Chapter 185 - Complicated Things

"Where are you taking me?" It was just a normal set-up, but the way they sounded felt like they had something waiting for Ruan Jin. The man quickly backed away, only to collide against someone.

He didn't know who he knocked into, but a nurse snuck behind him and slid a needle of the syringe up his arm. The horseman was horrified, but he quickly lost consciousness—grabbed by one of the soldiers so he wouldn't fall to the floor. The nurse also hung a strange necklace as if it would help suppress the companion. She then looked at the soldiers, and he was taken away in another wheelchair.

Li Feng was already inside and had a bad feeling about things. However, when he came out again to look for Ruan Jin, the other man was already gone. The young master only returned to his bed, trying his best to be calm.

…

The interrogation lights were bright, and they almost blinded Chuan Nayi as they flashed on her face. She only turned her face away. She was now in a different room, but her wrists were cuffed to the table. Her clothes were changed earlier by a nurse so she would be comfortable and less threatening to look at. 

Then, she was soon joined by a limping man in a single crutch. He was in a security uniform, but he was only wearing minimal gear. His face was old yet hardened, very sharp and chiseled. The eyes were sharp and eagle-like as if he could look into the person's soul. He stood on the other side of the table and looked down at Chuan Nayi as if a judge piercing his hand through her body and getting the truth out of her.

"Chuan Nayi..." The man spoke as he brought up the folder tucked under his arm. He dropped it on the table and browsed her file. "You came to participate in Red Scales, why?"

"This has nothing to do with what happened earlier," Chuan Nayi answered, already disappointed by the fact that she was now the suspect. Besides, why was she being held in a very bad light just because she had a lot of blood on her body? Even in bad-written detective movies, this wasn't supposed to be the initial flow of the questions. "Aren't you going to start with what I am doing there?"

"I know you're just going to do what you're supposed to do in a toilet, Miss Chuan."

The woman then frowned. "Yes, I am… then, they showed up. They tried to do something, but Miss Qiao Yun said something close to… we don't care if male participants go after the females. Only the ghosts of the place are the ones who could save us. And that's what happened… I don't even know that bear, but he saved me."

The soldier stared at her and walked closer to her. He painstakingly sat down on the edge of the table. "You came here with two more participants. Do you know them outside the project?"

"...I do. They're… they're like… my friends… but not so much." Chuan Nayi sighed as she was forced to play along. The man wasn't even listening to her answers that were not connected to his question. "I know them from school. They're… they're acquaintances… "

"Does the name 'Song Qixi' sound familiar to you?"

"No. I never heard of it." Chuan Nayi shook her head. She really wasn't familiar with it.

"That's the name of the person who brought you here." The limping man tapped at the table. "Are you telling me that your school acquaintances just thought of coming here, and you happened to come with them? Not to mention that they were not even very simple."

Chuan Nayi then brought her eyes up at him. "What are you trying to make me say?"

The limping man took out a few photos from his jacket and tossed them in front of Chuan Nayi. They were photos of her and Liu Xiaodan back at Ting. She gasped a little before the limping man spoke again: "You came to participate in Red Scales, why?"

Her serious expression then softened into a melancholic look as she stared at the photos… it was her and the old Xiaodan. She didn't know if he still looked the same. She then sighed. "I want to see my boyfriend. I heard he's being developed into a bio-weapon. I want to know if it's true… and if it is possible that he won't be fit for it. This… Red Justice… is so cruel..."

"Cruel?" The limping man only smiled, but it was cold. "Liu Xiaodan is not even Red Justice yet, and he's already beyond cruel. Moreover, I think you're right. Liu Xiaodan can't be fit for Red Justice whose primary aim was to alleviate the horrors of losing so many soldiers in an event of war. A man this selfish… he's better off dead."

"...did he kill someone close to you?" Chuan Nayi dropped her mellow self and grew cold again.

"He did kill three of my men, but that was going to be the least deaths he would cause if no one stops him now." The limping man then hissed. "Yet, the management wants him alive. Now that they have you, how do you think they'll use you to sway Liu Xiaodan in everything?"

Chuan Nayi sighed. "They can try all they like, but Xiaodan has changed. He's not going to be so trusting of people, but it doesn't mean he won't do things someone asks of him. He has this idea of giving back what you receive. I'm pretty sure that if you align his interests with yours, he won't think twice about helping. Then again, you seem to be forgetting about something. The child…

"What's your guarantee that you can enslave Xiaodan the way you wanted without the child attacking you?"

…

A twitch came to Guangru as he felt Old Xiong flicker around. Something must have happened to Chuan Nayi that forced the bear to act and vanish from the Rooms Hall. He then turned to his father: "Baba, do you think you can handle the kid on your own? I want to check up on Mama."

"Hm? Sure. Be careful." Liu Xiaodan smiled and petted the child before Guangru were to leave. However, the child paused and looked around. He then turned to Liu Xiaodan who was walking with Old Doctor while Tang Mingming and Yi Junhai scouted ahead.

Guangru then whispered to nothing in particular: "The crying girl is inside the hall, but it's not the time for them to be here. Did something happen? Should I take a look?" He reached out a hand, and soft light appeared at the side. However, he hesitated to come find Ye Ling when he had to see why Old Xiong made a move. He then growled softly. "I hate complicated things. I should go find Nurse Yun again…"