Chapter 247
In the past, she could have easily broken free from those damned ropes; they could never hold her.
But the potion she had been forced to drink just moments ago left her dazed, her strength sapped to the point where she could barely muster a fraction of it.
Devils... they truly are devils!!
She stared at the frail figure before her, scribbling something in the dim candlelight, her eyes filled with terror.
Damn it...
Why was she so cursed to cross paths with these damned cultists?
Just a month ago, she had encountered a sacrificial event involving cultists while trying to take on a task at the Dedun Manor, and she had fled in fear.
And now, barely a month later, she found herself once again in the clutches of those lunatics from the Shenglin Sect.
What on earth did they want from her?
Suddenly, the girl who had been writing at the desk stood up and turned to face them.
In her hand, she held a notebook, her fiery red hair glowing with an orange hue in the candlelight. Her cold, dark red eyes swept over the people hanging there.
When Gudwin felt the girl’s gaze pass over her, a chill ran down her spine, an inexplicable fear gripping her heart... as if she had experienced the same terror before.
She swore she had never seen this red-haired girl before.
But that gaze was unmistakably one that looked upon the dead... the murderous intent in her eyes was chilling—this girl had surely killed many, or else how could even a first-tier extraordinary like her feel such a soul-deep dread?
Damn it! She looked like just an ordinary underage girl!
Gudwin was drenched in sweat, halting her efforts to untie the ropes, terrified of being discovered.
The girl merely glanced around before slowly closing her eyes.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again, and the murderous intent had vanished, replaced by confusion and wariness.
Gudwin noticed the girl take a small step back, casting a fearful glance at the people hanging there. It was only when a knock echoed from behind that the girl’s expression began to settle.
What was going on...
The girl’s unusual behavior sent a shiver down Gudwin’s spine. Just a few seconds of closed eyes, and she seemed like a different person, as if her soul or memories had been swapped.
The wooden door creaked open, and the girl began to look down at the notebook she had been writing in. As they conversed, Gudwin quietly resumed her efforts, using a stone to grind against the rough hemp rope.
With the constant movement, the rope had completely chafed her wrists, tearing the skin and exposing pink flesh.
Yet even so, Gudwin dared not stop, for she noticed that after reading her notes, the girl seemed to regain her memory, her expression gradually turning terrifying.
The ringing in Gudwin’s ears from fear drowned out the subsequent conversation between the girl and the cultist. Now, her entire focus was on the stone in her hand, slowly, she had managed to sever one strand of the twisted rope.
I can do this... I can do this...
Just as Gudwin felt a slight easing of her anxiety, she saw the girl referred to as "Lord Xia'er" approach the fat man on her far right, accompanied by the cultist.
Crack—
The rope suspending the fat man suddenly snapped, and a white figure swung gently from the rope’s sway.
Two white figures pressed the dazed fat man down to his knees, while the girl with the carving knife stood before him, her expression blank as she said, “From now on, I’ll ask a question, and you’ll answer. No nonsense.”
The rag he spoke of was pulled away by one of the white figures, and the fat man trembled, tears streaming down his face.
“Please... don’t kill me, I’ll give you everything, I’ll give you my money...”
Before he could finish, a white figure clutched his throat, silencing him.
“What were you doing five days ago?”
The red-haired girl asked coldly, knife in hand.
The grip on the fat man’s throat loosened, and he stammered, “I... I...”
Overwhelmed by fear, he struggled to recall what he had been doing five days prior. After several seconds of stuttering, he finally managed, “I attended a banquet hosted by Lord Opode...”
“And then?”
The girl pressed on.
“Something came up, so I went home early...”
Before the fat man could finish, the cultist standing behind the girl, who looked barely older than the girl herself, spoke up slowly, “That’s a lie, Lord Xia'er.”
“No... no... don’t! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”
The fat man’s hands were pulled out by two white figures.
Swoosh—
The sharp knife pierced through his palm, blood splattering onto the ground.
“Ahhh!!!”
His agonized screams echoed throughout the underground chamber, sending a shiver through everyone who witnessed the scene.
No wonder they were cultists... they showed no humanity whatsoever.
This was the first thought that crossed everyone’s mind.
Chapter 146: The Orlando Republican Army.
Swoosh—
Xia'er slowly withdrew the knife, her expression unchanged as she looked at the fat grain merchant before her.
The captives came from various factions, and their beliefs might differ, but they all had some connection to the horrific attack five days ago, or at least knowledge about it.
In this simulation, Xia'er aimed to extract information quickly, opting for this brutal method, even if it meant that the city of Boleun would fall into a state of paralysis after their deaths.
“What were you doing five days ago?”
Xia'er asked again, her voice steady.
“I...”
The fat grain merchant swallowed hard, trembling as he spoke, “After the banquet, I spent the night with the wife of Chief Zhang Berlun... I returned home the next day, I swear I’m not lying!”
He spoke in a panic, while John Zhang Berlun, hanging above, looked in shock at the fat man kneeling to his right, disbelief etched on his face.
“That’s a lie.”
Tala’s voice rang out beside Xia'er.
At that moment, Xia'er narrowed her eyes, retracting the knife and glancing toward Tala.
Tala seemed to understand Xia'er’s intent; she stepped forward, raising her hand, and several white figures pressed their hands onto the fat man’s head.
“What... what are you going to do?”
Sweat beaded on the fat man’s forehead. Even in this situation, he preferred to lie, indicating that he must have a secret he was unwilling to reveal at any cost.
Xia'er’s abilities were limited to causing death; she hadn’t used the “Coroner” archive this time and had to leave the matter to someone more professional.
With Tala present, Xia'er had no worries about collusion or lies; such cleverness seemed laughable in the face of absolute extraordinary power.
“Worship the Mother Goddess.”
Tala tightened her grip, a hint of happiness crossing her face as she mentioned the Mother Goddess.
The white figures mimicking Tala’s movements erupted in brilliant light. The ordinary fat man, who had been panicking, suddenly looked clear-headed, even bowing down and pressing his forehead to the ground before Tala could begin her incantation.
“Mother Goddess above.”
The fat man Balfour murmured.
“You will offer everything for the Mother Goddess, right?”
Tala continued to reinforce the impression in Balfour’s mind, making the brainwashing more thorough.
While this would utterly destroy Balfour’s spirit, it would temporarily turn him into a puppet who would obey every command.
Five days ago... was it about that attack?
It’s over...
Gudwin watched the grain merchant, now completely brainwashed, and quickened her efforts to cut the ropes.
Even if it meant death, she refused to become a pawn of the cultists.
All she needed was to free her hands...
“Now tell me, what connection do you have to the events of five days ago?”
Once the forced brainwashing took effect, Tala asked Balfour.
After a moment of silence, Balfour slowly replied, “I have no idea about the banquet attack, but the day before the banquet, I received a commission from the Grain Import and Export Association to deposit 10,000 Su pounds into an anonymous bank account.”
“Before the attack happened, I had just arranged to go out with Mrs. Zhang Berlun for a while. When I was about to return to the banquet, I witnessed the attack... I should have been on the attack list.”
Table of Contents
