Chapter 92

Another whole day passed, and still, no one came to rescue them. As Su Bei expected, this group finally couldn’t hold back.

As planned, two people came out of the toilet and hurriedly walked toward the crowd. They pretended to chat briefly with each person, but in reality, they slipped a note into everyone’s hand.

Su Bei naturally didn’t get a note, but he sensed their actions with his Mental Energy. Without thinking, he knew the note must say the exhaust vent was a way out.

As expected, after secretly reading the notes, the crowd showed shocked expressions. But they were politicians, after all, and didn’t show much outwardly. Their behavior just became noticeably more active. Besides the six, others also started frequenting the toilet.

By that afternoon, their expressions had calmed significantly, though a trace of excitement lingered in their eyes. It seemed they had finalized the escape plan.

Some believed, some didn’t. Several remained unmoved, including Zhao Xiaoyu, Si Zhaohua, Uncle Liu, and Big Sister. The first two needed no explanation, while the latter two firmly believed in waiting for rescue.

Mainly, after talking with the Ability Academy students, they didn’t fully understand Ability users but knew their strength was extraordinary. Escaping in such a situation was too difficult, so it was better to stay put.

The Glasses Man and his group didn’t care about their refusal. As long as most were willing to cooperate, one or two dissenters wouldn’t matter as long as they didn’t snitch.

Night was the best time for mischief. One person went to the toilet and suddenly shouted: "Oh no! I think I didn’t flush properly—what do I do?"

If this were genuine, it would indeed be a terrifying problem. After all, it was obvious the kidnappers wouldn’t fix the toilet for them and might even enjoy letting them endure the stench.

But seeing a large group rush into the toilet, Su Bei knew this was part of their plan.

At this moment, Si Zhaohua walked over. Seeing the calm expression on the kid’s face, he hesitated, then looked directly toward the toilet, saying in a somewhat cold, soft voice: "Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you."

Su Bei wanted to retort, "Do I look worried?" but after thinking, he stayed silent, just nodding quietly.

This was typical of Si Zhaohua—too proud to tease a kid in such a situation or probe his behavior. He only offered awkward comfort.

If it were someone else, they might have asked, "Want to know what they’re doing?" or "They’re escaping without you—aren’t you scared?"

Honest people like Si Zhaohua were rare and needed to be cherished.

After they spoke, two people standing by the Glasses Man suddenly shouted: "Xiao Zhao, Xiao Wang, come out! Don’t stay in the toilet so long!"

There seemed to be a commotion in the toilet. Soon, two men and a woman came out. The woman in front, with a mole on her face, frowned: "Why call them? Do they need to fix the toilet?"

The words were subtle, but those who understood got it. The person who called them said righteously: "There’s only one way. Can’t you all figure it out?"

He was, as recorded, making a fuss: "I don’t care. They found the problem first—why should they take the lead? This isn’t reliable. If you two still consider me a friend, stay behind!"

The two had planned to stay. Hearing this, they exchanged looks, pretended to struggle for a bit, then apologetically said to the Mole Woman who followed them: "Sorry, we still..."

The Mole Woman was exasperated: "Are you guys toxic?"

Her gaze swept over the crowd that hadn’t entered the toilet, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, she said: "Then I’m not going either."

At this, the others panicked. Just as they were about to speak, the Glasses Man stopped them. He smiled meaningfully: "Of course, but you need to let the others fix the toilet in peace."

The Mole Woman met his gaze, turned, and went back to the toilet. The toilet door had good soundproofing, so it wasn’t clear what she said, but she came out alone, likely having convinced the others.

There were faint sounds from the toilet again, lasting a long time. When it finally quieted, the Glasses Man exchanged a look with a man in a gray suit standing beside him. The man suddenly knocked on the door: "I want to eat the pill!"

This stunned those unaware of the plan. The Mole Woman, who had ultimately joined the Glasses Man’s group, asked in shock: "Are you planning to surrender?"

The Glasses Man gave her a meaningful glance before answering: "Surrender? We’re abandoning the dark for the light."

Perhaps understanding his look, the Mole Woman said no more, just frowning.

Soon, a voice came from outside: "Who wants to eat the pill?"

"Me!" the Gray Suit answered.

The man outside asked again: "Is it completely voluntary?"

"Absolutely voluntary," the Gray Suit said firmly.

Hearing this, the man outside stopped questioning. The sound of unlocking followed, indicating he was about to open the door.

The group, including the Glasses Man, stood behind the Gray Suit. The Glasses Man had his hands in his pockets, one pocket bulging as if he was gripping something.

The next second, the door opened.

Almost the moment it was confirmed only one person was coming, the Glasses Man’s hand whipped out of his pocket, holding a handgun.

A muffled shot rang out. The man at the door had a bloody hole in his forehead, his eyes wide, slowly falling backward.

Even an Ability user could be easily killed by a hot weapon when completely unprepared. But the man was clearly not strong, probably just an errand runner.

Successfully killing an enemy, the ordinary people present were excited. A glint of pride flashed in the Glasses Man’s eyes: "Ability users are indeed powerful, but they’re not invincible."

His accomplices immediately chimed in, and even Uncle Liu and the others couldn’t hide their excitement. After all, the Ability users who captured them had seemed invincible. Now, an ordinary person had killed one, breaking the absolute authority the kidnappers had established.

The Glasses Man didn’t waste time: "Hurry and leave. The kidnappers will probably come to catch us soon. By the way, do you want to come? Anyone willing can join us."

He mainly looked at Uncle Liu and his group, but his words implied he wouldn’t mind taking Su Bei and the others.

Uncle Liu and the others hesitated, then gritted their teeth, deciding to take a big risk. The door was open—if they didn’t leave, it’d be too cowardly. Besides, Ability users could be killed by hot weapons, giving them some confidence.

Finally, they all looked at the silent trio of Su Bei, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Si Zhaohua. Big Sister asked worriedly: "You’re not coming?"

"Not going," Zhao Xiaoyu shook her head firmly. "We believe the Academy will send people to save us."

As Ability Academy students, it was normal for them to unconditionally trust their Academy.

Big Sister looked at Su Bei. The Glasses Man didn’t want to bring him, but she still asked: "Little friend, you’re not coming with us either?" Su Bei also shook his head, saying obediently: "I don’t want to hold you back. If you really escape, please send someone to save us."

Hearing this, Big Sister felt reluctant. But the Glasses Man didn’t want to delay: "We will. Let’s go—any longer, and the kidnappers will really come."

Big Sister didn’t dare delay and left with the others. After they all left, Zhao Xiaoyu asked: "You didn’t go with them. No regrets?"

Su Bei sat on the ground, hands resting on his knees, supporting his chin: "Aren’t you two here with me?"

"We might not stay with you," Zhao Xiaoyu exchanged a look with Si Zhaohua. "We’re planning to eat the pill—’really’ eat it."

Su Bei knew her "really" wasn’t genuine but meant pretending to eat to leave the reception room smoothly, unlike the Glasses Man’s group using the pill as a chance to escape.

Coincidentally, Su Bei planned the same. He also wanted to eat the pill. With the Storage Ring in his pocket, faking it wasn’t hard. But he was curious how these two would make it look like they hadn’t eaten.

Unsurprisingly, the first to be caught were those who left through the vent. They were carried back by several burly men, two per person. They looked utterly disheveled, pale, and sweating profusely. But there were no visible wounds, suggesting mental torture, which wasn’t difficult for Ability users.

The last to enter was the Scorpion-Braid Woman, who looked coldly at the trio: "You three are quite obedient. We’ll soon catch the others who escaped. This time, it’s just a lesson. If you escape again, it won’t be so simple."

Hearing the last two sentences, the caught group shuddered, clearly having endured significant torment.

Everyone was thrown back into the reception room, listless. Zhao Xiaoyu decisively went to gather information, learning that as soon as they reached the surface, they were caught by kidnappers lying in wait.

Then they were locked in a dark room where a strange, ultrasonic-like sound caused immense pain, as if countless needles were piercing their brains.

Too exhausted to talk more, they answered briefly and fell asleep.

Zhao Xiaoyu returned to her spot, looking thoughtful: "What exactly is the definition of voluntary?"

With such methods, they could easily make everyone eat the pill willingly after a few rounds.

But if that didn’t count as voluntary, why would letting them starve until they were willing count?

Zhao Xiaoyu had a guess: "Maybe in a while, we’ll get food again."

"How so?" Si Zhaohua looked at her, puzzled. The others, dragging their tired bodies, also looked at her, hoping for good news.

Ignoring the others, Zhao Xiaoyu explained to Si Zhaohua: "For the pill to work, we probably have to eat it willingly. Compromising when we’re starving to death shouldn’t count as voluntary."

She paused, then continued: "So I think they’re just giving us the illusion that they’ll starve us until we give in. As long as we compromise before we’re truly starving, it counts as voluntary. But if we hold out, they’ll definitely give us food. Otherwise, even eating the pill when starved would be useless."

A weak woman asked: "What if they really let us starve to death?"

"So we’re going to try," Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t mind her doubt. "If we say we want to eat the pill later and they give us food first, it proves I’m right."

The woman was stunned: "You already guessed they’ll give us food. Why eat the pill? Why not just wait?"

"Because we don’t want to pin our hopes on others," Zhao Xiaoyu answered. Si Zhaohua nodded beside her.

Both thought this way. Waiting for the Academy to save them was fine but too passive, and they’d suffer a lot.

Their focuses differed slightly. Zhao Xiaoyu prioritized her safety. Who knew if the kidnappers had backup plans? Would they really let them idle like this? When the Academy arrived, the hostages would be the first to suffer.

Si Zhaohua valued his pride more. As an S-Class student, how could he just wait for rescue in danger? The school and family didn’t train him to be useless. Self-rescue was better if possible.

One was defensively passive, the other aggressively proactive, yet their thoughts unexpectedly aligned.

Su Bei, who knew them both fairly well, found their coincidental agreement amusing.

About half an hour later, the Glasses Man’s group was also caught and brought back, looking as disheveled and tortured as the first group. Too weak to cause trouble, they each retreated to a corner to recover.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoyu said to the Scorpion-Braid Woman who followed: "We want to eat the pill."

Behind her were Si Zhaohua and Su Bei.

The Scorpion-Braid Woman raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Now?"

Zhao Xiaoyu nodded: "We were watching if they could escape. Since both groups failed, we probably can’t escape either. Better to abandon the dark for the light sooner."

This reason was very reasonable, especially since the kidnappers who captured Zhao Xiaoyu had said she was a smart person who knew how to read the situation. It made even more sense coming from her.

"Then let’s go." The Scorpion-Braid Woman didn’t suspect much. With her there, these three couldn’t possibly escape under her watch.

As Zhao Xiaoyu predicted, she first took them to eat a big meal, calling it a reward for the first to eat the pill willingly.

After the meal, the Scorpion-Braid Woman took out three pills. When handing one to Su Bei, she showed clear disdain, as if giving something so precious to a kid was a waste. Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly said: "Why not let Yan Nan skip it? He’s so young—it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t eat, right?"

"He can’t leave freely without eating this," the Scorpion-Braid Woman was slightly tempted but shook her head.

This sentence carried significant information, confirming one of Su Bei’s earlier guesses. Zhao Xiaoyu was even more shocked: "All of us? We can’t leave without eating the pill?"

The Scorpion-Braid Woman glanced at her and nodded: "If you leave without eating, you’ll die. I can’t say more now, but after you eat the pill, I can explain in detail."

"Let us eat first. Yan Nan can eat a few days later—it’s fine," Si Zhaohua, due to his identity and Ability, had been keeping a low profile, minimizing his presence. Though with his appearance, lowering his presence didn’t help much.

But to let Su Bei avoid the pill, he spoke up. After all, he and Zhao Xiaoyu had ways to fake eating, but a kid probably didn’t.

The Scorpion-Braid Woman thought it made sense. They could give Su Bei the pill anytime. If they ran short, it would save a spot.

With that, she nodded: "Alright, you two then?"

She handed each a red box. Opening it revealed the black pill. Up close, they noticed something new.

It wasn’t the Myrisu-like thing Su Bei had thought but a semi-transparent bead with a hint of black inside, making it look purely black at a glance.

Zhao Xiaoyu and Si Zhaohua showed no hesitation, each picking up the pill with one hand and swallowing it.

But Su Bei’s attention wasn’t on their mouths but on their other hand, the one not holding the pill. Both had that hand clenched, with the thumb tucked inside the fist.

After pretending to eat, they subtly slipped the clenched hand into their pockets. When they took it out, it was relaxed again.

Su Bei understood, a glint of amusement in his eyes. He didn’t know when these two had bought Storage Rings from the Campus Store, but he had planned to use the same trick.

From the outside, the Scorpion-Braid Woman saw no flaws. She said with satisfaction, mixed with slight suspicion: "You did well, but let me remind you—without eating the pill, you absolutely can’t leave. Even if you fool me now, when you try to leave, you’ll still explode and die for not eating."

She closely observed their expressions, trying to catch something. But any surprise had already passed, and both remained calm. Zhao Xiaoyu even showed a hint of relief.

"So can you tell us now why we’d die?" she asked curiously. "We’ll go persuade the others later, try to get them to abandon the dark for the light too."

Perhaps moved by the last sentence or because it was a privilege for the first to surrender, the Scorpion-Braid Woman stood: "Follow me. I’ll show you something."

She led them deeper, arriving at a room with a silver-white door, like a bank vault. The Scorpion-Braid Woman entered a password with her back to them, then pushed the door open and walked in.

The moment the door opened, all three felt an instinctive discomfort, their gazes involuntarily drawn to the oversized pill on a display stand in the center of the pitch-black room.

It was a transparent crystal ball the size of a human head, with a hint of black inside. Unlike the small pill, this large crystal ball gave off an evil yet pure feeling.

"This is the ’Loyalty Crystal,’ an Ability product we developed with others. If you stay in its radiation range for a full day, you can’t leave without eating the pill. The pill’s purpose is to make you absolutely loyal, obediently following our arrangements."

Zhao Xiaoyu, without hesitation, asked: "Then doesn’t that mean destroying this crystal ball would solve the problem?"

She asked openly, and the Scorpion-Braid Woman, unsurprisingly, didn’t suspect her. She smiled faintly: "Since I dared to show you, I’m not afraid of you destroying it. Let me tell you, this crystal ball can only be destroyed with Mental Energy.

Ordinary people die on contact, and Ability users, whether touching it with Mental Energy or their body, die too. The stronger the Ability or Mental Energy, the more painful the death."

"Is there really no one who can touch it?" Si Zhaohua looked skeptical. It didn’t make sense—how was it placed here otherwise?

"Of course, there is. Someone with Ability and Mental Energy neither too strong nor so weak as to die like an ordinary person can do it," the Scorpion-Braid Woman said confidently, without hiding anything. "But unless they hit that exact threshold, too strong or too weak, they die on the spot. We tested many people to find such a person."

Hearing the first part, Zhao Xiaoyu thought she might try, as her Ability and Mental Energy were both weak. But hearing the latter, she immediately dismissed the idea. The cost of failure was too high—how could someone as life-loving as her dare?

The problem was, without destroying the crystal, they couldn’t leave its radiation range. When the Academy came to rescue, the Scorpion-Braid Woman would surely take the crystal, so what would they do? Really explode and die?

Si Zhaohua thought of a key point: "Is the person who can touch the crystal ball on the island? What if they’re threatened to destroy it?"

"No need to worry. Once you eat the pill, you can’t destroy the crystal," the Scorpion-Braid Woman said, as they had already patched this loophole. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so openly revealed that person’s existence.

At this, the trio’s eyes dimmed. This path was blocked too. Did that mean Zhao Xiaoyu had to take the risk? But the risk was too likely to fail, costing a life—how could they dare? Finally, Zhao Xiaoyu regained her composure, smiling bitterly: "We want a better room to rest for a day. These past few days have been rough."

The Scorpion-Braid Woman didn’t mind granting this small wish but reminded: "After resting, don’t forget to persuade those who came with you. We don’t want their lives, and they’d better not be ungrateful."

**

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