"Oh my, they lost contact," Shangguan Jun murmured, lightly brushing Wu You'ai's cheek. "So, how does your own meat taste?"
Wu You'ai's gaze was a little unfocused. "A bit tough. Tangyuan are still better."
"Here is some good news. The entire team that went to bomb the villa has gone dark. The people in that villa are not simple. Alright, I should get going. Should I kill you or not?" Shangguan Jun hesitated for a moment. "Forget it. You are the first person under my hand who never gave up a single word. I hope you can last until rescue arrives. I will come back for you next time."
…
If not for the floral blouse and the pockmarks on the woman's face, Jing Shu would never have imagined this was the auntie who had begged for water the first time they met.
There was no surprise about the hostages. They all shared one thing in common. Every single one had been tortured to death. And each death was different. It was obvious the perpetrator was obsessed with trying new methods of torture.
Then what about Wu You'ai? What would she be suffering? Since Wu You'ai was connected to the villa, would she be singled out for something special?
Crack, crack.
Jing Shu's fists tightened. Even Yang Yang kept quiet now, wary of provoking this woman of terrifying strength.
A faint sound came from the next room. Jing Shu dropped Zhang Qiang and rushed over in a single bound. Her heart pounded. The person tied to a table and murmuring was none other than Wu You'ai.
In the dark, Wu You'ai did not seem to have suffered overtly bloody abuse. At least Jing Shu did not see gore splattered everywhere. But there was a strong smell of char.
"She is breathing." Jing Shu cut the ropes with a knife from the Cube Space. Wu You'ai sucked in air. "Hurts…"
"Where does it hurt?" Jing Shu's heart lurched. Had he used one of those invisible tortures, like water injection?
Wang Dazhao hurried over with a flashlight, followed by Yang Yang and five or six armed police. Others fanned out to sweep the building and seal the exits.
In the beam of the flashlight, Jing Shu finally saw Wu You'ai's legs, charred black, the skin wrinkled, three large patches of flesh missing with bone exposed. Coupled with the scorch smell and drips of wax on the floor, it looked like candle roasting.
Yang Yang said, "Shangguan Jun probably did not get anything out of her and did not have time to finish her off, so he ran."
Warmth flickered in Jing Shu's chest. Maybe Wu You'ai had saved herself by refusing to speak. She had held on.
Wang Dazhao's hand shook so hard he nearly flung the flashlight. He had thought killing a dozen people once had made him tough enough for this world. He had not expected there were even fiercer monsters out there.
Yang Yang arched a brow. "Most of the flesh on both legs is necrotic. They will have to be sawed off. If not, the infection will spread and kill her. With medical resources this scarce, such surgery is nearly impossible now."
Yang Yang's meaning was simple. In the pre-apocalypse, she would need amputations. Now it was even more hopeless.
"Time will only make it worse. The dead tissue will rot. The burn surface will expand. Pain from burns this extensive will torment her for twenty-six days. She will beg for death."
"Do you know an anesthetist?" Jing Shu asked, voice deadly calm.
"I know one nearby. He has a little anesthetic stocked away. You will need to pay with scarce food. Do you want to give her a mercy death or what? Do not hope for amputations. Even if you numb her for a few easier days, the post-op care does not exist in Wu City right now."
"Fine. Call him. If he comes within five minutes, he gets half a pig. At ten minutes, only a pig leg. Over twenty, do not bother showing up. I will grab some tools from the car." Jing Shu tossed the words to Wang Dazhao and strode out.
Yang Yang rolled his eyes and placed the call anyway. This woman had been playing dumb and cute before, but now her true colors were revealed. The shift in her aura was abrupt. Now she was cold and absolute, all command. It felt like if anyone disobeyed, she would end the world.
With Yang Yang's personal pickup, the man arrived in eight minutes. Only a pig leg remained, but he was still delighted.
"This is Jing Shu," Yang Yang said.
"This is the anesthetist, A Lan," Yang Yang added, introducing them.
A Lan, ponytail bouncing and wrist limp, purred, "Well now, need anesthetics? I have more. Give me another pig leg and they are all yours."
"Deal. I will take everything," Jing Shu said, accepting the drugs. After confirming the usage, she had Wu You'ai drink Spirit Spring and mineral water, rinsed the wounds clean, and then, under A Lan's guidance, administered anesthesia. Wu You'ai drifted into heavy sleep.
Everyone watched, curious what Jing Shu would do next.
A Lan clucked his tongue after inspecting the burns. "With burns like these, amputation."
Before he finished the sentence, Jing Shu brought the knife down and pared away all the necrotic flesh, slicing off the dead skin around it as well. There were three gaping holes already. In Jing Shu's hands, large swaths of ruined flesh came off in minutes. Several young officers gagged and vomited on the spot. Yang Yang, on the other hand, watched with interest and even pointed out spots she had missed.
By rough estimate, Wu You'ai might be several jin lighter now.
"My word. Are you saving her or killing her? Without follow-up care, she will not make it," A Lan blurted.
"Shangguan Jun was sloppy. He did not clean all the necrosis. She was going to die anyway. This is a dying horse treated like a living one." Jing Shu's tone was flat. She pulled out medicines and tools she had prepared in the Cube Space downstairs. She had not gone to the car at all.
The looks around her turned complicated. Wang Dazhao tugged down his collar and said, "She saved me the same way when my neck was cut. I am still here." That finally put some credit back in Jing Shu's account.
During the procedure, Jing Shu dripped one drop of Spirit Spring onto each of Wu You'ai's legs, then fed her another drop. As long as Wu You'ai did not die, missing some flesh was better than missing limbs. Whether Wu You'ai could walk again was another question.
When she finished, Jing Shu bandaged the wounds and exhaled.
"She will sleep a few hours. When the anesthetic wears off, the pain will knock her out again," A Lan said.
Jing Shu had finally accomplished the most urgent task. Shangguan Jun had slipped away this time, and the faceless boss still loomed. Jing Shu hated wolves hiding in the dark. She would have to pull them into the light.
Afterward, Jing Shu traded for all the anesthetic A Lan had hidden, enough for seven uses. She paid with four pig legs. To secure Zhetian intel and deter retaliation, Yang Yang "assigned" a patrol car to stand guard near Xishan Villa around the clock. Jing Shu sent over a pig minus the four legs as thanks.