Chapter 103: The Corruption of the Human Heart (Part II)

Just as Su Meiqin was clenching her fists, ready to take action, a door on the right side of the room was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang.

A woman stumbled out, falling to the floor right in front of her.

Immediately following her, a male team member rushed out of the room, his expression tightening as he realized the situation.

Lu Xin, seated on the sofa, frowned and scolded the man: "What is going on? Didn't I tell you to keep a close watch on them? Can't you even handle such a small task?"

"Ruoyu?"

Before Su Meiqin could process the meaning of his words, she was shocked to recognize the woman on the floor.

The bound woman was one of her own team members, Ruoyu. She was a veteran of the group and one of the few people Su Meiqin truly trusted.

Ruoyu was tied up tightly, with black duct tape covering her mouth. She couldn't speak, only collapsing on the ground while emitting muffled whimpers.

Without a second thought, Su Meiqin hurried over to lift her up and carefully peeled the tape from her mouth.

The moment she was freed, Ruoyu screamed, "Sister Qin, run!"

Run?

Su Meiqin froze, not yet understanding the gravity of the situation. Seeing the panic on Ruoyu's face, she tried to comfort her. "Ruoyu, stay calm. What is happening? Who tied you up? Where are the others? Where are Xiao Mo and Bingbing? Why haven't I seen any of the other female members?"

"Sister Qin, forget about us, just leave! These people are the ones who tied me up!"

Ruoyu glared at the people in the room with hatred, then buried her face in Su Meiqin’s chest, sobbing. "They are monsters! Especially him!"

Ruoyu’s gaze fell on Lu Xin, her eyes filled with an indelible resentment. "He wanted to turn our team into his private property. We refused and wanted to leave to find you. Not only did he forbid us from leaving, but he locked us all up. Later, when Bingbing awakened, she tried to help us escape in secret, but she was caught. Bingbing, she..."

Ruoyu began to weep uncontrollably, the horrors of yesterday flashing before her eyes. Finding comfort in Su Meiqin’s arms, she cried until she could barely speak. "Wuwu... Bingbing... she was... wuwu..."

"What happened to Bingbing?" Su Meiqin asked urgently.

Bingbing was the youngest member of her team, only fifteen years old, having joined just a few months prior. Because she was small and cute, they called her "Chihuahua," and she was the sunshine of the team. Su Meiqin had always treated her like a younger sister.

Ruoyu was unable to speak through her tears; she simply pointed at the room she had just run out of.

Consumed by worry, Su Meiqin let go of Ruoyu and dashed toward the room.

However, just as she reached the doorway, a tall, burly male team member blocked her path.

"Get out of my way!"

Su Meiqin’s voice was icy. Beneath the calm exterior, a storm was brewing.

The man didn't budge, looking at her with a hint of disdain. He had awakened just yesterday, and although he was only a Level 2, Su Meiqin wasn't even an awakened individual!

This was the apocalypse; power was everything. Did she really think a woman who wasn't even an awakened being could continue to lead them?

Su Meiqin said nothing. She tightened her fist and struck out with the speed of lightning. Before the man could react, her fist slammed into his face, sending him flying.

The man shrieked, rolling on the ground in agony. He felt as though the bones in his right cheek had been shattered.

If not for the physical advantages of being an awakened one, he would have passed out from the pain. Even so, the agony was nearly unbearable. As he groaned, he felt a surge of shock: how could a mere ordinary woman possess such strength?

This punch caused the others in the room to change their expressions, and even Lu Xin, sitting on the sofa, couldn't help but frown.

Su Meiqin didn't care what they were thinking. After clearing the path, she rushed into the room.

The sight that greeted her made her blood boil.

All the female team members were tightly bound with ropes, their mouths taped shut. They lay on the floor, weak and listless. Many bore visible scars on their faces and bodies, clearly the result of brutal beatings.

In the center of the room, a makeshift table held a pale, bare body—it was Bingbing, the youngest of them all.

The girl’s pupils were dilated, staring blankly at the ceiling as if she had been dead for some time. Her body was covered in shocking bruises, and the table was stained with dried blood.

It was clear she had been subjected to cruel atrocities only a short while ago.

"Bingbing!"

Su Meiqin could hardly believe her eyes. This girl, in the prime of her youth, who always greeted her with a smile, now lay there like a crushed petal, alone and hovering between life and death.

In the freezing cold, she had no clothes on. It appeared she had been tied like this for a long time; her face was deathly pale, and the rise and fall of her chest was barely perceptible.

Su Meiqin gritted her teeth. Seeing this, how could she not know what had happened?

She never imagined that the people outside—the team members she had been so proud of—could commit such heinous acts, and against their own comrades at that!

At that moment, Su Meiqin felt a profound sense of failure.

She felt her life was a disaster. As a sister, she spent her days helping strangers, appearing successful, yet she couldn't even protect her own team. As an instructor, she had failed miserably; she had trained such scum and had been arrogant enough to believe she had molded the most powerful special forces team on Earth.

The thought of Bingbing’s suffering fueled a rage that threatened to consume her.

Su Meiqin took a deep breath, rushed to the table, and grabbed a tablecloth to wrap around the girl’s thin frame, then took off her own jacket to cover her.

"Sis... ter..."

The thick jacket, still warm from Su Meiqin’s body, seemed to drive away the chill from the girl. Her fingers twitched slightly, and a glimmer of life returned to her eyes as she whispered weakly.

To Su Meiqin, that faint sound was like the most beautiful music. Her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

By a stroke of luck, perhaps due to the resilient physique of an awakened one, Bingbing was still alive despite her devastating injuries.

"Mmph..."

The other female members saw Su Meiqin enter and their faces lit up with joy. Bound and unable to move, they could only hum and look at Su Meiqin with hopeful eyes.

Just as Su Meiqin was about to untie them, she heard movement outside.

At the door, Ruoyu was being held up by a man, a gun pressed against her head. The others had also raised their weapons, aiming them at Su Meiqin.

In the center of the group, standing like a king, Lu Xin smiled slightly.

"Meiqin, I don't want to shoot you, so let's not make this difficult, shall we?" Lu Xin pointed at the held Ruoyu. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee what will happen to her!"

Su Meiqin glared at Lu Xin, her voice cold as ice from the abyss. "You can still smile? Pointing a gun at your own comrades—does that feel good?"

"Don't be so hostile!" Faced with her rage, Lu Xin wasn't the least bit annoyed.

He felt secure in his position. Although Su Meiqin's punch had been strange—seeming to exceed the limits of an ordinary human—he didn't dwell on it, assuming it was just an adrenaline-fueled burst of strength.

Regardless, everyone behind him was firmly on his side.

His lobbying over the past few days had worked. Moreover, everyone had taken part in the abuse of Bingbing, so they were all complicit; there was no turning back for them. Even if some felt guilty and wanted to side with Su Meiqin, she would never accept them. They had no choice.

"Meiqin, since you've returned from the outside, you surely know the situation. This is the apocalypse. All the old rules no longer exist. In this era, only power is fundamental."

Lu Xin looked at her with a serious expression. "Meiqin, I am sincere about you. As long as you agree to be my woman, I will not only ensure your safety, but you will also never go hungry. I can even help you become an awakened one, just like me! How about it?"

"No, Sister Qin! Don't believe him! Forget about us, just run—!" Ruoyu shouted in desperation, but she was cut off by a heavy slap to the face.

Lu Xin snorted, retracted his hand, and looked at Su Meiqin with anticipation.

In his view, the offer was generous enough. She had no reason to refuse, especially since he knew Su Meiqin had always craved the power of an awakened one. He was certain she could not turn it down.