Ch. 1561..1570
Chapter 1561: 1560 Brave Girl
Mia thought Tan Rou was about to stab her with the scalpel and immediately screamed, “Ah! Don’t!”
Tan Rou smiled and said, “I thought you weren’t afraid?”
Mia gasped for air, “You, you’re too much!”
Tan Rou asked, “How do you feel now? Still sleepy?”
Mia was feeling very alert now, but she indeed had been a bit drowsy just before. If Tan Rou hadn’t scared her with the scalpel, she probably would have fallen asleep soon.
“Thank you,” Mia regained her composure, “I’m feeling much better now.”
Tan Rou said, “You’d better not sleep now because we’ll be leaving at dawn. If you’re still sleeping by then, I won’t take you with me, and you can stay here to keep Mrs. Hai Wei company.”
Mia definitely didn’t want to stay here with that strange woman, “Then hurry up and get started!”
Tan Rou didn’t waste any more words, she started to remove the bullet from Mia. The bullet had been inside Mia for a while now and it had become inflamed due to the hot weather, so she needed to treat that area properly.
Ina brought a small stool over and sat beside Mia, then started chatting with her.
With only her leg anaesthetized, Mia’s upper body could still move. Since she hadn’t fallen asleep, she began to chat with the girl.
“Your name is Ina, right?” Mia asked, “How old are you this year? And where are your parents?”
She felt Ina’s parents were somewhat irresponsible. How could they let a girl of her age wander outside alone? The outside world was so dangerous. If anything happened to Ina, they would probably not even have time to cry.
Ina shook her head and said, “Ina doesn’t know how old she is, nor where her parents are. They seem to have died, Uncle Gand said that from now on I have no parents, only Uncle Gand.”
“Ah!” Mia hadn’t expected this outcome, “Then why does Uncle Gand let you go out at night? The night is very dangerous, you should not come out again in the future.”
“Ina isn’t afraid of coming out at night at all,” Ina said very happily, “I like to come out at night. When I come out at night, there are many people who play with me. They carry guns and some have sticks, but none of them are as fast as me, and their shooting isn’t accurate. They haven’t hit me once.”
“Ah?” Mia was surprised again, “Are you saying you come out at night to play with the patrolling soldiers?”
“Yeah,” Ina said with a grin, “Those patrol soldier uncles are so much fun, they’re so dumb and stupid. They don’t know where to make a fuss, and they never find me. I just hide in the alley, and then they can’t find me.”
“Uh… uh…” Mia didn’t know what to say.
“Big sister, did you come out to play with the patrol soldier uncles too?” Before Mia could answer, Ina continued, “If you’re out to play, you must bring new toys, or it can be very dangerous. Do you have a toy?”
“Ah?” Mia felt all she could say was “Ah.”
“Like this toy,” Ina took out a gun from the small bag she carried, “Uncle Gand said this toy can protect Ina. If Ina encounters an opponent she can’t deal with, just shoot them~”
“Uh!” Mia gasped in shock. She never would have thought this seemingly innocent little girl would have a gun in her bag, a real gun, definitely not a toy gun.
While performing the surgery, Tan Rou heard their conversation and glanced up. When she saw the gun in Ina’s hand, she suddenly didn’t feel shocked at all, as if it was a completely normal thing. Even if Ina pulled out a rocket launcher from her bag, she wouldn’t be surprised.
“This little girl is no ordinary child,” Tan Rou said, bending her head down again, “I’d advise you not to chat with her about these things, in case the two of you don’t enjoy it, and she decides to give you a bullet as a present.”
It took a while before Mia understood, then she asked, “Who exactly is this little girl?”
Tan Rou said, “An orphan with no parents, didn’t she just tell you?”
Mia said, “Do you think I’m a fool?”
Chapter 1562: 1561 Border Riot
“I don’t know the details, but I heard that this little girl’s parents died in a border skirmish. Nearly everyone there was killed, yet she miraculously survived,” Tan Rou said, “Perhaps it’s because she’s so resilient.”
“A border skirmish?” Mia recalled, “Could it be the 1212 Uprising?”
“I don’t know which skirmish it was,” Tan Rou replied, “This is what others told me. It might be the one you mentioned, the 1212 Uprising. I heard many people died, whether it was over territory or water sources, I forget.”
“No!” Mia’s expression suddenly turned serious, “If it really was the 1212 Uprising, then it wasn’t about fighting for land or water.”
“Then what else could they be fighting over?” Tan Rou asked casually, “Surely not for mineral resources? But then again, haven’t people bled over oil? Many have gotten rich from it, and just as many have lost their homes.”
“The area where the 1212 Uprising occurred doesn’t have rich mineral resources. It only had a dense population and law that never reached there.”
Mia said, “That region was unclaimed land, no one cared about the deaths there because it was so impoverished. No ruler of any country would want to claim such a poor place as their territory, so in that destitute place, everyone had to fend for themselves.”
Tan Rou couldn’t quite grasp why Mia was saying these things. Was she mourning those who had died? But she seemed alright herself.
Mia continued, “It was probably five years ago when a mysterious group suddenly appeared there. No one knew where they came from or what they wanted, they just appeared out of suddenly.”
“Their arrival disrupted the already unstable peace in that impoverished area. From that day on, chaos reigned over the land. In the end, a vast uprising took place, and everyone died in that strife, no one survived.”
She turned her head to look at Ina and then said, “Perhaps you are lucky, having survived that turmoil.”
Ina showed no extra reaction, as if she was listening to someone else’s story.
“Do you know?” Mia said with deep sorrow, “That was not a mere skirmish, but a premeditated genocide. That impoverished area had long ago become someone else’s testing ground. Villains conducted experiments there, not on lab mice but on living people desperate to survive.”
“Is Sister telling a story?” Ina spoke up, “Ina loves stories the most.”
Mia said, “It’s not a story, but a fact that happened.”
Ina didn’t understand the difference between reality and stories, but she still showed the utmost respect for the storyteller, “Oh, I understand now.”
“How do you know it was a massacre?” Tan Rou asked.
“After the uprising occurred there, my father sent people to investigate. According to the reports, the way people died was very gruesome, as if they had fought each other to death in a frenzy,” Mia explained, “And there were no signs of human evacuation; it seemed everyone fought until the very last moment.”
“Didn’t you report these findings to the King?” Tan Rou felt such a significant event should have been dealt with by the King.
“Indeed, my father reported it to His Majesty the King, but His Majesty didn’t send anyone to deal with it. He felt that since everyone there was already dead, it wasn’t worth the effort to intervene anymore.”
Mia said, “Moreover, the area was disputed, not completely under our country’s jurisdiction. To properly address the matter, negotiations with other countries would have been necessary, so in the end, all countries left that area unattended.”
Tan Rou said, “Wouldn’t the bodies decompose and stink?” Even though it was winter, bodies would eventually rot and smell.
“There were no bodies left,” Mia said gravely, “One windy evening, a great fire swept through that area. All the bodies turned to ashes in the blaze. Now, it’s nothing but scorched earth.”
Chapter 1563: 1562 interesting stories
Tan Rou didn’t ask any further questions. If that area were still there, she might have gone to investigate it, but it had all become scorched earth. It was impossible to find anything there. How could a place where everyone had died catch such a massive fire? Could it really have been an act of God?
With a “clang,” the bullet that had been lodged in Mia’s calf was finally extracted. Thankfully, it was a bullet that had gone in straight, otherwise, Mia might not have been able to save her leg.
After the wound was treated, it was already two in the morning. Tan Rou felt a little tired. Once she had put away the tools, she went to rest nearby.
“I’ll sleep for a while. Wake me up at 5:30 in the morning,” Tan Rou said.
Mia was feeling somewhat drowsy at first, but now she was quite alert. In an unfamiliar environment, she didn’t dare to fall asleep easily. “Okay, I’ll wake you up tomorrow morning,” she replied.
Tan Rou fell asleep quickly; as soon as she lay down on the adjacent bed, she was asleep.
Ina didn’t go to sleep. Surprisingly, she sat there and chatted with Mia. “Big sister, what is death?” she asked.
Mia was startled. She had just been a bit out of control emotionally and shouldn’t have talked about these things in front of a child, but the thought of that incident troubled her so much that she had to speak out.
Facing Ina’s question, Mia could only say, “Death is like going from one place to another, except they can never come back. They become stars in the sky and watch over us from up there.”
Ina asked, “Then are my mom and dad watching over me from the sky too?”
Gently stroking Ina’s head, Mia replied, “Yes, Ina’s mom and dad are surely watching over Ina from the sky. They hope Ina grows up healthy and has a happy family.”
After a moment of silence, Ina said, “Big sister, the story you just told is so interesting. Can you tell it to Ina again?”
Mia was surprised. This little girl was truly different from others. While most would feel frightened or heartbroken upon hearing such a bloody and cruel tale, this girl found the story interesting. It was very strange.
“Ina, that’s not an interesting story,” Mia said with great sadness. “It was a heart-wrenching massacre. Some bad people killed a bunch of innocent people for their own gain, but those bad people have not been punished yet.”
“Then let Ina punish them!” Ina said with a squinting smile. “There are guns here. Ina will use this gun to punish them~”
Seeing the gun made Mia feel as if the blood in her veins had frozen. “Be careful, please don’t shoot me,” she said.
Seeing Mia’s fear, Ina put the gun back into her bag and asked, “Big sister, do you have a mom and dad? Where do they live?”
“My mom and dad live at my home,” Mia said, feeling pained at the thought of her parents. “They would be so heartbroken if they knew I was hurt.”
“Ina wants a mom and dad too,” Ina said, revealing a sad expression for the first time. “But Ina doesn’t have a mom and dad anymore. My mom and dad were fighting. Their eyes were all red, like big white rabbits. Then they held sharp knives. Dad killed mom, and mom killed dad. They were both crying, and Ina was crying too…”
Mia guessed that this was what Ina had witnessed during the riots. “What else did you see?” she asked.
“Ina also saw the sun,” Ina pointed towards the sky, “a golden sun, a very big sun!”
Mia mumbled to herself, “Then, it must have been because the sun came out after dawn.”
“Big sister, are you tired?” Ina asked with caring concern. “If you are, you can rest for a bit. I’ll wake you up tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you,” Mia replied, then said, “I’m not sleepy, but if you’re tired, you should go to sleep.”
Ina yawned and then said, “Then I’m going to sleep. Big sister, good night!”
“Good night, Ina,” Mia said with a smile.
Ina lay down to sleep and just before she drifted off, she suddenly told Mia, “Big sister, you’re a good person. Ina likes good people!”
Chapter 1564: 1563 three people
Mia was baffled by Ina’s words, why suddenly call her a good person? Had she done something charitable? Never mind that, with her free time, she should think about how to get home tomorrow morning instead. If her father discovered she was injured, he would definitely scold her to death.
The next morning, Tan Rou woke up amidst a flurry of hurried noises. By the time she woke, Ina was already gone, and Mia was still asleep.
Checking the time, it wasn’t even 5:30 AM yet, so she decided to wait a while before waking Mia up.
The voices of a few people talking could be heard from outside, one of which she had heard the previous night, a little girl’s voice.
Right, she had definitely heard a little girl’s voice last night, but she hadn’t seen a little girl when she entered.
Moreover, at that time, Ina also spoke a passphrase: when asked “Are you looking for dad or mom,” Ina replied she was looking for mom.
Upon entering, Tan Rou had only seen Mrs. Hai Wei alone, and although there were many paintings in the house, none depicted Mrs. Hai Wei’s family.
The sound of a spoon falling to the ground came from outside, immediately followed by the little girl saying, “Mom is really clumsy, can’t even hold a spoon properly.”
Then came Mrs. Hai Wei’s voice, “Dear Nini, with the time you spend talking there, you could have come and helped mom pick up the spoon.”
The little girl replied, “Dad already tied my dinner napkin for me, I don’t want to leave my seat.”
Mrs. Hai Wei complained, “Dear, why did you tie the napkin for her again? She should learn to tie it herself.”
A man laughed and said, “Dear, Nini is still a child. She can’t tie the napkin herself. If you want her to get her clothes dirty, then let her do it herself.”
Mrs. Hai Wei said, “Alright, but you must learn to tie it yourself in the next few years.”
The little girl replied, “Okay, mom.”
Afterward, the sounds of a family starting breakfast followed. The little girl didn’t want to eat fried eggs, but dad said fried eggs were nutritious. The little girl wanted ice cream, but mom said ice cream shouldn’t be eaten in the morning.
Listening to the voices outside, Tan Rou’s curiosity grew stronger. She wanted to see Mrs. Hai Wei’s family, but she was afraid of disturbing them during breakfast.
After much thought, she decided to go out and greet them because their breakfast seemed like it would take a long time, and time was running short. She needed to hurry up and meet with Zhuang Liu as the locator showed he was nearby and probably preparing to meet up with her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hai Wei, and … and …” Tan Rou walked out with a smile, but her smile froze when she reached the dining area because there weren’t three people eating, but only one person and two incredibly lifelike standees.
Upon seeing her, Mrs. Hai Wei’s expression flickered unnaturally for a moment before she regained her composure, “Oh, you haven’t left yet.”
Tan Rou, not knowing whether to stay or go, stood about seven or eight meters away from Mrs. Hai Wei, dazed, “Yes, I’m so sorry. The situation last night was so urgent that we had to use your operating room. Whatever the cost, we will pay you immediately.”
Mrs. Hai Wei very calmly said, “It was that mischievous Ina who brought you in, right? She does quite like you.”
Tan Rou replied, “We got along quite well with her.”
“Haven’t you had breakfast?” Mrs. Hai Wei invited, “Why don’t you stay and have breakfast? My husband and daughter would be happy to have you.”
Tan Rou looked at the two standees, feeling that those two weren’t really speaking, “I better not disturb you, you all seem to be having a good time. If I, a stranger, were there, they would definitely mind.”
“They wouldn’t mind at all,” Mrs. Hai Wei said with a smile, “Because they’re all dead. How could dead people have any objections?”
“I…” for the first time, Tan Rou felt speechless, “I… I’m not really hungry, just you eat.”
“You’re not afraid I poisoned the breakfast, are you?” Mrs. Hai Wei said, “Even if there were poison, it wouldn’t matter. I’m a doctor, I could revive you.”
Chapter 1565: Another lunatic in 1564
Tan Rou thought with a speechless expression, oh, so you’re quite a nice person too.
“Thank you for your invitation, but I’m not hungry right now. Why don’t you go ask the lady inside if she would like to eat? I think she really needs to replenish her nutrients,” said Tan Rou.
“Hahaha.” Mrs. Hai Wei covered her mouth with laughter, “Little girl, you really are an interesting person. I really want to keep you here. Why don’t you stay and keep me company? After all, it’s just me living in this big house. It’s quite lonely.”
“No, my husband is waiting for me to come home for dinner,” Tan Rou said calmly, “If you want to invite me for a meal, you’ll have to wait until I’m free.”
“You look so young. Did you get married early?” Mrs. Hai Wei seemed very interested in this topic, “When I was your age, I also had someone I liked very much.”
Tan Rou said, “You also look very young, but you already have a husband and a daughter, so it’s not surprising at all that I got married at this age.”
“Do you think I look young?” Mrs. Hai Wei touched her own face, “Actually, I am already thirty-eight years old.”
Tan Rou did not show any surprise as she had already guessed this condition. Plastic surgery indeed could keep a person’s youth and beauty, but after all, it involved cutting on the face, and after the surgery, the expressions on her face could never be as lively as before. That’s why Mrs. Hai Wei had a very small range of facial expressions when she laughed, and she always had to cover her mouth to prevent her face from cracking with laughter.
“I had someone I liked very much, and then I married him. Every year after our marriage, we lived very happily,” Mrs. Hai Wei said. “He, like you, was from a foreign country. We met while studying abroad. All his family had passed away, so after we graduated from university, we settled back here.”
Tan Rou did not want to listen to Mrs. Hai Wei’s story at all. Her time was almost up, and if she didn’t leave soon, she was afraid that Zhuang Liu would come storming in with a rocket launcher.
“Mrs. Hai Wei…” Tan Rou wanted to interrupt Mrs. Hai Wei’s story, but Mrs. Hai Wei did not give her a chance to speak.
Mrs. Hai Wei was absorbed in her own story, “Later, our daughter was born. She was a very beautiful little girl with black eyes, fair skin, lovely hair, and an angelic smile.”
“Mrs. Hai Wei, I think…” Tan Rou said, “Could I possibly…”
“But ten years ago, they left me forever,” Mrs. Hai Wei’s face turned sorrowful, “In my husband’s country, people believe in spirits after death. If no grim reaper comes to take the spirit away, then it will wander in the human world.”
“In order for them to see me, to remember what I look like, I preserved myself at my most beautiful age—eighteen, the age when I met my husband.”
“What a sad story!” Tan Rou gave a brief comment, “Mrs. Hai Wei, I think it’s time for me to leave. Next time I’ll come and listen to more of your stories.”
Mrs. Hai Wei glanced at her, “Little girl, if my daughter were still alive, she would be about your age now.”
Tan Rou’s heart tightened. What is this crazy lady up to? She wouldn’t be trying to keep her here as a daughter, would she? Or turn her into an actual standee?
“What a pity, if she had grown up, she would have been a very beautiful girl,” Tan Rou said with a smile.
“Click—” The shutter sounded, and a photo was captured on the camera.
Upon hearing the shutter sound, Tan Rou immediately felt her scalp tingle. Sure, she could fight people, but the other party was a creature neither human nor ghost, which seemed horrifying no matter how you thought about it!
“So pretty!” Mrs. Hai Wei looked at the photo with satisfaction, “I’m going to make it into a bookmark, a wall painting, then print it out as a photo and cover my room with it. That way, I can always look at it.”
Tan Rou: “You…” You’re sick!
“Beep beep—beep beep—” It was 5:30 now, and the alarm began to ring, making Tan Rou’s goosebumps shoot up.
“Mrs. Hai Wei, I think I should leave,” Tan Rou said once again.
“Where are you going?” Mrs. Hai Wei asked.
“My husband is waiting for me outside,” Tan Rou pointed out the window, “So I’ll come over for breakfast another time!”
Chapter 1566: 1565 almost scared me to faint
“Oh, do you plan to just leave like that?” Mrs. Hai Wei stood up from her seat, grabbing a breakfast knife and twirling it in her hand, “Where is your husband? Invite him in too. Let’s have breakfast together. I just so happen to have prepared breakfast for three.”
“No thanks, we prefer to have porridge back at home,” Tan Rou took a step back, “How about this, next time we’ll invite you over for porridge, does that sound good?”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t beat this lady, but she felt they hadn’t gotten to that point yet. This lady had, after all, provided some conveniences for them, and if she beat her up now, she’d have a guilty conscience.
“When my husband was alive, he also liked porridge, but after he died, I started to make breakfast to my own liking,” Mrs. Hai Wei said easily. “Before, he would argue with me, but since his death, he hasn’t uttered a word of opposition. Listen for yourself.”
Tan Rou just felt speechless. How could someone who was thoroughly dead argue back?
At that moment, that “man” spoke again, “Honey, I don’t want fried eggs for breakfast.”
Mrs. Hai Wei replied, “Dear, if you don’t feel like having fried eggs this morning, you can make your own.”
Then the “man” spoke again, “Alright, then we’ll have fried eggs and milk today, and porridge tomorrow morning.”
After the discussion, Mrs. Hai Wei said to Tan Rou, “See, he doesn’t contradict me at all now, right?”
“Heh, you’re absolutely right,” was all Tan Rou could muster.
Mrs. Hai Wei continued, “So you shouldn’t contradict me either, or I will get angry.”
“What does your anger have to do with us?” A person burst in from outside, still wearing the mask from last night, “What are you planning with that knife in your hand?”
“That’s what I should be asking you,” Mrs. Hai Wei retorted, “Barging into my house like this, what exactly are you planning to do?”
“I’m sorry, it was wrong to intrude uninvited. I came to find someone, and now that I have, we’re leaving,” Zhuang Liu said.
Mrs. Hai Wei twirled the knife in her hand, “What if I don’t want you to leave?”
Zhuang Liu made a motion to attack, “Then don’t blame us for being impolite.”
Mrs. Hai Wei was clearly not an easy opponent; as soon as Zhuang Liu finished speaking, she charged at him. Although she was wearing high-heels, her fighting skills were not to be underestimated.
Tan Rou shouted, “Zhuang Liu, you take her on, I’ll get Mia out of here!”
“Okay,” Zhuang Liu replied in a brief moment.
Speaking in their own language, Mrs. Hai Wei unexpectedly joined in, “Don’t think you can leave. Not one of you can!”
“So you do speak our language!” Zhuang Liu smiled, “That makes communicating so much easier.”
With a flip, he moved behind Mrs. Hai Wei, who then quickly threw her knife. To dodge, Zhuang Liu stepped back, retreating to the edge of the table.
He also wanted something to defend himself with and his hand accidentally found that very realistic and sturdy standee. He looked at it and nearly scared himself to death.
“Fuck!” Zhuang Liu cursed, a well-mannered Master Zhuang who never swore, but at that moment, he was genuinely startled by the standee, “Damn it, what is this thing?”
“Put my husband down!” Mrs. Hai Wei yelled.
“Your husband, huh?” Zhuang Liu having some respect for people’s hobbies—as inside the country, it wasn’t unusual to call paper figures “husband” or “wife” among the two-dimensional hobbyists, and these custom standees weren’t cheap—carefully placed the standee down, “My apologies, I meant no offense to your husband.”
Then he grabbed a plate, “Let’s go again!”
But Mrs. Hai Wei stopped, puzzled, “Why won’t you throw it?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “Didn’t you say that’s your husband? Since he’s your husband, I can’t throw it.” He respected others’ preferences.
Mrs. Hai Wei’s expression twisted, and after a while, she finally spoke up, “Just go. No, you all go. You and your wife, and that injured person, all of you, just leave.”
Zhuang Liu didn’t feel like fighting further, “Oh, then we’ll be going.”
Right then, Tan Rou came out carrying a sleeping Mia.
Mrs. Hai Wei said, “Go on, all of you, get out!”
Chapter 1567: 1566 leaving safely
Although Tan Rou didn’t know why Mrs. Hai Wei’s attitude had changed, she felt they should hurry up and leave while they could; it wouldn’t be good if the lady changed her mind later.
“Thank you for your help.” Before leaving, Tan Rou didn’t forget to thank Mrs. Hai Wei, “It was wrong of us to use your operating room without permission. Next time, I’ll send this young lady to bring you the treatment fee.”
Mrs. Hai Wei, however, rejected the offer. She said, “I don’t need that little treatment fee. If you come just to bring the fee, don’t bother. But if you come for any other reason, you’re always welcome.”
Tan Rou smiled and said nothing, as she had no desire to come here again. Indeed, as a member of the Dawn Society, she exuded an eerie sense from head to toe.
After they left, Mrs. Hai Wei returned to the dining table to continue her breakfast as if everything that had just happened was a plot from a TV drama.
She said, “She is young and very beautiful, and she’s also from your country; I’m sure you would like her.”
Then another voice came out of her mouth, that of a man. The man said, “No, dear, I don’t like her because the only person I truly love is you.”
Mrs. Hai Wei smiled and said, “If I’m the only person you truly love, then why would you betray me?”
The living room went silent as if her “husband” was really pondering the reason. After a while, the “man” said, “I was just playing with others outside; I wasn’t serious…”
“Liar!” Mrs. Hai Wei suddenly became furious, screaming hysterically, “They’re all liars! They can all die!”
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu hadn’t gotten far when they just stepped out of the main door and heard the shouting inside, followed by the sound of plates and metal utensils hitting the floor.
Tan Rou urged, “Let’s hurry up and leave before that lunatic catches up.”
Zhuang Liu said, “Let me carry her; you take a break.”
Tan Rou had no objection, “Alright, you carry her while I ask Samiyi for Mia’s family address. We must get her home now.”
“Okay.” Zhuang Liu picked up Mia. “Strange, why is she sleeping so deeply? We are moving her, and with all this noise, yet she hasn’t woken up.”
Tan Rou lifted Mia’s eyelids and then said, “She is in a deep sleep, probably sedated by someone.”
“Could it be that anime enthusiast we just met?” Zhuang Liu asked curiously.
“What’s an anime enthusiast?” Tan Rou asked. “Never mind, now is not the time to figure that out, let’s focus on Mia’s condition. Find a shady spot to put her down, and I’ll examine her.”
Zhuang Liu placed Mia in the corner, looking at the scene, Master Zhuang remarked, “I thought of myself as a big shot in the Capital, with cars and planes arranged wherever I went, but ever since I came here, not only do I have to do everything myself, now I even have to carry people. It’s really tough.”
Tan Rou chuckled and said, “Just take it as experiencing a different kind of life. Actually, I think this kind of life is quite good. In the Capital, we don’t have to worry about anything; my life felt meaningless. Here, life is much more exciting.”
“It’s true. Now that I’m here, let’s not dwell on that,” said Zhuang Liu. “Thinking about it, this kind of life does suit young people more, while the life back in the Capital suits those of us in our forties or fifties.”
Tan Rou didn’t respond; she squatted down to check on Mia and found a bruised spot on her arm. Looking closely, there was a tiny needle mark.
“It must have been someone who injected her with a sedative,” Tan Rou said. “It wasn’t me or Mrs. Hai Wei, because she was visibly shocked when she saw me.”
“Then who could it be?” Zhuang Liu also hadn’t seen anyone else in that house. “It couldn’t be those two cardboard cutouts who injected her, could it?”
“It was Ina.” Tan Rou was very certain. “There were only a few of us in that house; if it wasn’t us, it had to be Ina.”
Chapter 1568: 1567 went to listen to a story
“Oh, I’ve heard you talk about this girl,”, Zhuang Liu said, “you said she has a lot of secrets, and her mind seems a little off. If she was the one to give this lady the injection, that would make sense.”
“Take a look at the injection marks on Mia’s body.”, Tan Rou lifted Mia’s arm, “This area has turned quite blue, and the puncture holes are a lot more irregular than normal needle marks. The blood vessels weren’t even properly located, the medicine was just injected haphazardly. This indicates that the person administering the injection is a novice, she doesn’t know how to use a syringe.”
“As expected of Tan Rou, indeed very clever.”, Zhuang Liu praised.
“We’ll wait a bit longer,”, Tan Rou said, “if Mia doesn’t wake up, then we’ll take her to the hospital first.”
“Okay.”, Zhuang Liu said, “if she remains unconscious, we can’t just send her home, lest her parents think we were the ones who gave her the injection.”
“Hmm.”, Tan Rou frowned in thought, “But where could Ina have gone? When did she leave?”
When Tan Rou came to, it hadn’t yet been time to lift the curfew, so Ina definitely didn’t leave openly. Why didn’t she wait until daylight to leave, but instead made Mia pass out and sneak away?
While Tan Rou was pondering Ina’s whereabouts, Ina had already returned to the Dawn Society headquarters. Upon her arrival, Gand was having breakfast.
Gand ate very slowly, spooning up the thick and creamy milk mushroom soup and drinking it bit by bit.
“Ina, you’re back.”, Gand said indifferently.
Gand indeed possessed many qualities of a leader. He was extremely calm and meticulous in his actions. One could say that without Gand, the Dawn Society would only be half of what it is. Without Gand, the Dawn Society would be left in disarray.
“Good morning, Uncle Gand.”, Ina said, bouncing over with her penguin backpack, “Are you having breakfast? Wow, it’s the golden bread and mushroom soup Ina likes!”
Gand gave a slight smile, “Go wash your hands and have breakfast.”
Ina immediately put down her backpack and went to wash her hands and eat.
“Where did you go last night?”, as soon as Ina sat down, Gand began to inquire what she did the previous evening.
Without any hesitation, Ina said, “I went outside to play with the patrol guards, and then I met a pretty older sister who knows how to use a gun. Her friend was hurt, so I took her friend to Mrs. Hai Wei.”
“You met Zhuang Rou again?”, Gand said, “Next time you see her, make sure to bring her back with you.”
“Yes, yes.”, Ina nodded and said, “I understand.”
Gand continued to ask, “What did you do at Mrs. Hai Wei’s place?”
“Ina listened to a story.”, Ina said very innocently, “The pretty sister’s friend told Ina a very interesting story, and Ina will tell it to Uncle Gand.”
“A story?”, Gand had thought Ina had some intelligence to share with him, so he said, “Great, Uncle Gand loves listening to stories from Ina.”
After Ina finished her bread, she began to tell a story to Gand, “That sister told me, there was a place with no one in charge, and one day a riot broke out there, everyone died, and in the end, there was a fire, and all the bodies were burned by the big fire.”
Gand’s expression changed for a moment, “Is this the story she told you?”
“Yes.”, Ina said with a smile, “The big sister also said that place was Ina’s home, and Ina’s mommy and daddy were burned to death there. But Ina’s mommy and daddy weren’t burned to death, they were stabbed with knives. Like this…”
She wielded her table knife forward, “Pssh, pssh… red liquid flowed out of their bodies, and then they died.”
Gand found the scene before him somewhat chilling. It had been a long time since he had seen Ina behave like this, so he said, “Ina, your parents’ deaths were an accident. Stop performing now, haven’t I told you before? From now on, you are my daughter, and I am your daddy.”
“But I prefer to call you Uncle Gand!” Ina put down the table knife, “I don’t like daddy; daddy doesn’t want me anymore.”
“Well, call me whatever you like.”, Gand said, “Also, don’t talk about this story anymore.”
Chapter 1569: 1568 fears death
“Oh, Uncle Gand doesn’t like to hear this story?” Ina asked, “I really enjoy listening to it, but if Uncle Gand doesn’t like it, then I won’t talk about it anymore.”
Gand said, “This story is not suitable for a little girl to hear. A girl your age should read some fun fairy tales. I’ll have someone buy some fairy tale books for you tomorrow, so you don’t have to go outside and listen to stories from others.”
“Okay, thank you, Uncle Gand.” Ina was still very happy about getting the fairy tale books. “I want to read the story of The Little Mermaid.”
Gand agreed to buy Ina several more storybooks, hoping she would move on from this topic and not dwell on it.
However, Ina was very interested in the topic, and even though Gand had emphasized not to discuss it any further, she still sporadically popped up with a few questions.
“Uncle Gand, are you afraid of death?” Ina asked, tilting her head.
Gand had intended to say “no,” but realizing there were no other members of the Dawn Society around, he didn’t need to pretend, so he told the truth.
“Yes, everyone is afraid of death, because after a person dies, there is nothing left,” Gand said. “Ina, you also must cherish your life and never harm yourself or allow others to harm you.”
“I’m not afraid of death,” Ina unexpectedly replied, surprising Gand. “Because the sister I met today told me that after people die, they turn into stars in the sky. The stars watch over people on Earth. Ina’s parents have turned into stars and are watching over Ina from the sky.”
Gand calmly ate his breakfast. “I don’t know if people turn into stars in the sky, but I still hope you will treasure your life.”
“Okay.” Ina readily agreed to Gand’s request. “I will definitely cherish my life, and then I want to grow tall and help Uncle Gand fight the bad guys.”
“Did that sister tell you this as well?” Gand seemed dissatisfied with Ina’s statements today. “Ina, I’ve told you many times not to simply listen to others. You are still young; you should listen to Uncle Gand, not others.”
Ina was also displeased, “I know, I know, Uncle Gand. I won’t listen to others blindly.” She quickly finished her breakfast and then said, “Uncle Gand, I’m sleepy. I’m going back to sleep now.”
Gand was still eating his breakfast and nodded, “Have a good sleep and don’t worry about all this nonsense; you don’t need to have so many worries.”
“I understand.” Ina tilted her head, smiled, and happily went upstairs to sleep with her little backpack.
After she left, Bata slowly walked over from another room, holding a cup containing a black liquid.
“We shouldn’t let Ina go out on her own,” Bata somberly began, “Ina is not the naive child she used to be. She has her own thoughts and considers whether what others tell her is right, and if she finds out…”
“That won’t happen,” Gand said. “Ina will not betray the organization; she’s so innocent and adorable and listens so well to me, how could she possibly betray us?”
“Do we need to increase the dosage of her medication?” Bata asked.
“It’s no use,” Gand said. “You should know, that medication has no effect on her; she needs a new drug.”
“Yes,” Bata replied. “I’ll notify Hai Wei to accelerate the research for a new drug.”
Gand frowned again, “We can’t completely trust Hai Wei; she is a schizophrenic and could become unstable at any moment, therefore we need to find a new doctor to research a new medication.”
Bata said, “Mr. Gand, only a madman can create a madman’s medicine. You can’t expect a sane person to research a madman’s medicine.”
Gand pressed his brow, “Yes, you are right, let her continue the research for now. Just remind her that we’re running out of time.”
Bata nodded, “Yes, sir, time is almost up; dawn is fast approaching.”
In a place unseen by them, a pair of bright little eyes was watching them, and soon, their owner quietly slipped away.
Chapter 1570: 1569 List Chapter 1570: 1569 List Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had taken Mia to the hospital. Meanwhile, Samiyi had given Tan Rou the phone number for Duke Delder’s House, instructing her to call directly there to find people.
At that time, Duke Delder’s mansion was in utter chaos as their eldest daughter had vanished overnight. No one knew where she had gone, not even her maid, as someone had drugged her with a knockout drug.
Duke Delder wasn’t concerned about how his daughter had disappeared. Since he hadn’t seen her at breakfast, the guards and maids responsible for watching over her were to be punished.
Just as he was about to punish them, the mansion’s phone suddenly rang, and the butler took the call.
The call was from an unknown lady, who said she had found the injured, unconscious Miss Mia on the street that morning. It had taken her quite some effort to confirm her identity, and she had already sent her to the hospital, hoping that Duke Delder could send someone to pick up Miss Mia.
Duke Delder immediately stopped the punishment and went to pick up his daughter himself, but he didn’t see the lady who had called at the hospital. Instead, a nurse mentioned that Mia had been brought in by a foreign gentleman wearing a mask, who, when asked his name, said he was the “Hero of the Darkness—Black Dragon Knight.”
Lord Duke had no interest in finding the unnamed “Black Dragon Knight”; he was only concerned about his daughter’s safety. Fortunately, Mia had also awoken by then. Indeed, Ina had injected her with a sleeping drug. After arriving at the hospital, the nurses had administered another injection, so she woke up quickly.
She told Duke Delder that her disappearance had a reason, but she could not disclose it yet. She would explain the events of the previous evening once she was back home.
Duke Delder was quick in his actions, taking his daughter from the hospital not long after arriving. Not even the paparazzi, who rushed over to take photos, caught a glimpse of their shadows.
“Last night’s plan wasn’t completed, it seems we have to take a risk again tonight.” Tan Rou changed clothes and said to Zhuang Liu, “I need to return to the palace first. Rest well here, and I’ll come back for you tonight.”
Zhuang Liu had run all night and indeed felt sleepy. He said, “You should also rest well when you return. You even have dark circles under your eyes.”
Touching her own eyes, Tan Rou jokingly replied, “Oh, maybe it’s the mask fading.”
Zhuang Liu smiled, “Then it’s the mask fading.”
After their banter, Tan Rou headed back to the palace. She happened to meet Samiyi, who was dressed casually as if heading out urgently.
“Are you going out?” Tan Rou yawned.
Seeing her return, Samiyi immediately spoke, “Yes, Uncle Faler has asked me to fetch a list, and I have to go in person.”
Tan Rou remembered that everything started from there; that night as she accompanied Samiyi to see Faler, they encountered patrolling soldiers who tried to capture them, and shortly thereafter, they were taken to the Dawn Society by Ina.
“Oh, then do be careful,” Tan Rou said.
Samiyi was about to ask, “Do you want to come with me?” But seeing Tan Rou’s tired expression stopped her, “Alright, you head back and rest early.”
“I’m not that tired yet,” Tan Rou said. “His Majesty the King should be awake by now, right? I’ll go check on his condition first, then rest.”
“Okay,” Samiyi nodded gently, “Then I’ll be going now.”
“Oh, take care on the road,” Tan Rou said. She really wanted to ask if Samiyi had brought any guards, but surely Samiyi wasn’t brave enough to go without any, right?
Never mind that; Tan Rou was a bit hungry now. She needed to grab something to eat before checking on the King’s health and then heading back to rest.
She still had to go out tonight. Since there had been an unexpected event the night before, there could be no mishaps again tonight; otherwise, there would be no chance tomorrow night.
Regarding Gand’s invitation, Tan Rou had already made her decision. Since he had sincerely invited her, she could not refuse to join, and she also wanted to discover what big secrets were hidden behind the Dawn Society.