PSW - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Zhu Lanyuan remained motionless, her mind racing as she tried to think of something to say. Judging by how this person treated Yang Zhengming, maybe, just maybe, she wasn't a bad person?

Before she could formulate her words, the bloody water surged, completely enveloping Yang Zhengming, who was still repeating those five words over and over.

"You, kill him."

The voice that reached her was utterly indifferent, and in that same instant, the threatening presence vanished.

Zhu Lanyuan almost thought she had misheard. But when the bloody water dragged Yang Zhengming before her, her fear of the mysterious person dissipated, leaving only a single thought: How could something so wonderful happen?

"You can take your revenge however you wish, and you can let the others join in," Zheng Yi's voice softened. She walked over, a faint look of pity in her eyes. "As for the remaining women, whether they are ability users or not, please see that they are properly cared for."

"Remember one thing: no matter what you hear, no matter what happens, you must not take a single step out of this building until tomorrow's sun has risen." After speaking, Zheng Yi glanced at the seventeen Saint Points Yang Zhengming had contributed and opened the system store to search for something. Soon, several boxes of medicine appeared out of thin air on the floor.

"If they need these, they can take them as they please." With that said, Zheng Yi glanced at Yang Zhengming, who looked like a half-dead dog, and walked out.

But Yang Zhengming seemed to have lost his mind. Zheng Yi's departure didn't change his state in the slightest. Even on the verge of death, his eyes were wide open as he endlessly repeated, "Zheng Yi is a Saint."

"...Thank you for saving us!" Zhu Lanyuan hesitated, then finally asked loudly, "If-if I want to repay you? Who are you…?"

"There's no need for repayment." Zheng Yi waved her hand, and all the blood in the corridor swirled around her, following her out under her control. "As for who I am, you need only know that I am a Saint."

"A Saint…" Zhu Lanyuan repeated the word, finally understanding what Yang Zhengming had been saying. A "Saint"? She looked at the medicine left behind. Most of it was for abortions, with a few boxes of emergency contraceptives. Zhu Lanyuan didn't know where she had conjured these from, but… but… she clearly knew the plight of the women here.

To perform an act of mercy with such an iron fist… is this what it means to be a Saint?

She watched the woman leave before turning her gaze to the kneeling Yang Zhengming. Suddenly, she let out a cold laugh. A black liquid oozed from her hand, and a single drop on the floor produced a corrosive "hiss."

"I can't let you die so easily…"

This night was still long.

[Ding! Detected someone believes the Host is a Saint from the bottom of their heart! Assessing emotional intensity…]

---

Tang Kang'an hadn't dared to run. He had gathered all the ordinary people and the physically enhanced ones on the sports field, telling them only that Yang Zhengming had an announcement to make.

As he waited, he was torn. He feared the ability user wouldn't show up for a long time, making the crowd suspicious—after all, his own ability was only effective against other ability users. But he also feared Zheng Yi would arrive too quickly, because wouldn't that mean Yang Zhengming was already…?

Tang Kang'an desperately wanted to flee, but he truly didn't dare. That icy finger had touched his forehead. He was terrified of being blown to bits, and he was terrified of being located and hunted down if he ran, only to suffer a fate as miserable as Yang Zhengming's.

In the midst of this anxious wait, he suddenly noticed a commotion in the crowd. At that moment, the signature bloody water transformed into a long, red silk ribbon, encircling everyone.

"Good brother, you did so well. I'm very pleased~" she praised in a soft voice, reaching out a hand under Tang Kang'an's trembling, fearful gaze to gently rest it on the top of his head.

Soon, the others realized something was wrong. Or rather, they had felt fear and unease the moment the stream of blood, reeking of iron, had surrounded them.

Someone even demanded, "What's going on? Who is she? Where's Yang Ge!"

The sports field erupted into chaos. But laughably, the noise lasted less than a minute, because Tang Kang'an, the very man who had gathered them there, was instantly decapitated by the woman's hand.

More blood flowed into the long, crimson stream.

"Kneel." Zheng Yi looked at the assembled men. Among them were ordinary people and some who had been slightly enhanced, but all of them were Yang Zhengming's accomplices. They didn't dare resist the strong, yet they despised and oppressed the captive women. The fact that Yang Zhengming had kept them around to do his bidding instead of killing them outright was already a testament to his selection process.

After a brief hesitation, many of them knelt down, trembling. Even the man who had just shouted his question, feeling both shocked and enraged, knelt.

If Zheng Yi hadn't killed Tang Kang'an so directly, perhaps they would have continued to question her. Even if they instinctively knew this woman was powerful, they might not have submitted so completely. But now…

They realized what that crimson stream of water was made of.

"Ah-"

A man who had been hoping to sneak away let out a bloodcurdling scream. The crimson stream wrapped around his body, and countless sharp icicles formed in an instant, piercing him until he resembled a sieve. The splattering blood and all the fluids from his organs were absorbed into the stream.

In the blink of an eye, as everyone watched, his eyes went vacant and his body shriveled. He became a limp, deflated sack of skin, collapsing outside the bloody stream that contained them.

Zheng Yi let out a soft laugh. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent night, striking fear into every heart and making their bodies tremble.

"Among you, someone recognizes me."

The terrified crowd seemed startled. They glanced around silently, not daring to make a sound.

"In that case, he should know. I am a rare, good person."

"My name is Zheng Yi, and I am a kindhearted Saint." Zheng Yi spread her hands slightly, smiling as she watched the expressions shift on their faces, her voice growing even gentler. "Kneel before me. Believe in me. Carve the word 'Saint' into your souls. Now… say it with me: Zheng Yi is a Saint."

"Let me feel your piety." The long, crimson stream of water wound past her side and dispersed into the crowd. She lowered her gaze, her beautiful face an enigma of joy and sorrow against the backdrop of the blood-red water. "If anyone is not pious~ then for the sake of your future, I'll have no choice but to endure the pain and help your souls pass on."

"Gulp." Jiang Jue, hidden in the crowd, was trembling uncontrollably. He never could have imagined that the Zheng Yi he met during the day would be like this at night. He never could have imagined she was this powerful! He didn't even dare to recall the nonsense he had spouted in front of her, and she clearly, clearly remembered him!

He was the first to comply. He fell to his knees, kowtowing desperately and violently in Zheng Yi's direction, roaring, "Zheng Yi is a Saint! Zheng Yi is a Saint!"

With the first person complying, a second and a third followed. Soon, everyone was kneeling. Those who didn't, or even those who were too slow to kneel, had already offered all their bodily fluids to the crimson stream, their souls transcended.

The bright moon hung high in the night sky, its silver light spilling onto the sports field, illuminating a scene both divided and unified. Inside the stream of blood, a group of men knelt, kowtowing and chanting, "Zheng Yi is a Saint." Outside the stream of blood stood a merciful Saint, her face full of pity, her head bowed as she softly recited a mantra for the dead.

Absurd.

From the system space, Zero One observed the entire process. For some reason, it saved a snapshot of this scene.

After this mission, Zero One felt it would probably need to request a vacation… for a very long time. It might need to recuperate and reread the Saint Growth manual, lest… it lead the next host astray.

If it even had the chance to have a next host.

Right now, watching Zheng Yi chant mantras for the dead with a face full of mercy, Zero One had no idea, and couldn't possibly guess, what she was truly thinking.

Was her smile when she killed real? Were her gentle whispers all fake? But she had spared Zhu Lanyuan, spared so many women, and even used Saint Points to buy medicine… Did she feel even a shred of genuine pity for those women? And for these men, no different from maggots, did she feel any anger?

Zero One's mind was a mess. It felt it should probably upgrade its template, but it also felt that even with an upgrade, it wouldn't be able to understand Zheng Yi. It had never understood Zheng Yi, so how could it even begin to comprehend her?

These people deserved to die. Yang Zhengming deserved to die, Tang Kang'an deserved to die, all those ability users deserved to die. They deserved to be punished. But the Saint Growth manual would never teach a host to do things this way. When Zero One guided its previous hosts, it too had to act against its own core programming.

As Zheng Yi acted this way, Zero One found it no longer understood itself. It didn't know what it was thinking, but it felt a slight sense of satisfaction, completely disregarding that this behavior was the polar opposite of a "Saint." It didn't even try to dissuade Zheng Yi when she once again used such forceful methods to gain Saint Points.

[Those women…] Zero One chose its words carefully. It wanted to ask if Zheng Yi would go back to help them, but it felt she wouldn't. The fact that she had spent Saint Points to give them medicine was already surprising enough. [That, Zhu Lanyuan, she's an ability user from the shelter. She heard what Yang Zhengming said. She-she knows you're a Saint, and after you said it yourself, she really did contribute Saint Points.]

[So, will you be exposed?]

As Zero One was asking, Zheng Yi sent two more men who didn't seem pious enough on their way. A multitude of [Ding] sounds blended together, and she couldn't distinguish who had provided how many Saint Points. But to squeeze out more and get all three chances, she had to keep the pressure on, to make them feel the threat of death.

'Who knows~'

[Aren't you worried?] Zero One stopped its chaotic thoughts. Its current host was Zheng Yi, and its mission was for the sake of this world's incubation. No matter what Zheng Yi did, as long as her Saint Points didn't go into the negative, it was fine. [If you run into…]

'My dear Zero One, why don't you understand?'

[What?]

'The one who should be worried is her.'

If Zhu Lanyuan really did recognize Zheng Yi back at the shelter, then after witnessing that terrifying river of blood and Yang Zhengming's gruesome end, she should understand perfectly.

She would know what kind of existence she would unleash by tearing away Zheng Yi's docile and harmless disguise.

Zero One didn't even know if that possibility was exactly what Zheng Yi wanted.

The [Ding] [Ding] notifications continued to ring, and Zero One couldn't even make out how many Saint Points each one contributed.

[You… using your ability at such a high intensity, will it really not harm you?] Just a short while ago, Zheng Yi had shown clear signs of discomfort from overusing her ability. Was she pushing through it, or had she grown accustomed to the pain?

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next