Chapter 148: Fear is the Greatest Deterrent

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Fear is the Greatest Deterrent

As Little Moustache screamed, stammering, "You... you," Zhang Yun shoved the freshly torn-off ear right into his mouth!

Little Moustache immediately broke down!

Real assassins were rarely as exaggerated as those who had killed dozens or hundreds of people. They usually maintained a cover profession, only making targeted arrangements in advance when they received a commission. In reality, they might not even get many jobs in a year.

Little Moustache was a hitman kept by Ouyang Qilin to do his dirty work. To set up this trap for Ouyang Mingruo, he had staked out the place for a long time. Over the course of his career, he had eliminated many targets. His psychological fortitude was rock-solid, fully capable of handling any bloody scene.

However, having his own ear brutally ripped off and shoved into his mouth completely exceeded his threshold. He was on the verge of vomiting!

Zhang Yun twisted the man’s wrist with his left hand, forcing his arm back and pressing the edge of the blade against Little Moustache’s throat.

"Don’t throw up! You can’t afford to compensate for dirtying the floor! If you puke, I’ll slit your throat! Do you hear me clearly, One-Ear?"

Zhang Yun pinned him against the wall again, staring coldly into his eyes.

Little Moustache’s entire body trembled. He was on the verge of tears!

He was supposed to be a cold-blooded killer! He wondered why he was being kneaded and flattened like a helpless kitten.

The agonizing pain of losing an ear and the nauseating urge to vomit with it stuffed in his mouth were unbearable, but the mortal terror of the blade against his throat made him shudder even more!

He had to endure it! As an assassin, shouldn’t he be able to endure what ordinary people couldn’t?

But with an ear jammed in his mouth, he couldn’t speak or communicate with Zhang Yun. Even the slightest movement of his lips or tongue made him feel sick.

Zhang Yun snatched the small knife away and gestured with it over his throat. "You wanted to kill Miss Ouyang?"

The assassin, Little Moustache, hurriedly shook his head. Unable to speak, he could only shake his head slightly, terrified that a larger movement would cause him to slit his own throat on the blade.

"Good heavens!" he thought. "I was only carrying out the boss’s kidnapping orders. Whether to kill her or not is entirely up to him."

"Since you intended to kill, it’s only fair if someone kills you, right? But Miss Ouyang is magnanimous. Considering you’re not the mastermind, she can give you a chance!"

Little Moustache nodded frantically, signaling for Zhang Yun to state his terms.

Zhang Yun locked eyes with him, staring unblinkingly for half a minute until it made the assassin’s skin crawl.

"Chew and swallow the ear in your mouth, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, I’ll slit your throat, cut off your other ear, and stuff it down your windpipe..."

Ouyang Mingruo had already stepped back. Upon seeing Zhang Yun shove the severed ear into the man’s mouth, she had retreated even further. Now, hearing his gruesome threats, she simply walked far away to clear the dining table.

She was genuinely afraid that if she listened to any more of this, she would throw up the meal she had just eaten.

Little Moustache began to shiver violently. As Zhang Yun stared into his eyes and described the gruesome act, the vivid imagery surfaced directly in his mind. He even suspected that his captor would keep him alive just long enough to feel the sensation of his own ear being jammed down his throat.

Did he even have a choice? Even if Zhang Yun didn’t actually spare his life, it was his only option!

Suppressing his intense nausea, Little Moustache began to chew on his own ear. This immediately triggered an uncontrollable physiological gag reflex... but the pressing blade forced him to swallow the rising vomit back down halfway.

"TSK, TSK. Looks like you’re eating it with great relish. Is it as crisp and chewy as a pig’s ear?"

Zhang Yun’s commentary made the assassin burst into tears!

"Relish? I can’t even choke it down!" he thought. "How could he possibly associate this with food? Could this guy be any more of a psychopath?"

A profound sense of terror welled up within him toward this unfamiliar young man. With such ruthless methods and a strong yet twisted psyche, could he really be an ordinary person? He wondered if this guy was actually a top-tier international assassin.

At the thought of this, terrified that Zhang Yun would actually shove his other ear down his throat, he fought back his stomach’s churning protests and forcefully tried to swallow the partially chewed ear.

"Choking? Do you want some water?"

Faced with Zhang Yun’s concern, Little Moustache only felt terrified. Would it really be water? Giving him urine would probably be an act of mercy at this point! It might very well be boiling water, superglue, or paint thinner...

Ignoring the fact that he was choking, he forced himself to swallow hard, triggering relentless waves of nausea. After more than ten excruciating seconds, he finally managed to swallow it all down!

"I... I ate it!"

As soon as Little Moustache opened his mouth, he felt his churning stomach threatening to rebel again, so he quickly snapped his mouth shut. With tears streaming down his face, he could only gaze pitifully at Zhang Yun.

Knife still in hand, Zhang Yun gestured near the assassin’s remaining ear.

"No... I’m truly innocent... I wasn’t going to kill Miss Ouyang... I was only supposed to take her away first... I’ll leave right now! No, I’ll stay far away from this city. I’ll go to some remote area and never come back!"

Zhang Yun then shifted the edge of the blade to the bridge of his nose, as if intending to slice it off.

"P-please, give me a chance to turn over a new leaf! I’ll never dare to do it again!"

"Go."

Zhang Yun’s prolonged silence had subjected him to immense psychological pressure. Now, his sudden leniency left Little Moustache dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe this was real.

Zhang Yun shoved the knife back into his hand. "You can try again if you want to make another move." He then walked over and opened the door.

Was it really that simple? After forcing him to eat his own ear, was Zhang Yun really letting him off this easily? Little Moustache couldn’t bring himself to believe that Zhang Yun would be so lenient. Even with the knife returned to him, he remained in disbelief.

"Are you planning to shoot me in the back of the head?" he couldn’t help but ask.

"Bullets cost money, you know," Zhang Yun said in annoyance. "What good would blowing your head off do me?"

Little Moustache thought about it and realized it made sense. If his head was blown off here, the aftermath would be very difficult to clean up. "But..."

"You don’t want to leave, do you?" Zhang Yun narrowed his eyes.

Little Moustache immediately broke out in a cold sweat!

"Judging by that look, is he going to make me swallow my own eyes?" he wondered in horror.

"I’m leaving! I’m leaving right now!"

He quickly retreated, bowing and scraping the whole way so he wouldn’t have to expose his back. He also hurriedly tucked the knife away, terrified that Zhang Yun might snatch it back and stab him.

Once outside, staring at the closed front door, he was still somewhat dazed. Was he really let go just like that?

"You could have knocked him out and called security to handle it, or just called the police. Why did you have to make it so disgusting?" Ouyang Mingruo couldn’t help but complain. The gruesome scene had genuinely made her feel unwell.

Zhang Yun chuckled. "If I killed him here, it would be extremely troublesome for your family to deal with. Knocking him out and calling the police would basically result in no major consequences. I can’t stay by your side to protect you forever, so what happens if he tries to attack you again?

"Verbal warnings and severe beatings are useless. Last night, I injured them severely as a warning, yet they still came back at noon. As for the two women who held you hostage, I merely knocked them out at the rest stop; by the time we reached the villa, they were already plotting their revenge against us.

"Only fear etched deep into their bones can serve as the ultimate deterrent!"

Ouyang Mingruo somewhat understood, though she still felt sick whenever she pictured the scene. The man involved would undoubtedly be left with massive psychological trauma and harbor a deep-seated dread and fear of Zhang Yun.

"You could actually stay by my side and protect me..." Ouyang Mingruo looked at him hopefully. "Why don’t you give it a try? Maybe you’ll like it? You could be my bodyguard for now. Aside from accompanying and protecting me, you wouldn’t have to do anything else."

Zhang Yun laughed inwardly. Saying he wouldn’t have to do anything else actually meant he’d have to do *everything*! Wasn’t it much better to be free and unrestrained at home?

Right then, the doorbell rang again.

The two immediately exchanged a glance. They went over to check the intercom camera, only to find that it wasn’t the one-eared Little Moustache, but a security guard.