Chapter 42 The Slums
Nothing happened, so the seal couldn't be broken like that. As Ling Qiu lay on Cyrus, breathing heavily, she could feel her lungs swelling and intermittent stinging pain. For a few seconds, she felt so short of breath that she felt like she was about to suffocate.
She was breathing for too long, and Cyrus gradually sensed something was wrong. He sat up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ling Qiu shook her head, unable to speak. She rested for a while and it took her a long time to recover.
"I think the doctor's assessment of me might be too optimistic," Ling Qiu chuckled dryly.
Cyrus couldn't laugh. His eyes were somber and indifferent. He stared at Ling Qiu silently for a while before saying, "I will do it as soon as possible."
Ling Qiu knew that what He meant was that He would find a way to break the seal as soon as possible.
After a night's rest, Ling Qiu felt much better. She realized that her body probably couldn't handle any more strenuous exercise.
Including doing.
"Oh dear," Ling Qiu sighed, "I never imagined I'd only have a few chances like this in my life."
Cyrus didn't like hearing her say that at all.
Ling Qiu didn't mind: "How about we have hot pot today? I think the beef you made for me last time was delicious, it should be great for hot pot too."
"Hmm... but I only have a small saucepan at home, which is too small and not enough. I can go downstairs and buy one."
Cyrus said, "No need, I can still retrieve things from parallel universes."
“They sell them downstairs. I’ve seen them before, and I don’t want you to waste your energy on something so trivial.” Ling Qiu said, glancing at Cyrus’s unusually disproportionate figure. “Just wait for me at home. I’ll go buy them by myself.”
Otherwise, if he were to bump into someone on the road, he would definitely be startled.
Cyrus had no objection to this; after all, even if He didn't go with her, He could still see what she was doing, who she was talking to, and whether the surrounding area was safe.
Ling Qiu went downstairs, and when the elevator stopped on the third floor, Ling Qiu had a familiar premonition. Sure enough, when the elevator doors opened, Wang Zheng walked in.
"Hi! How's your recovery from the surgery? Are your eyes working properly?" Ling Qiu asked.
It has been several weeks since Wang Zheng underwent surgery.
"Oh, Ling Qiu, hello." Wang Zheng's gaze fell on Ling Qiu. His eyes looked much brighter than before, and he no longer squinted when looking at people. "I can see now, but I still have some post-operative symptoms, such as nausea and headaches."
Hmm... Ling Qiu remembers that when Lululan had her prosthetic eye surgery, she was completely healed the next day.
And will the aftereffects of the surgery last for several weeks?
Ling Qiu asked tentatively, "Do you know what batch of prosthetic eye you're using? I heard recently that a new type of prosthetic body has been released, but..."
“Yes, it’s the latest one,” Wang Zheng said with a smile. “It was recommended by the ophthalmologist at Mandelson, and the doctor who performed my surgery also said it was the best, so I used it.”
"..." Ling Qiu hesitated, she had a bad feeling, but looking at Wang Zheng's expression, she was too embarrassed to say it.
"Well, maybe it will get better after a while of recovery," Ling Qiu said.
Wang Zheng smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Ling Qiu, I've been working hard lately. I should be able to pay back the 40,000 yuan I owe you by the end of the year."
“Okay, no rush,” Ling Qiu said.
After getting off the elevator, Ling Qiu bought an electric hot pot at a nearby convenience store. On her way back, she ran into the owner of the hair salon.
"Hey Lingqiu, it's been a while since I've seen you. Your hair has grown so long! Aren't you going to cut it again?"
Her hair had grown past her shoulders. Ling Qiu nodded: "Yes, I'm planning to try long hair."
"Oh, long hair is nice too. You seem much more cheerful than before," the boss said with a smile.
"Really?" Ling Qiu didn't think so. "Maybe life has gotten better recently."
"Yes... things have really gotten better lately!" The boss smiled and casually bowed in a certain direction with his hands clasped together.
She did it casually and naturally, like a habitual gesture, but Ling Qiu had never seen her do it before.
Moreover, Ling Qiu also noticed a red thing peeking out from her sleeve on her wrist.
Ling Qiu stopped and looked at her boss, asking casually, "Have you made any new friends lately, boss?"
"Oh my, how did you know?" the boss asked in surprise. "Yes, I've made a lot of new friends. Being with them makes life more interesting and gives me hope."
In her gestures, Ling Qiu finally saw a familiar symbol on that corner of red.
It is a temple.
The cult has spread from the slums to the suburbs. Ling Qiu was not surprised by this, after all, no one knew that the cult's largest stronghold was Noah Company in the city center.
Ling Qiu smiled in response. She didn't expose her or show any emotion. She just pretended to be curious and asked, "Where can you make so many good friends? I don't have many friends. I'm always bored when I'm alone."
The barber shop owner looked at her, and she seemed a little hesitant. After hesitating, she said to Ling Qiu, "Oh, I just happened to pass by the slums when I was buying goods. That's how I met them. They are all very warm-hearted people, and they will give you free food and water. They are doing charity work in the slums."
"Wow, what a kind person!" Ling Qiu asked excitedly. "Could you introduce me to them? Are there any people my age?"
"Yes! There are lots of little girls over there. They're with the gods... cough, they've become more cheerful because they've made friends. I think you'd have a great time if you went."
"Oh, then I'll go with you to meet them next time," Ling Qiu said. "When are you going?"
The barber thought for a moment and said, "Three days later, which is Sunday. I'll drive you there."
"That's great, I'll come find you in three days." Ling Qiu waved goodbye to the boss.
She was genuinely curious about what activities this shrine was doing behind the scenes. She was even more curious about how the shrine had lured these people here. As far as she knew, the barbershop owner lived a fairly comfortable life and had no reason to follow a cult for a little free food and water.
With this thought in mind, Ling Qiu pushed open the door. As soon as she entered, before she could even see who was there, she heard a voice say, "So you're just planning to go to the slums without saying a word?"
Ling Qiu put the electric hot pot on the table and ran over to hug Cyrus's waist.
“How could that be!” she said. “I wouldn’t dare go alone if you didn’t come with me.”
“But if you come with me like this, it might arouse suspicion, Cyrus. Can you still merge into my body like before?”
“Okay.” He had already tied on his apron and was preparing the food. “This is not difficult.”
"Wow, then let's go like that!"
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Ling Qiu put on clothes that were easy to move in and got into the barber shop owner's red car.
"Just call me Aunt Qiao," she introduced herself as she drove. "They're quite wary of the people they bring there, but don't be nervous when you get there. They'll ask you a few questions, and after that, you can join."
"Mmm," Ling Qiu responded. More than an hour later, they arrived near the slum.
Ling Qiu hadn't been here for a very long time. Not counting the time she passed by with Lu Lulan, it had been about five or six years. In those five or six years, the slum had hardly changed at all, except for a few newly built houses.
Seeing Ling Qiu looking at the dark buildings, Aunt Qiao said, "They built these and provide them for people to live in for free, but not just anyone can live there. If you want to live there, you must make a significant contribution to the organization."
Ling Qiu glanced at Aunt Qiao and realized that once they arrived here, Aunt Qiao's words became much more direct, and she no longer tried to hide anything.
There are no paved roads here, just rolling yellow dust everywhere. I can't imagine how muddy it would be if it rained.
The roadside is lined with dilapidated houses, some drafty and some half-collapsed, yet people still live in them.
"Haha! Haha!! The company finally accepted my resume! I have hope of going back!" A man with a manic expression shouted as he ran over, which Ling Qiu was not surprised by.
In front of a convenience store—yes, even in slums there are convenience stores selling basic necessities—these stores are usually run by powerful gangs, so no one dares to cause trouble.
Several human bodies were placed in front of the convenience store.
They were alive, but none of them were completely intact; some had lost their hands, some had lost their feet, or both legs, or they were disfigured...
But no matter where they were damaged, their genitals were intact.
Of course, it's the kind of corrupt official that can be used.
The wall was painted with colorful English words that read: "You can ride these for five minutes for just one Mandollar."
There are two in use.
Ling Qiu couldn't help but glance at him, intending to quickly look away, but she was clearly stunned when she saw the person next to her.
She whispered to Cyrus, "You threw Bald Han here to do this?"
"I didn't," a voice echoed in my head. "I just dumped it in the slums."
So it seems that Lai Tou Han was most likely captured to do this. Ling Qiu had only made him castrate himself before, but now, Lai Tou Han obviously has several new injuries on his body. His arm looks broken and is twisted in a strange position.
People in slums don't care about their appearance; as long as they have a hole in their body, that's enough for them.
Ling Qiu didn't look again. She followed Aunt Qiao until they reached a place that was noticeably cleaner. There were obviously more red armbands around, and they were gathered together talking about something. When they walked in, one of the red armbands turned around and stared intently at Ling Qiu.
“A new face,” he said.
Aunt Qiao immediately said, "This is my younger sister who lives with me. She really wants to come here and make new friends."
"Hmm." The man had a rough face and dark skin, and he was staring at Ling Qiu with a stern expression. "What's your name?"
"Ling Qiu," she said truthfully.
The man fell silent, his gaze fixed on her as if trying to bore a hole through her.
This gaze lasted for about a minute.
Then, Ling Qiu saw him suddenly smile: "There are two souls in your body."
Ling Qiu froze for a moment, and goosebumps began to rise all over her body.
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