[Chapter 159: You Really Deserve to Die]
"Puff!"
A surge of Earth energy shot upward, slashing diagonally across the fat woman's body. Her upper torso slid off and crashed to the ground.
"Ah!"
To everyone's shock, she didn't die immediately.
Using her hands to prop herself up, she screamed and crawled forward relentlessly, trailing a string of entrails behind her that left a bright red streak of blood on the floor.
"Ah..."
The others were terrified, screaming as they scattered in all directions. Some tried to rely on their speed to dart past Daniel, while others fled deeper inside.
"Puff, puff, puff..."
Before any of them could get far, bursts of Earth Spikes cut some down into mangled corpses.
As for those who fled into the building, Daniel ignored them for now. They wouldn't escape regardless.
He walked forward, flicked his hand, and pulled out a blanket, wrapping it gently around the young girl.
With another motion, he severed the four ropes that bound her.
Daniel carefully laid her on the ground and asked, "Ailin, can you still walk?"
The girl looked up at him, surprise in her eyes. "You... how do you know me?"
"I already said, someone paid me to come find you. That person is your parents."
Yes, she was the Ailin Daniel had come for.
"Wuwu..."
Tears streamed down Ailin's cheeks.
"Can you try to walk?" Daniel urged.
"I'll try."
She struggled but managed to stand, limping a little. Daniel supported her as they moved inside.
...
Using his Spiritual Sense, Daniel detected many more people still trapped deeper within -- not just the ones who had fled inside moments before.
With a thought, magical energy enveloped his face in a soft blur, making it impossible for anyone else to see his features clearly.
As he ventured further, Daniel found a series of individual prison cells. Each cell contained someone -- and without exception, they were all young girls.
Many were covered in raw wounds, their skin crusted with dried blood -- a horrifying sight.
Daniel's expression darkened.
Continuing onward, he found cells that held more than one person. Some prisoners were shackled with heavy chains.
He guessed that these girls likely had stronger wills and resisted captivity, which earned them harsher treatment.
Suddenly, Daniel stopped. Inside one cell, he spotted a familiar figure -- the little flower girl who had once offered him a flower.
Now, she curled on the floor, hugging her knees, her eyes wide with terror.
Hearing his footsteps, she looked up.
But the light that once shone in her eyes was gone -- replaced by pure, empty fear.
That little girl had faced rejection and even verbal abuse when selling flowers, yet she'd never lost that spark of hope.
But now, that light was extinguished.
Daniel turned his gaze to the few people pressed against the cell walls, nowhere left to run. The killing intent in his eyes grew palpable.
"You really deserve to die."
Setting Ailin aside to rest against a wall, Daniel strode deeper.
"Don't... don't come any closer!" someone hissed, brandishing a knife they'd somehow found.
"Ah..."
Shrill screams erupted, unrelenting and rising in waves, growing louder and more desperate until they were drowned out by silence -- the silence of death.
When Daniel turned to leave, nothing remained but piles of shredded flesh.
Returning to the nearby cells, the girls' eyes had changed.
Light gathered again, hope flickering back to life within their gaze.
Daniel stomped his foot, and torrents of Earth energy surged upward.
The heavy dungeon doors exploded open.
The iron chains binding the shackled girls snapped apart.
Momentarily stunned, they slowly rose and stepped out.
They stared at Daniel, disbelief etched on their faces.
"Let's go."
Only then did they begin following him toward freedom.
...
Along the way, they passed the scattered corpses of their tormentors.
Some flinched in fear, pressing against the walls. But most looked relieved, their faces finally free of anguish.
Reaching the first floor, the girls saw that the guards above were all dead.
Only then did they fully relax.
Daniel said, "Wait here. I'll be right back."
He stepped outside into the night.
The girls tensed, afraid he might not return.
But soon, headlights cut through the darkness -- a small bus pulling up to the manor's gate.
There were over twenty seats, not nearly enough for all of them, but no one cared. They squeezed inside, clutching onto hope.
The bus crashed through the gates and sped into the night.
After some time, it arrived in town and stopped in front of the Police Station.
Seeing the familiar building, the girls' anxieties eased, and they hurried off the bus.
Several ran inside to explain their ordeal.
The police responded quickly, rushing out to inspect the scene.
But when they checked the bus driver's seat, the person who had saved these girls from horror was gone.
They questioned the girls, but none could describe the man's face clearly. Not a single one had seen it well enough to identify.
...
After ensuring the girls were safely in police custody, Daniel silently left with Ailin and the little flower girl.
The girl didn't resist, only staring at Daniel with cautious eyes.
Daniel reached the rendezvous point he'd arranged with Ailin's father and spotted the car waiting.
Before Daniel could react, Ailin's father flung the door open and pulled his daughter into a tight embrace.
"Ailin, my Ailin..."
Amy's father stepped out as well.
Looking at Daniel, then at the little girl, he asked, "Mr. Cross, who is she?"
Daniel replied, "A friend of mine. Like Ailin, she was captured by that group."
Amy's father sighed deeply. "Poor child."
Daniel said, "It's not safe to stay here long. We should leave under cover of night."
"Okay."
Ailin's father understood the urgency. After a quick word with his daughter, the five of them climbed into the car and left swiftly.
...
More than an hour later, they pulled into New York's urban area.
"Go to Manhattan," Daniel instructed.
Ailin's father nodded and drove on.
After another half hour, the car turned onto Manhattan streets.
Daniel asked the little flower girl, "Where do you live?"
"59th Street," she answered softly.
Another ten minutes later, the car stopped outside an old apartment on 59th Street.
Daniel helped the girl out.
She looked up at him earnestly.
"Thank you for saving me, sir."
Daniel smiled. "You're welcome. Did you recognize me earlier?"
*****
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