Chapter 414: Chapter 399: Then It Has Nothing to Do With Her
The old woman across from her was clearly stunned. She obviously hadn’t expected Gu Xi to react this way, not even bothering to ask for her side of the story.
This meant Gu Xi wasn’t going to give her a chance to explain or argue her case.
A sudden sense of crisis made her blurt out subconsciously, "Gu Xi, you said you wouldn’t kill me. Don’t forget, I was the one who..."
But no matter how desperate or sincere she looked, she would never get the chance to finish her attempt to persuade Gu Xi.
Because a small red flower had blossomed in her mouth. It trembled delicately, forcing her mouth open wider and wider, yet she couldn’t make a single sound...
She didn’t even know how the flower had appeared.
Clearly, Gu Xi was annoyed.
She didn’t want to hear any more of her nonsense.
This terrified the old woman even more.
The trembling little red flower in her mouth, with an eerie speed that seemed slow but was actually incredibly fast, silently burrowed into her brain and aggressively enveloped the Crystal Core inside...
Soon, her face, which had been old but still had a healthy, ruddy complexion, began to turn a deathly gray at a visible rate. The life force in her body became nutrients, slowly nourishing the trembling, blossoming red flower in her mouth...
Just when she was sure she was going to die, the little red flower in her mouth suddenly began to wither.
At some point, Gu Xi had walked over and now stood before her.
"Chen, I told you I wouldn’t kill you." Gu Xi stared at the old woman before her and said earnestly, "You know I’m clear about who I owe and who owes me, and I always keep my word. So..."
"Rest assured." As she spoke, she reached out and plucked the half-withered red flower from the woman’s mouth, along with the minuscule Crystal Core Fragments clinging to its root tips, and held it out in front of Chen.
Seeing those Crystal Core Fragments, a storm of shock and horror erupted in Chen’s eyes.
"You see," Gu Xi said, slightly raising her hand. Her gaze fell upon the tiny Crystal Core Fragments coiled around the root tips. Narrowing her eyes, she sighed softly. "I’m only taking back what is mine."
’She hadn’t bothered with any of the excess trash.’
Chen opened her mouth in terror, but only a raspy, gurgling sound came out.
It was a sound just like the zombies from back then.
Realization seemed to dawn on her, and she took another horrified step back.
To Gu Xi, the scene was the height of irony.
But she said nothing, merely watching the old woman calmly. As their gazes met, the small, rooted red flower in her hand, along with the Crystal Core Fragments on its tips, silently dissolved into nothingness...
Gu Xi opened her hand and looked away, her eyes slowly sweeping over the lab equipment behind the woman, her expression devoid of joy or sorrow.
Behind her, Chen slowly crumpled to the floor, like so much mud she herself had once trampled underfoot...
Gu Xi hadn’t killed her, it was true, but she had destroyed her Crystal Core. From now on, she would have to live like a common person in this apocalypse, like a dog... No, she was even worse off than a common person.
’She suddenly remembered that her body had long since deteriorated. The only reason she’d held on this long was because she had been using Gu Xi’s blood all these years... But after today, Gu Xi obviously wouldn’t be giving her any more of her blood to keep her alive.’
’But she didn’t want to die!’
’And she *couldn’t* die!’
The Chen sisters had clawed their way through the apocalypse to get this far; they certainly wouldn’t give up so easily.
She quickly forced herself to calm down, lowering her head to hide the hatred and resentment in her eyes.
A moment later, she glanced up at Gu Xi, who was examining something a short distance away, then slowly prostrated herself on the ground, clinging to life like an old dog...
「Meanwhile, at the surface entrance.」
Ye Nan watched the elevator doors slowly open and subconsciously took a step forward.
"Mom, you..."
Stepping out of the elevator, Ye Xin waved a hand, signaling for her to be quiet.
The mother and daughter left the small courtyard in silence. At the mouth of a nearby alley, a black SUV had appeared at some point, parked quietly in the shadows.
Ye Nan hurried to the SUV and opened the car door.
After her mother got in, she glanced back at the small courtyard not far behind them, as if compelled by some unseen force. Only then did she lower her head, hiding the complex emotions in her eyes as she got into the car.
The door shut, and with a ROAR of its engine, the black SUV sped away from the area.
「Half an hour later.」
Ye Xin tilted her head to look at her daughter beside her. Propping her chin on one hand, she asked with a faint smile, "Xiaonan, what is it you want to ask?"
’In the last half hour alone, the girl had looked at her more than ten times, wanting to speak but holding back. She really is impatient.’
’Back in the day, when she and Xiaoxi were this age, their names alone were enough to strike fear into people’s hearts...’ At the thought of the past, Ye Xin fell silent for a moment, and the smile on her face faded slightly.
’Ah, the old days... They could never go back.’
Ye Xin’s lips curled. Her smile became a little more languid, but a bitterness no one could see swelled in her heart.
Beside her, Ye Nan bit her lip and finally asked, "Why didn’t you just tell her directly? Did you really have to lure her over just to eavesdrop?"
’In her opinion, it was completely unnecessary.’
"Yes, why not just tell her directly?" Ye Xin murmured, lowering her eyes as if simply repeating her daughter’s question.
But only she knew the real reason. ’Because... she didn’t know. After she had done so many wrong things, she didn’t know if her team leader who had trusted her so much back then—the little girl she had practically raised—would still believe her like she used to.’
’So, there were some things she couldn’t say.’
’She could only let Xiaoxi hear for herself, discover for herself, and judge for herself.’
’It was true for her, and true for Qee Ran. And probably even for Li Ming...’
Ye Xin sighed. Seeing the confused and uncomprehending look in her daughter’s eyes, she ultimately said nothing, only reaching out to gently tap her daughter’s forehead.
’Oh well. Some things, this child will only understand after experiencing them for herself.’
...
When Gu Xi emerged, Qi Xiang was staring at the black door with a slight frown. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, yet she just couldn’t place it.
Seeing Gu Xi, Qi Xiang hurried to meet her, her eyes scanning her up and down. "Are you okay?"
’With Gu Xi’s abilities, dealing with one person should have taken mere minutes. For her to be in there for so long, could it be...?’ Qi Xiang looked at Gu Xi with hesitation, unsure if she should ask.
Gu Xi calmly shook her head. "I’m fine."
Qi Xiang’s heart skipped a beat. Her gaze went past Gu Xi to the open door behind her, but she didn’t see Chen. She hesitated for a moment. "Then she...?"
"Still alive." Gu Xi started walking, not once looking back.
Those two calm, understated words sent a chill down Qi Xiang’s spine.
Gu Xi offered no explanation, her steps only growing more resolute.
’The moment she took back what was hers, she had also seen certain images from Chen’s memories...’
’So it turned out that when they found her in swaddling clothes all those years ago, they really had been guided by someone else.’
’But regardless of their motives back then, the Chen sisters had brought her and a young Li Ming back to the research institute and given them a place to stay. For that alone, she owed them a debt.’
’That was why she wouldn’t kill them.’
’Even if, in the years that followed, the two of them had done the most disgusting things to her.’
’But she would take back what was hers. As for the future... whatever happened to the two sisters as they were left to fend for themselves?’
’That would have nothing to do with her.’
