Chapter 79: A Desperate Plea and a Heavenly Treasure

As my sister and I journeyed from H City towards B City, we encountered a treacherous man.

He was being pursued by a Corpse Orb and intended to use us as bait.

After I effortlessly dealt with both the Corpse Orb and the man driving the car, my sister and I discovered several women bound in the backseat.

As my sister untied one of the women, the moment her bonds were loosened, the woman unexpectedly collapsed to her knees, pleading with my sister to save her mother.

More accurately, she was a girl rather than a woman. Her youthful face suggested she was no older than sixteen or seventeen, roughly the same age as my sister and me.

Upon hearing the girl’s words, my brows furrowed involuntarily. I knew trouble had found us once again.

For my sister and me, the most crucial task at hand was not to save these strangers we had just met, but to reach B City quickly and find our parents.

However, despite my thoughts, my sister’s kind nature would clearly prevent her from abandoning someone in distress.

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

To my surprise, my usually compassionate sister did not immediately agree to the girl’s plea this time.

Though a look of reluctance crossed her face, she firmly pulled away the girl’s hand, which had been clutching her clothes, and turned to untie the other bound women.

The girl, having been rejected by my sister, showed a bitter smile on her face after hearing her words. Without another word, she subtly drew the katana from my sister’s waist.

With a flash of cold steel, the girl pressed the blade against her own throat. Her lips clenched tight and her eyes squeezed shut, the sharp edge poised to sever her neck.

“Don’t!”

Witnessing the girl’s desperate act of self-harm, my sister could only manage a scream, powerless to stop the blade in the girl’s hand.

Seeing the terror on my sister’s face, I unconsciously shook my head. I then activated my spatial ability, freezing time completely within the immediate vicinity.

After everyone’s movements came to a halt, I walked over to my sister’s side and gently took the katana from the girl’s hand.

I then pulled my sister close, maintaining a safe distance from the other women to prevent any further unexpected incidents, before restoring the flow of time within the space.

“Ah!”

The blade had already been taken from the girl’s hand, but my sister was still unaware. Believing the girl was about to bleed out at any second, she threw herself into my arms.

Hiding her small head against my chest, my sister clutched my clothes tightly. Her anxious and frightened demeanor made me chuckle softly as I reached out to pat her back.

“W-woo… Brother, I didn’t agree to her request because I didn’t want anything to happen to you again. When that man shot at you just now, my heart nearly stopped! If I let you fall into danger again, I… I…”

“It’s alright. Go see if she’s dead.”

I softly comforted my sister, urging her to check if the girl who attempted suicide was still alive.

My sister, who had been openly weeping moments before, turned her head, still clutching my clothes tightly, upon hearing my words.

She then saw the girl, who had intended to take her own life, now staring blankly at her empty hands.

“Phew~ She’s not dead!”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Seeing that the girl was indeed alive, my sister finally let out a sigh of relief.

As I leaned slightly to speak to my sister, she suddenly looked up when she heard my voice, bringing our faces incredibly close.

Our faces were almost touching, close enough for our noses to brush. Our gazes met.

My sister’s cheeks immediately flushed, and her eyes began to dart away. The blush on her face even extended down to her neck and below.

Seeing her shy expression, the corners of my mouth curved into a gentle smile. I decided not to tease her further, lifting my head again to create some distance between us.

“Of course, Brother didn’t lie to me… But what’s wrong with you? If I don’t help you save someone, you’ll commit suicide in front of me and make me feel guilty for the rest of my life?”

My sister’s shy demeanor gradually faded after I lifted my head. Then, as if remembering something, an indignant expression replaced it. She turned, hands on her hips, to scold the girl who had tried to commit suicide.

The girl, who had initially tried to kill herself, completely broke down when she realized the knife was gone from her hands. Upon hearing my sister’s reprimand, she couldn’t help but cover her face and burst into loud sobs.

My sister, seeing this, parted her lips slightly, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

“Miss, please don’t blame Little Ming. Her life has been so hard!”

As the girl’s cries continued, the other women, now untied, began to explain.

“A week ago, the zombie virus suddenly spread, plunging society into chaos. Little Ming and we originally lived near the Benevolent Botanical Garden. But two days ago, a group of people came to our residential area and gathered all the survivors…”

“All survivors? And you didn’t resist?”

“They had guns, how could we dare to resist! After gathering us, the leader suddenly announced that we would all become bait, to lure out that terrifying flower in the botanical garden.”

The woman speaking looked to be under thirty, with exceptionally well-maintained skin. As she spoke, she fearfully patted her chest, causing a noticeable swell.

“A flower in the botanical garden? If they wanted you to be bait, and they had guns, how did you all manage to escape?”

My sister, noticing the woman’s ample chest, unconsciously glanced down at her own. Then, with a frustrated expression, she voiced the question on her mind.

“That group, for some reason, said they had to wait a while, for some ‘heavenly treasure’ to mature…”

“Wait? You said ‘heavenly treasure’?”

“Yes! That’s what the leaders said. They said they’d wait for it to mature before luring that terrifying flower out of the botanical garden. And during this waiting period, that damned scumbag appeared, saying he’d take us away…”

As the woman spoke of the man I had choked to death, her eyes immediately blazed with fury, as if she wished to grind him to dust.

However, all my attention was focused on the four words the woman had uttered: ‘heavenly treasure’.