RIACMET chapter 38

 

Fortunately, Jiang Nian was prepared. He activated his purification ability through sheer willpower and managed to stay conscious. As soon as Cheng Jing and Huang Qian fell under the mental attack, Jiang Nian reached out and slapped them both—just in time.

A flash of bluish-white supernatural power surged through his palms, instantly clearing their dulled minds. They snapped back to reality just in time to realize something crucial.

The woman’s supernatural level was higher than theirs.

As soon as she regained her senses, Huang Qian summoned her vines to restrain the woman.

But when she removed her gloves, she saw it—a bitten chunk of flesh on the palm of her right hand. The skin was rotting and the blood was discolored.

She had been infected.

Due to her excessive use of supernatural powers, blood was constantly oozing from the woman’s eyes, mouth, and nose, making her appear hideous and terrifying.

However, her powers hadn’t been exhausted by the battle; they had been depleted by sustaining his zombie husband’s obedience all this time.

After subduing the woman, Huang Qian turned her gaze to the man, who was now fully zombified and had half a face that was rotted beyond recognition. Nothing about him hinted that he’d once been human, let alone different from any other monster.

She couldn’t fathom the woman’s madness.

Seeing him roar and attempt to use his magical powers again, Huang Qian stabbed his head with a vine and tied him into a vine cocoon.

“No! Don’t kill him!”

The woman wailed, stumbling as she tried to crawl forward. Her eyes were bloody and filled with tears; her face was a horrifying mask.

Although it was warmer inside than outside, her blood and tears quickly froze on her skin, crusting over her face like a strange mask.

Once it was certain the couple was no longer a threat, the trio surveyed the room. What they saw made their stomachs churn.

Though large, the master bedroom had only one bed, its top stacked with bricks and other heavy objects.

The zombified husband was bound to a reinforced chair that was tethered to the bed frame.

Thick, blood-soaked ropes as thick as wrists were wrapped around him. They were not chains, but heavy bindings likely used to stop him from going berserk or using his powers.

Black blood splattered the walls and floor.

In one corner were two large plastic bins filled with neatly cut slabs of meat. It was clear what kind of meat it was.

Beside them was a steel basin filled with a powdery mixture of crushed pills and medicine.

A blood-covered chunk of frozen meat, clearly bitten into, sat soaking in the mixture.

Judging from the discarded wrapper of the medicine box beside it, the basin was full of tranquilizers, including some general healthcare drugs and some specially regulated drugs.

“So they soaked the meat in tranquilizers before feeding it to him…”

Jiang Nian gritted his teeth.

He remembered this woman claiming that she needed medicine for insomnia and anxiety. He had felt pity for her back then. But now, he saw the truth—she had used it all to feed her zombie husband.

Human flesh. Medicated meat.

He didn’t know if it slowed the infection, but she was dedicated to this horrifying act.

She had committed unspeakable evil and didn’t care that her daughter was traumatized.

Human evil truly knows no bounds. Those who appear weak and pitiful are often the most cruel and ruthless.

“Hmph.”

The woman had stopped crying. Her beautiful features were now twisted by blood and madness.

“So what? I accepted death the moment I killed the Night Patrol.”

Her “So what?” left them speechless.

What could they say? In a world ruled by death, even voices of condemnation would soon vanish into silence.

“…”

“How did you kill the 14 Awakened?” Huang Qian asked coldly. She had her suspicions but needed to hear the answer from the woman herself.

The woman didn’t hesitate. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying.

“The same way I killed everyone else who lived alone. My daughter has the power of teleportation. She brought them home, and I used my power to control them.”

“You let a child do that?!”

Huang Qian snapped, her voice trembling with fury.

The woman glared.

“She’s soft. I told her I could save her dad if she helped me bring people back. She cried the first time, but she did it.

“But after she watched me feed them to her father, she wouldn’t do it anymore!” the woman shrieked. “She wanted to call the police. I had to control her every day. It drained me so much that I could barely function. If I slipped even a little, she’d come back to herself…”

She chuckled coldly.

“…”

The three of them inhaled sharply. What kind of mother does this?!

A person under mind control might appear normal, but inside, they were awake and screaming. They were unable to resist or escape. The helplessness was unimaginable.

But the woman didn’t care. She continued calmly:

“She was always scared. She’d cry all the time.” But she wouldn’t run. To keep her from snapping, I took care of the ‘garbage’ late at night after he was done feeding.”

“That night, I went down to throw away the remains, but the bag tore. Someone found bloodstained clothes in the trash, and they came for us.”

Cheng Jing clenched his fists.
“And then?”

“They knocked on the door. I used my powers to control them and bring them inside. Once I accessed their unlocked phones, I used their messages to lure the next group. Then, I killed them, too—cough, cough…”

The woman trembled and coughed up thick, dark blood. She paused to catch her breath.

“I did the same thing every time, then had Xiaoya teleport the bodies to the basement to dispose of them.”

“You deserve to die!”

Cheng Jing growled, barely restraining himself from striking her down.

“She’s just a kid! She knew it was wrong, and yet you still controlled her!”

Huang Qian felt sick. She wanted to pry open the woman’s skull and see the twisted thoughts inside.

Clang!

Jiang Nian kicked over the basin of powder, fury radiating from him.

“Do you know what kind of damage you’ve done to Xiaoya?!” She knew she couldn’t save her father, yet you forced her to help murder people. How can she live with that for the rest of her life?”

“…”

The stench of medicine filled the air. The woman slowly turned her head toward Jiang Nian.

“You gave her candy that day. She woke up for a bit and tried to warn you not to come back. She couldn’t help but ask for help, but of course, she couldn’t do anything. Wuwuwu…”

She cried again. Then, in a hollow voice, she whispered,

“I was planning to infect her tonight anyway. I didn’t think you’d find us this quickly. Take her with you, please. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry for what I did to her.”

“You controlled her. You caused the death of innocent people. And now you just want to say ‘sorry’ and move on? You ruined lives! Families!”

Huang Qian trembled, her eyes burning with tears. She knew how deeply trauma like this affected you.

“Cough, cough…”

The woman coughed violently and vomited more blood, which was now nearly black and reeking.

Then she laughed madly, her voice cracking.

“What else could I do? I just wanted my family to be whole! Her father loved her so much. He went out that day because she said she wanted candy. It was her fault! She should have helped me!”

She began sobbing and laughing at the same time. Blood poured from her mouth. Her madness was complete.

She sighed hoarsely.

“It’s fine. Just kill me. I deserve it. You’re good people. If Xiaoya asks, just tell her that I’ve become like her father. Tell her that I’ll never force her to do things she doesn’t want to do again.”

“…”

The three of them exchanged glances. This woman was truly insane—beyond redemption. She blamed her own daughter for her choices.

Huang Qian took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Is there anything else you want to say to Xiaoya?”

“…”

After a long silence, the woman shook her head.

“No. She hates me. She thinks I’m crazy. I pity her and her father. All he wanted was to go out and retrieve the last supply drop, but I used my powers to stop him. That’s how it all came to this.”

Her husband had asked her to survive and protect their daughter. But she couldn’t bear to go on alone.

Looking into Xiaoya’s vacant eyes every day, she knew her daughter was in pain and hated her. She knew she was selfish. She knew she was wrong.

But she didn’t regret a thing.