Chapter 31: She Wants to Be a Saint?
Shen Hegui watched her calmly and methodically describe the situation across the way, instinctively glancing back at her. The woman's expression was composed, showing a clear-headed and rational demeanor.
It had been a long time since he'd seen her like this.
Could it really be that her college friends had influenced her? He remembered one of her friends, a girl he had once encountered. She had told Yuntan in front of him that she should cling tightly to him, not let any other woman get close, or else those women might threaten her position and eventually she would be kicked out of the Shen family and end up with nothing.
After that, he had promised her that no matter what happened, neither he nor his father would ever throw her out. But she clearly didn't believe him, remaining the same as before.
As Shen Hegui pondered, he picked up the walkie-talkie and informed the other two vehicles about the situation, asking whether they wanted to go over or find another place.
Lin Xuan looked at the fierce group across the way and said, "There are nine of us, but half are women. We might be fine, but I'm worried Tingxue and the others might suffer."
"Maybe we should avoid them. The women in their group don't seem to be in a good state."
Jiang Yuntan heard this and adjusted her binoculars to focus on the three women. Their vacant eyes revealed fear, and their bodies were covered in bruises. She wasn't naive; she could guess what they had been through.
The apocalypse had just begun, and while some hadn't turned into zombies, they had turned into beasts.
Shen Hegui checked the fuel gauge—enough to run another three hundred kilometers. He asked Yu Ke, and learned their vehicle could also make it to the next gas station.
After a quick discussion, all three cars decided to detour around them.
Their current goal was to return to Jing City as safely and quickly as possible. There was no need to invite unnecessary trouble. Besides, given how they treated the women in their group, it was unlikely they would negotiate peacefully.
In the car, Lin Tingxue heard their decision and anxiety filled her eyes.
She remembered that in her past life, Jiang Yuntan and the others had saved Qiao Chengming near this gas station. Qiao Chengming was an earth-element ability user. Because he felt indebted to Jiang Yuntan for saving his life and was also attracted to her face, he had always obeyed her, becoming her enforcer and sharing most of the treasures he found with her.
But now, if they said they were going to bypass this place, how could that be?
She had intended to steal this life-saving favor. Who wouldn't want a powerful future ability user on their side?
Besides, Qiao Chengming was good to Jiang Yuntan only because she saved him. So if she, Lin Tingxue, saved him instead, wouldn't it be only natural for him to give those benefits to her?
Just as they were about to drive away from the gas station, Lin Tingxue picked up her binoculars and looked toward the station. Seeing the abused women, she said with feigned reluctance, "Those women over there have been tortured beyond recognition. Should we save them?"
"As a fellow woman, I really can't bear to see them suffer such inhuman treatment."
"If any of us ever end up in such a situation, I would certainly hope someone would come to our rescue."
Lin Xuan and Xia Chujing inside the car were stunned by her words.
Lin Tingxue had deliberately pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie, so everyone in Shen Hegui's and Yu Ke's cars also heard what she said.
Silence fell over all three vehicles.
Jiang Yuntan rolled her eyes in exasperation but chose not to say anything. She knew someone as rational as Shen Hegui would never agree to Lin Tingxue's request.
Moreover, Lin Xuan, a non-ability user, would certainly not agree. He wasn't the type of blind brother who indulged his sister without principle. On the contrary, he was very afraid of death; he was the first to suggest avoiding them earlier.
Seeing no response from Shen Hegui's side, Lin Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "Tingxue, do you hear yourself? Rescue them? We might just be delivering ourselves to them. There are many of them, and they might even have awakened special abilities. Why should we risk ourselves for strangers?"
By the end, his tone was impatient. If she weren't an ability user, he would have told her to save them herself if she wanted.
"Brother, but they look so pitiful. Think about it, if we girls ever encounter something like this, we'd definitely want someone to save us, right?"
Lin Tingxue didn't want them to know why she insisted on going, so she stuck to this excuse. "Maybe if we save them now, someone will save us if we ever face the same situation."
Her words sounded reasonable, but something about them felt off.
Jiang Yuntan couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Hey, if you want to use an analogy, just use yourself. Don't drag us into it. What do you mean 'if we ever encounter something like this'? You might want that, but we don't."
"I've seen people curse others, but never themselves."
Qi Ruoshui also chimed in, "I don't understand Miss Lin's words either. If you can't bear to watch, you can go save them yourselves. We just want to protect ourselves."
Only a fool wouldn't see that those people were not to be messed with and had no morals. Since they hadn't provoked them, why go looking for trouble?
Just as Lin Tingxue was about to take the moral high ground, Shen Hegui spoke.
His voice was low. "We are taking a detour. If you want to save people, you can go by yourself."
If he could, he would wish she could save everyone in the apocalypse. Then maybe many people could avoid misfortune.
Hearing this, Lin Tingxue's words caught in her throat. She couldn't say them, but she was unwilling to swallow them.
Anxiety filled her face. If they didn't go to this gas station, could she still save Qiao Chengming and make him work for her?
Perhaps Qiao Chengming was locked up in that very station.
Lin Xuan saw her expression and said irritably, "What are you doing? You've never been willing to risk yourself for strangers before."
Lin Tingxue lowered her eyes to hide her expression and said helplessly, "I was just sad to see them suffer such inhumane treatment."