Hurley blurted out, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to betray you."
Alice froze instantly, and Hurley looked at her nervously.
After a few awkward seconds, before Alice could say anything, Dorothy, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sat up, rubbing her neck.
Seeing this, Alice's expression was indescribable. "You didn't knock her out?"
"Maybe she's too fat to faint," Hurley's mouth twitched.
Dorothy, upon seeing Hurley, suddenly remembered something. Her eyes widened, and she was about to scream for help, but Alice snapped at her, "Shut up."
She instinctively covered her mouth, then realized why she was listening to them.
Alice stood in front of her, coldly threatening, "You better behave, or else..."She took out a knife from her pocket and gestured with it near Dorothy's neck.
Dorothy gulped in fear. "I'll do as you say. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."
"I'm asking you, where are your family's supplies kept?"Alice said
Dorothy hesitated to answer the question.
Hurley narrowed his dark eyes slightly, taking the knife from Alice's hand. "Seems like she's not willing to cooperate. Time to get more forceful."
"No, please don't hurt me," Dorothy pleaded, backing away, but due to her large size, she only struggled in place.
"I'm not a patient person, and don't even think about tricking me," Hurley sneered, indicating Alice to continue questioning.
Alice repeated the question.
Reluctantly, Dorothy muttered, "They're in the small building at the back.""What does your father do for a living? Is he part of the base personnel?"
"Yes."Dorothy said
"Where is your father's study?"
Dorothy began to suspect something. Her eyes widened. "You're not from r-country, are you? You must be spies sent by another country."
Alice smiled but remained silent, indirectly confirming it.
"You think you can deal with r-country? Dream on."Dorothy said
Hurley approached with the knife, his eyes filled with menace. "Are you sure you won't tell us?"
Dorothy hesitated. "...My father's study is at the end of the second floor."
Alice nodded satisfactorily. "What's the password to open the door?"She had already explored the second and third floors and noticed that each room had an electronic lock. Without the password, they couldn't enter, unless they broke in. However, given that the executives of the base lived nearby, engaging in conflict might not end well for them.
Dorothy gave six digits.
"It seems the miss still hasn't learned to be honest and wants to fool us," Alice taunted.
Dorothy froze. The password she gave was indeed random. But how did they find out? They hadn't even tried it.
Alice kindly explained, "I forgot to tell you, we've studied psychology. Just now, we could tell from your facial expressions and demeanor whether you were lying."
Dorothy was stunned by her professional demeanor and couldn't tell if Alice's words were true or false.
In reality, Alice was bluffing. She couldn't fully judge from those cues alone but guessed that Dorothy wouldn't be honest about the password. They had to press her a bit.
They didn't have time to waste here; they had to get back before nightfall.Ignatius was still waiting for them by the seaside. In the end, Dorothy was ultimately tricked into revealing the real password. Just as Alice was about to continue questioning her, they heard a knocking at the door from outside, and the voice of the female homeowner rang out, "Dorothy, could you open the door?"
Upon hearing her mother's voice, Dorothy's heart leaped with joy, and she immediately opened her mouth to shout. But before she could make a sound, Alice grabbed her by the throat, threatening her in a low voice, "Miss Dorothy, behave yourself, or I'll end you."
With deliberate force, Alice tightened her grip, leaving Dorothy trembling in fear, unable to make a sound except for a slight nod.
Outside the door, the female homeowner raised her voice, "Dorothy?"
"M-Mom, is something the matter? I'm not available right now," Dorothy forced herself to speak, her throat constricted due to the threat.
The homeowner didn't suspect anything, considering her daughter had just acquired a new "plaything."
"Alright, I won't disturb you. Just don't cause too much commotion," her footsteps faded away.
Dorothy felt a wave of despair wash over her; she had missed her chance to call for help.
Only then did Alice release her grip, asking a few more questions before binding her securely and gagging her with a towel.
"What... what are you planning to do? I've been honest with you," Dorothy panicked.
Ignoring her protests, they tied her up tightly and gagged her mouth, leaving her to glare at them with widened eyes.
Alice exchanged a glance with Hurley and said, "Let's go."
They opened the door and walked out, with Alice pausing at the top of the stairs to listen. Dorothy's parents were downstairs having dinner.Hurley said, "Let's split up. You go get the supplies, I'll go to the study."
Alice nodded and quickly left.She accurately located the warehouse but found it guarded by someone at the entrance. After a moment's thought, she retrieved two portions of fast food from her storage, laced with sleeping pills, and calmly approached.
The two guards were chatting, but they became alert as Alice approached. "No outsiders allowed in the warehouse."
Alice smiled warmly, "You've misunderstood. I'm here to deliver food. The madam is pleased today, and everyone gets a share."Her words didn't dispel their suspicions.
The man on the left scrutinized her, "I haven't seen you before."
"That's right, I just arrived yesterday," Alice smiled.
"Hand over the food," the guard demanded.
Alice handed it to them and left, not going far. Once she was sure they couldn't see her, she quietly doubled back to observe from a distance.
The guards were cautious and didn't touch the food she brought.
"I haven't seen that woman before. I should ask Edwina," the man on the left suggested.
The man on the right, eyeing the food containing pork trotters and chicken, couldn't resist his hunger. "I have an idea. I'll eat first, and if nothing happens, you can have some," he said eagerly, picking up one of the portions.
Watching him eat half a bowl, the other guard couldn't resist any longer. "How is it?"
"It's delicious! I haven't had such tasty food in a long time," the man exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the other portion. "If you don't want it, give it to me."
"No, this one's mine," the other guard insisted, not willing to share.Just when the guards who were previously suspicious saw their companion eat so much without any issue, one of them snatched the remaining food eagerly. From her hiding spot, Alice observed their actions with a slight smirk. Even if they hadn't eaten, she could have simply knocked them out roughly.
Ten minutes later, the two men wolfed down the food, and soon after, they started feeling drowsy, yawning incessantly.
"Being full makes you sleepy. I'll take a nap first. If someone comes, remember to wake me up," one of them said as he began to doze off.
The other man also felt drowsy, his eyelids drooping.
Before long, both of them were sleeping soundly like logs.
Emerging from the shadows, Alice approached the warehouse door. It too had an electronic lock, but she had obtained the password from Dorothy.
Entering the code, she successfully gained access. As she laid eyes on the vast stockpile of supplies, she sucked in a breath of cold air. This warehouse seemed only slightly smaller than the one in Base Y, but the difference was that this was a private warehouse, and these supplies belonged to individuals.