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*****
Sally sat on the deck, watching her child cheering excitedly on the boat, and recounted everything she had endured over the past ten years.
Ten years ago, she was kidnapped by David Brown on her way home.
Originally, David Brown had intended to sell her while she was still young; he had done such things many times before.
But that one time—just that one time—he didn't know why, but looking at Sally's cute face, he actually felt it would be a pity to sell her to those bastards.
So, he took Sally back to his boat and locked her under the deck.
At first, David Brown simply pitied Sally. But as he interacted with her more, he realized that this little girl, who had lost her father at a young age and lived in a single-parent home, was far more mature than her peers.
Obedient, sensible, beautiful, cute...
This caused him—a man who had always been alone, suffered a miserable childhood, and never had a complete home—to develop other ideas.
He would raise her, mold her into his favorite ideal, and then start a family with her.
In such a family, they would surely be happy.
So, he fabricated the lie that Sally's mother didn't want her and had sold her to him.
At first, Sally didn't believe it and even tried to run away.
But how could a young child, without a meticulous plan, escape the palm of a vicious criminal?
Every attempt was seen through, and she was dragged back. Every time she misbehaved, she would be severely punished by him.
Beatings, starvation, cutting off water...
How could a young child endure such suffering?
Every time, she admitted defeat and begged for mercy. And after teaching her a harsh lesson, David Brown would give her some "sweeteners."
Perhaps a piece of cake, a book, or a pretty little dress.
Over time, she completely lost the courage and desire to escape.
She became his tamed "pet."
This situation continued until four years after her first period, when she was sixteen years old.
That night, David Brown made her bathe, dressed her in a beautiful dress, and became the first man in her life—the man she now called her husband.
From that day on, his attitude toward her quietly shifted, becoming somewhat better, yet his surveillance of her became even stricter.
Later, she became pregnant. It wasn't until the child was born that he slowly relaxed his guard, allowing her to move around the cabin when no one was around, and even giving her two hours a week to go outside for fresh air.
This continued until Gwen found her.
At this point, Sally stopped speaking. Her son, Jacob, burrowed into her arms, looking at Gwen with curiosity.
Although he hadn't met many people, he could understand from his mother's attitude toward Gwen that this stranger wasn't the bad person he had imagined.
"You mean, this isn't the first time this scum has done this? He's captured other little girls before?"
"Yes."
Sally nodded. "Not just little girls, but adults too. He's been doing this for years. He relies on this for a living; he says it's his job."
"Bullshit job!"
Gwen cursed angrily. "A bastard like that deserves to go to hell!"
Seeing the little boy, Jacob, looking at her with fear, she forced a smile. Suddenly controlling the mask on her face to vanish, she made a funny face at the little guy.
"Hahaha!"
The little guy laughed happily.
Gwen put the mask back on and said, "I'll send you away from here. Sally, your mother is waiting for you to come home."
Sally nodded.
Ever since she learned that her mother hadn't abandoned her, her heart had already flown back to her real home.
As for this place, it was nothing but a cage that bound her.
"Mommy, where are we going?" Jacob asked curiously.
"Home. I'm taking you to see Mommy's mommy—your grandma."
"Grandma? Will I get candy? Will there be nice books to read?"
"Yes. Once we go there, we'll never come back here again."
Sally looked at her child tenderly.
Even though her experience over the last decade had been like living in hell, she had given this child all the love she possibly could.
She was an amazing mother.
Gwen pressed her communicator and said, "Sally has been found. Get a taxi over here to send Sally and her son home."
"Found... what? Son? What's going on?"
"I'll explain later."
Gwen spoke indifferently and hung up the communication.
She looked at the mother and son. "Do you have anything to pack? The car will be here soon."
"No, everything is right here."
Sally hugged her son tightly.
Gwen nodded. She waited with them for a few minutes until a taxi appeared in front of them, then she ushered them into the car.
"You still remember where home is, right?" Gwen joked lightly with Sally.
Sally paused, then revealed a smile. "Anywhere but here."
With that, she left quickly with her son.
As for what would happen here, or what would happen to David Brown, she didn't care in the slightest.
All she wanted to do now was rush back to her own home and throw herself into her mother's arms.
Watching the two disappear into the distance, the smile on Gwen's face slowly vanished. She turned and walked back toward the fishing boat.
She hadn't forgotten that there was still a bastard there waiting to be dealt with, nor had she forgotten the fact that this scum had sold many other women.
She stormed into the cabin; the scum was still unconscious.
Gwen let out a cold snort. A wisp of blue flame emerged from her finger and, with a light flick, landed on David Brown.
In the next instant, accompanied by a scream like a slaughtered pig, David Brown leaped up from the bed.
He looked at Gwen in terror, his eyes darting around the room.
"Stop looking. They left."
Hearing this, a complex mix of expressions appeared on David Brown's face.
Anger, disappointment, pain, and relief.
He said to Gwen, "I really did love them. We just had a wrong start."
"Heh!"
Gwen chuckled, her heart devoid of any fluctuation.
She walked up to the man, extended her white skeletal claw, and asked indifferently, "All those girls you kidnapped over the years—who did you sell them to? Where are they now?"
"I don't know."
David Brown shook his head.
He wanted to use this information as leverage to bargain for his release.
But he didn't expect Gwen to transform instantly.
The mask on her face vanished, revealing her true form after transformation.
A burning skull.
David Brown screamed in horror, sounding like a little girl who had her lollipop stolen.
She grabbed David Brown by the hair, lifted his head, and grinned.
"You shouldn't negotiate with a vengeful spirit."
Gwen spoke coldly, a vortex of blue fire appearing in her eye sockets.
"Feel their pain!"
Accompanied by Gwen's low chant, David Brown began to scream in agony.
Everything he had done to those girls, to Sally, and to his son—the pain those people had endured—now flooded into his soul all at once.
He couldn't bear it. His soul felt as if it had been ignited, burning rapidly.
During this process, relying on the unique ability of the Penance Stare, Gwen saw those girls and learned who had bought them.
A few seconds later, Gwen released David Brown.
By now, David Brown's eyeballs had turned into charcoal.
Gwen turned and left the cabin, standing at the bow of the boat. She closed her eyes to recall the information, marked a location on her phone, and then pressed her communicator: "I'm going out to take care of something. Don't wait up for me."
With that, she took off the communicator. Blue flames surged from her body, pouncing onto the fishing boat beneath her feet, burning from the bow to the stern.
Seconds later, the fishing boat under Gwen's feet had completely changed its appearance.
Patterns of skulls and flames appeared on the hull, making the boat look like a ghost ship drifting out of an ancient legend. Amidst sounds of terrifying wails, the boat, wreathed in flames, shot toward the open sea like an arrow.
At this moment, these raging flames reflected Gwen's mood.
She hadn't been this angry in a long time. The Spirit of Vengeance within her body seemed to sense her fury, roaring madly inside her, as if it wanted to burn everything to ash.
Her target was in the depths of the ocean, on a cruise ship sailing the high seas.
That cruise ship never docked. It drifted on the ocean year-round, with all supplies delivered by air or other ships.
And those girls were all traded on that ship.
The volume of human trafficking there each year was simply terrifying.
Of course, it wasn't just girls. There were men, children, rare animals, antique art, weapons, and various drugs.
As long as someone needed it, that ship could get it for you. All you had to do was provide enough money.
...
Just as Gwen charged toward her destination, the four young ones in the RV looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.
They could hear the anger in Gwen's voice. If Gwen wasn't taking them along, it meant the place was extremely dangerous.
This made them worry about her.
"What do we do?" Mary Jane asked anxiously.
Harry's eyes flickered. "How about we use the tracker in the communicator and follow her ourselves?"
"Don't be stupid. That would just cause trouble for Gwen," Peter shook his head, then suddenly looked at Luke.
"Why are you looking at me?" Luke scratched his head.
"Do you have the number for Uncle Mike or anyone else in the Kent family?"
Luke's eyes widened. "You want to tell Uncle Mike? Gwen will be mad if she finds out!"
"Now isn't the time to worry about her getting mad," Peter said calmly. "Leaving alone without even saying why... it must be serious trouble."
"I'm more afraid of her getting hurt than her getting mad."
"Hurt? How is that possible! You know Gwen's abilities," Harry shook his head. He had never seen Gwen get hurt.
"We should still find a way to notify Uncle Mike. Even though Gwen isn't afraid of getting hurt, the situation might spiral beyond her control," Peter insisted.
"I agree!" Mary Jane nodded quickly.
Seeing this, Luke and Harry looked at each other, then smiled bitterly. "I don't have his phone number."
"Then call your parents and ask them to find Uncle Mike."
"Right."
Luke slapped his forehead, took out his phone, and called his father.
Moments later, Mike, who had just finished grocery shopping and was preparing to cook a grand feast for Odin and the others, told Raven he had to go, left the house, and flew toward the ocean.
...
Gwen steered the fishing boat, speeding across the sea.
Before the magical transformation, this was just a dilapidated fishing boat. But reinforced by Gwen's hellfire, the ship was practically flying over the ocean, moving at an astonishing speed.
As Gwen pressed on, the sky gradually darkened.
After crossing several time zones in a short period, complete darkness fell before her eyes.
Countless stars twinkled in the sky, their starlight falling onto the ocean, turning the water into a reflection of the Milky Way.
Gwen, appearing suddenly like a sharp blade, sliced through this 'Milky Way' and stopped in the distance from her target.
"Is that it?"
Looking at the cruise ship that resembled a giant beast of the sea in the distance, Gwen muttered, the blue flames in her eyes burning even hotter.
The next second, she grinned, and the boat beneath her feet moved again.
But this time, it didn't go forward; it went downward. Like a nimble fish, it dove straight underwater.
Then, Gwen moved rapidly beneath the surface.
She didn't want to alert the people on the ship—at least, not until she ensured the safety of the "auction items."
Tonight, she was going to judge every single bastard on that ship!
A ball of blue light shuttled quickly through the water. Just as it was about to collide with the cruise ship, it suddenly vanished.
Subsequently, a figure leaped out of the water. With a gentle flick of a chain, moving like a dexterous snake, it wrapped around a guard's neck.
Gwen pulled hard. As the guard tumbled off the ship, Gwen used the leverage to vault up, flipping onto the deck.
"Perfect!"
Seeing that she hadn't alerted the other guards, Gwen secretly praised herself and crept into the ship.
She didn't deactivate her transformation, but she controlled the flames on her body, making them die down.
Now, she was like a ghost, inspecting the ship at will.
Men and women, dazed and confused, were locked in cages like cargo, stripped naked. Even when Gwen called out to them, she received no response.
Clearly, these people about to be sold were controlled by drugs.
According to the information Gwen got from David Brown, most of the people here would be bought in batches, while a small number of "premium goods" would be auctioned off.
Buying, auctioning...
Looking at her fellow human beings treated like puppets, Gwen was filled with rage, and the blue flames began to dance on her body again.
Startled, she hurriedly suppressed the fire, but she had already been spotted.
"Who's there?"
Accompanied by a questioning shout, several guards walked toward her.
The corner of Gwen's mouth twitched.
It seemed she really wasn't cut out to be a secret agent; she couldn't even handle a simple infiltration.
But, since she had been discovered...
Then she might as well cause a scene!
"Hah!"
The blue flame demon opened its mouth in the darkness.
(End of Chapter)