Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 21

Although, isn’t licking tears a bit…

As the perverse Warden, there are three tasks:

1. 1. Make the criminal obedient through means of re-education/discipline.

1. 1. Conduct a physical examination of the criminal.

1. 1. Obtain the criminal’s personal treasure.

The R20 System, finally, on the third transmigration, had conjured up a fool-proof H-novel scenario. These tasks were certainly not what a normal warden should be doing, but the System had added a perverse and sadistic persona for Si Xiaoxiao, which made everything seem reasonable.

In the second transmigration, Si Xiaoxiao initially didn’t understand the deeper meaning of the tasks issued by the R20 System. Relying on her naturally slow-witted brain, she managed to muddle through using tears.

It wasn’t until after she left the instance that Si Xiaoxiao looked back on what happened in the dungeon and felt a belated sense of shame.

Although, isn’t licking tears a bit… isn’t that very lewd??

Forget it, it’s totally normal for arch-enemies to lick each other’s tears.

Si Xiaoxiao could only comfort herself this way, fleeing from those embarrassing memories.

To save herself from making a fool of herself, Si Xiaoxiao decided to treat Li Ting as her external hard drive; she would simply give up on thinking. Besides, enslaving an arch-enemy is very cool!

“Take me to the criminal.” Si Xiaoxiao regarded the faceless female NPC as an ordinary, inanimate object, forcing herself to ignore her strangeness.

Based on her gaming experience, this NPC was the beginner’s guide. Following her arrangements was sure to be correct.

“Please follow me, the criminal is already waiting in the interrogation room.” The faceless female NPC turned respectfully, like a machine programmed to move.

Si Xiaoxiao dragged her heavy boot heels, following the blurry figure out of the Warden’s office.

At this moment, she finally noticed the difference in the System after its upgrade.

The first Succubus World was confined to a small, all-white room scene, completely inconsistent with the story’s setting, like a hastily constructed stage. Props had to be temporarily thought up by the Host, and the mission objective was not fixed, only requiring the achievement of intimacy.

The second Saintess World was in a slightly larger church. The church had a sense of background, and many items were arranged to fit the Saintess theme, but there was no mandatory enforcement of the so-called “persona.”

And this third world had a much greater sense of reality than the previous two. There was a faceless NPC, and the stage was no longer limited to a small room; now, they could switch scenes.

This System truly seemed to be evolving constantly.

It was incredible.

The boot soles struck the cold, stone floor, making a rhythmic “tap, tap, tap” sound that echoed in the long, vacant, dark corridor where dim kerosene lamps hung on the walls.

The air was cold and damp, mixing with the smell of mold, rust, and a faint trace of blood. On both sides were heavy iron doors inlaid with narrow peep windows. From behind the doors, one could faintly hear suppressed whimpers and the sound of chains dragging, which was chilling.

All of this was far too real.

After passing through several equally heavy iron doors, opened by guards whose faces she couldn’t see, the faceless woman finally stopped before a black iron door that was much larger and heavier than the others.

However, there was no sign on the door, only two enormous, ferocious beast-head door knockers.

“The criminal is inside. Warden, please.” Her (Its?) voice remained flat and emotionless as she stepped aside.

Si Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. The cold air, mixed with the smell of leather and dust, filled her lungs, allowing her to calm down slightly.

Her mission mainly revolved around the role of the “criminal.”

In other words, behind the door was most likely Li Ting—if the System hadn’t bound someone else.

Si Xiaoxiao reached out, her gloved fingers touching the cold door knocker, and pushed hard. The door groaned “Creak—!” and slowly opened inwards.

The space inside was larger and more oppressive than Si Xiaoxiao had imagined.

The walls were rough, deep gray rock, with no windows. The only illumination came from a massive metal chandelier burning with a ghastly white flame, which hung from the ceiling in the center of the room. The light was cold and concentrated, casting a huge circle on the floor.

Beyond the circle was an impenetrable shadow, and in the center of the light circle, there was a heavy iron long table, covered with old stains and suspicious dark red spots.

Opposite the long table was an equally cold metal chair, and seated on that chair was the “criminal” she was to “interrogate.”

It was indeed Li Ting.

Si Xiaoxiao’s heart gave a violent leap; she didn’t know what kind of emotion that was.

Unlike Si Xiaoxiao’s exquisite attire, Li Ting’s prison uniform was rough and poor quality.

The washed-out, gray-blue pinstriped cloth hung loosely on her. The collar was brutally torn open, exposing a small section of her beautifully shaped collarbone and pale skin.

Her hands were locked in front of her by a pair of heavy shackles. The shackles were connected to a thick iron chain, the other end of which was fastened to a heavy metal ring on the floor beneath her feet.

Her long hair was somewhat messy, a few strands clinging to her sweaty temples. Her face also bore several small abrasions, and there seemed to be a slight bruise at the corner of her mouth. Clearly, her treatment as a “criminal” was not ideal.

However, Li Ting was still Li Ting. Those eyes, always as calm as a deep pool, now looked like cold stars dipped in ice under the stark white light.

There was no fear, no panic, and not a hint of the disarray of a captive. There was only an almost indifferent calm, a beast-like sharpness and scrutiny.

Her back was ramrod straight. Even though she was imprisoned, wearing the most humble prison uniform, and bound by cold shackles, the inherent cold detachment and sense of control in her bones were not weakened in the slightest. In fact, her current predicament made her incredibly irritated, causing her gaze to become even more aggressive.

Li Ting’s gaze pierced the cold air, falling directly onto Si Xiaoxiao, who had just stepped into the interrogation room.

Unexpectedly, the sharpness vanished the moment their eyes met, like melting snow. No, rather than vanishing, she had instead put on that gentle, friendly façade again.

Li Ting was always like this, liking to use a smile to conceal her coldness, pretending to be gentle.

This was precisely what Si Xiaoxiao hated most about her.

The cold white light enveloped the two of them, casting their figures long upon the rough stone wall behind them.

Si Xiaoxiao, in her abstinent, clean, and power-symbolizing Warden’s military uniform, and Li Ting, in her tattered, humiliating prison uniform, constrained by heavy shackles.

Si Xiaoxiao felt Li Ting’s gaze carried an unconcealed, almost tangible penetrative power, as if stripping away her layers of disguise, leaving her nowhere to hide. The corset seemed to be laced tighter, almost making her gasp for breath.

So, in this world, were they “hostile” to each other again?

Could they support each other to complete the mission this time, like in the Saintess World?

Or would the missions conflict, forcing them to confrontation?

Some information was essential, and she had to ask, even if it meant violating her persona.

Si Xiaoxiao resolutely spoke, “Li Ting, what is your mission? Are we…”

“WARNING, WARNING, the Host is exhibiting malicious behavior that violates the persona!! Detected as the third instance; initiating strict punishment mode now!!”

Strict punishment?! Sure enough, the System did not intend to give them room to negotiate!

Si Xiaoxiao felt a sudden prickling at the back of her neck, like being fiercely stabbed by a red-hot steel needle.

This sharp pain instantly exploded, frantically darting down her spine, then sharply rushing up into the back of her skull. All her muscles simultaneously tightened and stiffened at that moment. Her throat was tightly constricted, an airway caught in her chest, making her vision blacken.

Time lost all meaning at this point.

Every second was stretched endlessly long by this pure, pervasive agony.

She couldn’t even feel herself breathing, only passively enduring the silent, destructive storm within her body. All consciousness was occupied and crushed by this sheer pain, leaving only one thought: intolerable.

Give up resisting.

Ah…

“Warden, what is wrong? You look like you’re in great pain.”

It was Li Ting’s voice that pulled Si Xiaoxiao back from the agony.

According to the setting, the Warden was healthy and naturally wouldn’t suddenly feel pain, so the System’s punishment had to stop.

She was finally saved.

Presumably, Li Ting noticed something was wrong with her and, in a moment of quick thinking, pulled her back from the brink of pain.

Indeed, she shouldn’t be too impulsive. Si Xiaoxiao truly felt death in that moment and was scared afterward.

This System had upgraded to a very tricky level.

“I’m fine,” Si Xiaoxiao replied.

“Then, what brings the Warden here? Are you here to ask for the location of my treasure?”

Li Ting deliberately emphasized the pronunciation, as if reciting a script, starting to follow the plot, presumably to ensure the correctness of her persona.

Si Xiaoxiao forced herself to calm down, stepping towards the iron table with her heavy boots.

The sound of the heel striking the floor was infinitely amplified in the dead silent room, as if beating on a person’s heart drum.

She stopped at the “Warden’s” spot behind the iron table, leaning her hands on the cold surface. The leather gloves covered with metal plates collided with the iron table, making a soft “clack” sound.

Since she was the perverse and sadistic Warden.

Then, what was Li Ting’s persona?

A heinous criminal? Or an unjustly imprisoned poor soul?

Si Xiaoxiao tried to imitate the demeanor of cold wardens in movies and TV shows, leaning slightly forward, looking down condescendingly at Li Ting, who was locked in the chair. She deliberately lowered her voice, trying to make it sound cold and ruthless:

“Criminal, if you don’t hand over your personal treasure, my re-education methods will not be easy for you to bear.”

The corner of Li Ting’s mouth seemed to curve up ever so slightly, an arc that vanished instantly, so fast that Si Xiaoxiao thought it was a hallucination.

Evidently, she approved of Si Xiaoxiao’s action.

But she didn’t immediately reply. Instead, she slightly tilted her head, her gaze sweeping over Si Xiaoxiao with blatant, scrutinizing intent.

“Warden, what do you want me to hand over? Treasure? Isn’t it on your body?” She intentionally stressed the words “treasure,” suggesting a hidden meaning.

“Presumptuous! Are you slandering me? It seems you won’t speak the truth until you see the coffin!”

Si Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. The cold air, mixed with dust and the smell of leather, stung her lungs.

The System’s three perverse tasks were branded into her consciousness like red-hot irons.

Re-education, examination, personal treasure… each one made her scalp tingle, and she didn’t know how to bluff her way through.

“The truth? I am speaking the truth. You, Madam, sweet-talked me in bed and coaxed me to give you the treasure, but now you’ve put on a skirt and won’t acknowledge it.” Li Ting’s tone was extremely resentful.

What bed?!

Si Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected this plot twist!

Were the Warden and the criminal this close?!

“It seems you won’t weep until you see the coffin.” Si Xiaoxiao tried to make her voice sound colder and harder, with a hint of offended anger.

She straightened her back, walked around the iron table, and the heavy military boots clacked on the stone floor. The echo rolled heavily in the oppressive space.

“Criminal, I’ve decided: I will conduct a search of your person now!!”

Undoubtedly, a body search was the easiest task to complete right now. They were both women, so what if she touched her!

Li Ting’s gaze remained cold, seemingly with a hint of encouragement. Her voice carried a slight hoarseness from being imprisoned but was still calm and steady, even with a trace of elusive, playful laziness: “By all means, then, let the Warden—you—come and do it yourself.”

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