Chapter 866: Marinated in the Stench

Upon hearing the phrase "covered in giant white maggots," the eyelids and corners of Wang An and Wang Li's mouths couldn't help but twitch.

It had to be admitted that just imagining the scene Li Mu described was enough to make one's hair stand on end, skin shiver, and the entire body spasm.

Mainly because the scene was just too fucking disgusting.

"Covered in white maggots"—what exactly did that entail?

Imagining the image of Li Biao covered in white maggots while watching Li Mu gagging right in front of them, finally, Wang An and Wang Li—two rotten seeds full of malice—felt their throats and stomachs turn sour at the same time.

That kind of imagery was truly not something an ordinary person could endure.

Fortunately, Wang An and Wang Li had experienced the kind of large-scale scenes found in a living hell, so they only felt a bit uneasy and didn't actually gag.

Suppressing the nausea, Wang An asked Li Mu

"That dead person, was it actually Niu Qi?"

Li Mu continued to gag, speaking intermittently

"Should... *hurgh*... *hurgh*... be... *hurgh*... be him."

After Li Mu finished speaking, Wang An and Wang Li looked at each other once again.

The reason they exchanged looks was that they truly couldn't fathom how Li Mu had managed to identify a corpse—one that was unrecognizable and covered from head to toe in maggots and flies—as Niu Qi.

However, Wang An and Wang Li were smart enough not to ask for details; mainly because there was really nothing to be gained from digging deeper into such a thing.

Regardless, Wang An and Wang Li would absolutely not cling to a corpse to try and identify it. Whoever the fuck it was, it was someone else's problem.

Seeing that Li Mu had calmed down again, Wang Li stared with wide eyes and said

"Second Brother Li, where did Li Biao go? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

The name "Li Biao" had likely become a taboo in Li Mu's mind at this moment. Upon hearing Wang Li mention him again, although Li Mu was exhausted, he spoke with a hint of irritation

"Don't mention that fucking idiot to me, damn his wi— *hurgh*... *hurgh*..."

One could tell that before the gagging, the last word Li Mu wanted to say was "wife," but the physiological reaction of gagging was simply uncontrollable.

However, it was also evident that while Li Mu was suffering, his mind was still clear; he hadn't cursed Li Biao's elders. After all, no matter how much of an idiot Li Biao was, he and Li Mu were still clansmen.

And so, Li Mu began gagging once more.

Wang Li blinked his large eyes, stuck his tongue out at Wang An, and shrugged his shoulders, his attitude clearly saying, "How the fuck do we handle this?"

After a while, Li Mu flicked the safety off his Type 56 semi-automatic and pulled the trigger toward the sky. After five consecutive shots—*bang, bang, bang, bang, bang*—Li Mu finally stopped and began pressing cartridges into the chamber.

Because Li Mu performed this sequence under the gaze of Wang An and Wang Li, the two of them were somewhat confused but asked nothing.

Clearly, Li Mu was summoning the others.

Wang An took out some cigarettes and handed one each to Li Mu and Wang Li, and the three of them began to blow clouds of smoke.

Actually, Wang An still wanted to ask Li Mu how he distinguished that the dead person was Niu Qi, but seeing Li Mu's miserable state, Wang An felt too embarrassed to ask.

Mainly, if Wang An asked, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance Li Mu would start gagging again.

Thus, the three of them fell into a silence, staring at one another. Only Wang An and Wang Li continued to communicate with their eyes, occasionally sharing a knowing smile, though neither actually knew what the other was smiling about.

After a good while, gunfire suddenly echoed from the distance—three continuous shots. Upon hearing the gunfire, Li Mu's expression visibly brightened, and he fired two shots with his Type 56.

After Li Mu's shots rang out, the distant gunfire became a continuous barrage. Wang An silently counted: five shots.

Wang An guessed that this was a communication signal between the militia; five shots likely meant "everyone assemble."

As for three shots and two shots, they probably meant "where are you" and "I'm here," respectively.

Even if that wasn't the exact meaning, it was certainly something similar.

After the distant gunfire stopped and seeing that Li Mu had no intention of firing again, Wang Li nudged Li Mu and said

"Second Brother Li, they fired again over there. Why aren't you firing back to give them a signal?"

Perhaps because of the gunfire, Li Mu's mood had clearly improved. Hearing Wang Li's question, Li Mu said with a smile on his lips

"He's hailing people even further away; we don't need to respond."

Wang Li nodded and asked

"Then what did those three shots and the two you fired just now mean?"

Li Mu laughed and said

"Three shots mean 'where the hell are you,' and two shots mean 'I'm right here.' It's nothing special, just a bit wasteful of ammunition."

Sure enough, Li Mu's answer matched Wang An's guess.

Pausing for a moment, Li Mu laughed again

"Just wait a bit, they'll all be here soon."

Just as Li Mu finished speaking, Li Biao returned, soaking wet.

At this moment, not only were Li Biao's hair and face wet, but his clothes, pants, and shoes were all drenched.

It was unclear if Li Biao had jumped entirely into the water, or if he had taken a bath and washed his clothes, only to put the soaking wet clothes back on.

Seeing Li Biao, Li Mu—who had been quite happy—instantly changed expression. It felt as if a pile of shit was walking toward him.

Mainly, Li Mu actually started gagging again.

To be honest, Wang An felt a bit sorry for Li Mu. A decent guy, yet pitted into such a state by his own clansman.

From this, one could see how indelible the trauma Li Biao had left on Li Mu was.

However, as soon as Li Biao drew near, Wang An and Wang Li also found it unbearable.

Because although Li Biao looked very clean, as soon as one got slightly close, a powerful, pungent stench could be smelled.

This smell was the scent of meat rotting into a soup—countless times more intense than the smell of feces.

If one were to look for a reference, based on Wang An's experience, perhaps only refining stinky tofu soup countless times could achieve this effect.

In short, this stench was simply an invincible existence; once it clung to you, water couldn't wash it away.

As for Li Biao himself, he had certainly been marinated through by this stench. It was estimated that this smell wouldn't leave him for a while.

Li Mu, while gagging, couldn't help but snap at Li Biao

"Can you fucking stay away from us?!"

(End of Chapter)