Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 564 - 562: The River

"Qi Lianxiang, why did you traffic children?"

"..."

"I’m asking you a question!"

"It’s quick money."

"Don’t you know this is illegal?"

"It’s just one kid, isn’t it? They can always have another!"

"You! Hmph. Where have all the children you abducted gone?"

"They’re everywhere. There are specialized people who sell them; I just abduct them. My superiors don’t allow me to know the children’s whereabouts. They say it’s to prevent anyone from tracing them back."

"How do you abduct children?"

"The obedient ones I coax, the overly clever ones I snatch, and the disobedient ones I knock unconscious and carry away. It’s easy when the adults aren’t paying attention. Oh, right. Sometimes, families with too many children and not enough money will willingly sell their kids to us, asking us to find them a good home."

"Have you ever thought about what happens to those children?"

"I don’t know where they’re sold; I’m just responsible for the abduction. It’s uncertain whether they end up in cities or the countryside. I really don’t know. We sell them wherever there’s demand. However, professional beggars usually take more of them, and they also pay more."

"Do you target specific children?"

"I target those who look healthy, and I also consider those who are well-dressed. Only good-quality ones fetch a good price. Even the children of wealthy families don’t sell for much more."

"During the abductions, have you ever killed a child?"

"..."

"During the abductions, have you ever killed a child!"

"...Yes."

"What?"

"Yes. There was one child who cried too loudly, almost attracting attention. My accomplice, afraid of trouble, threw the child into the river. He did it, not me!"

CRACKLE.

The audio cut out. Wei Linglan rubbed his temples. He smiled, pretending to listen to Chuyin’s complaints about life’s troubles, while discreetly reaching out to press the recorder’s button and switch to another audio clip.

***

"They say your reputation’s bad?"

The buzz-cut young man raised an eyebrow. "What’s the story? Were you someone’s mistress back then? Or did you cheat on your husband recently? A bit of an affair, an old tree blossoming anew?"

The old woman shook her head, unwilling to discuss the topic further. She silently shifted, huddling deeper into the tent. Her desire for the young man to leave immediately was palpable.

"Tsk."

The buzz-cut young man huffed, his back to the street. He lowered his head to his phone, muttering, "The time now in Yin City is seven fifty-nine and one second... seven fifty-nine and two seconds... seven fifty-nine and three seconds..."

His standing there, counting aloud, was undeniably odd. The old woman glanced at him instinctively. That one look was all it took. She was horrified to see that the features on the buzz-cut young man’s face were, at an extremely slow pace, gradually shifting.

An icy chill instantly permeated the old woman’s entire body.

She instinctively tried to scream, but her throat felt as if it were tightly constricted, rendering her voiceless.

The buzz-cut young man seemed oblivious to the old woman’s terror and despair. He remained at the alley entrance, his back to the street, looking at his phone and counting the time.

The old woman’s face contorted with extreme fear.

She opened her mouth and spat out the mushy bread. Her hand went slack, and the water bottle dropped inside the tent, water splashing out.

Using both hands and feet, she flung off the blanket and clumsily scrambled out of the tent, trying to flee deeper into the alley.

Then, she froze. Halfway out of the tent, her hands braced on the ground, she remained rigid and unmoving, like a statue. Only her eyes, wide to their limits, darted frantically in their sockets.

"Seven fifty-nine and fifty-nine seconds... eight o’clock sharp."

The buzz-cut young man put down his phone, approached with a smile, and squatted in front of the old woman. "Time’s up," he said softly.

The old woman’s eyes bulged, veins prominent on her forehead. Muffled, whimpering cries escaped her throat.

However, an inexplicable strength surged within her body, forcibly manipulating her limbs. It made her slowly push herself up and crawl out of the tent as if nothing were amiss. She even managed a gentle smile at the buzz-cut young man, like a normal person would.

"Mom,"

The buzz-cut young man tilted his head, also smiling. "Let’s take a walk by the river."

The old woman nodded involuntarily, watching in horror as her own body moved, walking with the young man along the street, gradually disappearing from the sightline of the Public Security Bureau building.

The buzz-cut young man walked at a relaxed pace. The old woman followed a step behind him, as hurried passersby continuously streamed past.

She desperately tried to scream for help, but she was utterly unable to break free from the force controlling her body.

Half an hour later, the two of them had walked to a river at the foot of Mount She, on the outskirts of Yin City.

"We’re here."

The young man stopped and gazed at the surging river. He turned to the old woman and smiled. "Mom, do you remember this river?"