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Join the ServerHer voice was light:
“Running? Weren’t you going to deal with me?”
The man’s eyes were wide open, tears and snot streaming down his face. A rasping sound came from his throat, like a chicken being choked.
Lin Qingxue stepped on his face and said:
“Stop that damn rasping, it’s annoying. Not even as pleasant as Little Mute’s noises.”
“No good. You guys have no reaction at all. Beating you up is no fun, not like Little Mute.”
The last man had already reached the stairwell. His footsteps on the stairs were urgent and chaotic.
Lin Qingxue released the man she was stepping on and stood up.
She didn’t chase. She just walked over slowly.
The footsteps grew farther away, softer, until they reached the bottom floor.
Lin Qingxue walked to the stairwell, held the railing, and looked down.
That man had already reached the second-floor landing. He looked up and saw her. His face turned pale with fear. He slipped, fell on the stairs, got up, and kept running.
Lin Qingxue didn’t move. She just watched until the footsteps disappeared on the first floor.
She turned around and walked back.
The leading man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching everything. His expression didn’t change.
His gaze swept over the people lying on the ground. The tall guy was groaning, holding his broken arm. The one hit in the head lay motionless. The one whose chest was stepped on was rolling on the ground, clutching his throat. The one stunned at the back of the head with a stun baton knelt on the floor, trembling.
He sighed, his voice still that unhurried tone:
“Miss Executor, you’ve vented enough.”
“We should discuss business now.”
Lin Qingxue stood in the center of the living room, gathered the rope, and stuffed it into her pocket.
She looked down at her hands. There was a bit of blood on them. She didn’t know whose it was.
She wiped it on her clothes, looked up at the leading man, and said flatly:
“I said no.”
“Isn’t my attitude clear enough?”
The leading man twitched the corner of his mouth, an expression that was neither a smile nor not a smile:
“Miss Lin, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”
“These are orders from above. We have no choice.”
Lin Qingxue looked at him, her voice turning cold:
“What if I say no?”
The leading man reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. Black, compact, with a silencer screwed onto the barrel, gleaming coldly under the streetlight.
He raised it, aimed at Lin Qingxue’s forehead, and his voice was still that unhurried tone:
“You have to comply even if you don’t want to.”
“This is your final warning.”
“Otherwise, don’t force me to pull the trigger.”
He paused, his voice softer:
“I know, even if this gun hits your head, you won’t die.”
Lin Qingxue looked at the gun. Her expression changed.
Not fear. Wariness.
Her body tensed slightly. Her fingers curled involuntarily. But she didn’t move. She just stood there, staring at the dark muzzle.
The leading man watched her reaction. The curve of his mouth deepened a bit. His voice softened:
“Miss Lin, we’re not here to fight you.”
“The organization said you’ve been having too many emotional fluctuations lately, too much cleanup, and all during non-mission periods.”
He paused, lowered the gun, but didn’t put it away. It hung by his side, his finger still on the trigger.
“That little thing, keeping her won’t do you any good.”
“You should have felt it yourself.”
“Ever since you picked her up, you’ve woken up more often, had more emotions, done more cleanup.”
“The higher-ups are worried about your state. We’re worried too.”
Lin Qingxue said nothing.
She thought about the past few days. Waking up every night, bullying that little blind girl every night, listening to her rasp every night.
She thought about how that little blind girl curled up in her arms and rubbed against her, like a dog trying to please its master.
The leading man saw her silence and knew she was wavering. His voice was even softer:
“Miss Lin, keeping that little thing will only make you more unstable.”
“The higher-ups have already noticed you.”
“If you keep this up, either she gets dealt with, or you get dealt with.”
“Think it over.”
Lin Qingxue closed her eyes.
She thought about the first time that little blind girl made a sound. Not a rasp, not a whimper, but a sound squeezed from her throat, like a little animal’s cry.
She thought about how she huddled in the corner trembling, how she hugged the penguin and refused to let go, how she leaned against her this morning and rubbed against her.
A little reluctant to let go.
But this little thing really couldn’t stay.
She opened her eyes, her voice flat:
“Fine, she’s in the innermost room.”
“I’ll take you there.”
She turned and walked toward the bedroom.
The leading man put away the gun and followed her.
The bedroom door was pushed open.
Su Yutao was curled up on the bed, hugging Qiansui, wrapped in the blanket, only a tuft of white hair showing.
She heard the door open. Someone came in. The footsteps weren’t from just one person.
Her whole body stiffened. She ‘looked’ toward the source of the sound.
She couldn’t see, but she could feel it. That gaze fell on her, cold.
It wasn’t Lin Qingxue’s.
It was someone else’s.
Lin Qingxue walked to the bed, bent down, grabbed Su Yutao by the scruff of her neck, and lifted her out of the blanket.
Su Yutao was carried, hanging in midair, holding Qiansui, like a cat caught by the nape.
She quickly rubbed against Lin Qingxue, pressing her face against her arm, rubbing her hair on her hand, hooking her fingers around the hem of her clothes.
She was pleading, begging, telling her: I’m good, don’t hit me, don’t give me to someone else.
The leading man stood at the door, watching this scene, and let out a soft laugh.
That laugh was light, carrying an indescribable implication:
“Miss Lin, you’re keeping her like a pet.”
“No wonder the higher-ups say your emotions are abnormal.”
His gaze fell on the injuries on Su Yutao’s body. Bandages on her arms, gauze on her ears, a thick fixing strap on her shoulder, and the exposed bruises, black and blue.
He shook his head.
“So many injuries. Looks like life hasn’t been good to her.”
“Feels like taking her away might be a relief for her.”
Su Yutao was stunned.
What the hell? Take away? What’s happening?
Why is there suddenly a man’s voice, and he says he’s taking me away?
She shook her head wildly, her hands gripping Lin Qingxue’s clothes, her nails digging in. She didn’t know who that man was, or where he was taking her, but she knew it wasn’t good.
Qiansui exploded in her ear:
“This isn’t right! Who is this guy? Damn, shouldn’t this still be the early stage?”
“This guy… uh, seems like a mid-stage mini-boss! Damn, his boss tag is practically pasted on my face!”
Su Yutao was totally confused. Wait, how did a mid-stage mini-boss show up here?
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, How To Survive Without Dying at The Hands of The Emperor is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : How To Survive Without Dying at The Hands of The Emperor
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