Chapter 338: The Dragon Lady’s Confession, Sisters Reunited!
Actually, Bai Yu’s meaning was quite simple: back in the day when I needed you all, you wouldn’t contact me. Now that you need my help, if you don’t reach out to me after I complete the task, I’ll have no choice but to beat you all up and forcefully initiate your redemption!
As soon as she said this, everyone started exchanging glances, like a bunch of startled deer.
Honestly, this only benefited them and posed no harm.
Bai Yu would handle the rescue, and afterward, she’d help them complete their redemption tasks. At least they’d get a chance to enter a lottery!
This cooperation seemed almost too good to be true. They started to suspect if Bai Yu was hiding something or if this redemption task was genuinely problematic.
After much thought, they eventually agreed.
Of course, they could rescue Lu Liangting, but it wasn’t exactly a guaranteed win.
Let’s just say, the Nightmare’s power was formidable, and Lu Liangting being caught up in the mix could spell disaster.
Whether the Nightmare lived or died was irrelevant; if Lu Liangting died, that would be a huge loss.
So, if Bai Yu takes on the Nightmare directly, they could find an opportunity to save him. This might be the best plan after all.
“Okay, it’s settled then!” One of them stepped forward, representing everyone in accepting this condition.
“We have a total of seventeen people. If we successfully rescue Lu Liangting, we can all help you with your redemption tasks.”
“I only need eleven.” Bai Yu raised an eyebrow.
“That’s the deal then! The eleven chosen will be given to you immediately after the task concludes. If we can’t produce them, well, you’ll have to figure that part out yourself.” Shen Shuyun spoke up, “Let’s discuss the details. I’ve already told you the basics; the Ghost Gate to transfer Lu Liangting is located in the eastern suburbs of the city. It’s quite remote.”
“The Nightmare has only given us three days. After that, we must have a plan to rescue Lu Liangting, or we miss our chance.”
“We still aren’t clear on the Nightmare’s motives or Lu Liangting’s situation, but I will share all the clues I’ve collected afterward.”
It’s not that they were useless; it’s just that the Nightmare was way too powerful.
After Lu Liangting went missing, they arrived at the scene in under a minute, only to find the Ghost Gate completely empty. It was like Lu Liangting had evaporated into thin air.
They’d practically searched any possible location, practically turning Tianchang City upside down.
If it weren’t for desperation, they wouldn’t have sought Bai Yu’s collaboration.
“It’s simple; the Nightmare gathered you all here simply to eliminate you,” Bai Yu stated calmly.
“Don’t come within Lu Liangting’s vicinity three days from now. Better to stay at least ten kilometers away, understood?”
Bai Yu’s voice was eerily calm as she delivered the most chilling words, “She couldn’t be bothered to hunt you down herself, so she used Lu Liangting to gather you together. It’s just more convenient for her to cut you all down that way.”
“For her, killing one or killing a group makes no difference. As long as you enter that zone, no one can save you.”
The Nightmare’s attacks were mental, primarily using dreams to k*ll. The moment these people entered that area, they were as good as dead. If Bai Yu wasn’t certain about this, the Nightmare wouldn’t have made a move.
In Bai Yu’s eyes, the Nightmare had a two-pronged strategy.
If she didn’t go, then this group would be eliminated. If she did go, then she’d be the target.
As long as Lu Liangting was in her hands, someone would definitely show up to save him; no matter who went, they’d be in the Nightmare’s plans.
The sc*m Game had issued a notice: it was the final month.
If they didn’t make the most of this month, they’d end up dead anyway. d*ath was inevitable—might as well take a gamble!
Bai Yu’s words carried a hint of humiliation to them. After all, they had all emerged from the sc*m Game. With so many people in their ranks, could they really be afraid of the Nightmare?
But feeling annoyed aside, they had to remain rational.
Thinking it over, it was entirely possible; otherwise, why would the Nightmare leave clues when capturing Lu Liangting?
The three days were likely meant for rallying more people—more would only benefit them.
The only thing they couldn’t grasp was why the Nightmare would do this. What was the upside of killing them? The Nightmare was someone whose motives were always a wild card, and her reason for m*rder often seemed to be simply because she found it amusing.
“Of course,” Shen Shuyun broke the awkward silence, trying to lighten the mood.
“If we aren’t participating, then it’ll just be our boss facing the Nightmare alone.”
“Sure,” Bai Yu replied, turning to leave.
Her attitude was haughty, but to Shen Shuyun and the others, it felt just fine.
Bai Yu had said “sure” not “whatever.” Her arrogance suggested, “I can take down the Nightmare myself,” a simple statement of fact.
As Bai Yu’s figure disappeared from view, a long silence ensued before someone finally spoke up.
“Her personality hasn’t changed a bit. I’m just puzzled about where her body came from—and that outfit!”
“That doesn’t look like something a doctor could’ve thrown together. Someone must have bought it for her.”
“Wow, who’s that impressive?” the previously flung Female Madman rubbed her neck and walked back after pretending to be unconscious, scared Bai Yu might give her another smack.
After that one hit, she had felt the difference in strength; it was like comparing being crushed by a fly or having a chicken squashed.
“Who else? The Female Protagonist, Zhao Mingyue!” Shen Shuyun shrugged. “I told you all before: no problem with you going a little overboard while trying to locate Lu Liangting, we’re all here to compete fairly, using whatever tricks we have at hand.”
“But don’t even think of targeting Zhao Mingyue. That’ll only screw us all over.”
“You all didn’t just see her strength? She showed it to us on purpose. Can you guess how strong she is now?”
“By the way, what do you reckon Zhao Mingyue’s position is in that doctor’s eyes?”
“That one’s truly a master of missions.”
That last statement dripped with sarcasm.
They all knew Bai Yu’s target was Zhao Mingyue. Shen Shuyun meant that completing Bai Yu’s mission would be all well and good, but now she was throwing herself into it too.
Simultaneously, it also served as a warning for those around them: don’t go seeking trouble with the Female Protagonist in this last month. Better watch out, or things may get messy.
If someone captured Zhao Mingyue, then everyone present would be in deep trouble.
Bai Yu, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid of dead ends. She could make quick work of Lu Liangting.
She wasn’t like the Nightmare; her target wasn’t the Nightmare, so she really dared to squash Lu Liangting.
“Very true.” The surrounding crowd nodded in agreement.
To see the doctor undergo such “transformation” was unbelievable.
If she could treat her like a “daughter,” how powerful must Zhao Mingyue be?
“Alright, let’s disperse. Keep gathering clues, but this time we’re switching directions.” Shen Shuyun’s eyes narrowed. “Stop looking for Lu Liangting. These three days, it’s impossible to find him.”
“Not looking for Lu Liangting? Then what are we supposed to do?”
“Of course, we have things to do! Why are you eager?” Shen Shuyun chuckled coldly. “The Nightmare loves playing her tricks, right? She wants to trap us all, so…I’ll directly investigate her real identity and capture her family!”
“Will this even be useful? The Nightmare doesn’t seem like the type to care about family.”
“Let’s give it a shot; you never know. You know this world has its quirks. You guys should delve deeper into the doctor’s redemption tasks. If we hit the jackpot, the initiative will be ours. Instead of wasting our efforts, we might as well roll the dice!”
Once she finished speaking, the Female Madmen around all broke into smiles.
They didn’t even bother to question what would happen after they snagged the Nightmare’s family or if it’d backfire, like capturing Zhao Mingyue would.
As Shen Shuyun said, they simply enjoyed the thrill of gambling.
Grabbing Zhao Mingyue equals courting d*ath; grabbing the Nightmare’s family equals seizing initiative.
Besides, the doctor and the Nightmare weren’t on the same level.
Even if the Nightmare was impressive, she was still second fiddle; she was always being pressed down hard by the doctor.
You think we’re scared of snagging the Nightmare’s family? Not a chance!
With resolve, the group scattered to relay messages to trusted partners and immediately began investigating the Nightmare’s real identity and her family from various directions.
They didn’t really hold out much hope for it.
The Nightmare, that old lunatic, even if her family truly existed in this world, it didn’t seem like she’d care all that much. She didn’t strike one as someone who cherished family.
·
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When Bai Yu got back home, Zhao Mingyue was still busy finishing her shower. It took a while before she finally emerged from the bathroom with a towel drying her wet hair.
Zhao Mingyue usually took over thirty minutes in the shower, and Bai Yu knew this all too well.
No words were exchanged throughout the night. Zhao Mingyue, surprisingly, had a good sleep and didn’t suffer from insomnia. Perhaps it was because the Eternal Life Village was no longer a shadow hanging over her.
To Bai Yu, it was clear that Zhao Mingyue wasn’t prone to insomnia; even if she did have it, she’d just be the Dragon Lady.
The next morning rolled in naturally, and Zhao Mingyue woke up on her own. After tidying up the house briefly, she began to pamper herself.
Every girl has a love for beauty, and Zhao Mingyue was no exception.
In the past, she hadn’t bothered too much because she lacked money. Now that conditions had improved, of course, she’d put in some effort.
Bai Yu said nothing, sitting on the couch snacking and watching TV.
Her collaboration with Shen Shuyun and the others from last night didn’t phase her at all. In these three days, she didn’t need to lift a finger; after three days, the Nightmare would come looking for her.
Instead of preparing a bunch of nonsense, she believed in sheer might.
With the insane followers from Hejiang City backing her, her strength was increasing daily.
“Bai Yu, how do you feel about this outfit?”
Zhao Mingyue was clad in a primarily white casual getup, exuding sunshine and vitality.
“Looks good! Are you wearing that this afternoon?”
“Hmm… it’s not exactly formal, but I wanted to keep it casual. Alright, I’ll change!” Zhao Mingyue quickly darted back to her room, trying on several outfits but couldn’t quite decide. To Bai Yu, she looked good no matter what she wore.
“Bai Yu, are you going with me?” At three o’clock, a message from the Dragon Lady came through as Zhao Mingyue rushed to grab her bag.
“Let’s go.”
Bai Yu felt her body go limp, collapsing back onto the couch as her essence slipped into Zhao Mingyue’s shadow.
Outside the community, the Dragon Lady was indeed waiting patiently. From her appearance, it was clear she was taking the evening’s events very seriously.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Zhao Mingyue said softly.
“No, I just got here too.” The Dragon Lady opened the passenger door for Zhao Mingyue.
At first glance, everything seemed fine, but once the car started, the mood became apparent. The two were practically radiating awkwardness—formerly they could joke and banter freely, now it felt like watching a couple of high schoolers on a first date.
You could almost mistake this for a scene out of a campus romance comic if you swapped the Dragon Lady for a male student from Zhao Mingyue’s school.
Of course, Bai Yu wouldn’t allow that to happen.
“I heard the carnival in the north part of the city is pretty fun.” The Dragon Lady tried to break the ice.
“Uh, yeah.” Zhao Mingyue replied, accompanied by an uncomfortable silence that lingered all the way to the carnival. The Dragon Lady finally broke the ice, “I’ve already bought the tickets. Let’s go in and have fun! I remember you really wanted to visit a theme park like this but couldn’t because your family was struggling.”
“Yeah, back then I could only catch glimpses of such amusement parks on that rickety old television. I always thought it’d be great if I could go enjoy it with my sister.” Zhao Mingyue smiled gently.
At this moment, neither had voiced their true intentions for this outing, but they both knew each other’s identities and the real purpose of their meetup.
“Well then, let’s have some fun today!”
The carnival was bustling, filled with attractions galore.
As night began to descend, Bai Yu, witnessing it all unfold through Zhao Mingyue’s shadow, could clearly see their relationship improving, the awkward barrier gradually disappearing.
Compared to before, their relationship felt more nuanced; perhaps it was colored by a layer of “kinship.”
It was evident that both Zhao Mingyue and the Dragon Lady were genuinely happy, continuing until after dinner when they arrived at a small lake in the park.
Still carrying bags of goodies, the Dragon Lady stood by the lake, taking a deep breath like she was gathering courage. Bai Yu had never seen her like this; let’s just say, after replenishing her soul, the change was quite significant.
“Um, Mingyue, there’s something I want to tell you.” The Dragon Lady turned around.
“I’ve wanted to say this since the first time I laid eyes on you, but I had too many considerations and wasn’t sure how to communicate it.”
“I think now’s the time, and you probably have an inkling.”
With that, the Dragon Lady paused for a moment, her gaze firm. She took another deep breath and locked eyes with Zhao Mingyue.
“Little sister, I’m back!”
