Chapter 144: Please Kill Me
Lin Chuyue was adamant.
Xiao Ye had no choice but to agree. "Fine."
Besides, he wasn't planning on using any gory methods, so it wouldn't matter if she watched.
'I just hope the outcome isn't too terrible…'
Silver Fox watched them, a mocking smile on her face. "When I say she's dead, she's dead."
"No matter who I'm impersonating, unless it's someone incredibly powerful, I always kill the original! There are no exceptions!"
Lin Chuyue swayed, leaning against Xiao Ye's chest to keep her footing.
With red-rimmed eyes, she demanded, "Tell me now, where on earth is Meng Die!"
"On my phone," Silver Fox said with a wild, unrestrained smile.
'She wasn't going to live anyway, so she might as well enjoy what little time she had left.'
"See for yourself. The phone is in my makeup case—a foundation compact. It's in a hidden compartment inside."
Xiao Ye hadn't thrown out her luggage, precisely to preserve any potential clues.
He immediately followed Silver Fox's instructions and took out the ultra-thin phone.
It had no other functions besides making calls, sending texts, and taking photos.
Lin Chuyue took it with trembling hands. When she opened it, she found the photos.
The real Meng Die lay on the ground, her white dress stained with great splotches of blood that bloomed like roses.
"No! I don't believe it… I don't believe it!"
"Meng Die can't be dead! She has to be okay!"
Lin Chuyue frantically shook her head.
She frantically swiped through the photos, desperate to find proof that her best friend was still alive.
But what followed was one gruesome, blood-soaked scene after another.
There were others besides Meng Die—all strangers—but they had all died at the hands of this woman called Silver Fox.
All strength left Lin Chuyue's body, and the phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor. "How… how could this be?"
Meng Die was actually dead!
Judging by the date, she had died a week before Silver Fox even arrived.
Lin Chuyue choked out sobs, clutching tightly to Xiao Ye's clothes as tears fell uncontrollably. "What do I do? My best friend is dead!"
'And it's very likely she died because of me!'
'Because the enemy needed her identity to get close to me!'
Xiao Ye lifted her limp body into his arms. "Don't cry. The photos might be fake."
"She's an assassin. She would never actually keep photos like these. That would be like handing over evidence of her own crimes."
"She must have some other motive for doing this!"
Lin Chuyue didn't answer, her sobs choked and muffled.
Xiao Ye felt a patch of his chest was already wet. He quickly carried her out of the gloomy basement and back to the sunroom.
The sunlight was bright and warm, but it couldn't dispel the pain in Lin Chuyue's heart.
"What if Meng Die is really dead?"
"She isn't. She must be doing this on purpose. You have to believe me!"
"It must be because of me that she died…"
Lin Chuyue was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
They hadn't seen each other in years, but their bond had been real.
Even now, the memory of it remained incredibly strong.
Seeing how utterly distraught she was, Xiao Ye quietly took out a silver needle to calm her turbulent emotions.
Lin Chuyue, who had been overwrought with emotion, gradually calmed down and slowly closed her eyes.
Xiao Ye was about to get up, but Lin Chuyue suddenly gripped his hand tightly. "Don't go!"
"Alright, I won't go." Xiao Ye sat on the edge of the bed. "Get some rest. Everything will be better when you wake up."
"Your friend is still alive and well. Don't worry, I will definitely find her."
The sound of deep, steady breathing soon followed.
Lin Chuyue had fallen asleep.
Xiao Ye carefully pulled his hand back and returned to the basement.
Seeing him reappear, Silver Fox's pale face held a mocking smile. "Do you think she'll blame you?"
"Of course she will. After all, I only targeted her friend to get to you. Otherwise, the girl would still be living happily in Country A."
"It's all because of you that Meng Die is dead!"
Xiao Ye's face was expressionless. "You're wrong."
Silver Fox's smile froze. "What do you mean?"
"Chuyue is kind. She blames herself right now, but she won't blame me. She knows that neither of us is at fault here. You are!"
"You killed her! No matter the reason, you're the real executioner!"
Silver Fox sneered. "A weak woman."
Xiao Ye stepped forward, pinched her pale chin, and stuffed a pill inside.
"I didn't want to resort to this, but for people like you, I have to make you suffer."
Xiao Ye wasn't talking about physical pain, but psychological pain.
It was a neuro-drug, one that would make the user dream of their most agonizing, repressed memories.
Silver Fox felt a sharp, throbbing pain in her head, as if someone were repeatedly striking it with a hammer.
She enjoyed pain, but only the physical kind—not this agony inside her skull!
Silver Fox clenched her jaw tightly, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth. "I won't say anything!"
Xiao Ye didn't answer, instead turning to leave and closing the basement door.
Lin Chuyue didn't wake up until the next morning.
She recalled the previous day's events and was overwhelmed with grief.
Xiao Ye pushed the door open and came in. "I brought breakfast. Just eat in your room, and then get some more sleep."
Sleep was the best way to relax, and also a way to escape the pain.
Lin Chuyue took a single bite and lost her appetite.
Xiao Ye used his technique again, putting her to sleep.
For three days straight.
Lin Chuyue was only lucid in the mornings and evenings; the rest of the time, she was asleep, dreaming. She was even starting to have trouble telling the difference between reality and her dreams.
As a result, the pain in her heart lessened considerably, leaving her in a dazed, hazy state.
BANG!
The sound came again.
Much more urgent than before.
One after another.
Xiao Ye knew the time was ripe.
He opened the door. Down below, Silver Fox's eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath. Paired with her messy, tangled hair, she had lost all semblance of beauty, looking more like a madwoman.
"I'll talk!"
Clutching her head, she writhed on the floor in agony. "I'll tell you everything! Just don't make me dream anymore!"
Only then did Xiao Ye walk over. "Talk first. I'll give you the antidote after you're done."
Prolonged sleep deprivation and a state of high agitation could easily lead to sudden death.
Silver Fox couldn't be allowed to die yet; he had to pry more information from her.
Silver Fox let go of her head, scrambling and crawling over to Xiao Ye's feet, clutching his pant leg tightly, her eyes full of fear and pleading.
"I only know that we are Death Warriors belonging to a Hidden Clan, but as for which specific clan, I have no idea!"
"I may be the captain, but what I know is extremely limited!"
"I only communicate with my superior by phone! I've never even met them in person!"
"Everything I'm saying is true, you have to believe me! I've told you everything, I beg you, kill me, quickly! Or else give me the antidote!"
'A Hidden Clan?'
Xiao Ye frowned slightly. "If you're lying, I'll make you suffer even more."
He took out the antidote and threw it to Silver Fox.
She scrambled for it like it was her last hope, snatching it off the dusty floor and swallowing it without a second thought.
Xiao Ye handed her over to the military to be dealt with, then dialed Yuan Tiancheng's number.
"Help me investigate which Hidden Clans there are within Dragon Country's borders. I want the most detailed information!"