Chapter 12
Chapter 12
The sudden change caused goosebumps to appear all over Song Qingxiao’s skin. Before she could react, the loud knocking sound began to ring out repeatedly. It only took one or two hits before the large tank toppled over under the force.
As soon as the tank began to tip, its heavy lid started to slip off, and the water inside rushed out of the tank. Song Qingxiao—who hid inside the tank—began to slip out along with the flow of the sewage water. She held her head with both her hands as her shoulder crashed into the side of the tank forcefully.
However, in a dangerous situation like that, Song Qingxiao endured the pain to avoid being killed as soon as she fell out. Song Qingxiao did not stand up when she was out. Instead, she did two body rolls on the ground to put some distance between her and the threat that had knocked her out of the tank in the first place. She gripped the mouse in her hand tightly and leaned against the toppled tank beside her as she stood up.
“You were hiding in that tank after all.”
The doctor who had previously said that he was leaving turned out to have stayed. The both of them merely pretended to leave to make Song Qingxiao lower her guard and force her out of her hiding spot.
The doctor and the office lady were prepared to rush up and catch hold of her the moment she tumbled out of the tank. However, since Song Qingxiao had rolled on the ground and put some distance between them, they had lost their one shot at catching her. They remained still and did not rush forwards.
The doctor’s eyes revealed a hint of disappointment and regret because he had lost his golden opportunity to kill Song Qingxiao. He assessed Song Qingxiao, who stood before him.
Outwardly, Song Qingxiao looked as disheveled as before. Her patrol guard uniform was covered in blood, and it clung to her body tightly as it was drenched from the sewage water in the tank. Her hair was a veritable bird’s nest, and her complexion was as white as a sheet. Her lips were pursed tightly, and her nostrils flared from her rapid breathing. Her eyes shone brightly, and it revealed a deep sense of vigilance, caution, and her infinite desire to live.
When Song Qingxiao entered the space, she was the person that everyone ignored and underestimated. After all, her outward appearance was unimpressive, and she did not stand out. Apart from the fact that she was covered in blood when she appeared, she was utterly unmemorable.
Despite all that, Song Qingxiao had managed to eliminate the other two members in her team and survived up to that moment, becoming a nuisance to the doctor.
“I have underestimated you.”
The doctor kept both of his hands in his pocket. His gaze landed on the arm that Song Qingxiao used to support herself against the water tank. Her arm was extremely skinny and was covered in wounds.
However, she did not seem to feel the pain since she clutched the mouse so tightly that her knuckles were extremely visible. The cord of the computer mouse swayed leisurely. The mouse seemed to be missing a corner, and if one looked closely, there were still traces of blood on it.
As the doctor took stock of Song Qingxiao, she also appraised the two people before her. She could see that it was no easy feat for them to kill the burly chap who was number seven. Both their faces were decorated with colorful bruises from their encounter with him. The doctor’s white coat was tattered, and the office lady did not fare any better. Her body and face were covered in blood.
One versus two. It was not an advantageous situation for Song Qingxiao, and it made her heart sink. However, in this pivotal moment, she could not lose her focus. If she let herself panic, she would be killed easily at the hands of these two people.
She noticed that the doctor and the office lady did not stand closely together as she stood facing them. There was a small gap between them. She quietly slowed down her breathing to force herself to calm down. Her arm that had been knocked was still extremely sore and powerless from the pain. It trembled so much that she nearly lost her grip on the phone in her hand.
“Number two.”
Song Qingxiao forced herself to smile and lifted her head. Her entire life, she had grown used to being cautious and meticulous. She was also not the type to speak much; however, she had no other choice in that situation. She spoke up in an attempt to break up the circumstantial alliance of the two people in front of her.
“I’m so surprised that you’re still alive.”
The doctor did not expect Song Qingxiao to say something like that as soon as she was discovered.
“When the nine of us split off into four groups, each group was left with only one survivor. All except for yours.”
She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips nervously. Her sopping wet body highlighted how dry her lips were. A long time had passed since she last had something to drink. Not to mention that she had lost a lot of water from all the times she had broken out in cold sweat. Her body was in a state of extreme dehydration. As she licked her dry lips, Song Qingxiao could feel the stinging pain from the cracks in her lips.
“To leave this space, killing each other is our only resort. Why didn’t the doctor kill you? Instead, he spared your life.”
She stared at the two people before her vigilantly, keeping her eyes on the face of the office lady, watching out for minute changes in her expression. At the same time, she continued to pay attention to the doctor.
As soon as the doctor heard her words, his eyes narrowed. His expression was extremely menacing. However, in the next second, he regained his composure and smiled as he said, “Did you receive the instructions that we needed to kill one another to leave this space?”
He swung his hand and walked up to her casually. However, Song Qingxiao reacted quickly to his movements. As soon as he started walking towards her, she retreated to maintain the distance between them.
The doctor’s gaze landed on the object in Song Qingxiao’s hand. After Song Qingxiao had rolled out of the tank, he noticed that she had not moved that arm, letting it hang limply beside her.
Was it because she had hurt that arm in the process of killing number one and number six? Or was it because she had injured it when she fell out of the tank?
Ever since number nine had entered the space, she did not speak much apart from when she introduced herself. Yet, she spoke up then. Was it because she wanted to strain his relationship with number two, or was she trying to stall for time because she was injured?
As he remained deep in thought, the doctor continued to approach Song Qingxiao slowly. The office lady watched him and copied his movements. Soon, the both of them had taken a position to outflank her and forced her into a corner.
“I received the instructions when number one and number six died.”
When Song Qingxiao noticed their motions, her anxiety hit the roof. Despite that, she did not dare to show any fear on her face. In that situation, if she displayed the tiniest hint of fear, panic, or terror, the two people before her eyes would leap forward and shred her to pieces like wolves.
She gritted her teeth tightly and endured the pain in her shoulder as she lifted her left arm, which had been injured when she crashed into it. The sharp pain caused her facial muscles to twitch, and a cold sweat broke out on her back. However, she did her best to stop her arm from shaking and pointed at her brain.
“You both should have received the instructions as well,” she added.
As soon as the doctor saw her action, he looked stunned. He stopped in his tracks. The office lady also stopped in her tracks cautiously and looked at the doctor in confusion.
“Currently, there is no indication proving that we need to kill other people in order to leave this place.”
The doctor moved his hands that were still in his pockets and continued, “I have my status and position. There is no need for me to kill anyone and bring trouble upon myself.”
“However, number seven is dead,” stated Song Qingxiao.
It seemed that the doctor had expected her response and even had an answer prepared. He said without any hesitation, “That was because he was about to kill us, so we acted in self-defense.”
Even if Song Qingxiao did not believe his words, it appeared as though the office lady believed him. Song Qingxiao pursed her lips, and that tiny movement caused her dry lips to crack open. A trickle of blood seeped out of the wound and moistened her lip.
“You’re lying. You spared number two because you knew that if you acted alone in a place like this, you would never be able to beat number seven.”
In other words, the doctor did not kill number two and spared her life merely because he was using her as a live bargaining chip.