Zhou Lin - Chapter 195 The Hateful Eight (Part 1)

Somewhere in the South Pacific, there is a mysterious sea area.

This sea area is shrouded in thick clouds all year round, and the climate is changeable. It does not intersect with any air or sea routes in the world, and even federal observation satellites cannot see this place clearly.

Of course, no one is interested in such a place that has nothing in the first place, because in all records known to mankind, it has always been an empty sea.

But actually… yes, you should have guessed it… there is indeed something there.

After all, from a literary point of view, if there was nothing there, all the above would be nonsense without any function.

…………

2219, some time, some place.

Hey, wake up, are you still alive?

This unwelcome call and the pain caused by a gentle slap on the face woke up an uncle who looked to be in his late fifties from his sleep.

Huh? Huh? The uncle was completely confused when he woke up. He instinctively adjusted the black-rimmed glasses that had fallen to the lower part of his nose, frowning and squinting.

Immediately afterwards, a sturdy figure came into his sight.

Are you injured? Can you speak? Seeing the uncle open his eyes, the strong man immediately asked two questions.

Uh… ok… it doesn’t seem to be hurt. The uncle answered the other person dullly. In the process, the uncle’s eyes slowly moved behind the other person and saw the surrounding situation clearly.

He found that he was now in a jungle, with fairly solid soil beneath his feet and towering, dense forest cover above his head. Looking into the distance, you can only see the scenery a few meters away at most, because no matter how far away it is, it is blocked by trees and vegetation. Looking closer, you can see that at this moment, eight people, including himself, have gathered in this small clearing in the forest.

Okay… everyone is awake now. Before the uncle could fully recover, the strong man stood up, turned around, and spread his hands, How about we get to know each other first?

Obviously, before the uncle woke up, there had been some exchanges between the other seven people. Judging from the few words of the strong man and the expressions of those around him, these people should not know each other, and they all looked like they had just woken up.

Then you come first. Before the strong man finished speaking, a young man squatting on the right side of the uncle answered.

At that moment, everyone glanced at him. Some turned to stare, some glanced, and some simply turned around and stared at him.

Hmph… sure. The strong man was the type who stared at him, My name is Jamal Chavez, I am thirty years old, and I am a professional fighter. After that, he said directly to the young man, And you?

The young man let out a long breath for some unknown reason, looked very tired, paused for a few seconds, and then responded calmly: Yan Wushang, a few years younger than you, a mercenary.

After he finished speaking, everyone fell into awkward silence again.

Well… After a few seconds, the uncle broke the awkward atmosphere, My name is He Huai, I am forty-eight years old, and I am a civil servant.

When He Huai said this, he raised one hand politely like a student in class, stretched his neck slightly forward while speaking, and nodded slightly; this is a habit. His movements showed that he often nodded and bowed and agreed with others, but he himself always stretched out his hand to ask for instructions before speaking casually.

Daniel West, thirty-six years old, stylist. Perhaps because Uncle He Huai made a connection, after he finished speaking, Daniel on his left continued.

In this way, the eight people introduced themselves one by one in this clockwise order.

Their situation is roughly as follows:

Jamal Chavez: Latino male with short hair and a beater face commonly seen in movies. Of course, it may also be because those who practice fighting often have to put on that murderous expression to enhance their momentum. , over time it became like this… He is about 1.95 meters tall and has a strong build. He only wears a white vest on his upper body, so the muscles on his body and the large tattoos on his arms are clearly visible.

Yan Wushang: Asian male, about 1.8 meters tall. Although he wears a long-sleeved jacket and trousers, his face and body outline can be seen that his body shape is also muscular, but not as burly as Jamal.

Yan Wushang’s hair style is very interesting. It’s considered short hair, but it’s very… very messy. From the professional perspective of stylist Daniel, this guy’s hair is definitely not cut in a barber shop, or even cut with scissors. , combined with the jagged beard on Yan Wushang’s chin, it is basically certain that his hair and beard have been trimmed with a dagger or machete at least in the past few months.

He Huai: Generally speaking, Asians are just ordinary uncles you see everywhere on buses or subways. They wear cheap suits and white shirts, and black trousers with a belt that looks like a fake brand name; He is on the thin side, has no muscles, and looks like a weakling. There are obvious dark circles in his eyes under the black-rimmed glasses. The expression and eyes on his face reveal no opinion and forced composure. These eight words.

Daniel West: a white male. He said he was thirty-six, but everyone else felt that he was at least five years younger. I wonder if there are any unspoken rules in the fashion industry. Many male stylists or Fashion designers, even straight men, like to make themselves look gay, and Daniel feels the same way.

Although Daniel did not specifically declare his sexual orientation when introducing himself, he wore a tight pink long-sleeved T-shirt with a pair of straight, slim, well-fitting trousers, and a bright belt that could add a lot of points to the trousers. It has made him gradually drift away from the dressing style of ordinary straight men; in addition, he also wears a sweater around his shoulders, has an earring on one side, and has a bald head… This series of characteristics makes people first notice him. The impression is that we are on a detour.

In terms of body shape, he is also 1.85 meters tall. The muscle outline under the tights shows that he is working out, but his abdomen is not flat. Overall, his figure is a bit subtle.

Kunny: An Asian woman who calls herself Kunny. Although there is no word kunny at all, she insists that this is her name. If someone asks her what the name is on her citizen ID, she will definitely turn her back immediately.

Kunny said that she has just turned twenty this year and is a model, anchor, singer, Internet celebrity, cosplayer, actor, etc., but unfortunately everyone has never heard of her… In terms of image, she is indeed She is fair-skinned and beautiful, with big breasts and a slim waist. Her short-sleeved T-shirt and hot pants with a low collar also fully show off her illogical figure. In addition, she also has long, light-blond hair with excellent texture. , and every place from head to toe exudes a different high-end fragrance.

There is no doubt that this woman is very fake. From her name to her age, from her heart to her body, she is full of falsehood and vanity; her exaggeration and self-objectification are undoubtedly inferior and distorted, but this does not hinder her She retains an arrogance and an ambiguity that can be used at any time in front of the men who are attracted by the deep grooves in her chest and white thighs.

In the final analysis… people who objectify themselves to the extreme and appear to be extremely superficial are actually self-aware. Most of them are not stupid; they know very well what they are doing and what they need to pay. what and what can be obtained.

Quint Wimble: a white male, less than 1.8 meters tall, who calls himself a college student; he did not mention his age specifically, but his appearance is that he is truly around 20 years old. He is of medium build, fairly handsome, and looks ordinary in a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers.

Quint’s tone of voice was neither humble nor arrogant, and he maintained a certain degree of wariness towards the people around him. Overall, his reaction was the least distinctive and the most normal among the eight.

Mel Pinto: An Indian-American woman who is over 1.6 meters tall. She is actually quite beautiful, but compared with Kunny’s more extreme face and figure, she looks inconspicuous; she said that she is 25 years old. Years old, she is a chef. Regardless of her speech and behavior, she seems to be very low-key, even unconfident, and even speaks in a soft voice.

Ran Xiangtian: a black male (in this era, it is normal for people other than Asians to have names composed of three Chinese characters like Ran Xiangtian). He is about the same height as Jamal, but his figure is more athletic. The muscles are not in a form that focuses on explosive power, but more on endurance.

Ran Xiangtian is forty-one years old this year and is a wilderness survival expert. After he introduced himself, several people remembered that they had seen him on some TV or online programs. It seemed…he was at least More famous than Kunny.

Among these eight people, only Ran Xiangtian’s identity was recognized by everyone. The others… were more or less suspicious of the information disclosed to each other.

…………

So… After everyone finished introducing themselves, Jamal spoke again and began to dominate the conversation, …does anyone know where this is? Or remember how he got here?

Speak first. Yan Wushang added this in a timely manner after the other party raised a question.

Jamal was a little annoyed by him, but he still suppressed it and just replied: The last thing I remember is that I went to a bar to drink after the game. I shouldn’t be drunk, but I don’t know when I got up. It’s just broken…”

Yan Wushang didn’t wait for the other party to ask again this time, and directly answered, It’s similar to me. I got into a fight with someone in a bar and was beaten unconscious. I woke up and came here.

What bar? Who hit you? Jamal immediately asked.

It’s a small bar in Detroit with no name, and I don’t know the person who hit me. Yan Wushang responded casually, It shouldn’t be the same place where you drank Duan Fian’er, right?

Tch… Jamal spat, looking a little disappointed because the information Yan Wushang provided was basically useless.

What about the others? After a few seconds, Jamal turned his head to scan the remaining six people, and then asked, Does anyone have any idea about the current situation?

Before the third person could say the last thing he remembered, Ran Xiangtian continued: Before answering this question, I would like to ask first… He paused and looked at it with a slightly hostile look. Asked Jamal, Why do we keep answering your questions? When did you become the boss here?

Before Jamal could finish listening to this sentence, he sneered: Hmph… I just saw that no one was willing to stand up and take charge of the situation, so I stood up. If you want to take over, you can, you can Come out and ask.

It sounds like Ran Xiangtian jumped out to seize power, but in fact no one gave him any power at all.

However, Ran Xiangtian was still brought into this logic and smoothly added: We are all civilized people. Whoever has the final say should be elected by everyone, rather than who stands up first or simply The land is decided by the two largest men.”

Really? Jamal still sneered, Oh, okay… He still stood in the middle of the crowd without moving, opened his arms and said, Then come and vote, I nominate myself, who else wants to vote?

When he asked this question, he looked left and right, and finally stopped at Ran Xiangtian’s face.

Everyone also looked at each other, some bowed their heads and remained silent, some looked wary, and some laughed it off. After more than ten seconds, only Ran Xiangtian stood up and stood in front of Jamal.

Okay, if you want to choose this survival expert as the leader, please raise your hand. After the other person stood still, Jamal took two steps back and looked at the people around him and said.

As a result, no one raised their hands.

This is also expected.

After all, these eight people have only exchanged names and occupations. Not to mention whether the information is true or false, even if it is true, in this strange environment, if they are suddenly asked to vote by a show of hands like this, everyone will hesitate… Because of you As long as you raise your hand, you will offend others. Besides, you don’t know the person you are choosing very well, so the best way is to choose neither side and wait for them to tear it apart.

Hmph… Seeing that no one raised their hands, Jamal continued, Then, survival expert has zero votes. He paused and then said, Those who chose me as the leader raised their hands… Unexpectedly, the words came back. Before he finished speaking, he raised his hands.

What do you mean? Ran Xiangtian looked at him and asked with a frown.

You were the one who said ‘it should be voted for by everyone’ just now, wasn’t it? Jamal replied proudly, You and I are naturally included in ‘everyone’, aren’t you a human being? It was sophistry, but what he said was quite reasonable, and there was indeed some truth to it, You didn’t choose yourself just now, who can blame you?

Ran Xiangtian was speechless by what he said. He looked around again and found that no one else wanted to stand up and speak for him. A few people even showed signs of approval of Jamal’s remarks.

So, Ran Xiangtian had no choice but to suffer the fate of being dumb… He glared at Jamal with provocative eyes, nodded angrily a few times, and muttered: Okay, I’ll count on you. and so on. If so, he immediately sat down again.

Since everyone has agreed that I will be in charge of this situation for the time being, I hope you will cooperate well. Jamal did not let everyone have much time to reflect on and think about what was happening in front of them. He immediately started to lead the conversation again.

In fact, he was quite grateful to Ran Xiangtian. It was precisely because of that guy’s appearance that he solidified the concept that he is the leader among this group of people.

But in fact, except for him and Ran Xiangtian, no one had ever made the suggestion that there should be a leader.

In other words, originally these eight people were in an equal state of anarchy, but after such a commotion, Jamal’s legitimate government-like existence came online of its own accord.

Let’s do it in the same order as before. Jamal then approached the most cowardly Uncle He Huai and said, Brother He, do you have any clues?

…………

About ten minutes later, the group exchanged the last things they remembered.

No one knows where this place is or how they came here, and the last things they remember are not clues: He Huai’s last memory is of taking a nap in the office, Daniel was doing SPA, Kunny and Meldu said he was sleeping at home, while Quint slept in the dormitory; only Ran Xiangtian was a little special. He told Jamal in a less polite tone that the last thing he remembered was that he was warming up in the gym, and then suddenly someone shot him from behind with a needle. Stab him in the neck… Unfortunately, although he knew that he was knocked unconscious and captured by others, he still had no idea about the appearance of the assailant, let alone the number and motives of the other party.

Jamal thought for a while and felt that continuing to ask these people about their privacy might not help clarify the current situation, and it was not appropriate to ask immediately now. He had to wait until they got to know each other better before further investigation could be possible, otherwise Even if you ask, you will probably get false information. Therefore, he temporarily stopped collecting information and proposed that everyone explore together.

At this time, he and Ran Xiangtian had another disagreement: Jamal believed that everyone should act together, while Ran Xiangtian said that they should act in groups to expand the scope of the investigation.

In this matter, Ran Xiangtian is undoubtedly more authoritative. After a little thought, he can understand that his method is better, so most people support Ran Xiangtian’s plan.

Therefore, Jamal also made concessions, but he immediately arranged the grouping as the leader: the eight people were divided into three groups, the first group was Jamal and Kunny, the second group was Ran Xiangtian, Yan Wushang and He Huai. The third group is Daniel, Quint and Mel.

Jamal claims that his groups are evenly distributed taking into account the physical fitness of the members. At first glance, it seems to be true, but in fact, everyone can see… He just wants to be alone with the beautiful woman and have a good relationship. Then he threw thorn head Yan Wushang and trash He Huai to Ran Xiangtian, who threatened his leadership position, and finally the remaining three were left to their own devices.

Although Ran Xiangtian criticized this grouping, because Kunny said it didn’t matter and others didn’t have any objections, he had no choice but to give up.

It’s obvious that Kunny… also wants to have a good relationship with Jamal.

Of course she doesn’t like this man, she just understands that pleasing and using Jamal can bring her a lot of benefits.

Under the law of the jungle, everyone has their own unique advantageous resources. How to make good use of these resources to strive for maximum benefits will reflect whether the person’s survival strategy is smart.

At least for now, it seems that the voice and dominance among this group of people basically belong to Jamal, so it is right to have a good relationship with him.

In this way, the three groups of people, after agreeing on the marks to be made along the way and the meeting point, headed in three directions to explore the unknown dense forest…