With a mere thought from Jiang Yan, a nearly transparent vine rapidly materialized out of thin air.
At the end of the vine was a carnivorous flower resembling the gaping, fang-filled maw from Plants vs. Zombies!
She tested it—the main vine carrying the carnivorous flower could extend as far as the iron door.
Once satisfied, Jiang Yan willed it to "retract," then manipulated one of the flower's vine tendrils to lightly coil around the iron railing of the bed. The metal bar instantly crumpled inward.
It seemed the vine possessed immense strength—and left no trace behind.
If that was the case, she could have the carnivorous flower devour one of them and use the vine tendril to strangle the other.
But there was a problem: she couldn't hide the remaining corpse for long.
After all, this was still a society governed by law, not yet the apocalypse.
She needed this month to stockpile supplies and prepare for everything, not get entangled in legal battles over revenge—or risk being sent to prison!
Though given how well-hidden Song Deming's basement was, the chances of the bodies being discovered were slim, but she wasn't about to take unnecessary risks.
Besides, letting the two scumbags die in an instant would be far too merciful!
After a moment's thought, a plan for revenge swiftly took shape in her mind.
Having finished testing the carnivorous flower, Jiang Yan resumed her sleeping posture, closing her eyes as she quietly awaited Song Deming and Zhang Kai's arrival.
BANG!
A few minutes later, the iron door swung open again, and the two beasts walked in one after the other.
Zhang Kai placed a solid wooden chopping board beside Jiang Yan's wrist, then lifted her jade-bracelet-clad hand onto it. "Brother Song, I'll hold it steady. You're stronger—why don't you do the honors?"
"Fine." Song Deming set his phone down at the foot of the bed and crouched beside her.
The two men greedily eyed the emerald bracelet on Jiang Yan's wrist, completely oblivious to the transparent vine silently unfurling behind them.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three transparent vines shot out from the void—two aimed straight for Song Deming and Zhang Kai's bodies, the third lashing toward the hand gripping the knife.
The crouching men staggered and fell onto their backsides.
At the same time, an invisible force bound their limbs.
They tried to claw at the restraints, only to grasp at empty air.
"!!!!" Song Deming's breath hitched, his pupils contracting sharply.
But ever alert, he snatched up the cleaver lying beside him.
"Brother Song, what the hell is this?! Damn it! Am I hallucinating some giant Plants vs. Zombies shit?! I—" Zhang Kai wasn't as composed. Staring at the carnivorous flower materializing in midair—its gaping maw dripping with a crimson tongue as it ravenously fixed its gaze on him—his pupils shrank in terror, his pants soaking as he pissed himself.
But soon, his fear twisted into agony:
Because Song Deming was now glaring at him, cleaver raised.
Thunk!
"AAGHHH!!!"
...
Minutes later, two mutilated corpses lay in the pool of blood on the floor.
Song Deming's death was particularly gruesome—half his skull had been split open.
The other half lay scattered nearby, salvaged from the carnivorous flower's jaws by Jiang Yan.
She remained silent throughout, enduring the gruesome scene and foul odor in the room until it was all over, still curled up on the wire bed.
After forcing herself to endure for about an hour, estimating that the effects of the sedative should have worn off, she finally got up from the bed.
Using a corner of the bedsheet to cover her hand, Jiang Yan picked up Song Deming's phone and dialed the emergency number.
-
Five hours later.
Having completed her statement and verification at the police station, Jiang Yan, looking weak and exhausted, took her little bear backpack from the female officer.
Inside were her ID card, passport, phone, face mask, hat, and some bank cards.
There had originally been a pile of unused cash and foreign currency, but Song Deming had already taken it all.
This backpack had only been brought back by the police when they came to collect evidence earlier.
According to her memories from her past life, this backpack and its contents had been completely burned by Song Deming and Zhang Kai the very night she was locked in the basement.
Fortunately, she had been reborn early enough.
Otherwise, replacing her ID and passport would have been a huge hassle.
After all, to survive the apocalypse, she needed more than just stockpiled supplies—she also required firearms.
And firearms were clearly something she could only obtain abroad.
At the police station, the only weapon found at the scene bore only the fingerprints of Zhang Kai and Song Deming.
The motive for the crime was traced back to a temporary dispute over Jiang Yan's jade bracelet, worth hundreds of millions, which escalated into a murderous intent to silence each other over her billions in assets.
The police also uncovered Song Deming's massive gambling debts overseas over the past year.
As for Jiang Yan, the sole eyewitness at the scene, she had been injected with a powerful sedative and remained unconscious.
She had also been chained with a short iron chain, restricting her movement to the wire bed alone.
Though some aspects of the scene couldn't be explained scientifically and many questions remained, none of it could be linked to Jiang Yan.
Additionally, the villa was located in a remote suburb. To avoid leaving evidence, Song Deming had removed all existing surveillance and dismissed the maids and gardeners—ironically, this worked perfectly in Jiang Yan's favor.
-
Standing at the entrance of the police station, Jiang Yan, who had just successfully eliminated the first of her mother's killers after being reborn, finally saw the long-missed sunlight and breathed in the fresh air.
But now wasn't the time to relax completely. The apocalypse would arrive in three months, and she had to prepare early.
As for Zhang Qiqi, who had slipped through the net—once the apocalyptic disasters began, she would settle the score sooner or later!
Pulling out a hat and face mask from her backpack, Jiang Yan turned on her phone, called a ride, and headed straight to the small villa she had lived in alone before.
Though there were still three months until the apocalypse on August 8th, the time she had wasn't much. She needed to start planning carefully.
-
"Ding dong!"
Just as Jiang Yan entered the living room and changed into slippers, the doorbell rang.
Checking the security feed, she saw it was the takeout she had ordered on her way home.
She put on her mask again before opening the door.
Jiang Yan's family wealth wasn't particularly notable in Anming City, but ever since her mother's mysterious death overseas a week ago, her family had been thrust into the spotlight.
Though Song Deming had been cleared of suspicion, rumors circulated that her mother's case was the real-life version of "Gone Girl."
Today, regarding Jiang Yan's kidnapping and the deaths of Song Deming and Zhang Kai, the police department took into consideration the successive "incidents" affecting her family and issued a special internal notice prohibiting any leaks of this information.
Otherwise, Jiang Yan estimated she would be swarmed by reporters the moment she stepped out of the police station.
She wasn't afraid, but if that happened, the difficulty of liquidating her assets and stockpiling supplies would skyrocket.
(End of Chapter)