Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Just when everyone was at a complete loss, a dark figure burst onto the scene.
It moved so quickly that the Madmen closing in on them were torn apart before they could even turn their heads.
Rip!
The Madman at the front had a massive gash ripped open across its throat. Blood gushed out like a fountain as the dark figure clung to its body.
Everyone froze, but the dark figure did not stop.
Bang! Bang, bang, bang!
At the same time, gunshots suddenly rang out behind them! The Madmen at their backs collapsed at their feet.
Wen Lianfeng, Chu Jingchu, and Ye Que had arrived without anyone noticing.
All three were breathing heavily, clearly having just fought their way through a vicious battle. After Wen Lianfeng and Chu Jingchu finished helping Wu Wujie escort the patients to safety, they sensed something was wrong. That was when they ran into Ye Que climbing through a window with several guns clutched tightly in her arms.
They had rushed over to provide support, but now they stood rooted to the spot, their gazes locked on the dark figure.
Like a bolt of black lightning, the figure darted among the Madmen. Every time it flashed past, another Madman fell.
What was that thing?!
Qingshui stared fixedly at the dark figure, her pupils contracting sharply.
At last, it stopped amid the pile of mangled corpses.
It was a girl.
She looked fifteen or sixteen. Her face was so covered in blood that her features were impossible to make out. Only her eyes were visible, blacker than any human’s should have been. She panted for breath, her body still trembling faintly.
In one short minute, the tide of the battle had turned.
A minute ago, they had been standing there waiting to die. Now, every last Madman was a corpse.
No one dared to move. They simply stood there, staring at the blood and organs strewn across the ground, at the bodies torn to pieces, and at the blood-soaked girl. Then, gripped by terror, they began backing away one step at a time.
The girl moved as well. She walked toward the Director, one step at a time, and with every step she took, the survivors retreated another.
The girl did not look at them. She merely stopped in front of the Director and tilted her head like a puppy waiting to be praised.
The Director reached out and gently stroked her head.
Someone cried out, “Director!”
The Director raised her head and looked at the terrified survivors, her face filled with the same compassion as always.
“She… is a Semi-Immune.”
The survivors stared blankly. A Semi… Immune? What did that mean?
“She has always been quiet by nature. She is the purest child in the world. Even after she was infected with the virus, she never developed the traits seen in the infected. She only… became stronger.”
The Director continued, “I raised her with my own hands. She will never attack me, and she obeys my commands. The reason this place has remained so safe… is because she has been protecting us.”
Some people began to waver. Others remained afraid, while still others watched the girl with doubtful expressions.
Meng Rui spat. “She’s a Madman! So this is the thing you’ve been hiding in the basement. Xu Yun, you’ve truly lost your mind. You actually kept a Madman here! Are you trying to get us all killed?”
“She isn’t a Madman… She’s our Protector. Only she… can fight the Madmen.”
The Director studied everyone’s expressions, her gaze lingering briefly on Qingshui and Wen Lianfeng.
A chill instantly ran down the back of Wen Lianfeng’s neck as a sense of foreboding spread through her.
The Director suddenly smiled.
“Meng Rui, if you hadn’t covered for them, would we have ended up like this?”
Her voice was soft, but every word reached everyone with perfect clarity.
Wen Lianfeng’s pupils contracted sharply.
“Those Madmen…” The Director looked at Meng Rui as though she were a child who had done something wrong. “Didn’t they follow those women here? You knew, but you said nothing. And because of that… everyone ended up like this.”
What?!
Every eye instantly swung toward Wen Lianfeng and Meng Rui.
The fear and hesitation in those eyes vanished, replaced by something else: suspicion, fury, and hatred.
Surveillance?! That woman had been listening in on them this whole time?! Their conversations, their theories, the secrets about the “Madman who had been following them”-she knew everything.
But none of that mattered anymore. There was no longer any need to prove the truth. Wen Lianfeng instantly saw through the Director’s intentions. She meant to turn everyone’s fear and anger against them, and in the process, use the mob to eliminate Meng Rui.
“We could have kept living here forever,” the Director said, lowering her voice. “It’s safe here. We have food and water, and walls to protect us. As long as you obey. As long as you don’t go running off…”
She raised her head and looked at the survivors. “But… they ruined everything.”
In that instant, every survivor’s eyes turned red with rage.
“You’re the ones who brought the Madmen here!”
“You’re nothing but bad luck!”
“Kill them!”
“Lock them up!”
Meng Rui and Chu Jingchu tried to fight back, only to take punches straight to their faces. Qingshui and Wen Lianfeng did not resist, allowing the others to force them to the floor.
The truth was, these people had already lost their minds.
During the incident with Song Yunqing, they had still been able to cling to their humanity and reason. But after confronting the Madmen again, their minds had been pushed to the brink. They desperately needed an outlet.
And Qingshui’s group had become that outlet.
Song Yunqing and a man dragged Qingshui into a separate room. The man’s face twisted savagely as he kicked her hard, as though she were some unforgivable piece of filth.
Song Yunqing made no attempt to stop him. She merely watched it happen with perfect calm.
Qingshui looked up at her. “You knew all along that she was keeping a Madman.”
Song Yunqing tilted her head and stared at Qingshui. “Who are the Madmen?”
She held Qingshui’s gaze, enunciating each word. “Aren’t we Madmen too?”
A chill crept through Qingshui’s heart.
Song Yunqing continued, “That isn’t a Madman. She’s a psychiatric patient.”
“A patient who’s been locked up here since birth. She can’t speak. She can’t think. All she knows is hunger. The Director has cared for her all her life. She only obeys the Director. She only knows how to protect the Director.”
“And she’ll protect us too.”
In another room, the Director crouched in front of the girl. She took a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the blood from the corner of the girl’s mouth.
Her movements were tender, even affectionate.
The girl narrowed her eyes like a cat being stroked, making a low, rumbling sound in her throat. She rubbed her head against the Director’s hand, knees, and face.
“Ah… ah…” she cried. The sounds were garbled, but her delight was unmistakable.
The Director smiled, her wrinkles bunching together as her eyes curved into crescents.
Caressing the girl’s face, she asked softly, “Were you frightened today? So many Madmen came rushing in… I was terrified.”
The girl tilted her head and looked at her, unable to understand what she was saying. But she knew the Director was speaking to her, so she answered with a few more sounds. “Ah… ah…”
The Director continued wiping away the blood, slowly revealing the deathly pale face beneath.
“But you protected me.” The Director’s voice grew even softer. “You always protect me.”
The girl did not move. She simply sat there, staring blankly ahead.
The Director lowered her head, gathered the girl into her arms, and rocked her gently.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
A woman in her fifties cradled a blood-soaked girl in her arms, rocking her as gently as if she were a baby.
“Don’t be afraid…” the Director whispered into her ear. “Just wait a little longer… Soon, you’ll have many more companions.”
“Then you won’t be lonely anymore.”