Mutants - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Quick Questions!
Five minutes later, the massive main force of the Red Eye Organization arrived in front of the base.
"Did it self-destruct?"
"Looks like it."
"Damn it, are those Mutants dead or did they escape?"
"We'll have to check. We need to be quick. Who knows when Tianxi will send people."
Chen Mo was the leader of his original team, but within the entire Red Eye Organization, he was just a minor boss. However, his intelligence was not low, and he was considered quite useful. He reminded the bald man in front of him.
This bald man had a cross-shaped scar on his head and wore heavy, wasteland-style metal armor. His face was ferocious. He glanced at Chen Mo, "I know, naturally. No need for your nonsense."
"Start searching!"
"Take anything of value! Capture anyone alive!"
Chen Mo seemed unfazed by the disdain from Waka, the son of the organization's founder. He just smiled faintly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
He had to smile simply because he couldn't afford to offend him.
This group of bizarrely dressed but vicious people avoided the blazing flames and began their search, braving the high temperatures.
This was the fate of desperados; they had a life-or-death desire to fight for wealth.
Because without money, they certainly couldn't survive. Only with money could they live on.
They quickly discovered some undamaged weapons and also found some medicinal herbs, but this wealth was far from enough to cover the energy consumed by this large-scale operation.
Waka was very dissatisfied with this and even blamed Chen Mo.
"Chen Mo, is this the value of the information you provided? Just some self-destructed, broken-down base?"
Even the other members found this accusation speechless.
Initially, after Chen Mo returned to the organization, he provided intelligence to the founder, suggesting that the latter quickly assemble a small, elite team for him to rush to the base and reap the benefits. However, Waka found out about this. In order to snatch the credit, he begged his father for this leadership opportunity. But to protect his own life, he wasted a significant amount of time assembling the current large-scale team.
And this was the result.
It was just a matter of a few minutes before the explosion.
Chen Mo didn't dare to offend Waka and could only lower his head and apologize: "It's my fault. I thought that since the informant I developed provided the base's location, we could find a chance to sneak in and plunder its wealth upon arrival. I didn't expect these corporations to be so vicious as to install a self-destruct device. It's clear this live broadcast was a conspiracy from the start. They never intended to let those frontline personnel leave alive."
"We still don't know what Tianxi will do next."
He skillfully shifted the focus of the conversation to the corporations, preventing Waka from escalating the issue and continuing to target him.
Sure enough, Waka cherished his life. Hearing this, he immediately felt a sense of fear and wanted to beat a retreat.
After all, the place had already self-destructed. The most valuable Mutants couldn't possibly still be here. Instead of risking a search here, it would be better to search the vicinity for any potentially injured Mutants to capture and study.
However, just as they were preparing to retreat, Chen Mo noticed bloodstains outside the pharmacy. Although they had dried up under the scorching heat, along with some medicinal pellets on the ground…
He quickly followed the trail to the cafeteria's water reservoir.
Due to the intense heat, the water here was already warm. In a little while, it would probably boil.
Some scattered medicinal herbs floated on the surface. Looking at the water… it was a bit red.
It was blood.
He narrowed his eyes and leaned down to look beneath the water's surface…
Suddenly!
He plunged his hand down and pulled.
He pulled out a person.
The person was already unconscious.
"Someone's here!"
"Found someone?!"
"Holy shit, it's a woman!"
The group of desperados shouted wildly. Waka also came over. Seeing a woman was nothing special; the base didn't lack women. But he was concerned about this woman's identity.
"Is she a Mutant?!"
Chen Mo yanked off the helmet of the person in his hand.
A pale face, soaking wet ink-black hair, looking so weak in her unconscious state that it seemed she might die any second, covered in burns.
To say she was a Mutant… was hard to tell.
Waka frowned, "This woman doesn't look like one of Tianxi's frontline personnel. She looks a bit familiar."
Chen Mo: "She doesn't. She's the environmental scientist from the ninth exploration team this time, that Sui Xin. The Sui Xin who was shot and killed by that Ye Chen in the pharmacy."
Waka: "She's not dead?!"
Chen Mo looked thoughtful, pointing at Sui Xin's wound, "The shot was off-target, she didn't die. But she was almost blown to bits. She was smart, though, running from the pharmacy to the reservoir to save her life… However, there seems to be a problem with the water in this pool."
The others looked closely and saw some Ironworms floating on the water's surface as well.
"I get it now."
Chen Mo sneered coldly, "Tianxi is truly ruthless. Although they set up a self-destruct, they also left a glimmer of hope for survival, luring some survivors to run towards the reservoir. The reason for building such a large pool, which the cafeteria would never use up on a normal day, seems to have been prepared for these survivors. The pool was probably filled with a large amount of anesthetic. Anyone who went in would fall unconscious."
"Once they're all unconscious, Tianxi's waiting capture team can just come over and grab them. Regardless of whether the Red Disaster has arrived or if they've truly mutated, these living survivors are definitely valuable."
Everyone present was shocked.
These damn capitalists truly had black hearts.
Waka's eyes darted around. He had his confidant grab Sui Xin, preparing to interrogate her for valuable intelligence himself. And if it was confirmed she was a Mutant, her value would be even greater. His father would surely reward him handsomely.
However, Waka's intentions were so obvious. Chen Mo didn't stop him outright, but said with a hint of worry: "But the abilities of these Mutants are ever-changing. You all saw it on the live broadcast; they're impossible to guard against. What if she's faking unconsciousness, or even if she is unconscious, she possesses some mysterious Mutant Ability? If she breaks free from our control when we have no idea about her true capabilities and attacks you, Young Master Waka, what then?"
Well… this wasn't just fear-mongering.
Right now, the general public's concept of Mutants was vague and fearful, because they had seen how powerful and unpredictable they were on the live broadcast.
That Dan Benxi who could fly was truly heaven-defying, openly challenging the corporations. Some thought he was too arrogant and would die sooner or later, but this person, relying on flight alone, left many powerful Adepts helpless. The flight teams could only search from high altitudes, completely unable to capture a flying person in low-altitude, dense areas.
Once he hid in a rainforest area, using his flight ability to shuttle rapidly through the low-altitude forest, he would truly reign supreme.
So… Waka was also afraid. He cherished his life too much. The instinct to preserve his life was far greater than the motivation to achieve merit—he was already the founder's son, he couldn't climb any higher. He just wanted his father's approval, praise, and more resources as rewards.
It was completely incomparable to his life.
So he gritted his teeth and decided to hand Sui Xin over to his confidant for guarding.
But this confidant was nervous. If anything went wrong, with Waka's temperament, he would surely kill him to take the blame. This was a common occurrence in the past. And if there was any credit to be had, Waka would take it all for himself, without mentioning him at all.
This was so damn frustrating.
But he couldn't refuse…
"How about this, I'll go with Ross. Consider it as me being a guard for you, Young Master Waka, to prevent this woman from escaping and ruining the results of your operation this time. When it comes to interrogation for intelligence, it still has to be done by you, Young Master Waka."
Chen Mo was one of the Red Eye founder's most valued subordinates. For him to condescend to be his subordinate and watch a person, Waka was very satisfied.
And so it was settled.
"Take this person back first. Don't linger, lest we get cornered by Tianxi's people and end up with nothing."
Given Chen Mo's recent submissiveness, Waka listened this time.
Their plan was for Waka and his group to leave with the person as soon as possible, while another group would remain to continue searching the vicinity for traces of other Mutants.
Even if there were only bodies, they had to be taken away.
There were definitely Mutant bodies, just various fragmented corpses, many of which were burned. They weren't sure which ones were Mutants, so for now, they could only retrieve some of the bodies of people like Huang Ye. Then they would head towards the excavation area to investigate.
Tianxi's flight team from M City had already flown into the ruins zone.
Swish, swish, swish, one fighter jet after another tore through the white clouds at high altitude.
And in the Deep Red desert sector, Jian Siye's group of five, who had escaped some distance from the escape pod, didn't dare to linger on the exposed surface for long, fearing discovery by the flight team that could arrive at any moment.
Jian Siye was highly intelligent and knowledgeable. She quickly led them to hide in a rift valley in the Gobi, climbing down through a crevice.
Down here were some wild, ferocious creatures of the wilderness like Sahr Hyenas, which was quite dangerous. But compared to the terror of Tianxi, they were more willing to face these dangers.
But they were also utterly exhausted.
Unlike Sui Xin, whose injuries were all healed the moment she woke up after mutating, they had been carrying their injuries all along. This long-distance trek had pushed them to their limits, and their bleeding hadn't even stopped.
"First, stop the bleeding, then get out of here quickly. Tianxi has many mechanical dogs skilled in tracking. They can sense thermal energy within a thousand-meter range, and they also have biologically mutated dogs that can track by the scent of blood…"
"For now, let's move from the rift valley towards some small tribes in the ruins zone and get some medical supplies first."
Jian Siye laid out the plan and also instructed the others on various precautions. A Li and the others had worked with her for so long, so they naturally obeyed. But… in the end, Jian Siye held back for a moment, then finally said: "A Li, when you released that poison gas to block that person earlier, it could actually lead to hidden dangers."
A Li was taken aback, then frowned and said: "That person's identity is unknown. Even if she lured away those Fungal-Insectoid Mutants, she might not be on our side. It's better to just kill her—after all, with the Prophet's Guidance, this kind of person who doesn't align with us might assassinate us the first chance she gets."
"Besides, she dealt with those Fungal-Insectoid Mutants not long after luring them out. Her combat power must be very strong, making her a huge threat to us. Trapping her inside and letting her die in the self-destruction is the best outcome, right?"
This line of thinking wasn't wrong.
But…
Jian Siye was helpless. She said: "Have you considered this: if she's trapped and dies inside, before she dies, wouldn't she leave behind our names and ability information for the company? Even if the company could find out sooner or later, while we're still on the run in this area, the company getting this information would greatly reduce the difficulty of searching for us. If she also noted the time we escaped, do you know how capable the analysts at the company are? They could use the time to map out several escape routes we might choose. For example, the plan I just made, they would accurately predict it and arrange for people to capture us. Secondly, the reason that person could deal with those Fungal-Insectoid Mutants was probably because she used explosive weapons. Didn't you hear the explosions later? But with the cold water flooding, the only places with weapons in the excavation area were Liu Yong's side and ours. But the base must have been flooded and frozen over, rendering many weapons useless, not to mention explosives. Where did she get them? It's highly likely she assembled them using energy strips and by dismantling some equipment. And there were obvious marks on her clothes proving she had direct contact with the Fungal-Insectoid Mutants. The bugs did indeed release corrosive liquid, but her skin was completely unharmed, which means she likely has auxiliary and survival-type Mutant Abilities. According to our current understanding, everyone's abilities are singular—offensive is offensive, auxiliary is auxiliary."
"If she has this type of ability and also knows how to assemble explosives, escaping with us would not only be no trouble, but could also help us get away."
At the time, Jian Siye hadn't even thought about determining the other person's identity. They were all Mutants, all in a similar situation. As long as their goals were aligned and there were no absolute conflicts of interest, they could have cooperated temporarily.
To narrow one's path from the very beginning is very foolish.
After hearing her words, A Li wanted to say something but ultimately didn't. Instead, Xu Wen sighed and said, "What's past is past. At least we escaped. Let's just consider killing her as risk avoidance."
Jian Siye hummed in agreement and didn't bring it up again, but a sense of worry lingered in her heart.
Actually, her real thought was: If you're truly hostile, you have to finish the job completely. Otherwise, don't turn against them. Forcing someone back and trapping them in the base… what if that person didn't die because they had a special survival ability? Such a troublesome character, if they didn't die and held a grudge, would be exceptionally troublesome.
That's why she felt A Li was reckless.
But since it had already happened, there was nothing more to say. The base had exploded, and the commotion was so huge, that person was probably dead.
After all, in the early stages of mutation, no matter how powerful a survival ability was, it would be very difficult to survive.
Unless…
Jian Siye sometimes hated her own meticulous thinking. She thought of a possibility—unless, given Tianxi's setup for this live broadcast, if they initiated the project to promote their potions and harvest leeks, then to hide the truth, it would be normal to silence everyone. But seeing the evolution speed of the Ironworms and that second type of bug that entered the body, it could be inferred that the company's medical department was also researching this area with all its might. And medicine had always been a major source of Tianxi's revenue. The medical department held great power and could influence the Think Tank and the board's decisions. So, if there was a demand from that side, the company might have reserved a way to keep people alive from the very beginning.
So, if that person survived…
Sui Xin woke up in a daze and saw a man who didn't look like a good person sharpening a needle.
It was Chen Mo.
The gray-haired punk with an eyeball dangling from his ear, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Sui Xin didn't speak, but he glanced at her and said slowly, "Little analyst, how did the anesthetic-laced water taste?"
Sui Xin showed a fearful expression, but due to her weakness, she also appeared a bit melancholic. In a soft, whispery voice, she said, "It tasted like medicine, quite disgusting."
Chen Mo: "Shooting yourself in the shoulder, did it hurt?"
He was sharpening the needle. In such a confined space, out of fear, she wouldn't dare to look at him, and his repetitive actions would be subconsciously observed by her. But once she looked at him sharpening the needle, her thoughts would become somewhat numb.
This was a form of psychological suggestion. When asked a sudden question, she would subconsciously reveal her true thoughts.
He saw this little analyst, whose face was paler than paper, react only after a moment's delay. There was no confusion or reflexive sharpness, only a pause before she said, "You suspect I'm faking it? Why?"
Actually, what Chen Mo was really waiting for was for her to mention the concept of "Mutant".
But she didn't.
If she had mentioned it, then…
Sui Xin sneered inwardly. She wouldn't mention it. Once she did, it would prove she had been in contact with other Mutants and knew about the concept of mutation.
But she didn't play dumb either.
Chen Mo: "Quite sharp. I thought you'd play dumb. When most people get caught, don't they play dumb to protect themselves? You, on the other hand… it's as if you already knew that I knew you were very smart."
He was testing her again to see if she knew about the live broadcast.
Sui Xin wasn't surprised that such a cunning person would appear among a group of uncultured brutes in these ruins zone organizations. After all, some of the desperados in there were people who couldn't make it in the society controlled by the corporations and the Federation and ended up in the ruins zone. Such people often needed to be more cunning to survive in this chaotic area and even gain status.
Sui Xin frowned, her fingers fidgeting. After a moment of silence, she said weakly, "Big brother, I think it was you who just called me an analyst. So, you must have investigated my identity and know everything about me. For someone who could pass the exam to become an analyst, if I were to play dumb, wouldn't I be more likely to get beaten?"
"I heard that…"
She seemed to hesitate.
Chen Mo didn't expect that he was the one who had revealed a flaw first, but it didn't matter. He asked with a smile, "Heard what?"
"I heard that the organizations in your ruins zone are mostly brutal, killing and beating people at the slightest provocation…"
Chen Mo: "Well, that rumor isn't wrong. It's true."
He successfully saw the little cabbage's face turn even paler, her lips trembling as she huddled in the corner of the vehicle, not daring to move.
"However, I never beat people."
"I only poke them."
He pressed the tip of the needle, still stained with dirty water from the whetstone, against the gunshot wound on Sui Xin's shoulder and said slowly, "Answer my question. Are you a Mutant?"
Honestly, Sui Xin was surprised he was so direct. Given this person's cunning, and the fact that he must have watched the live broadcast and knew she wasn't stupid, he wouldn't be so reckless as to be this blunt.
This kind of simple, crude, and casual interrogation method had already been used once.
To do it a second time… his goal was probably not to get the correct answer.
In that case, she could just deny it. He wouldn't dare kill her anyway. As for torturing her with a needle, it did have some threat.
The whetstone, constantly used to sharpen blood-stained weapons, must have some bacteria on it. If the substance on it, mixed with water, came into contact with the wound, the gunshot wound might become severely infected…
Sui Xin had just observed this person's posture in the vehicle. There wasn't even a bottle of water next to him, nor were there any other personnel protecting him. Assuming this group was interrogating her because they suspected she was a Mutant, they wouldn't let the team's leader face a potential Mutant alone.
Unless, he wasn't the leader, but was acting as a guard. That would mean his status in this team was temporarily not high, or at least he was being suppressed right now.
Then he wouldn't dare to make a move.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. A Mutant? Do you mean our operation failed, and Mutants appeared in the base?"
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes. He saw that as this person spoke, her body leaned back, as if terrified his needle would touch her… afraid, but also seemed very honest.
There was a commotion outside.
Soon, a man got into the vehicle.
Seeing Chen Mo still sharpening the needle, and the potential Mutant who had woken up with a pale face, he was a bit suspicious, but ultimately said nothing.
Sui Xin could see that this man was physically strong, his clothes were relatively intact and offered some protection, and his weapon loadout was decent. It seemed his status was also quite good. But he didn't seem very familiar with Chen Mo, as if he was avoiding too much contact…
Oh, Sui Xin had an epiphany.
This person was backed by someone who could suppress Chen Mo. He was currying favor with that person, who was at odds with Chen Mo. Therefore, he didn't dare to interact too much with Chen Mo, lest he be suspected of disloyalty by his backer.
So, the series of seemingly sharp questions this cunning Chen Mo had just asked her were actually off-point. He wasn't after any answers, but was rather giving her a heads-up.
"This bastard probably doesn't want me to give any valuable information to that important person who's suppressing him. So he deliberately disclosed key information like 'Mutant' to me, giving me time to prepare mentally. When that person fails to interrogate anything out of me, it'll be his turn, and he'll be the one to get the credit."
Thinking of this, Sui Xin knew what to do.
Part of the convoy returned to the lair first, carrying one living person, some corpses, and a considerable but not large amount of resources and wealth. Excluding the potential value of the living person, the rest was definitely not enough to cover the consumption of this large-scale operation.
But since Waka was leading the team, no one else in the Red Eye Organization would say much. Even passing through checkpoints was faster than usual.
In the sealed truck, Sui Xin had long heard the noise outside and felt the convoy stop.
She knew they had arrived at the Red Eye Organization's lair.
Having muddled along in Tianxi for so many years, from youth to adulthood, she had rarely gone out, like a little cabbage raised in a pen. It was impossible for her not to be afraid of such a vicious organization, so she didn't even have to pretend to show a genuine physical and emotional reaction.
Chen Mo could tell what was real and what was fake. He felt a little suspicious: To say this little cabbage is weak and incompetent, she's quite capable. She's smart and has professional skills. To say she's very capable, she gives off a real sense of being a good-for-nothing.
At least during the first ambush, when he grabbed her and was about to take her away, she didn't cause any trouble.
Quite contradictory.
Clang!
The truck door opened. The person in charge of security was fierce and hostile. He swept his gaze over the three people in the truck, being rather impolite to both the man and Chen Mo. "Get out, you two. Need to check if you're carrying any bugs."
"And you, woman."
The moment Sui Xin heard him mention the word "woman," her heart skipped a beat. She glanced at him, then meekly followed behind Chen Mo to get out of the truck.
Once out of the truck, the security gate here was naturally not as magnificent as the one at the B05 base. It used a large, natural Gobi rock formation as its lair. The walls were of varying heights, made of natural yellow Gobi stone. Because some of the guards on the walls were unhygienic and probably often urinated against them, the urine flowed down, making them look filthy over time.
The wall at the gate was about four meters deep. The gate was made of alloy metal, welded together from various metals—thick, messy, and opened and closed by huge mechanical cranes on either side. This method was technologically backward, traceable to the steam industrial era of the Middle Ages.
This showed the background of the organization. The four-meter-deep space behind the gate had also been converted into a security check area.
There were quite a few people.
Sui Xin was still wondering what method they used to check for Ironworms and other such infections. Unexpectedly, they used fresh blood.
"Make a cut. If there are bugs in the body, they will most likely rush out upon smelling the blood."
This method was a bit primitive. It was likely that after seeing the Ironworms on the live broadcast, these organizations became fearful but lacked the advanced methods of the corporations, so they came up with this method on the fly.
However, Sui Xin already had a gunshot wound, so she was spared a cut. All the returning people dipped their hands into the thick, fresh blood. The smell of blood was clearly something these people were used to; they could even chat and laugh. Although Sui Xin had killed quite a few people on her way here, she still pretended to be disgusted and uncomfortable. When her fair, slender hand landed in the basin, the man in charge of the gate, who had been sitting on a chair eating meat from the table, watched for a while. Then he passed the gnawed bone into a nearby cage, where a Sahr Hyena immediately devoured it.
He stroked his beard and stood up, walking over.
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes at the man's actions but said nothing, watching coldly as he stood beside Sui Xin, seemingly confirming if she had any problems.
Sui Xin was actually wondering if the Parasite King inside her was still there, whether it was coexisting with her, or had completely dissolved and disappeared. If it was coexisting, it should have flared up and tormented her within a certain period, but it had been more than 27 hours, right?
While she was distracted, nothing changed in the basin.
The entire convoy was safe. Logically, that should have been the end of it.
The bearded man suddenly said, "I hear these Mutants are unpredictable. Some can even swallow guns to hide them, and a body search won't find them. We have to strip them down and check them all over."
As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed the wrist of Sui Xin, who was pulling her hand out of the basin, and grinned. "Can't let this kind of danger into the base."
Well… in this kind of chaotic area, encountering something like this wasn't strange at all. Even in a city like M City, which was nominally under the jurisdiction of the corporations and the Federation's public security, there were plenty of incidents where women were treated as resources for pleasure.
If it was like that in M City, let alone in a den of desperado bandits.
But Sui Xin was still disgusted. She didn't struggle forcefully, just turned pale, seemingly afraid. This kind of timid, white-rabbit-like fear pleased these burly, brutish men who advocated for bloody competition for wealth.
Then, the little white rabbit's body flinched. She wanted to retreat but was pulled forward by the bearded man, as if he really intended to drag her to a place to deal with her privately. This terrified the little white rabbit. While using her shackled wrists to try and block his arm from approaching her chest, she tried her best to make her weak voice clear.
She said, "Wait, big brother, wait a moment. Listen to me for a few sentences."
"On the way here, I calculated that your convoy has a total of 13 modified trucks, with considerable fuel consumption. Factoring in the distance between the two places, plus the consumption of weapons and other items, and the personnel allowances that must be paid after the operation, your operation this time cost about 1.2 million LB. Not to mention other income for now, I should be the biggest prize. Of course, I dare not say I'm worth a million LB, but I've observed your base. Three of the metal plates used for the gate are in opposing combinations, which will cause a corrosive reaction over time. And the filth on the walls will produce bacteria over time. It's usually fine as long as you don't lick it, but every time there's a southeast wind, it blows in the fossilized fungal powder from the ruins zone's mining, which will cause some infectious diseases, similar to Huo's bacillus and Liumen enterobacteria. I think during every high-temperature period, many people here must die from diarrhea, or some people get skin ulcers, or they can't eat…"
Originally, many people didn't have the patience to listen to her. Really, in this era, with a large number of illiterates, especially these desperados who came from the bottom, few were willing to think too much. But when she mentioned the illnesses later, because even they were often troubled by such symptoms, they paid a bit more attention.
Sui Xin knew she had guessed correctly. She hurriedly continued before the bearded man could interrupt her: "And if I'm not mistaken, the soil layer under the city wall is different from the outer circle. It's probably been excavated and renovated, which means you've also built the water channels under the city wall. But because of poor excavation and construction techniques, there's no cement sealing. If it rains, the accumulated… stuff… under the city wall will seep into the soil, flow into the water channels, and reach your drinking water source. If you drink too much of it, you'll naturally…"
"I'm not saying all this to deliberately disgust you, nor to mock this place, but to make a point."
She pulled a hand out of the basin and stuck out her thumb. "First, I can help you modify your city defenses."
A second finger.
"Second, I know medicine."
A third finger.
"Third, if you want to interrogate any value out of me, you'd better first realize how much value I have in total. I've lived in Tianxi for eighteen years, working in the Analysis Department, which has the most intelligent people. My whole body is useless except for my brain, and my body is very fragile; it can't take much abuse. Besides, I was put into this bullshit mission this time because I refused to be sexually harassed by a high-level executive—I even rejected that high-level executive from Tianxi's headquarters, so how could I tolerate this kind of thing? If I don't want to talk, or if I'm determined to die, you can't stop me. Once I'm completely dead, not to mention that I'm the only survivor from the base and have some informational value, what do you think Tianxi's reaction will be when they find out later? In any case, your Red Eye will definitely come up empty-handed this time."
"1.2 million LB down the drain. Doesn't that hurt?"
"So, big brother, are you sure you want to stick to your previous decision?"
The bearded man's face was extremely ugly. His greasy hand holding her wrist was also in a dilemma. At this moment, Sui Xin turned her wooden face to look at a person walking over from not far away.
She held up a fourth finger.
"Fourth, I'm not saying these things to you, big brother, but to the founder who has the authority to dispose of me and the person in charge of this convoy—I thought that even in a corporation like Tianxi, the division of spoils of war could be clearly defined. I didn't expect that in a place like yours, where resource competition is fierce and status is more primitive, a subordinate would dare to intercept a superior's prize mid-way. This is disrespect for hierarchy, insubordination. Either he has no brain, or he's deliberately trying to stir up internal conflict. His intentions are malicious."
"In Tianxi, this kind of person would be beaten to death during the first round of interviews."
"It seems now, your Red Eye is more humane than Tianxi."
Well, even Chen Mo was stunned. The others looked at each other in dismay.
This little white rabbit knew how to throw shade.
And in the next second, the ugly-faced Waka looked at the bearded man, then at his prize, who was resisting in the face of danger with a pale face but bright eyes looking at him.
He gritted his teeth and drew his gun.
Bang!
The bearded man's head was blown off.
He fell to the ground instantly.
The blood and brain matter splattered on Chen Mo's shoes. He watched blankly, his usually cunning thoughts finally clearing up a bit.
He admitted that this little cabbage was even smarter than he had anticipated—physically weak, but very good at reading situations and using her words to survive.
Waka spat on the ground and roared, "You dog, don't think I don't know what wicked thoughts you were harboring. Even if it's just for breaking the base's rules, you had to be killed. As for whether Second Brother will blame me, I will report to Father."
As he spoke, a short-haired man in a black robe walked out from the corner at the end of the passage. His eyes were cold and harsh, like a hawk's. He was much better-looking than his younger brother, almost refined and handsome, with a pale, feminine softness. He spoke slowly, "Little brother Waka, you misunderstand. I just arrived and saw this person acting so recklessly. I wanted to stop him too, but I didn't expect…"
He looked at Sui Xin, standing in the shadows at the end of the passage, partially hidden, his voice like a venomous snake.
"Today's prize is so eloquent. It truly surprises me."
Since it concerned the power struggle between the two young masters, no one else dared to get involved. The disturbance was thus smoothed over.
Sui Xin, with shackles on her hands and feet, was dragged by Chen Mo and the man through the passage. As they passed by Sol, the second son of the Red Eye founder, Sui Xin sensed his cold gaze.
She lowered her head and silently hid behind Chen Mo, appearing to trust him more.
The two young masters immediately fixed their gazes on him.
Chen Mo's jaw tightened slightly.
Fortunately, although this Sol was sinister and had his man deliberately cause trouble for her in the passage to affect her mood for Waka's interrogation—thus increasing the difficulty of the interrogation so Waka would get nothing, which would naturally benefit the second son—
Very sinister.
However, he also understood the rules and wouldn't rashly step forward himself. So he just glanced at her and turned to leave.
Sui Xin was actually quite wary of this type of person. After all, she was a prisoner. After walking out of the inner ring of the passage, she saw a large mountain behind it. The mountain had many natural caves, connected by stone paths and wooden chain ladders. That was probably where the high-ranking members of the Red Eye Organization lived. The ground of the inner ring below had many wooden or earthen houses, as well as simple, dilapidated tents. Dirty water flowed everywhere, and some raggedly dressed people looked like refugees.
In some older novels, a protagonist might be captured and taken somewhere where they could see refugees from the base cooking over a fire.
The reality was that you couldn't see that, at least not here.
What she saw was these people dismembering corpses. A quick glance revealed the bodies of various wilderness creatures from the ruins zone—wolves, dogs, tigers, leopards, lions, or some small animals. Of course, there were also pale white human corpses.
The scene was brutal and bloody. As Sui Xin was led through the refugee area, facing the curious yet indifferent gazes of these refugees and the harsh living conditions, she heard Waka's words.
"You seem very arrogant, thinking you're smart, don't you? A self-righteous woman's fate is this."
He casually pointed to a corpse lying askew on a chopping board in a nearby sewage ditch. It was covered in wounds, a tragic sight, with many branding iron marks. The way the refugees were handling her was also extremely cruel.
"She used to be from a corporation too, but didn't she end up in such a lowly state?"
"But she was a combatant, definitely not as smart as you. Why don't you guess what her body will be used for."
Sui Xin glanced over and saw the female corpse's messy long hair soaking in the sewage. The coagulated blood on it was dissolved by the water, seeping out a red streak.
Her face was already blue and swollen beyond recognition, covered in wounds, and missing an eyeball.
Horrifying.
When a refugee snapped her neck, he quickly snatched and hid the pendant hanging around it.
"To feed the Sahr Hyenas?"
"Correct. Look over there."
Waka grabbed her head and turned it towards a cave behind the inner wall, sealed by an iron gate. Inside, a large number of Sahr Hyenas were drooling hungry, corrosive saliva, watching intently.
Clearly, this was a parade of threats, to show her the consequences of being a disobedient prisoner. Waka was using the organization's usual methods, employing authoritative intimidation on this newly acquired, precious prize.
Sui Xin fell silent, not saying a word.
Waka didn't care if she was scared or not. Anyway, as they walked past, Sui Xin suddenly asked, "Are these also people from our Tianxi Group?"
Behind them, Chen Mo's brow twitched slightly.
Waka: "What, you know them?"
Sui Xin: "As far as I know, before coming to the Deep Red Sector, I checked the Strategic Operations Department's arrangements for recent frontline combat teams. There weren't many people out in the field, especially female combatants. So, this isn't one of ours, right."
Waka frowned, "You're a woman too. Don't you feel anything seeing this? Just because she's not from Tianxi, but from Wuya Group, you don't care?"
The threat was wasted?
This little white rabbit looked weak, but seemed very hard to handle.
Sui Xin: "How could I not care…"
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "This world is so harsh. When faced with an apocalyptic crisis, we should have been one family, needing to unite to create a new future. What a pity…"
Waka found it awkward, and the other desperados rolled their eyes.
Why did that sound so familiar?
Too bad they were almost wiped out.
"You seem to have said that to your teammates too. Too bad they betrayed you. That Ye Chen even shot you. You still dare to talk about unity?"
Waka was vicious, sneering as he poked her shoulder wound with the edge of his knife.
The pain made her forehead break out in a cold sweat. She said weakly, "Mainly, I can't just tell an entire organization that the apocalypse is coming, so let's all give up, let's all kill each other for power. Wouldn't that disrupt morale? I've read many books, and they all say that whenever people form a group, they always use false righteousness to brainwash and win people over. After all, even bad people want to gain others' sincere trust, fair resource distribution, and a glorious future. I've never seen anyone recruit people by saying 'I don't care if you live or die, just work your ass off for me for nothing'…"
She made so much sense, and was clearly throwing shade.
Waka and the others: "…"
Chen Mo said with a blank face, "I didn't realize, Consultant Sui, that your way of thinking is quite different from how you acted in front of those teammates."
This person seemed to be hinting at something.
Sui Xin froze for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Who doesn't put on an act at work?"
"Don't you guys put on an act?"
"Then why is it that you clearly want to kill me, yet you don't make a move?"
Wanting to frantically beat your boss, colleagues, clients, and everyone in rival companies to death, but being completely unable to do so—isn't that what being a corporate slave is all about?
Everyone, including Chen Mo: "……"
They suddenly understood a little how the Ninth Exploration Squad had been left speechless by this woman on several occasions.
Sui Xin was led up the stone path. Looking down at the vast refugee area below, and further up, was a rickety wooden and iron chain bridge.
Chen Mo observed her physical reaction from behind and noticed she was gripping the iron chains tightly, swaying, and almost fell over several times.
Her physical fitness was extremely poor.
The Red Disaster swept through, and she didn't mutate?
Why was her physical fitness still so poor?
Waka noticed too, his expression turning a bit grim.
If she hadn't mutated, her value would be greatly diminished.
In the cell, as soon as Sui Xin sat down, she found that once the cell door closed, only a few guards and Waka were left. The guards were there to protect Waka, and Waka was preparing to interrogate her alone to get the most valuable information.
Along the way, he had realized that this weak-looking woman was very smart and difficult to deal with. To get anything out of her mouth, he might have to use some severe torture.
However, what made him hesitate was the speech she gave at the passage.
She had directly set her value and her escape route, making it difficult for him to be ruthless for a moment.
This was naturally Sui Xin's goal, but she still saw this burly, life-cherishing, and glory-seeking Young Master Waka go and get a red-hot branding iron.
He walked over.
"I know those words you said earlier were indeed for me to hear. It was nothing more than to make me not torture you. Maybe you really do have that value, but you know… this operation's cost was really too great. The matter of the Mutants has thrown the world into chaos. If my Red Eye Organization wants to get a piece of the pie, we must seize the initiative. So… if you think you can just hold out and not say anything…"
"That's right, I am a Mutant! What else do you want to know? Quick questions, I'll tell you everything I know. Just move that branding iron a little further away… I'm weak, one touch and I'll die. Ah, it's so hot, that temperature is too high, quick, take it away!"
"?"
Waka was stunned.
The others had just come in and hadn't even warmed their seats yet.
???
This was probably the fastest interrogation in the decades since the Red Eye Organization was founded.
She’s iconic 🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update translator 🤍
Delete