Since the warehouse was cleared, Ling Qingyu ordered, "You can turn on the light now. Everything's secured."
The man's eyelid twitched, feeling fortunate that the night vision device covered his expression. This was more than just "secure," right? His eyes glanced at the miserable appearances of the men on the floor. He controlled his trembling hand and nodded. "Sure."
Ling Qingyu turned her gaze back to the girls, who had stuck together as if they believed that grouping would provide them with extra protection.
As Ling Qingyu started talking, the poor girls immediately exhaled their fear in relief. At least the green glowing eyes spoke human language—not the demon they had envisioned.
Furthermore, the speaker was another woman like them. Even if she exhibited violence toward the men, they weren't hurt. Nine out of ten guessed that Ling Qingyu was on their side. They felt refreshed seeing these men suffer.
Technically, they hadn't seen it clearly, but based on the whines and the sounds of friction against the floor, they had drawn the pictures in their minds.
"Girls, don't move and stay calm," Ling Qingyu exhaled heavily, having vented her anger. "I'm not going to hurt you. We are going to get you out of here." She controlled her tone to the lowest and softest, in contrast to the violence she had shown.
The girls didn't talk but tried to glance in the direction of the sound. They thought Ling Qingyu didn't notice their behavior. She wanted to chuckle but had to hold back because of the occasion. She shouldn't laugh.
The light bulb brightened again, and Ling Qingyu's eyes flared up. Thanks to the technology produced by Athena and Tang Ziyi, the device didn't fry up but merely caused a little discomfort to her eyes. She flipped up the quads and squinted, adjusting her pupils to the change in lighting. The girls looked away from the light as well, although the bulb wasn't that bright.
When they adapted and looked around, the girls gasped and covered their mouths. Perhaps they were hurt too much; they dared not produce a sound despite being shocked. Ling Qingyu pitied their psychological state—oppressed, bullied, and ordered around like slaves.
Miss System: Are you sure your violence wasn't the reason why the girls shut their mouths?
Ling Qingyu kept her eyes on the camerawoman. Out of all the women, this one seemed more cooperative with the men. Not that she suspected her. She remained vigilant in case Stockholm syndrome took over and ruined her progress.
Of course, her wariness against the other girls didn't dissipate. Nonetheless, the girls' eyes shone with hope and excitement. Their feelings were genuine since Ling Qingyu's appearance seemed convincing. Modern tactical gear in full kit, as well as an MCU camouflage uniform, created a huge sense of trust.
Strangely, the camerawoman was the first to break the ice. "Emm, are you here to rescue us?"
Ling Qingyu didn't want to lie, and she didn't want her words to hurt them, yet she still spoke the truth. "We are here on a different mission, and I encountered you by accident."
"Oh…" The exhilarated mood disappeared.
"But hey, you know, I jumped from the plane and encountered some troubles deviating from the original track. Got separated from my team and met you girls here. Doesn't this say everything?" Ling Qingyu comforted. "Besides, don't worry; these bastards won't live long. Hmm… I believe it won't be past an hour before they become corpses."
Ling Qingyu began to narrate a summary of her jump and her way here. If fate didn't guide her here, Ling Qingyu would be the first to disbelieve. The girls and she were meant to meet. It was better to say she was guided to save these poor girls from a tragedy.
Although she couldn't save the twins and others the men had discussed, she had potentially stopped one trafficking group. The girls' original numbness washed away as Ling Qingyu described more. She was worried that some had screws loosened and might try to commit suicide because of societal norms and beliefs.
"Hey…" A man interrupted, but his action prompted screams from the girls, who panicked and reached out for any clothing to cover themselves.
"Get out!" Ling Qingyu scolded the man to run off and comforted the girls.
Okay, at least they still retained some liveliness instead of being numb. Being lively was better than gloominess. Although their screams weren't so intense that they were ashamed like little girls, these girls shouldn't have too many problems with psychological counseling afterward.
Ling Qingyu discovered only the camerawoman behaved abnormally. Oh, she forgot, this girl was also wearing clothes. Based on these MFs' words, Ling Qingyu could guess how much damage she had borne before being let go of her "work."
Again, Ling Qingyu reminded them that everything was over and listened to their stories. Sobbing and cries of grievances were unleashed as Ling Qingyu responded patiently. She even wondered if her previous blows were a little too merciful. Though these men would suffer until they died, these pains seemed not enough.
She let the girls kick and vent their grievances on the defenseless men, who were like demons haunting and playing with their souls in the past.
Initially, they were a little hesitant and afraid, but with Ling Qingyu's supportive eyes, they acted mercilessly. Kicking, stomping, and beating with sticks—who knew where they grasped them from.
Ling Qingyu reported the situation to Tang Ziyi and mentioned the possibility of being late.
The latter warned her not to compromise the position because of her noise. Since the current location was far away from residents, Ling Qingyu had no worries.
And Athena's satellite monitoring would check every heat signature—her computing power more meticulous than ten thousand IT soldiers standing in front of a screen. Not even cats and dogs were spared.
Hah! Because the technology level of the satellites was so high, Athena could detect tiny airflow and even insects.
The girls regained their courage and original thoughtfulness after hitting their nightmares and facing head-on, despite Ling Qingyu's assistance.
They felt more connected with the latter and began to share their stories.