again, still dazed.