Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 67

Indeed, people are only driven to extremes when forced.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

A dull, massive thudding sound was exceptionally jarring in the quiet village entrance.

Stones collided fiercely with metal and wood, sending sparks flying.

The wooden door frame near the latch began to deform and shatter under the immense impact.

Li Ting’s heart was in her throat. Every strike tightened her nerves; she was afraid the lock wouldn’t break, but even more afraid that the huge noise would attract the wrong people.

Fortunately, the commotion caused by the fishing boat fire was large enough to cover the sound of the rock striking the lock cylinder.

However, good luck wouldn’t last forever for Li Ting. Just as she finally knocked off the lock cylinder and prepared to open the door, a voice rang out.

“Who is there?!” A sharp, twisted shriek, as if forcefully squeezed from deep within a throat, exploded less than ten meters behind her, like an ice-cold poisoned needle, carrying non-human resentment and absolute coldness!

Li Ting’s muscles instantly stiffened like iron, her blood seeming to freeze in that instant.

An icy chill shot straight from her tailbone to the crown of her head.

She had actually attracted a villager!

She spun around to look—

It was Lin Xiu, the one who had lured her to the island!

Under the pale moonlight, Lin Xiu’s figure stood like a ghost in the middle of the small path leading to the village entrance.

She hadn’t run from the direction of the pier but seemed to have appeared out of thin air, silently standing there, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

Clutched tightly in her hand was an old-fashioned flashlight. A pale, blinding beam of light, like a spotlight, pierced the darkness, precisely and firmly locking onto Li Ting’s face without missing.

Li Ting didn’t have time to ponder whether Lin Xiu was in a controlled state or a normal one, nor could she determine if there were any truly conscientious people left among the islanders.

She also didn’t know whether the next scene would be about women making things difficult for other women, or women specifically choosing to make things difficult for other women.

At a juncture like this, it was best not to put hope in others.

She had to get rid of her! Or, knock her out!

“Whoosh—thud!” The stone traveled with a dull whoosh and slammed hard into Lin Xiu’s left shoulder blade.

Out of her inherent kindness, Li Ting had only aimed the stone at Lin Xiu’s shoulder, so the lethality wasn’t actually great.

However, Lin Xiu clearly hadn’t expected Li Ting to act so decisively. After being struck by the stone, she let out a muffled groan and staggered backward several steps involuntarily. The flashlight flew out of her hand with a “clatter” and fell to the ground, the beam rolling wildly across the dirt, illuminating the swirling dust.

Now is the time!

Li Ting didn’t hesitate for a moment, her body darting forward like an arrow released from a bow, fueled by a do-or-die determination.

The moment she closed in on Lin Xiu, the cold, sharp kitchen knife she had already pulled from her lower back flashed, quick and precise, and was pressed against Lin Xiu’s carotid artery. The cold edge of the blade pressed against her skin, bringing the chill of death.

“Don’t scream, or the knife has no eyes!”

Immediately after, Li Ting swiftly hooked the still-rolling flashlight on the ground with her toe, regaining control of the strong beam of light. At the same time, as a precaution, she ripped out a piece of rags from her pocket and jammed it into Lin Xiu’s mouth.

Having done all this, she held the knife firmly against Lin Xiu’s neck with one hand, and roughly grabbed Lin Xiu’s arm with the other, forcing her with the knife tip. They stumbled together into the dark, gaping doorway of the general store she had just broken open.

Li Ting hadn’t expected that she, a well-educated cultural person with her own boundaries and morals, would one day resort to unauthorized entry into someone’s house and hostage-taking.

Indeed, people are only driven to extremes when forced.

The good news was that the house was empty, which meant Li Ting wouldn’t be caught in a pincer movement, trapped between two sides.

Li Ting first found a rope and tied Lin Xiu up, then braced the door with a wooden stick. Throughout the process, she was trembling and extremely cautious, afraid that another person might appear. Luckily, she did have some luck on her side; after all this, no second person came over.

After confirming safety, Li Ting, fearing she might trigger some mechanism, didn’t rush to search the general store. Instead, she chose to first question Lin Xiu to figure out the situation.

“I’ll ask you questions. You nod or shake your head. Understand?” Li Ting chose not to turn on the lights, shining the flashlight directly onto Lin Xiu’s face.

Prisons often use the tactic of shining bright light directly onto a prisoner’s face during interrogation.

This method is not just to increase the intensity of the interrogation, but more importantly, to quickly weaken the prisoner’s psychological defense, making them more susceptible to psychological pressure.

Furthermore, the strong light can not only make the prisoner uncomfortable but may also cause physical reactions like headaches and blurred vision, thereby lowering their resistance.

Although Li Ting didn’t know if this Lin Xiu could still be considered a human being.

“Mmm…!” Stung by the sudden intense light, Lin Xiu abruptly closed her eyes, her body twisting violently as she let out a painful whimper.

The light passing through her thin eyelids brought a burning sensation. Tears instantly flowed uncontrollably. Her head instinctively wanted to turn away to avoid it, but Li Ting forcibly held her chin with the knife handle, forcing her to face the overwhelming light source.

Li Ting struck first: “Is your island involved in human trafficking and live sacrifice rituals?!”

Having been a warden in a previous world, Li Ting possessed strong intimidation and interrogation skills.

Forced to kneel on the ground, Lin Xiu desperately shook her head, her eyes filled with terror and fear, her expression like a genuinely wronged, simple-minded woman.

Did she not do it? Or does she not know?

Li Ting thought for a moment and chose to press her on a matter directly related to her own self-interest. She took a step closer, her shadow enveloping Lin Xiu, her voice lowered but carrying a soul-piercing sharpness: “What about your daughters? Lin Xiu! Were your five daughters all sent to the altar by your own hands, becoming ‘Sea Brides’ offered to the ‘Sea God’?! You killed them!! Is that right!!!”

Lin Xiu’s pupils contracted violently. Pain and struggle occupied her face. She opened her mouth, desperately trying to say something, but was muffled by the cloth Li Ting had stuffed in her mouth, only managing whimpers. Although her expression was visibly disturbed, she still shook her head desperately.

The simple woman’s face finally lost its mechanical smile, looking more agreeable now.

However, Li Ting spoke as if she had seen into her heart, questioning her again: “I understand. You shake your head not because you don’t know, and not because you didn’t do it, but because you think it’s natural, because you think it’s commonplace!! You despicable woman, you became an accomplice, handing your own children over to the devil in exchange!!”

This time, there was no nodding or shaking. Lin Xiu’s whole body began to tremble violently as if her bones had been removed. Her bound hands and feet kicked and struggled wildly on the floor, trying to break free.

The reaction was a hundred times more intense than her previous fear, filled with the agonizing pain of a shredded heart and the collapse of having her most unbearable secret exposed.

“You yourself suffered the ravages of this hellhole, yet you brainwashed yourself and became the devil’s accomplice,” Li Ting stated her conjecture: “You were also locked up in a cramped basement and used as a breeding machine, weren’t you… Humiliated, brainwashed, living like a dog. You finally survived and saw the light of day again, but you are already numb, and have even started to believe their cannibalistic ‘principles’!”

Lin Xiu trembled as if struck by lightning. The cloth in her mouth allowed her to only make the desperate, suppressed growl of a beast. Tears mixed with snot poured down her face.

The reaction was a hundred times more intense than her previous fear, filled with the agonizing pain of a shredded heart and the collapse of having her most unbearable secret exposed.

Although she had guessed the truth, Li Ting felt no satisfaction. She hated such stories, yet they had played out in countless places, too cliché, differing only in degree of severity.

A mother in an unhappy marriage still hoping her daughter marries…

A woman who was a victim of favoring sons over daughters still sees giving birth to a boy as her ticket to respect…

A woman who has had opportunities stolen countless times by mediocre male colleagues still chooses not to trust her female subordinates…

The underlying logic of these cliché stories is actually the same as that of this small village island.

“Do you admit that you are guilty?” Li Ting’s voice fell heavily like a final judge’s gavel, laced with chilling aggression.

Li Ting had observed Lin Xiu; she had an almost fearful eagerness to please her husband. The two did not seem like a married couple at all, but rather a master and a slave.

There is a concept called Stockholm Syndrome.

Lin Xiu’s eyes instantly lost focus. She stared blankly at Li Ting, her expression fragile, losing all the anger and pain she had just shown. Tears flowed ceaselessly from her eyes.

Li Ting understood that she had broken through Lin Xiu’s psychological defense.

So, she sat down next to Lin Xiu and pulled the rag out of her mouth.

To her surprise, Lin Xiu’s eyes were burning as she spoke: “The Sea God will punish you heretics!”

…Did what she just said have no effect at all?

Li Ting was almost amused by Lin Xiu’s stubbornness.

So she challenged her: “Do you call that twisted pile of grotesque things your so-called God? Or do you think your so-called Sea God would be afraid of the ocean??”

Perhaps she was stumped, as Lin Xiu suddenly stopped speaking and closed her eyes.

Fine, Li Ting thought. I won’t waste any more breath arguing with her. I’ll just look for the desktop phone mentioned in the diary.

Li Ting rummaged through the entire general store, using her flashlight to search every cabinet.

“Are you looking for a phone?” Lin Xiu’s expression was sinister and dangerous, no longer warm and simple. Since the prey in front of her already knew their true nature, there was no need to hide anymore: “It’s useless. Even if you find it, it’s useless. It will only put you… in danger…”

Her voice was harsh and sharp, yet she seemed to be hinting at something to Li Ting.

What did she mean, it’s useless even if you find it? What did she mean, put you in danger?

Li Ting was confused. She guessed this was the biggest trap, but the madness deep in her bones kept her from giving up just yet.

In the deepest cabinet of the general store, Li Ting finally found the old desktop phone. It was white and looked small. Li Ting didn’t act rashly; instead, she asked Lin Xiu, who was next to her: “What do you mean by danger?”

Lin Xiu turned her head away and ignored her.

So, Li Ting sneered and countered: “You deliberately fished me onto the island, were you planning to sacrifice me too? But why invite me to stay at your home, and why did you… leave a knife in the kitchen?”

Before the doctor suggested she stay at the clinic, Lin Xiu had invited her to stay at her house and left a lethal weapon in the kitchen, giving Li Ting a lifeline to fight back. This was precisely why Li Ting was wasting her breath on Lin Xiu right now.

Admittedly, she was a wicked accomplice, a coward who lacked the courage to resist, but deep down, she absolutely hoped that someone would stand up and fight back.

A man who never enters the kitchen would naturally not know that a knife was missing, nor would he know of Lin Xiu’s deliberate blindness. Although her soul was already stained black, it was definitely not beyond redemption.

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