Zhang Qingfang didn't react for a moment, then hurriedly took off the ring and placed it on the coffee table. "This is our family's heirloom. It's been passed down for many generations."
Bai Xi picked up the ring, but there was no prompt indicating the mission was complete. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Can you give this ring to me?"
"Yes, yes, of course! Take it if you like it!" Zhang Qingfang quickly tried to curry favor.
As soon as she finished speaking, a system message appeared.
[Mission complete!
Please submit the mission objective.]
Bai Xi pretended to put the ring into her bag, but actually stored it in her interspatial storage.
She was a little curious about an item that even the system wanted and planned to examine it more closely later. However, right now, she had to deal with Zhang Qingfang and Old Lady Rong first.
She estimated she could use Spatial Jump one more time. Any more than that, and she would pass out directly, which would be too dangerous.
Moreover, if these two women teamed up, she might not be their match. Even if she used Spatial Jump to kill one of them, it would be extremely difficult for her to deal with a healthy, normal person during her weakened state.
Therefore, Bai Xi decided to divide and conquer. She would first sow discord between them so they couldn't present a united front, then figure out a way to take them down one by one.
Bai Xi looked at the two women. "What's the deal with the two corpses downstairs?"
Zhang Qingfang glanced at Old Lady Rong. The old woman kept her head down, looking at Zhang Qingfang pleadingly.
Zhang Qingfang sneered inwardly and said, "Old Lady Rong and Wang Yong did it. Wang Yong was a lecherous bastard who forced himself on those two girls. They set a trap to kill him, but ended up being thrown off the building by the two of them."
Old Lady Rong hated Zhang Qingfang bitterly for kicking her while she was down and hurriedly explained, "I didn't kill those two girls! Wang Yong did it all. I only knocked on the door."
"Even if you didn't do it yourself, you were an accomplice! Isn't that exactly how you killed my husband?"
Old Lady Rong hated Zhang Qingfang, but Zhang Qingfang harbored an equal amount of hatred for Old Lady Rong and Wang Yong. She and her husband had been so deeply in love, yet they had been reduced to swallowing their pride and groveling for their lives—all because of these two.
"What else could I do? If I didn't work for Wang Yong, he would have killed me," Old Lady Rong protested.
"Settle this yourselves," Bai Xi said unhurriedly, tossing the short knife she had used to kill Wang Yong onto the table.
The CLINK of the knife hitting the glass table was exceptionally clear in the small living room. Both Old Lady Rong and Zhang Qingfang stared fixedly at the weapon.
Watching coldly from the sidelines, Bai Xi said flatly, "Only one lives."
Without hesitation, Old Lady Rong snatched up the knife and lunged at Zhang Qingfang. She didn't dare attack Bai Xi.
From the very beginning, this young girl had been remarkably calm. She had even killed Wang Yong silently, meaning she definitely had the skills to back up her confidence. Naturally, one would pick on the weak. Compared to this mysterious stranger, she knew Zhang Qingfang much better and had a higher chance of winning.
But Zhang Qingfang was much younger, and her reflexes weren't slow. She dodged Old Lady Rong's swinging knife just in time.
Feeling a sharp pain flare in her arm where the blade grazed her, Zhang Qingfang flew into a rage. "You damn old hag! You really are ruthless! I'll fight you to the death!"
She grabbed a glass water pitcher from the nearby dining table and smashed it at Old Lady Rong.
With a CRACK, it struck Old Lady Rong squarely. Blood immediately poured down her head, but she just shook it off and lunged at Zhang Qingfang again, knife in hand.
Zhang Qingfang looked like she was ready to drag the old woman down to hell with her, even if it cost her her life. However, she shrewdly managed to knock the knife out of Old Lady Rong's hand first, while simultaneously preventing the older woman from grabbing her.
But Old Lady Rong was experienced in her own right. The two quickly ended up grappling on the floor, locked in what appeared to be a fierce struggle.
Bai Xi sneered.
These two were putting on an act for her!
It looked intense, but in reality, neither side had sustained any serious injuries. They hadn't even broken any bones.
Both of them were cunning foxes.
They knew how to conserve their strength. They were probably both trying to find an opportunity to kill her first. But Bai Xi wasn't going to give them the chance.
She took out the Black Gold Dagger and toyed with it in her hand. "Only one lives. I wasn't joking," she stated flatly.
Zhang Qingfang and Old Lady Rong both frowned, the looks they shot each other growing decidedly more vicious. In unison, they glanced at the short knife on the floor and lunged for it.
But Zhang Qingfang was closer. She snatched up the weapon, spun around, and plunged it into Old Lady Rong's waist. The old woman screamed in pain as blood spilled across the floor.
Bai Xi frowned slightly. She still hadn't gotten used to such cruel scenes, even though she had deliberately orchestrated this one.
Old Lady Rong collapsed to the ground, a look of horror on her face. She looked at Zhang Qingfang and begged for mercy. "Sister Zhang, at the end of the day, there's no deep-seated hatred between us. Wang Yong was the one who killed your husband! It had nothing to do with me."
Clutching the knife, Zhang Qingfang transformed into a demon from Hell as she slowly walked up to Old Lady Rong.
"Nothing to do with you? If you hadn't manipulated our sympathy, why would we have ever opened the door? You deserve to die!"
Zhang Qingfang drove the blade directly into Old Lady Rong's heart. Blood didn't spurt out as one might imagine, but the old woman died on the spot.
Zhang Qingfang smiled. It was the thrill of vengeance fulfilled.
She turned around and placed the knife on the table. "Do whatever you want with me. Just make it quick. I don't care to live like this anymore anyway."
Bai Xi's expression remained indifferent. "Just a moment ago, you two were putting on an act. Now you suddenly don't fear death?"
Zhang Qingfang froze for a moment, carefully pondering the question before answering. "I was afraid of dying earlier. But after killing Old Lady Rong, I'm suddenly not so afraid anymore."
"Why?" Bai Xi asked.
"What's the point of struggling? We're nothing but dogs in the apocalypse. We're all penned-up livestock, existing only to be someone else's whetstone."
"Oh?" Bai Xi raised an eyebrow. There was a hidden meaning in Zhang Qingfang's words!
"Do you know what Wang Yong said to show off in front of me?" A touch of despair appeared in Zhang Qingfang's eyes.
Bai Xi remained silent, waiting for her answer.
"He said this city of ours has been quarantined. We're just a bunch of NPCs in a game, here to keep the players entertained.
"We're like livestock in a pen. Our lives and deaths aren't up to us," Zhang Qingfang chuckled mockingly. "If the breeders are happy, they keep us around a little longer. If they're unhappy, they grab us and slaughter us.
"Do you know how many people Wang Yong killed? Eight. He killed eight people in our world alone." Without waiting for Bai Xi to reply, Zhang Qingfang answered her own question.
"Yet they face no punishment whatsoever. Because we are merely their playthings. Our lives don't matter."
Suddenly, Zhang Qingfang grew hysterical, looking a little mad.
"Why?! Why should we be their playthings?! Why did I have to be violated by him?! We're humans too! We're living, breathing human beings!"
She began smashing things around the room in a frenzy. Since she no longer feared death, she didn't care at all if her actions would anger Bai Xi. She only wanted to vent the deep-seated rage and profound powerlessness in her heart.
Bai Xi's frown deepened. She completely understood Zhang Qingfang's feelings.
Wasn't she also filled with rage? But it was useless. All she could do was try everything in her power to survive.
Watching Zhang Qingfang recklessly vent and curse, Bai Xi actually felt a sliver of vindication in her heart against this damn game.