Several people lay on the ground, shot and bleeding.
They were still warm, their bodies twitching. If rescued now, they might still live.
A little later...
A nauseating feeling churned in Grace's stomach, making her want to vomit.
These beasts, who killed without batting an eye and disregarded human life!
"Hurry up and pack the snakes here," the mercenary tossed Grace several cages, urging her to finish the task quickly.
Grace had no time to mourn the innocent dead and was pushed towards the cobra breeding area.
Cobras, flicking their forked tongues, were densely coiled together. The entire breeding center was filled with snake nests of all types and sizes.
Fortunately, she didn't have trypophobia, or this scene would have scared her senseless.
Grace began packing the venomous snakes.
But she kept a close eye.
After Xiao Jin left yesterday, she had been preparing for the dangerous situation she might face.
She couldn't place all her hopes on Xiao Jin. What if it failed?
Grace was not one to gamble everything; she preferred to rely on herself.
So, while everyone else was catching snake bait, she collected a large amount of snake-repelling plants, such as tobacco, touch-me-nots, seven-leaf-one-flower, and Cassia tora.
Snakes feared irritants. Without sulfur or lime powder, in the wild, snake-repelling plants became life-saving herbs. They not only deterred snakes but could also treat snake venom.
It wasn't just Grace collecting snake-repelling plants; other snake catchers were doing the same.
This was common knowledge for survival in the wild.
The mercenaries didn't have snake-repelling plants. They carried sulfur, a highly irritating chemical.
Grace worked slowly.
While other snake catchers had packed several cages, she had only managed one.
This drew impatience from the mercenaries. "Hurry up! Time is tight!"
Grace replied, "Don't rush me, the cobras here are a bit strange."
...Outside the door
The mercenary leader and his subordinates guarded the entrance.
A subordinate glanced into the factory, leaning closer to his boss. "Boss, you really plan to give each of them 2 million dollars?"
The mercenary leader, smoking, had a sinister look. "Who said that?"
Several snake catchers would take over ten million dollars from him. He didn't have much money himself. Was he crazy?
The subordinate asked, "Then?"
The mercenary leader raised his gun. "After we get the snakes, we'll deal with them on the spot." He made a gun-firing gesture.
They had brought gasoline. They would burn everything.
All evidence would vanish in the flames, and no one would know who did it.
The subordinate grinned sinisterly. "Yes, yes, yes."
Kill them all, silence them all, ahahahahaha!
This was their style of doing business.
Money was only money when it was in their own pockets, to be enjoyed freely. Wasn't that more satisfying?
Besides, there was a rule in their line of work: what you've taken, you don't give back.
A ruthless expression flashed across the mercenary leader's face. "Go, keep a close watch, and don't let anything go wrong."
The subordinate replied, "Yes, yes, yes."
He excitedly monitored the actions of all the snake catchers. Seeing Grace's slow movements, the subordinate grew impatient.
He pressed a gun to Grace's head. "Hurry up, you're the slowest!"
"If you delay us, we won't take you!"
The mercenary, seemingly not appeased, kicked Grace in the leg.
Grace stumbled and fell to the ground. "Yes, I'll be faster."
Although she said so, her efficiency didn't increase. For some reason, she had a strong premonition that these desperate killers would discard her after they were done with her.
No, she had to save herself!
She couldn't just wait to die!