Chapter 227: Putting the Effects to Use
“Who are you?”
Fully awake, Hong Gu’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the strangers before her, panic surging.
“What… what’s happening? Is this my voice?”
She tried to struggle to stand, but her body was weak and limp. Although awake, she had no strength to do anything, and her voice was feeble — only someone close could hear her.
Comrade Li ordered the others to take Hong Gu inside for individual questioning.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
The captured Hong Gu’s face showed fear and anxiety. As a trafficker, she had some guesses about the situation, but her trembling, weak voice revealed her vulnerability.
No one responded. Each comrade maintained a neutral expression as they dutifully carried her inside.
Frustrated by the lack of reaction and unable to see faces clearly, she became extremely frightened. She shouted, “Lao Mao… Lao San…”
Though she shouted, only the two men carrying her could hear her; others nearby and anyone outside in the courtyard could not.
Ning Xiyue followed behind, a satisfied smile in her eyes. This was exactly the effect she wanted — waking the trafficker without alerting others outside.
Ah, she really was a thoughtful “medical advisor,” considering everything carefully.
Deprived of responses, Hong Gu stopped shouting. Her worries mounted, but she also grew calmer. In her line of work, she had always been anxious, yet secretly hopeful.
Now she held even greater expectations. Having endured many storms, she considered this hideout — the longest-standing one — to be the safest place.
Today’s events were too sudden and strange, with no warning. She felt dazed, mostly disbelieving, because she still could not see faces clearly.
Surely this was a dream. Only in dreams could faces appear unclear. Thinking this, Hong Gu finally relaxed, even enjoying herself slightly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
She thought wryly: even during a nap, she dreamed of men — several of them. How embarrassing.
Once inside, the two comrades roughly dropped her on the floor, causing Hong Gu to cry out in pain.
Rubbing her backside, she coquettishly murmured, “You idiots, could you be gentler? That hurts!”
Ning Xiyue: ?
A shiver ran down her spine. Today she was thoroughly disgusted — shivering involuntarily.
Hong Gu’s sly, lewd smile made Ning Xiyue feel like she was witnessing a daytime fantasy.
Comrade Li noticed her expression and Hong Gu’s enjoyment. His face darkened. He glanced at Ning Xiyue, eyes questioning — was there a side effect from her antidote?
Ning Xiyue understood, shook her head firmly, and said, “I have a method.”
She fetched a cup of water and mercilessly splashed it over the dreaming Hong Gu.
“Ah!” Hong Gu’s scream was hoarser than any Ning Xiyue had heard before.
The water jolted her fully awake. Pinching her own thigh to confirm reality, she realized this wasn’t a dream. Her wide-open eyes reflected a mix of water and terror, giving her an eerie appearance.
Ning Xiyue shrugged at Comrade Li, silently leaving the room and closing the door — a proper, discreet “advisor.”
Though she had retreated, she spent ten points to deploy the system avatar, No. 2 Little Mosquito, inside — not to eavesdrop (she already knew everything), but to observe the effects of the two sign-in items in use.
Outside, Ning Xiyue crouched near the remaining traffickers, giving Lao San and Lao Mao each a nudge with her foot. Inside, Comrade Li began interrogation.
“Awake now, yes?” His voice was stern and frightening.
Hong Gu lay weakly on the floor, wiping water from her face, rubbing her eyes, trying desperately to see who these people were.
What was happening? She couldn’t see clearly — everything was foggy. Had her eyes gone bad?
Wait — weren’t they having lunch?
Oh no… she realized she had been drugged by the authorities.
As she came to, Comrade Li began questioning:
“Tell us — where are the children you trafficked?”
Hong Gu sneered inwardly. Speaking would be foolish; staying silent might give her a chance at survival.
But to her horror, her mouth betrayed her — she involuntarily started answering. She tried to stop, even covering her mouth, but had no control.
“In the cellar under the firewood in the kitchen.”
“What have you done to me?”
Covering her mouth, despair in her eyes, she felt her last hope vanish. She was finished. Even if she escaped here, the organization would be merciless.
Comrade Li ignored her mental state, signaling two comrades to investigate while he continued questioning.
With each question, her answers increased. Hong Gu’s despair grew; she had completely lost hope.
Ning Xiyue crouched outside, chin in hand, observing.
The Leaf-Obscuring Mist and Truth-Telling Talismans were powerful. The effects had manifested quickly, and excellently. The talisman forced Hong Gu to answer every question, though her pain and unwillingness showed on her face — her eyes red with frustration.
After a while, two comrades returned from the kitchen, rushing to Comrade Li:
“Boss, we found them — the children are there. Many kids, all unconscious, likely drugged. We also found a stone door; we can hear sounds from behind it. No immediate danger detected.”
“Second Brother, continue questioning about the stone door.”
Comrade Li, hearing this breakthrough, smiled. He instructed the note-taking comrade, then pushed the door open.
“Let’s go.”
They emerged and approached Ning Xiyue. Serious, he said:
“Please follow us. We’ve found the children, but they are unconscious. We don’t know the full situation. We need your confirmation for planning the next steps.”
“Alright, lead the way.” Ning Xiyue nodded.
She understood Comrade Li’s plan: he had learned from Hong Gu that more traffickers would arrive. Whether true or false, he would act as if it were real, arranging accordingly.
Children were an unstable factor — their safety had to be ensured without jeopardizing the operation. Ning Xiyue was eager to contribute all her abilities.
Entering the cellar, the first child she wanted to check was the one previously chained like a dog. But the child was gone; only the chain remained. The white bones across the room were also missing.
Two comrades leading the way explained the traffickers’ cruelty toward the child. They had freed the child from the chain; the child now curled up in the corner, clutching a bone.
Seeing this, Ning Xiyue’s disgust toward the traffickers intensified: “Damn human traffickers.”
She temporarily avoided approaching the child, instead crouching to check the condition of the other unconscious children. Comrade Li awaited the report.
After inspection, all the children had merely been drugged — the same drugs found in the upper rooms. Their effect was mild, and Comrade Li’s antidotes were more than sufficient.
Ning Xiyue reported the result to Comrade Li. Seeing that the children were safe, he felt relieved. Glancing at the stone door, he entrusted her:
“This is yours for now. Keep it as is. After we finish upstairs, we’ll need your help again.”
“Understood.”
Ning Xiyue had anticipated this.
Comrade Li would go upstairs alone; the two comrades would stay to protect the children and her.
Seeing the two comrades examining the stone door, Ning Xiyue sat beside the rescued child, watching him absentmindedly.
In fact, through the visual sharing of Little Mosquito No. 2, she observed the amusing and magical scene unfolding at the trafficker hideout’s main gate.
