I've never backed down from a war of words.

Mengyao shouted angrily, “Shameless! Scoundrel! I’d rather die than let you take advantage of me!” As she spoke, she made to bite her tongue.

Qin Xiaofan was startled and hurried to stop her. He had never intended to actually do such a thing; he merely wanted to scare Mengyao into revealing her accomplices. He hadn’t expected Mengyao to be so fierce and unyielding.

With a dull thud, he struck her, causing Mengyao to lose consciousness. Qin Xiaofan let out a sigh of relief, then smiled wryly, feeling more and more like the villain in some television drama.

The interrogation was put on hold.

To prevent Mengyao from biting her tongue when she awoke, Qin Xiaofan picked up the torn clothing from the ground and stuffed it in her mouth, then stepped out of the cramped cave.

Outside, Xiaoyan gave Qin Xiaofan an awkward smile, genuinely worried that, in his anger, Qin Xiaofan might actually do something terrible.

As Qin Xiaofan emerged, he said to Xiaoyan, “Huohuo, find her something to wear. Oh, and you just happen to have a spare qipao, don’t you? Now’s the time to put it to use.”

Xiaoyan was momentarily stunned, the awkward smile fading from his face. Qin Xiaofan looked at him strangely. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing…” Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “Wait here, I’ll go get it!”

He took out his treasured pink qipao and handed it to Dai Li. When Dai Li took it, she had to tug hard to get it from Xiaoyan’s grip, his reluctance so obvious that Qin Xiaofan, watching from the side, was left speechless.

Indeed… men should never meddle with women’s clothing; once you do, something strange happens to you.

Dawn began to break.

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and people emerged from caves and cabins to begin their busy day. Basket after basket of wheat was hauled out of the caves and spread under the sun to dry.

With Mengyao’s identity as a member of the Change of Heaven group exposed, Fatty Bubble was finally cleared of suspicion. Qin Xiaofan personally released him from the wooden cage, moving Fatty Bubble to tears.

Xiaoyan organized people for a new round of cabin building. The trees around the village couldn’t be cleared too thoroughly, or they wouldn’t block the wind. So everyone had to go to the forest on the northern edge of the village to cut wood. It was far, and hauling the logs back was exhausting; thankfully, “Second Brother” helped ease most of the burden.

The atmosphere while working was odd. Perhaps last night’s events had left everyone uneasy; there was little chatting as they worked, as if everyone feared being mistaken for Mengyao’s accomplice.

It couldn’t go on like this. Qin Xiaofan was troubled. After making a round through the village, he returned to the cave to begin a new round of interrogation.

He first removed the cloth stuffed in Mengyao’s mouth.

Then—

A splash of water landed squarely on Mengyao’s face.

Qin Xiaofan waited a moment, but Mengyao still didn’t open her eyes. He splashed her again. The water trickled down her pale neck, seeping into the new pink qipao she wore, clinging to her smooth skin.

Still, Mengyao showed no sign of waking.

With a cold chuckle, Qin Xiaofan stepped forward and ruthlessly pinched her delicate cheeks between two fingers.

“Ow, ow, ow! Let go! Let go!” Mengyao finally came to. Or rather, she had been awake all along, but didn’t want to face Qin Xiaofan, so she pretended to be asleep.

Qin Xiaofan, unamused, let go and lightly patted her exquisite face, grinning strangely. “Playing tricks in front of me? Isn’t it time to grow up?”

Mengyao glared at him with venom in her eyes, grinding her teeth and cursing, “Scoundrel! Degenerate! Despicable! May you die a horrible death!…”

“A couple of insults are enough. It’s not like I’ve actually done anything to you,” Qin Xiaofan said.

But Mengyao didn’t stop, determined to curse Qin Xiaofan to death.

Qin Xiaofan took a sip of water, tilted his head back, and gargled.

Then—

He spat the mouthful of water right onto Mengyao’s face.

Mengyao was so stunned she fell silent, unable to utter another word.

“Go on, keep cursing,” Qin Xiaofan wiped his mouth. “If it’s a contest of spraying, I never back down. Want to try? I can make you question your very existence.”

“Disgusting! Revolting!” Mengyao shouted. But when she saw him gargle again, she quickly shut her mouth.

Qin Xiaofan, unrelenting, spat another mouthful at her face, leaving her dumbfounded.

“Now, I want you to understand your situation. You are nothing but a prisoner,” Qin Xiaofan wiped his mouth, giving her what he thought was a kindly smile.

To Mengyao, though, it was the hideous grin of a devil.

She bit her lip and said, “Just kill me. I will never betray the organization!”

Qin Xiaofan asked, “I’m really curious—what can the Change of Heaven group offer you, to win your utter loyalty?”

Mengyao’s eyes shone with fanaticism. “You could never understand. This is the mission history has given us. The world is heading for destruction. Only under the Queen’s leadership can we see the dawn!”

“The Queen?” Qin Xiaofan sneered. “So the leader is a woman? Is she… that impressive?”

Mengyao looked at him with a flash of scorn in her eyes. “Ignorant fool! The Queen is the god of the new era, a being of boundless power. Compared to her, you are nothing but an insignificant ant!”

Qin Xiaofan frowned. Staring at Mengyao, he realized she had all the hallmarks of someone deeply brainwashed. He could sense that she had made this “Queen” the very faith of her life…

It was disturbing.

How advanced did your brainwashing techniques have to be to achieve this?

Qin Xiaofan was genuinely intrigued. If he had the chance, he’d have to learn from this Queen—if she was still alive, that is.

…

Sunset.

The sky above the horizon blazed red. In the forest north of the village, everyone was still hard at work.

Xiaoyan wiped sweat from his brow and waved to Big Speaker in the distance. “Alright! That’s enough for today. Big Speaker, call everyone in. Time to head back!”

Big Speaker nodded. Xiaoyan immediately covered his ears.

A thunderous shout rang out: “Assemble—now!”

At once, people began emerging from the woods, some carrying logs, others with bundles of branches, all drenched in sweat.

Deep in the forest, a striking woman wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. She wore a black t-shirt and tight blue jeans, her figure lithe.

Her name was Lu Xiaoqing. Beautiful, serene, and fond of daydreaming—that was the impression she left on everyone.

Just then, her expression turned anxious. Clutching her stomach, she apologized to her companion, “Ah… sorry, could you wait for me a moment?”

Her companion nodded understandingly, urging her to hurry.

Lu Xiaoqing thanked her and hurried behind a large rock. Crouching, she slowly pulled down her pants, all the while warily watching her surroundings.

Once certain no one was watching, she bit her finger and drew a strange symbol in blood on the smooth surface of the rock. It resembled a twisted door.

Strangely, the blood-red symbol flashed with a black light, then faded into the stone itself.

“Lu Xiaoqing, are you done?” her companion called from nearby.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming!” Lu Xiaoqing stood, pulled up her pants, and quickly rejoined the group, her expression calm, as if she really had just stepped away for a moment’s relief.