PSW - Chapter 57
Chapter 57
So this was Zheng Yi's "Saint" method?
Yu Yinan had never been able to figure out what Zheng Yi had said to make that base leader so polite to her. Even after learning of Zheng Yi's vicious nature, she still didn't know how she'd done it. But now, she understood completely.
Was this the real Zheng Yi? Was this Zheng Yi in her "enlightenment" state? Gentle, yet violent. Sweet, yet bloody.
The ultimate contrast, a unique kind of charm.
If Yu Yinan had suddenly witnessed Zheng Yi's true face before that discovery, she probably would have found it hard to accept, perhaps even broken down. If she had seen this scene back when they met the first base leader, she probably would have parted ways with Zheng Yi immediately.
In truth, even before Zheng Yi had made her move, Yu Yinan had already imagined what kind of "method" it would be. So, when Zheng Yi actually did it, Yu Yinan only felt a brief moment of discomfort. She watched the constantly wailing Yu Yaozu and remembered how, when he was little, he would break something, burst into tears, and then claim she had done it.
He doesn't know any better, he's still little, he's your younger brother. Yu Yinan had heard words like that far too many times. Of course, she couldn't blame Yu Yaozu for that—at least not when he was a child. It was the fault of his incompetent parents.
But what about now? Even as an adult, even in the apocalypse, even after all this time, he didn't seem to have matured much. It was as if the world had to revolve around him; as long as he bowed his head, others were obligated to do as he said.
Yu Yinan had been lost in these thoughts.
Until she heard Zheng Yi not only call him "good brother," but also "darling." Even if it was an act, even if it was fake, that form of address… Yu Yinan was instantly pulled from her strange mood. Her gaze shifted from Yu Yaozu to Zheng Yi. She watched Zheng Yi's gentle smile, watched her fingertips become stained with Yu Yaozu's blood, watched her touch Yu Yaozu's arm and gently heal him again and again…
An inexplicable irritation welled up inside Yu Yinan.
"I can heat the bone-cleaver. If the temperature is high enough, it can cauterize the wound directly, which would also stop the bleeding."
Zheng Yi was enjoying the sound of Yu Yaozu, who was in too much pain to scream but was forced to beg for mercy, repeatedly calling her a saint, when she heard Yu Yinan's words. She looked at Yu Yinan, cleaver in hand, and saw her quickly step forward. Yu Yinan covered Zheng Yi's fingers with a clean towel and began to wipe them meticulously.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble Jiejie~" Zheng Yi, slightly excited, let Yu Yinan wipe her fingers before handing her the bone-cleaver, watching as she tempered the blade with a layer of fire.
The moment the fire-tempered blade touched Yu Yaozu's skin, the sound of searing flesh quickly followed. Zheng Yi held down his other arm and began to carefully slice from the little finger. Sure enough, the high temperature prevented any blood from spurting out.
When there were five minutes left in the hour, Zheng Yi bought another soundproofer and placed it on the door, beginning a new round of friendly exchange.
In this new round, Yu Yaozu was much more cooperative. His bones felt like they'd turned to jelly as he collapsed to the floor, his eyes vacant, nearly driven mad by the agony. Yet, the extreme pain never led to numbness or unconsciousness; he had to endure it all while fully aware.
Devout faith, offering even your soul… Yu Yaozu didn't know how to do it. All he could feel right now was endless pain and the endlessly looping thought: "Zheng Yi is the Saint." At first, he had struggled and resisted, thinking, Why should I give this crazy woman what she wants after what she's done to me? He cursed her viciously in his mind while verbally agreeing that she was the Saint, wishing he could transfer all his suffering to her.
But soon, he could no longer bear the inhuman torment. Even as an ability user, he was still flesh and blood. He hadn't even dared to stand in the second torrential rain; a few accidental drops had made him grimace in pain, let alone this kind of torture at Zheng Yi's hands.
Just as he completely surrendered and submitted to this madwoman, she stopped and studied his face, which was contorted with pain. Through his tear-filled eyes, Yu Yaozu saw the madwoman give a gentle, slightly regretful smile. "It's still not enough, my good brother. Your heart isn't sincere enough."
"I have many more hours to play with you, slow-ly~"
"Zheng Yi is the Saint! Zheng Yi is the Saint! You are the one and only Saint, and my everything belongs to you!"
Amidst his crazed and miserable howls, Yu Yaozu had completely forgotten Yu Yinan's existence. He no longer worried about Lian Langxi, and his parents were a distant memory. His entire being was cleansed by pain—his body filled with agony, his mind filled with the Saint.
He was purified into an empty shell, pooling on the floor like mud, his soul letting out one final cry: "Zheng Yi is the Saint!"
Three batches of Saint Points were in hand. The two disposable soundproofers had cost 10 Saint Points, which meant Yu Yaozu had only provided Zheng Yi with a net gain of 6 points.
The guy's heart hadn't been sincere enough at the start, yielding only 2 Saint Points. The next two times yielded 6 and 8 points, respectively, but unfortunately, she could only get them three times.
After all that trouble, Zheng Yi's Saint Points reached 52.
Zheng Yi stood up, washed her hands with clean water, and glanced at the soundproofer, which had about ten minutes left. Ignoring Yu Yaozu on the floor, who could only repeat a single phrase, she walked over to Yu Yinan. "How was it?" she asked, staring into Yu Yinan's eyes, not missing the slightest change in her expression.
"A little crazy," Yu Yinan answered honestly. "It was… stunning?" She couldn't think of a better word to describe it.
Zheng Yi laughed. She pointed at the person on the floor. "That's your dear brother, you know."
"He stopped being my brother last time."
"Uh-huh~" Zheng Yi twirled the sharp scalpel and offered it to Yu Yinan. "Ten minutes of soundproofing left. Want to give it a try?"
"I want to give him a quick end." Yu Yinan looked at Yu Yaozu, finding it almost impossible to connect the person before her with the Yu Yaozu she once knew. After saying this, she hesitated. "If it'll cause you trouble…"
"He's useless now." Zheng Yi retracted the scalpel and pointed to the bone-cleaver on the floor. "You can use that."
"My dear Jiejie, you won't cause me any trouble." Zheng Yi smiled. She casually tossed the scalpel aside, and it hit the floor with a crisp clatter. In an excellent mood, she tilted Yu Yinan's chin up and placed a light kiss on her cheek. She pulled away just as quickly and pushed the door open to leave. "You have eight minutes."
"…" Yu Yinan stood frozen for a few seconds before turning to make sure the door was closed properly. She picked up the scalpel from the floor and placed it back on the blood-stained white cloth before picking up the bone-cleaver. She looked at Yu Yaozu, her expression complicated.
"…I used to be so envious of you."
Perhaps the best outcome would have been to part ways last time and never see each other again, becoming complete strangers.
In truth, aside from the anger and disappointment she felt the moment he attacked her, Yu Yinan hadn't felt much killing intent toward Yu Yaozu after she calmed down. If he hadn't recklessly sought her out again… Yu Yinan felt she would have left with Zheng Yi, leaving that family to fend for themselves. If Yu Yaozu had been killed by Lian Langxi, that would have been his fate.
Yu Yinan hadn't expected Zheng Yi to intervene.
She had already been surprised and delighted when Zheng Yi had stepped in to save her.
But things had reached a point where a peaceful resolution was impossible.
In this apocalypse, Yu Yinan had never killed a person before.
She raised the bone-cleaver, took a deep, silent breath, and finally closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
[This is too twisted, Zheng Yi, this is really too twisted. This isn't just ordinary, it's so sick…] Zero One had entered a strange state, muttering to itself, still unable to accept what had happened. Why? Why did this host always pull off stunts that made its circuits go dark? It had accepted her kidnapping Yu Yaozu. It even understood her squeezing him for Saint Points, since she'd already gone to the trouble of capturing him.
But, but why did she have to hand the final step over to Yu Yinan?
'I didn't force her.' Zheng Yi clearly wasn't bothered by Zero One's rambling. She had just asked a normal question. It was Yu Yinan herself who said she wanted to give him a quick end.
Zero One wanted to say more but couldn't, so it just went back to its previous muttering.
Six minutes.
Yu Yinan walked out empty-handed. She looked a bit dazed, her head slightly lowered, her body splattered with blood.
Zheng Yi studied her. Yu Yinan looked up uneasily, and only then did Zheng Yi notice the blood on her face as well.
Did she strike the carotid artery? Or was it a full decapitation? Zheng Yi walked closer and pushed the door open to peek inside. Yu Yaozu's head was severed from his body, and blood had splattered all over the ceiling.
But Zheng Yi didn't say anything. She quickly used her ability to clean the scene, washing away every bloodstain, and then cleaned and sterilized the tools. She tossed the blood-soaked white cloth over Yu Yaozu's face and looked at Yu Yinan. "Control your flames. Burn it clean."
"…Okay." After being tempered by the second torrential rain, Yu Yinan's control over her ability had reached a new level.
But she looked utterly wretched.
"Take a bath after you're done burning it," Zheng Yi said. "Burn those clothes you're wearing, too."
"With your ability, you can soak for a while anyway."
Yu Yinan agreed. She controlled the flames to incinerate the corpse, but in the end, she couldn't help but whisper, "I actually… don't think his crime was worthy of death… Do you think I'm foolish?"
"I've always thought you were foolish." Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, as if she hadn't expected Yu Yinan to ask such a question. But after a pause, she spoke again. "Keep thinking for yourself. You don't have to agree with me on everything."
"But, Zheng Yi, I can't help but think… what about, well, Mom? What about his mother?"
"Then we'll pay three months of rent for their family." Zheng Yi walked into the room and found the ID card among the ashes. The material of Humanity's Light's ID cards was quite special, both fireproof and waterproof.
"You don't need to worry about what comes next." Zheng Yi went into the bathroom, took out a large bathtub, and filled it with water. "Go take a bath."
"No, I should go. It wouldn't be good if you were exposed." Yu Yinan thought for a moment and made her decision. She couldn't implicate Zheng Yi. Zheng Yi… had done this for her. Even if there was the slightest chance, Yu Yinan couldn't let Zheng Yi take that risk.
"I have a way. I won't be exposed," Zheng Yi said, pushing Yu Yinan into the bathroom and closing the door.
'After listening to Yu Yaozu's voice for so long, forging a short audio clip shouldn't be a problem, right?'
[Huh?] Zero One hadn't expected to be involved here. It thought back to the screams and the chants of "Zheng Yi is the Saint" it had just heard and said hesitantly, [It… should be fine? What are you planning to do? Voice alone won't be enough…]
Before Zero One could finish, the Stand-in Puppet (Lesser) appeared in the living room.
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