Chapter 136: The Witch's Turn
Sitting on a chair in the hospital room, Holly gazed at her sleeping mother's face, her eyes filled with indescribable worry.
Her mother was almost forty years old, an age where the physical functions of half-beasts would greatly decline, and falling sick was nothing out of the ordinary.
Elderly.
Although she had expected her short lifespan, usually believing she could face it positively, at this moment she still felt an unprecedented heartache.
At the same time, there existed another immense…fear and despair.
Even if she could survive this time, how many more years would she have left…
Why, oh why aren't we pure-blooded humans? Even if we were pure-blooded beastmen, we could live a little longer…
It is difficult for those who aspire to get married at the age of 20 to find a suitable husband. Many people immediately back off when informed that the potential partner belongs to the half-beast race.
Therefore, the number of half-beasts was extremely small, and they could only seek refuge and comfort among their own.
Holly looked out the window at the dissipating clouds, subconsciously clasping her hands. The indescribable force even caused the chair beneath her to sway slightly.
Her emotions were truly complex.
Holly had an unprecedented gratitude towards Miss Witch and finally understood why so many people in the station were her friends.
"Have a drink."
Merete Chambers walked in holding a bottle of beverage, calmly handed it over to Holly, who sat next to her without saying a word for a long time.
"Thank you."
After thanking her, Holly took the drink and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Actually, I know of some advanced alchemical elixirs that can extend natural life," Merete Chambers suddenly spoke.
Holly was momentarily stunned, then nodded gently.
Then she lowered her head and said softly, "But those medicines are expensive, and ordinary people can't afford them… I know the most famous alchemist family that sells such medicines is also the wealthiest family in the Air Alliance. The prices are terribly high."
Merete Chambers held her chin, hesitated for a long time, and Holly wondered why it took her so long to speak up.
Miss Witch whispered, "Actually, I happen to know a batch of cheaper goods. The cost of these longevity medicines is not high, it is just that the sellers deliberately raise the prices by controlling the production after monopolizing the technology."
Holly was confused and said, "Even if they are cheaper, we can't afford them, can we? I am not a noble at all."
Merete Chambers approached Holly's ear and whispered softly.
"Hey hey, it's stolen goods that are much cheaper than the original price, there are recent rumors circulating on the black market."
After listening, Holly's bunny ears shook and her complexion wasn't very good.
"Why would you tell me something like this… It's illegal, right?"
Merete Chambers shook her head and said, "Forget it, forget it. Actually, even if you inject the alchemy potion, it can only increase your natural lifespan by seven or eight years at most."
Holly's rabbit ears moved again.
Merete Chambers continued, "The five noble families of Tatsumi City don't use such cheap medicines, they only give them to their own pet dogs and some servants."
"They buy such precious medicine for their pet dogs?"
Holly was astonished, wearing an unbelieving expression on her face.
Merete Chambers asked, puzzled, "Well, what's wrong? This is legal behavior."
"Nothing…"
Holly lowered her head, fell silent, and her ears drooped.
Merete Chambers stayed with Holly in the hospital overnight.
The next day, Holly's parents, colleagues, and Bai Yan also came one after another.
Bai Yan still didn't want to deal with Merete Chambers, and the latter seemed to ignore him, not even looking at him.
This unusual attitude actually left Bai Yan feeling a bit perplexed.
He saw Holly standing in the room, lost in thought, while the captain was consoling her.
After a while, Bai Yan stepped forward and reassured, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."
Holly just glanced at him, nodded lightly and tried to force a smile.
"Hmm."
Several people stayed in the hospital room for a while, and after a while, Holly began to peel oranges for her silent father.
"Rien, could you come with me for a moment? I have something to tell you."
Merete Chambers was different from others. She always referred to the gig guy as Rien, his real name, and never once called him "big guy."
"Hmm."
Big guy Rien nodded and followed, looking confused.
Merete Chambers and Rien arrived at a deserted corner where they finally came to a halt, then Merete Chambers took out a photograph and handed it over to Rien.
After the big guy Rien finished looking at it, he was dumbfounded.
"This should be very important to you."
The photo shows a pretty girl who has just started junior high school, smiling happily and surrounded by her classmates.
Merete Chambers murmured, "She is the child from the victimized family. Even using divination spells, it would be difficult to find her, but fortunately, my luck has been quite good."
"She…" Rien hesitated to speak.
Merete Chambers nodded and said, "Yes, as you can see, she is now living very well, has completely forgotten everything, and has luckily found herself a good new family."
The big guy stood still for a long time, as if pondering over many things, suddenly kneeling down directly on the ground.
He trembled all over, tears continuously flowing from his eyes, his voice filled with regret for the past.
"At that time, I believed my friend's words and participated in a high-risk investment. After the hard-earned money was all cheated away by shameless people, I began to feel that this society was very unfair every day. One day, two days, one year, two years passed, and there was always an inexplicable anger constantly building up inside me."
Merete Chambers listened silently, without saying anything.
"Then, suddenly one day, the evil power that had been sleeping within me awakened, a power born of hatred. Perhaps this is just the feedback of anger."
The big guy remained silent, as an unsightly and repulsive mass of flesh sprouted from his arm, resembling a bloody tentacle.
"I quickly harbored thoughts of robbery."
"Later on, two cultists approached me. At the time, I was unaware of their status as members of a cult. However, we quickly bonded and broke into that mansion together… I assumed that they only wanted money, but they actually sought the essential ingredient for their ritual: the emotion of 'despair.'"
"And I was the sacrificial lamb they had prepared."
He remained silent for a long time.
"The parents of that girl were brutally killed by them, and she herself was tortured by those two beasts… I heard screams outside and ran in…"
"I can't forget her eyes, always, always…"
In the next moment, Rien saw a face full of gentle and stunning beauty, the witch looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Merete Chambers crouched down and softly spoke, "I am sorry. A truly gentle person would comfort you, encourage you, and help you with utmost tenderness… but I can only feel pain for your ordeal."
"Rien, you can still atone, but please let the stone in your heart drop a little."
Rien remained silent for a long time.
Merete Chambers took a deep breath and said firmly, "I don't mean to say that it wasn't your fault, but you also caught the real culprit afterwards, voluntarily surrendered to the Demon Hunt Agency, and even decided to use this life to repent… Even the cold and ruthless Adjudication Section has spared you, and no one else has the right to judge you, not even yourself."
Tears flowed uncontrollably from Rien's eyes.
"You don't understand, they said there's something important housed in my body that would be useful for Night Watcher in a critical moment. That's the most important reason why I can escape from the judgment."
"But still, thank you… I just want to know, what can I do to repay you?"
"Of course there is."
Merete Chambers smiled and began to demand her reward without hesitation.
"The repayment I seek is simply for you to speak to me earnestly about the truest nature of 'Black Vulture'… Is the level of drowsiness it induces a curse?"
He let out a sigh.
"The problem between her and the captain is unsolvable, even the 'Emperor' can't resolve it."
The big guy Rien let out a sigh and suddenly asked, "Why are you so interested in our affairs? I am somewhat puzzled by it."
"Because we are companions, that reason is enough."
Merete Chambers said calmly to herself, "But it seems that the 12th team is more like an 'isolation room', rather than a 'problem child club'… Various hidden dangers that cannot be eliminated, isn't it?"
"I will tell you about them…"
After a while, Merete Chambers finished washing her hands and came out of the bathroom, suddenly realizing that Bai Yan was standing at the door playing with his phone.
"Oh, why are you blocking me this time? But do you dare to come in and block me?"
She smiled.
Bai Yan calmly said, "You seem to be very interested in everyone's personal situations."
"Because of my enthusiasm, everyone is aware of this fact, aren't they?"
Merete Chambers suddenly leaned in, but Bai Yan didn't budge as before, inhaling the fragrance unreservedly.
She gazed at the man's face for a long time, then suddenly impatiently said,
"Hmm, are you thinking to yourself 'It's just acting, definitely just acting,' this woman named Merete Chambers definitely has a terrifying monster hidden in her heart!"
Bai Yan silently activated his "mental power", yet he couldn't detect anything.
The witch's "Discernment" is one of the few abilities with counteractive effects, but it must be actively used, indicating her current state of vigilance.
Merete Chambers reached out to pinch her own face and pouted as she spoke:
"Alright, I confess. This was just acting. Are you satisfied now?"
Bai Yan remained silent.
Merete Chambers continued, "If there is nothing else, I will have to leave. Or do you want to push me into one of the stalls in the women's bathroom, forcing me to do something?"
"Boring."
She rolled her eyes and walked away, shaking her head in displeasure.
Bai Yan said calmly, "Actually, I have no dissatisfaction. On the contrary, I think you did an excellent job and thank you for noticing the areas I overlooked."
"Hmm?"
Merete Chambers suddenly turned around, surprised and said,
"It's strange, you seem very confused inside, yet you still feel you have absolute 'control'… Do you have some kind of trump card that you believe can control me?"
This person's thoughts and speech are so erratic! She probably can't read his thoughts… Bai Yan pondered on how to respond.
Merete Chambers smiled widely and suddenly grabbed his hand, placing it on her cool, fair neck.
"Why don't you try putting on the 'collar' right now… I really want to see how you'll pull this off?"
