chapter 12
“Stop fumbling around.” Zack clicked his tongue.
“Why is there no sound from this person at all? Could she be dead?” another man said suspiciously. “Wasn’t she making noise all day?” Suddenly, clear footsteps sounded outside, seeming to stop in front of the Stone Vat.
Tu Nan’s heart leapt, and she gripped the Dagger tightly in her hand.
If the lid was lifted, she would be exposed in the Stone Vat with nowhere to hide. She had to seize the chance to take one of them out first.
“You’ve gagged her and tied her hands and feet. How could she struggle?” Zack said impatiently. “It’s almost dawn. We need to go. Hurry up.”
Tu Nan suddenly realized that the “person” they were talking about was likely the one behind her.
No wonder she hadn’t moved or spoken at all-her mouth was gagged and her hands and feet were bound.
But why would they tie someone up and leave her here?
“Alright,” the other man replied. “All the goods are here. Let’s go.”
The footsteps outside gradually faded away.
Tu Nan’s tense heart hadn’t relaxed yet when she suddenly realized that once the people outside left, they would surely Lock the exit. Wouldn’t she be trapped here to die?
Cold sweat slid down her forehead.
Calm down. Calm down.
She forced herself to stay calm in the darkness, her mind racing as she considered her situation.
Suddenly, she felt the person behind her move.
She didn’t know if the person behind her was friend or foe. Tu Nan had been paying attention to her movements since entering. Her gaze turned cold, and she pressed the Dagger against the Woman in the darkness.
If she knew what was good for her, she’d better not cause trouble.
The person behind her paused, then let out a low, muffled sound from her throat, as if trying to speak.
Tu Nan couldn’t tell her intentions and hesitated.
If she wanted to expose Tu Nan, she could have done so when the two men were here. But she hadn’t, only making a sound after they left.
Maybe she had something to say.
Tu Nan reached out with her other hand, feeling around until she found the wad of cloth in the Woman’s mouth and removed it.
“Sea God bless,” the Woman took a deep breath, her voice weak. “Who are you? I thought you were another person tied up here.”
Tu Nan vaguely felt this person might be able to answer some of her questions, but she herself couldn’t speak and couldn’t reply.
The Woman didn’t mind her silence and continued, “You have a Dagger. Hurry, cut the ropes on my hands and feet.”
Tu Nan was hesitating when she suddenly heard movement outside again.
“I’m still not at ease. I’ll go down and check on the Woman in the vat. If she’s dead, the Prince will be furious.”
Zack said impatiently, “Then go quickly and come back. I’ll wait here.”
The Woman beside Tu Nan tensed up immediately. “It’s over. If he sees you, he’ll tie you up too.”
This was exactly the time not to panic.
Tu Nan gripped the Dagger tightly, listening to the heavy footsteps approaching outside. In the darkness, she felt for the ropes binding the Woman and easily cut them.
“What good does it do to untie me now?” the Woman whispered in a frustrated tone. “Soon we’ll just be tied up again.”
Sweat broke out on Tu Nan’s palm, her chest rising and falling rapidly with fear.
She wiped her palm and gripped the Dagger even tighter.
A faint light seeped in through the gap in the lid, and the heavy footsteps stopped outside the Stone Vat where they were hiding.
Tu Nan held her breath, gripping the Dagger tightly.
She had only one chance.
The Woman beside her seemed to have guessed what Tu Nan wanted to do, curling up motionlessly, not even daring to breathe deeply.
Finally, the lid of the Stone Vat was lifted from the outside.
Tu Nan squinted, finally seeing the newcomer’s face clearly.
He was holding a Candle. The dim yellow candlelight illuminated his face; he had a bushy beard and a knife scar on his right cheek-he clearly didn’t look like a good person.
Tu Nan, like a snake lurking in the dark, made a split-second decision. Before the man could react, she sprang up and drove the Dagger straight into his throat.
She thought it would be difficult, but this Dagger was extraordinarily sharp. The moment it pierced his throat, it was as if cutting through tofu-it didn’t take any effort at all.
Blood spurted from his throat, spraying all over Tu Nan’s face and body.
The man’s eyes suddenly widened, as if he wanted to say something, but only a gurgling sound came from his throat. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t even utter a single cry before the Candle in his hand rolled to the floor. The flame flickered, but surprisingly, it didn’t go out.
The man stared at her in death, unable to rest in peace. His large body fell backward, crashing heavily onto the ground with a muffled thud.
It was the first time Tu Nan had faced something like this. Her face turned as white as paper, her stomach churning, nearly making her vomit.
But she quickly composed herself. After all, this wasn’t reality-strictly speaking, the man in front of her was just a heap of data.
This Dagger was even more useful than she had imagined.
She took a few deep breaths, shook out her hand, and turned to look at the Woman who had been with her since the beginning.
She had long, curly brown hair. Tu Nan’s eyes widened slightly-she looked exactly like Lily.
“Did you really kill him?” The Woman’s face was filled with the joy of having survived disaster, her lips trembling. “Does this mean I can escape now?”
“What’s that sound?” Zack’s voice suddenly called out from not far away. “Jack, what are you up to in there?”
It was probably not over yet.
Tu Nan quickly calmed herself.
This man’s accomplice would be coming down soon. Once he saw Jack’s corpse, he would know someone else was here.
She swiftly climbed out of the Stone Vat, her gaze sweeping across the dim Storage Room, searching for the best place to hide.
The Woman inside the Stone Vat seemed to have been frightened stiff and still hadn’t moved.
At such a critical moment, Tu Nan had no time to care about others. Time was running out-she could already hear that person’s heavy breathing.
She made a snap decision and hid in the blind spot behind the stairs.
The footsteps drew nearer, accompanied by Zack’s loud voice.
“If I find out you’re messing with me, you know the consequences!”
Tu Nan pressed her back tightly against the wall, holding her breath, not daring to move.
Finally, Zack came down the stairs.
He looked even bigger than Jack, his broad back like a wall. If Tu Nan stood next to him, she’d probably only reach his chest.
“Who is it?! Who killed you!” Zack immediately saw Jack’s body lying on the ground, a bloody hole in his throat still gushing blood.
Blood was everywhere on the floor.
Zack was furious, his gaze quickly sweeping across the Storage Room, but he didn’t find the culprit.
He reacted quickly, spinning around-only to come face to face with a Dagger gleaming coldly.
Tu Nan raised her hand, trying to drive the Dagger into Zack’s body, but he reacted too fast. The Dagger only managed to slice open the hand he raised to block her before Zack grabbed Tu Nan’s throat with one hand.