I forced myself to calm down. It wasn't fear of him suddenly attacking me that bothered me, but rather the fear that he might harm Lin Chun.
"You don't seem very familiar with this place. What are you doing here?" I continued to ask, casually sprinkling salt on the venison leg.
Number Three's gaze remained fixed on the leg, never leaving it. "I'm here to kill someone... named Lu Ziye..."
"Do you have a grudge against him?" I asked, now completely certain that this Number Three was one of the five.
After confirming, I actually felt less tense than I expected.
"No," Number Three said. "But, I have to kill him..."
"But... there must be a reason for killing someone, right?" Seeing my relaxed expression, Lin Chun also relaxed somewhat and spoke up.
"Well... I was given instructions to do so..." Number Three said with a smile. "Could you add more chili?"
Lin Chun nodded and sprinkled another layer of finely ground chili powder onto the venison leg, making it look exceptionally appealing.
"Who gave you the instructions?" I continued to ask.
"Dad!" Number Three said, licking his lips.
It seemed that this so-called "Dad" was Vixi.
"Can you kill him alone?" Lin Chun asked.
"I have a few friends with me... but I got separated from them..." Number Three gave an awkward laugh. "Hurry up and flip it, it's burning..."
"How many people in total?" I asked.
"Five... including me, five!" Number Three said with a smile. "But, I don't know how to fight..."
"Then how will you kill him?" I asked helplessly.
Number Three chuckled and pulled a small bottle from his pocket, about the size of his palm, but without any label.
It seemed to contain some white powder.
Number Three didn't appear to know what it was. He opened the cap, and I detected a faint almond scent...
Cyanide!
"Dad said, I can pour this into the water..." Number Three said. "But I don't know which water it is yet..."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Given the current situation, I had no idea what Vixi's circumstances were, and Vixi equally had no idea what mine were.
"But you must know what the person you want to kill looks like, right?" I said, while secretly grasping my short sword.
"Yeah!" Number Three said, pulling a photograph from his trouser pocket.
The photo looked like a screenshot from a video, seemingly from surveillance.
It suddenly occurred to me that when I received the short sword earlier and met Vixi in that manner, I had looked just like this.
I took the photo, pretended to look at it, and then smiled. "Why does this person look so much like me?"
Hearing this, Number Three also froze. He compared the photo with me for a long time, his face filled with hesitation. "It really... looks alike... but, you shouldn't be the one I'm supposed to kill..."
"Why?" I asked, feigning suspicion.
"You gave me food, you're a good person." Number Three said earnestly. "Dad said, the person we have to kill is an extremely wicked villain, someone who would hurt us if he taught us, that's our target!"
I had to admit, Vixi was quite thorough in his planning.
His reasoning was perfectly sound. In any other situation, if I had encountered Number Three, I would have likely attacked without hesitation.
The reason was simple: I had to ensure the safety of those around me.
And I also knew that the five people sent would have different identities and strengths, so I would have naturally made the first move.
In this way, it could help them identify their target.
However, Vixi likely hadn't anticipated that I would encounter Number Three in this particular situation.
Not only had I not attacked, but I had also treated him to some roast meat.
This instantly elevated my image in his mind.
Moreover, Vixi's preparations were not entirely adequate. These individuals lacked even the most basic survival skills, and in this environment, it was no different from waiting to die.
But there was one thing I was unsure about. Number Three gave me a very strange feeling.
He was different from the people I had seen in his office before. Number Three was clearly normal, except that his psychological age and appearance didn't quite match.
Or rather, I found him somewhat immature.
This immaturity could be due to a change in cognitive ability, or a deficiency in intelligence.
However, I suspected Number Three himself didn't know the reason, unless I found others, only then could I determine what caused this phenomenon.
If others were like Number Three, then I could basically confirm one thing: forcefully using the power of the Shepherd God might lead to intellectual decline.
Or perhaps, to withstand the power of the Shepherd God, only those with insufficient intelligence would suffice.
If others were different from Number Three, it's possible this was just an isolated case.
I fell silent, and Number Three also stopped speaking, his eyes still fixed on the venison leg.
Lin Chun handed the leg over. "It's ready to eat..."