Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 813: Chapter 57: The Farmer and the Snake

To Luo Qiu’s surprise, the driver turned out to be Lluvia instead of Oni.

In the rearview mirror, Luo Qiu could see Lluvia frequently casting glances at him in the back seat — the car had already driven out of the station.

The fate of the drug-addled man later remained unknown for the time being.

“Mr. Luo, were you scared?”

“With you guys here, I don’t think so.” Luo Qiu shook his head.

Oni turned around directly and said nonchalantly, “Incidents like what happened earlier are common here, we’ve seen it all too often.”

Luo Qiu nodded in understanding and then curiously asked, “Earlier Oni mentioned… ‘Zombie Bath Salts,’ right?”

“Why? Are you interested in such things?” Oni blinked.

Lluvia instantly looked at Luo Qiu’s face in the rearview mirror, observing his expression.

Luo Qiu thought for a moment, “Just curious… Generally speaking, addictive substances bring harm, that’s a well-known fact, and it’s commonplace for thrill-seekers to ignore everything… But, isn’t something like ‘Zombie Bath Salts’ a bit too extreme?”

Oni leaned back, resting his head on his hands, and looked through the car’s sunroof at the blue sky, speaking lazily, “Thrill-seekers, no matter how extreme, in my view, aren’t as extreme as those who create such things. Initially, these addictive drugs were intended for treatment, a sort of medical boon, right? Yet, who could have expected that hundreds of years later, such things would become deadly threats to the whole world? It’s like the weapons in our hands.”

Oni suddenly whistled, “Primitive people started creating weapons just to defend their homes. But isn’t weaponry becoming more advanced and increasingly powerful… Nowadays, it’s grown to a point where it could potentially destroy humanity itself?”

“True enough.” Luo Qiu smiled slightly.

Oni shrugged and looked out of the window—whether by chance or some other reason, a woman on the nearby street suddenly went berserk, lunging at nearby pedestrians, looking nearly identical to the man who acted wild at the station.

“But… isn’t this happening more often?” Lluvia frowned slightly, seemingly talking to herself.

Oni suddenly rubbed his chin as if he just remembered something, “Lluvia, speaking of, Sao Paulo here… used to be Bucky’s territory, right?”

Lluvia suddenly gave Oni a cold look.

Oni realized that Song Haoran’s guest was sitting behind him—who knows if this guest belongs to the same world as them. It’s better to say less about the underworld.

Oni suddenly stretched lazily, “I’ll doze for a bit, wake me when we arrive.”

Lluvia looked at the rearview mirror again, only to see Luo Qiu, as if he heard nothing, enthusiastically watching the street scenery, occasionally smiling.

Truly a quiet young man… Different from the strategist.

But Lluvia suddenly found herself slightly distracted—Song Haoran’s profile and Luo Qiu’s profile looked quite similar… Maybe it was just an illusion?

…

On a bustling street in the same city, Song Haoran was sitting in a corner of an outdoor café, playing on his phone while sipping a drink, looking very leisurely.

At this time, a very fashionably dressed woman walked over and sat down directly, calling out to Song Haoran, “Master.”

“Oh, Gan Hong, you’re here.” Song Haoran didn’t even look up, continuing to play on his phone, “Haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“No.” The woman quickly shook her head.

Song Haoran suddenly smirked, “Actually, you can take a break, it’s normal to have difficulty moving after just losing your virginity~”

“Master, I said, I don’t know how I fell asleep; I didn’t sleep with the guy!” This woman… Gan Hong was deeply embarrassed, “That gentleman didn’t, didn’t do anything to me.”

“Is that so?” Song Haoran squinted, “Then you’d better step up next time, since it’s dad’s order.”

Gan Hong clenched her teeth, “I understand.”

Song Haoran continued, “If you can get pregnant, your status will be entirely different… By then, perhaps there’ll be hope for things back home…”

Under the table, Gan Hong’s fingers clenched slightly together.

Song Haoran casually tossed his phone on the table, sighed, and said, “I’ve really found myself among a bunch of useless teammates… This game grind is giving me a stomachache! Forget it, let’s get to work. Gan Hong, from now on, you will command this operation, and I will watch your team throughout, my evaluation as the final score of your team’s assessment. Remember, only winners get to stay.”

Gan Hong nodded heavily, “Understood, strategist.”

“The cattle are ready to move out from the ranch, then…” Song Haoran donned his earphones, and said indifferently, “Prepare for slaughter.”

Gan Hong immediately stood up and left.

…

…

Many times, Luo Qiu would act when the mood strikes him.

Probably because of the influence of nearly a year running the club, he gradually strayed from his original interests when it came to things he found intriguing.

Lluvia didn’t notice that the person she had been constantly observing in the rearview mirror was no longer in the car.

Long before Oni saw the woman going berserk beside the street, Boss Luo had already exited the car. He was now minimizing his presence to the utmost degree, observing this woman who had lost control due to drug use.

Someone quickly reported it to the police, and the officers arrived swiftly at the scene—they must have been nearby patrol cars that rushed over after receiving orders from the control center.

Two officers used considerable force to subdue the berserk woman and began to disperse the surrounding onlookers. They didn’t leave immediately but waited for the ambulance’s arrival.

Because not long after being subdued, the woman began foaming at the mouth, slipping into unconsciousness.

Luo Qiu walked up to the woman and glanced at her arm—there were numerous tiny wounds here, probably from long-term use of syringes.

Her skin was dull and lifeless, her features sunken; even when not in a rampaging state, she looked emaciated, like a fresh corpse just climbing out of a tomb.

The two officers were chatting.

“What’s going on? We keep catching these crazies these days.”

“I heard this stuff just started selling recently… The ‘LK Brotherhood’ is selling it.”

“‘LK Brotherhood’? Haven’t they always stayed away from drugs?”

“They used to; now it’s uncertain… I heard that the ‘LK Brotherhood’ has gone through a power shuffle. Especially recently, when the new boss has been very active overturning the previous rules.”

“These thugs… I thought after the previous boss Bucky got caught, these guys would settle down.”

“It’s only getting worse, what with this ‘Zombie Bath Salts’ they’ve come up with?”

“Hmm… The ambulance has arrived, let’s get her loaded up. Where should we eat later…?”

The two officers quickly coordinated with the medical staff who got off the ambulance, carrying the unconscious woman onto it, and shortly after, they too drove away in their patrol car.

Boss Luo remained in place, his gaze fixed on a small alley across the street.

A man in a black hooded sweatshirt put on his hood directly and turned to walk into the alley.

“Hmm…” Luo Qiu glanced and then followed him.

He only needed to return to the airport to meet up with Song Haoran.

A few hours of free time could be considered free activity. After all, Lluvia and Oni wouldn’t notice, as the ‘Luo Qiu’ in the car was merely an illusion.

…

…

In a certain forest area in Rio.

“Lucy, Lucy!”

“Can you hear us, child?”

Uncle Amm and Charlotte were searching together in the forest. The sky was getting darker, and the path became increasingly difficult to traverse.

Because they weren’t sure what the child’s name was, they only knew she had once called herself ‘Lucy,’ so for now, they could only shout this name.

“What should we do? We still can’t find her…” Charlotte seemed extremely anxious—nightfall in a forest full of beasts was incredibly dangerous for a lost child.

“We didn’t hear any sounds, which is at least a good thing. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

Uncle Amm pulled a small knife from his boot and handed it to Charlotte: “Let’s split up and search. It’ll be faster this way. You keep this for protection, and shout for me loudly if there’s trouble. I won’t go far.”

That was the only option left.

Charlotte thought to herself as she took the small knife from Uncle Amm’s hand, and the two quickly began to search separately.

As she listened to Uncle Amm’s gradually fading footsteps, Charlotte looked at the fully darkened forest around her, feeling a faint sense of unease.

Suddenly, the sound of birds flapping their wings filled the forest, seemingly all around her. Charlotte’s throat tightened as she gripped the flashlight and knife, mustering her courage to move forward.

Meanwhile, Uncle Amm appeared much more at ease—as a lumberjack frequently entering the forest, his familiarity with its layout was akin to the back of his own garden.

Upon reaching a rotting tree trunk, Uncle Amm abruptly stopped, shining his flashlight on the ground. He frowned—beast footprints were clearly visible in the mud.

They seemed to be wild boar tracks—although wild boars weren’t as dangerous as venomous snakes or predators, they were still perilous for a child under ten.

“Strange, there shouldn’t be wild boars around here…” Uncle Amm stood up, surveying the surroundings.

In his recollection, creatures like wild boars should be deeper within the forest… He gripped the axe’s handle more firmly, his gaze sharpening.

He was not only a lumberjack but also an excellent hunter—Uncle Amm had personally hunted many wild beasts in his youth.

Instead of letting this wild boar roam freely and potentially harm the child, it would be safer to draw it out now and take it down… Besides, catching a wild boar could be an unexpected bounty to support the family.

With this in mind, Uncle Amm quickly gathered materials on-site. First, he took a piece of jerky from his backpack, then used nearby dead branches, rocks, and weeds to create a simple trap, finally hiding behind the rotting tree trunk, turning off his flashlight, and lying in wait cautiously.

Rustling sounds echoed in the forest. Based on experience, Uncle Amm knew that prey was approaching, and it seemed like a large one from the noise.

He tightened his grip on the axe, focusing his attention even more.

Indeed, shortly after, a shadow dashed towards the trap he had set up at a tremendous speed.

Uncle Amm silently counted down the time. Listening for the sound of the trap being triggered, he then jumped out from behind the tree trunk, raising his axe high and swinging it forcefully toward the trap.

The sharp axe instantly sliced through the dead branches of the trap, but Uncle Amm shivered suddenly—his axe hadn’t struck anything alive.

At the same time, Uncle Amm felt his shoulder suddenly grow heavy, as if something had landed on it.

He instinctively turned his head to see a small creature… black and white!

A Black and White Spider Monkey!

Also known as the two-colored freak macaw or… two-colored vampire monkey—omnivorous, living in groups!

Just then, the Black and White Spider Monkey on Uncle Amm’s shoulder opened its mouth wide, biting directly towards his cheek!

The Black and White Spider Monkey’s teeth were narrow and sharp, instantly piercing Uncle Amm’s cheek, causing blood to splatter. Furious, Uncle Amm quickly grabbed the monkey’s body, pulled it off his shoulder, and slammed it onto the ground.

However, at that very moment, sounds rose all around him.

In a panic, Uncle Amm turned on his flashlight, pointing it ahead, and saw a dense group of over a dozen Black and White Spider Monkeys!

One by one, these creatures bared their fangs and leaped at Uncle Amm without hesitation!

Uncle Amm shouted angrily, swinging his axe continuously, fighting fiercely against the dozen or so Black and White Spider Monkeys. Yet, these creatures, normally not aggressive and rarely attacking humans, seemed rabid!

They bit into Uncle Amm’s body, tearing through his skin with their claws.

One after another, from over a dozen initially, to later forty or fifty Black and White Spider Monkeys overwhelmed Uncle Amm.

His screams began to ring out, as these crazed monkeys bit his flesh piece by piece—eventually, the blood vessels in his neck were severed!

Uncle Amm clutched his neck desperately, but the blood continued seeping through his fingers.

He didn’t last long, collapsing to the ground!

At that moment, the surrounding Black and White Spider Monkeys slowly dispersed. Uncle Amm lay on the ground, feeling increasingly cold. His eyelids grew heavy, unable to hold out, and he barely saw a small shadow walking towards him.

It seemed to be saying something.

“I thought it would be that little nun, but it turned out to be you… Oh well, let me offer your soul as a sacrifice to regain some of my power.”

“Lu… Lucy…”

“It’s Lucifer.”

As she approached, he finally saw her clearly—she was the little girl he had once helped. Now, this little girl looked down at him condescendingly.

“Wh… why…” Uncle Amm was both shocked and incredibly furious.

“Have you heard the story of the farmer and the snake?” Lucifer sneered, “Of course, I’m not the snake nor the farmer… but the one watching their despair.”

Uncle Amm’s eyes widened, but he never uttered another word.

Only after confirming Uncle Amm was dead did Lucifer quickly strip his clothes and bite her finger, writing something on his chest with her blood.

“Damn… turned into this form, forcing me to use blood to write incantations, or I can’t even extract this human soul!”