oni tsubo

Capítulo 15

The eldest brother said indifferently, "Why don't you ask Zhu Qian?"

Ding Da turned around. "No... Dong... I didn't... I didn't..." Zhu Qian cried out pitifully, her face full of pleading. "Ding, you can't trust others, but you can't not trust me, right? Ding! Ding!" Her cries grew more and more heartbreaking as she called out "Dong" while unconsciously retreating in fear.

She collapsed to the ground, her only attempt to retreat was to push off the ground with her feet and shrink backward. In the chaos, one of her shoes was suddenly kicked off.

—That unfamiliar shoe; the one Tong Rong brought down from the entrance to the Yellow Springs, whose owner no one knew, but which Zhu Qian had mistakenly claimed.

In that instant, light suddenly appeared.

Purple light.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [43]: *** *** ***

[A brilliant purple light shone forth.]

[Purple light surged from every corner, filling every inch of space.][The purple light enveloped everyone.][Those under the purple light changed. They became terrifying.][Everyone was reduced to a mere image.][Everyone was so close, yet so far.][Everyone became inhuman.][But no one noticed, perceived, or felt: the abnormality!]** ** **This was also the time when Wang Jia and Wang Mu were discussing "trends."

** ** **

Everything has become chaotic.

[In the purple light, the leader disappeared. The one in charge became Xiao Chan.][Xiao Chan grabbed Zhu Qian and lifted her very high, as if she were in the clouds.][But even at that height, she was still only in front of Xiao Chan.][Xiao Chan grinned.][“I want you,”][he said.][“I want to rape you. Then kill you. I want to rape every one of you. Then kill every one of you. Unless…” He revealed a sinister smile. “Unless, one of you is willing to die for another person—to die for love!” Then he threw Zhu Qian away. “But there is one more…” He clapped his hands lightly, “Compared to doing it, what I prefer is…” but he didn’t finish, only staring at each person.][The purple light intensified.][Du Liu drew his sword, brandishing it, but his legs trembled; the three swordsmen looked at each other in terror; the group of five women huddled together in embrace.][Zhu Qian looked at this one, then at that one, and finally stood up, no longer showing any fear.] "Is this what you wanted?" she sneered, utterly disdainful. "—Or is this the common thought of every man like you?" Suddenly, she glared at Huang Zilan, Wei Yiyi, and An Yingying, and said sharply, "Huang Zilan, you've already undressed and thrown yourself into their arms before anyone even made a move, haven't you? Wei Yiyi, what's the point of caring about your pretty face? Everyone knows your background. An Yingying, what do you know besides fear? Once is never enough; what's the difference between being defiled by this kind of person and being defiled by a dog?" Suddenly, she revealed a beautiful smile, her voice filled with tenderness. "Let me tell you: Wu Xiaohui is incredibly intelligent and understanding; I'm sure she won't resist! As for Leng Momo, as long as you stay hidden and don't get seen, and there happen to be her companions nearby, you can do whatever you want with her! Yu Bing will definitely scratch and bite relentlessly, but once you succeed, she'll swear to be your slave! You must take several of Yang Yang's with you until she's unrecognizable, then she won't dare to do anything against her will. You must keep a close eye on Guan Wen, otherwise she might commit suicide out of shame and indignation. As for Zhou Lingli, she won't care even if you take all of her! But you must take other people's lives to..." He threatened her and could spout a bunch of grand principles. As for me, whoever comes first—whoever comes first dies! Try it if you don't believe me! Her smile suddenly filled with disdain as she muttered: "In this godforsaken place, every extra moment lived is an extra humiliation, an extra sin! Du Liu, who are you trying to scare with your empty posture? Why are your legs trembling? Zhang Dawei, Yan Kaixin, Li Jun, where has your swordsmanship gone? A Ding, besides watching Tong Rong die before believing you've found true love and losing eternal love before becoming strong and cruel, what else can you do?" "—You, besides watching all those you've loved die, what else can you do?!" The purple light intensified. A Ding looked up. "Zhu Qian. You see through people too much. Most of the time, seeing through someone isn't a problem. What's scary is your terrifying personality—you won't let anyone else have what you can't have, you won't let anyone else have a good life if you can't have one yourself! You've shattered everyone's remaining alliance! You've pushed people towards the abyss of death!" [The purple light intensified.] [Xiao Chan leisurely interjected. "...What I like even more is: look! [Zhu Qian! If I had to choose, I'd choose you first!] A Ding grinned wickedly. [Zhu Qian sneered, "Yes. You think I don't know that I'm the first person you're interested in?!"] ["Then why don't you lower your noble head a little and give me a kiss?"] ["Yes. You think I don't know you've wanted my kiss for a long time?"] "In the purple light, Zhu Qian smiled faintly, one hand covering her neck, then suddenly strained and slumped down. [A Ding whispered, "Promise me. Otherwise—I can't kill."] [Zhu Qian smiled. "Promise you? —Too late..." She collapsed to the ground with a thud.] [Blood splattered, just like the brilliant purple light.] [The purple light was brilliant.] [Xiao Chan grinned maliciously. "Oh? And who's willing to die for whom?"] [Xu Fangfang clenched her fist and shouted, "Classmates! Colleagues! Why don't we cheer up!"] [The group of five looked at the Three Musketeers.] [Zhang Dawei smiled bitterly.] ["Don't look at me...don't!"] ["—When I was very, very young, my parents told me not to fight! Fighting is not good for children! After starting school, the teachers repeatedly warned us that good children never fight! And I, I've always been a good child! I've always only talked the talk! Tell the teacher!"] [He smiled bitterly, almost kneeling and begging.] ["Every one of us is!"] When you grow up, you have to give up physical education and moral education for good grades! As long as you do well in your studies, you are a good student! We are constantly being taught to fight against bad people and bad deeds! We feel ashamed whenever we hear the term "sick man of East Asia"! Li Jun laughed even more bitterly, "--but the only thing we can do now, the only thing we know, is to rely on the government! Report to the government! 盷---Queqiaoxian replied [44]: [Yan Kaixin laughed until tears flowed. ]["Now, we can only report to Xu Fangfang! Report to Du Liu! Report to Chen Xing! 颐怯龅交等嘶凳铝耍?

what to do?!"]

[The three people knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.]

["—Please, government, uphold justice! We've always been good kids, we never fight! We're powerless! ["No...please don't look at us like that, don't think we're powerless! We're weak!"] ["That's all we can do!"] [The purple light suddenly disappeared.]** ** **All illusions have vanished.]

*** *** ***

There is no purple light.

—Only blood and green light.

II. A Cold Heart

Blood spurted out.

Blood shot out from Zhu Qian's neck.

As she retreated, a small iron hook suddenly appeared in her hand. The hook's tip was sharp. She used this iron hook to slash her own neck.

That was a swan-like jade neck.

She wanted to die.

But death is the only hardship of all ages, and she seemed terrified of pain; so after the hook pierced her neck and slightly broke the skin, her hand suddenly trembled without any strength. The hook was pulled out, and a trail of blood followed. Her hook fell to the ground with a "clang!"

—She won't die. She can't die.

The flash of blood was fleeting, and then no more blood splattered.

She fell into a coma.

(The wound on his neck healed miraculously and quickly.) No one gasped. Yet, this action clearly shocked everyone. The most shocked was Ding Dada. He froze, his usually steady arm trembled, and his unwavering figure swayed. A hint of pain suddenly flickered in his eyes.

“That’s right. I am A-Ding. It seems that I am destined to only be A-Ding,” he murmured to himself, suddenly overcome with sorrow.

"At least, for now, I am still Adin!"

*** *** ***

This is a strange statement. No one can understand it.

However, the eldest brother breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that what he feared most was Ding Dada, not A Ding; however, Du Liu also breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that he was also afraid that A Ding would become Ding Dada.

Although, the two seem to be no different.

Du Liu drew his sword for the third time.

A knife stood between his brows.

The assassin gripped his knife.

—It's like holding a Japanese samurai sword.

The blade flashed coldly.

His gaze was even colder.

But that didn't scare the boss. He simply closed his eyes, looking utterly dejected and bored, and asked, "Who wants to meet him?"

"Xiao Dao and Er Gou said in unison, "I'll do it!" But the eldest brother seemed even more bored. "Not you guys..." he said weakly, and then suddenly opened his eyes.

A sharp glint suddenly shot out from his eyes.

If Du Liu's gaze is like ice, then the leader's gaze is undoubtedly like a knife. Ice can only chill, but a knife can wound.

He then swept his sharp, knife-like gaze across everyone opposite him, his eyes sweeping over Zhang Dawei, Li Jun, Yan Kaixin, and Chen Xing. Those whose eyes he swept over immediately felt a terrifying sensation as if they had been "slashed" by a knife.

The knife finally landed on Chen Xing's face.

Chen Xing immediately forced a fawning smile, walked past the crowd, past Xu Fangfang, around Du Liu, and past A Ding, and stopped only when he reached the center of the large, concave disc in the very center.

“Boss. My name is Chen Xing.” He smiled obsequiously, but then gave an awkward laugh. “—He has a knife, I… I can’t beat him…” This sentence immediately elicited different reactions.

Xu Fangfang was both angry and shocked; Du Liu was surprised; A Ding sneered; everyone else was taken aback.

No one expected that at this moment, Chen Xing would betray them as promised!

*** *** ***

"Chen Xing! What are you doing?!"

Only now did she finally believe what Wu Xiaohui had said. Only after seeing and hearing it with her own eyes and ears did she finally become convinced: Chen Xing had betrayed them!

(In this desperate situation, Chen Xing, as the team leader, finally abandoned everything, determined, resolved, and committed to betraying—and had already betrayed!) She simply couldn't believe it was real. She found it hard to accept this ironclad fact and the coldness of human nature—although, ever since she learned that Wei Yiyi had been raped by Chen Xing, she had decided that once they left, she would immediately hand Chen Xing over to the police for trial; preferably, sentence him to ten or eight years in prison or life imprisonment or something—she still couldn't accept that at this moment, Chen Xing had actually betrayed everyone first!

Why doesn't he consider making amends for his mistakes?

—Didn't he try his best too?

—Does he really no longer care about the future?

—This is a critical juncture! It's a time when a person is truly put to the test!

Her name is...

She was going to make one last effort.

She shouted.

But it didn't work.

It's completely useless.

Chen Xing laughed. He slowly turned around with a sinister grin, looking at Xu Fangfang. "Go back?" he asked coldly, his face grim. "—Go back for what?"

"Chen Xing! [The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.]"

"Can I go back? What could I do if I went back?" Chen Xing asked slowly, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Now you've thought of me? Now you want me to go back? Go back? Fine, I'll go back! [The rest of the text is nonsensical and appears to be gibberish.]"

"Shameless!" "Rogue!" "Traitor!" "Scum!" "Dog!"

A chorus of shouts and curses erupted. Amidst the shouts and curses, Zhou Lingli opened her mouth, but remained silent; the three swordsmen remained silent, Du Liu's sword stance unchanged, as still as an immovable king, and A Ding as calm as an ancient rock. Xu Fangfang issued another command: "Lanlan, Yiyi, Yingying!"

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [45]: It's no use either.

It's still no use. Absolutely no use.

Huang Zilan shook her head with a bitter smile. Wei Yiyi lowered her head and remained silent. An Yingying took half a step, then timidly glanced at Xiaodao and shrank back. Xu Fangfang was furious. She stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Du Liu, "Lanlan, Yiyi, Yingying! Come back! No one dares to stop you! What can you gain by being with them? —Don't you think about the future? What will you do in the future?!"

"Wow! I'm so scared!" Er Gou yelled.

Xiao Dao smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. You can go back. We won't stop you. Of course,... there's only a tiny bit of water. You can share it among the three of you, or you can share it with a dozen or so of them. It's up to you."

Upon hearing the word "water," the three musketeers' eyes suddenly lit up, while the group of five women widened their previously lifeless eyes.

The eldest brother frowned and said, "Ding Da, if you don't bring Tong Rong here soon, she will die from blood loss."

"Send it over?" Adin said coldly. "You want me to believe you?!"

The leader shook his head. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you... Originally, I intended to take you all with me. You see, we are tomb raiders; we can come in and we can leave. The reason is that we received food and water from you, temporarily escaping our predicament. We must repay you. Unfortunately, Zhu Qian killed Little Fatty. And this place is considered extremely unlucky; once someone is killed, all sorts of terrible things will inevitably happen. In that case, even we ourselves will find it difficult to get out."

There is only one way to resolve this: the murderer—die!

A-Ding didn't hear these words. His entire mind was already in turmoil and filled with hesitation because of the boss's words, "Whether you believe them or not is up to you." He fell into deep thought. (Should he believe them? Should he believe this "boss"?) (If he doesn't believe them, Rong will die; if he does believe them, why would the boss save Rong?) (Why should he believe them? If it weren't for them, how could Rong have suffered such beatings and torture?) (Who exactly stabbed Rong? Was it Zhu Qian?) (No. How could it be her...) A-Ding was deep in thought. An Yingying suddenly knelt down in front of Xiao Dao, "Please, don't kill! Take us out of here!" Wei Yiyi remained silent, and no one knew what she was thinking. Huang Zilan looked at the boss with a bitter smile, "Boss."

We are all trapped, so why kill each other? You are unwilling to waste your time. But when we fight back together, won't you also suffer casualties? Although we are the weak, the weak still have weapons to fight the strong.

"Oh?" the leader sneered. "The weapons of the weak against the strong? — What can the weak do against the strong, besides filling their bellies with righteous indignation and inferiority, building up a bellyful of complaints and despicable thoughts? What weapons do they have? This world will always be the world of the strong. The weak can only tolerate, retreat, and obey the strong! In front of the strong, the weak have no weapons!" His expression suddenly turned cold. "Did I give you permission to speak freely?"

Huang Zilan stopped speaking in fright, her heart pounding.

Her husband, Lei Zhenyu, was also the kind of person who could change his mind in an instant. One moment he might be all smiles, and the next he might be ready to attack or kill. Although she was never afraid of her husband, that was because of an element of "love." She knew that her husband still loved her deeply, but deep down, if it weren't for fear, would she have really married Lei Zhenyu in the first place?

In such a place, in such a helpless place where she has to rely on others for everything, how could she not be afraid when she encountered someone even more terrifying than her husband, and who was utterly heartless?

A Ding remained hesitant and indecisive, unsure of his own course of action; Chen Xing had become someone who would give up everything for himself; Du Liu remained as clever as ever, only acting when absolutely necessary due to changing circumstances. With none of the three reliable figures to depend on, and the rest being a group of selfish, petty-minded individuals who only knew how to fight amongst themselves and blame others, would she dare to speak out easily? Would she risk offending the boss for the sake of unworthy people?

At this moment, Huang Zilan finally decided: Be careful!

First and foremost, you must carefully protect yourself; only then should you think about everyone else!

The eldest sister turned to look at Xu Fangfang, at this foolish woman who couldn't see the current situation and always thought she was the leader, that others would listen to her. Perhaps, in real life, her ridiculous integrity or her laughable theatrical demeanor would give her the prerequisites to become a leader?

“Stepping out of the crowd means wanting to be valued,” the leader said calmly. “Alright. Since you’re the leader, you must have something to say. Please—” “She’s not! I am!” Du Liu shouted, glaring at Xu Fangfang, “Get back in your place!”

Xu Fangfang quietly shook her head. "Du Liu, step back first. Let me talk to them." She smiled gently, her expression full of tenderness. "Step back. Let's talk first."

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [46]: Du Liu stood there blankly, finally sheathing his knife and taking a step back.

So the two sides began to "talk".

The leader, his face grim, said: "Talk? I only want to kill."

Xu Fangfang smiled: "It's fate that we've met. Why become enemies when we can be friends? Even between two warring countries, there's always courtesy before force. Reason must always be given. Right?"

The eldest brother's expression softened slightly: "That makes sense. But we're not at war between two countries; we're killing for survival. Fortunately, I'm a member of the 'gentleman's school. A gentleman kills with courtesy first, then with force. I can hear your opinion."

Xu Fangfang smiled: "My opinion is—it won't be long before someone comes looking for us, and they'll find us easily. Even if you kill us all then, can you guarantee the matter won't be exposed? After all, there are still laws in the world, and everyone is protected and constrained by the law. The world is vast, and it's also very small. You're definitely not the kind of person who only cares about immediate gains and doesn't consider the future. Why can't we resolve things through discussion? Why must we make a big fuss?"