Capítulo 45: Chapter 45、Sir, I Am Not a Woman Who Kills Without Reason
"Ah…"
"Hmm?"
Yi Bai took off his headphones and looked out the window, a puzzled frown on his face.
Just now, he thought he heard a woman's scream—a horrifying, shrill sound, like something from a horror movie.
"Was that just my imagination?"
He scratched his chin, glancing at the computer screen. Deciding it was best to step away from the game, he logged out.
Though Jiang Xiaoci had assured him that she could handle the three women and that he could relax, Yi Bai still felt uneasy.
"I should go check things out. Even if nothing's happened yet, there's no telling when those three time bombs might go off."
He stood up, ready to head downstairs. He had a few more minutes of free time before he had to head out.
But as he reached the door, it suddenly swung open.
It was Jiang Xiaoci, gliding into the room like a breeze, instantly brightening the small space.
"Sir, are you going out?"
She brushed a lock of hair back and smiled gently. "Whatever you need, I'm happy to serve."
"Hm... I was just about to ask how things are going."
Yi Bai settled back onto the couch, waving her over. "Have you taken care of the three women? Did you manage to get anything useful out of them?"
Yi Bai had allowed the three women to stay because he didn't want to be caught off guard. Since they were already targeting the shelter, it was crucial to figure out their true intentions.
He trusted Jiang Xiaoci's abilities to handle this, and he felt confident letting her take the lead.
"Mm, mission accomplished."
Jiang Xiaoci gracefully took a seat beside him, her voice soft as she leaned in. "I spoke with them in detail. They've told me everything. They came here with bad intentions."
Yi Bai raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with surprise. "You got that out of them? You didn't hypnotize them, did you?"
He paused for a moment, then his face shifted in realization. "Wait a minute…"
He leaned closer, sniffing the air near her, frowning. "Is that... the smell of blood? What have you been doing?"
Jiang Xiaoci lowered her gaze, inspecting her hands as she spoke with a faint smile. "I had a little chat with them. I got some blood on me by accident."
"There's no perfume at home, so the smell's lingering for now."
Yi Bai's eyes widened as he processed the words. "What kind of conversation could leave blood behind?"
"Interrogation."
Yi Bai blinked, his voice sharp. "You tortured them?"
"Yes."
Jiang Xiaoci nodded calmly, her tone even. "I had to. It was the only way to get them to tell the truth."
"I don't have a lie detector, so I had to ensure the information was reliable."
Her matter-of-fact attitude was almost chilling, but Yi Bai didn't doubt her. He knew she was being honest.
Yi Bai exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "This... this really suits your profession, doesn't it?"
For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He could only imagine how painful the methods used would have been.
He had an instinctive sense that things had gone too far, but at the same time, he understood Jiang Xiaoci's reasoning. In a world like this, being ruthless to others was sometimes the only way to protect oneself.
"If it were me, I'd have to learn from you."
Yi Bai sighed deeply, but Jiang Xiaoci softly massaged his temples, her voice soothing. "Sir, there are some things you don't need to ask about. You only need to know the outcome."
"So, what's the outcome?" Yi Bai paused, then added, "Wait—those three women aren't dead, right?"
"One's still alive."
Jiang Xiaoci's voice was calm as she added, "But she probably won't make it through the night."
Yi Bai was stunned. "What? They're all going to die?"
He couldn't believe it. Just half an hour ago, he had seen those women, timidly pacing outside the wall. Now, two of them were dead.
He fell silent, a wave of discomfort settling over him.
He knew he had to learn to accept things like this in the apocalypse, but it still felt too sudden, too difficult to adjust to.
"Sir, if you're upset, I won't do this again next time."
"No, it's not that."
Yi Bai looked up at her, forcing a smile. "I just feel like... if we kill them, how do we flush out the real culprits? They must have someone behind them, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Jiang Xiaoci looked at him with a hint of surprise. She had expected him to scold her, but instead, Yi Bai didn't seem particularly upset.
At first glance, Yi Bai might appear like a man who was naturally cold-hearted. But Jiang Xiaoci could sense the rapid beating of his heart.
He was like her—hiding his true feelings, forcing himself to accept the chaotic rules of this new world.
"Based on what they told me, the three women no longer have any value alive. In fact, keeping them alive would just cause more problems."
Jiang Xiaoci gave a small sigh, her voice steady. "According to them, they were abducted by a group of thugs after leaving the subway station. The gang's hideout is about eight blocks away from us."
"The leader of the gang has a strange ability—he can control life and death from a distance and can also torture people's bodies."
"Because of this power, he has gathered many followers, and he uses his ability to capture isolated survivors, hoping to find the locations of safe zones by torturing them."
"They were forced into working as inside informants to contact the thugs, attempting to help them breach our shelter."
Jiang Xiaoci paused, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "According to their original plan, the thugs should have contacted them by nightfall."
"Well, it's already dark, and they haven't contacted them yet. So, they've outlived their usefulness."
Yi Bai furrowed his brow, then asked cautiously, "Could it be that the thugs were scared off by our defenses? Perhaps they've been holding off for now, and we still need those three women to track them down?"
"The thugs' location... I already have that information."
Jiang Xiaoci looked out the window at the darkening sky, her tone calm but serious. "Sir, Lin Yue and the others haven't returned yet. They're almost 20 minutes late."
Yi Bai's expression changed. "Xiaoci, what are you trying to say..."
"The thugs must have already arrived. They've likely run into Lin Yue and the others on their way back."
Jiang Xiaoci smiled slightly. "The thugs don't just have one strange ability. Many of the survivors in their group have similar powers. They're armed, too—about fifty of them."
Yi Bai frowned, now fully understanding. "A group that big... there's no way they'd be intimidated by our defenses."
He inhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the situation settle over him. "If we've already come face to face with them, then those three women are of no use anymore."
Jiang Xiaoci continued, her voice growing more serious. "Even if they were forced to act as informants, I can't be sure that the leader's ability won't allow them to lash out when the time comes. If our shelter is about to face an assault, we can't afford to leave any internal threats unchecked."
Yi Bai's eyes flickered. He knew she was right, but it was still hard to come to terms with the decision.
"I have to admit, Xiaoci... you're doing everything you can to protect the shelter."
Jiang Xiaoci nodded, her eyes calm but resolute. "I'm not a woman who kills without reason, sir."
Yi Bai smiled faintly, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "I believe you."
He gently pulled her closer, his voice more serious now. "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to uncover the truth about those women so quickly. If my hesitation had delayed things, it could have compromised the safety of the shelter."
"You made the right choice. You didn't do anything wrong."
He had no reason to blame her.
Jiang Xiaoci's loyalty was unquestionable, her actions speaking louder than words. She had taken on the dirty work so Yi Bai didn't have to make the cruel decisions himself.
"Still, this apocalypse really is..."
Yi Bai shook his head, letting out a dry laugh. "Here I am, sitting at home, and I end up running into a group of thugs at my doorstep."
"Sir, you don't seem worried that Lin Yue and the others might lose in a fight."
"Not at all. Even if they can't win, they'll just fall back and regroup."
Yi Bai waved the remote in his hand, his smile turning mischievous. "We've got plenty of machine guns."
Before he could finish, a voice echoed from the hallway.
"Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang!"
"Miss Lin Yue is back!"
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