With a flurry of dust settling, Xiao Shu blinked, then reopened his eyes to peer intently into the doorway, utterly stunned by the scene before him.

The entire prison was deserted, but the once clean parade ground was now a river of blood, with heaps of corpses strewn across the ground. Several who still clung to life, seeing people outside the gate, dragged their mangled bodies, crawling toward Xiao Shu and his companions. Even Bing Yu, though a killer, couldn't bear the sight; she turned and stumbled out of the prison to retch.

“This…” Xiao Shu’s eyes were blazing red, two spheres of blood, as he pointed at the bodies on the ground and asked Li Taiming, “He did this?”

“You should ask him yourself,” Li Taiming frowned. “I wasn’t present either. I know as little about what happened here as you do.”

“But didn’t you want them to kill ninety-nine people, so they could become immortal, puppets under your control?” Xiao Shu grabbed the collar of Li Taiming’s shirt again, gritting his teeth.

Facing Xiao Shu’s relentless provocation, Li Taiming showed no weakness. He seized Xiao Shu by the throat with one hand, lifting him off the ground, and stated sternly, “Kid, how many times have I told you, this world is not mine to command. Do not jump to conclusions before the facts are clear.” With that, he threw him to the ground and, acting as if nothing had happened, walked over to the few injured men who still had breath, squatting down beside them.

“Who did it?” Li Taiming asked, gesturing to the corpses littering the ground.

“A woman,” the old man lying on the ground gasped, clutching his chest, his breath shallow. “Don’t know where she broke into the prison area. She was swinging a scythe wildly, her speed was astonishing. A whole group went down in the blink of an eye.”

“Enemies meeting on a narrow road,” Li Taiming sighed, glancing at Xiao Shu. “Are you satisfied now?”

He expected Xiao Shu to feel relief for Xiao Yu, but upon hearing the old man’s words, Xiao Shu rushed forward, gripping the old man’s palm with one hand, his expression grave as he asked, “Was that woman very fat?” The old man nodded weakly.

Xiao Shu slapped his thigh, blurting out, “Damn it!” Seeing his reaction, Li Taiming frowned and inquired, “You know that woman?”

“Know her? I know her well! We need to burn these dead bodies immediately, or they’ll start reanimating soon,” Xiao Shu urged anxiously.

“Hmm, it seems you are quite familiar with the situation. I agree with that assessment.” Li Taiming then instructed Bing Yu to figure out a way to siphon some gasoline from the Jeep’s tank. While Bing Yu fetched the fuel, Li Taiming and Xiao Shu dragged the corpses from the yard and piled them into a small mound. They then found several wooden benches and chairs from the guardhouse, smashed them into splinters, and scattered the debris around the pile. When Bing Yu returned with the gasoline, the two quickly doused the bodies. Li Taiming pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, stuck one in his mouth, then took out his lighter, lit the cigarette, and tossed the lighter onto the pile of bodies.

With a loud whoosh, the flames swiftly engulfed the entire corpse mound. The raging fire burned hotter and higher, sending the scent of roasting flesh drifting into the distance. Just as Xiao Shu and Li Taiming let out a collective sigh of relief, a young man, his face smeared with blood, crawled screaming out of the burning pile, spotted the three figures standing nearby, and desperately reached out for help. Bing Yu was about to rush over to beat out the flames on the young man when Li Taiming abruptly held her back. No matter how she struggled, Li Taiming held her tight, immovable as timber, preventing her from taking another step forward. Only when the young man was reduced to black charcoal and lay motionless on the ground did Li Taiming release Bing Yu.

By that moment, Bing Yu was already weeping uncontrollably. She turned and drove a punch into Li Taiming’s chest, sobbing, “He was still alive! Why didn’t you save him?”