Chapter 13 - Self-Rescue Manual of a Villainess

Chapter 013: Fuhu Zhengsi After leaving the alleyway and getting into a cab, Nan Yin asked the driver to take her to the destination where she chose a suitable spot to get off. Previously, Nan Yin had no intention of recruiting the cannibalistic ogre under her command. Despite her shady past, including her time in the army where she often tortured drug traffickers and illegal arms smugglers, Nan Yin only tormented the 'bad guys'. The cannibalistic ogre, however, had already killed more than a dozen innocent citizens, and she would never recruit him. Another reason was the ogre's current status as the police's primary target due to his recent killing spree, making him a risky ally for Nan Yin. Then why would Nan Yin look for him? The reason was linked with another individual: Fuhu Zhengsi. An elite assassin who'd once appeared in the game world, Fuhu Zhengsi's physical prowess exceeded regular humans’. He moved as light as a swallow and possessed astonishing explosive power akin to a beast's. All this was because he had escaped a secret experimental organization, the same organization the ogre was from. Regarding this organization, Nan Yin knew very little, aside from its antagonistic relationship with the male lead, Su Xiaoyu, in the early stages of the game's narrative. Although she was involved in the game audit in her past life, she dedicated little attention to these background stories. After all, those were checked by the specific background team, while she evaluated the gameplay. At this moment, Fuhu Zhengsi, in a state of fear, was already responsible for three murders. According to the original plot recalled by Nan Yin, he was currently leaning towards a righteous path, his personality was fairly integrated, and he still harbored kind intentions. Considering her current plan to strengthen her power, she had no reason to not strive for recruiting him. In the original plot, it was Fuhu Zhengsi who ultimately killed the ogre. This meant that following the ogre would lead Nan Yin to Fuhu Zhengsi. However, with the ogre's whereabouts currently unknown, Nan Yin decided to abandon her original plan and sought out the location where Fuhu Zhengsi typically resided in the novel. As it neared midnight, Nan Yin arrived at her target location, a forest hidden within an abandoned factory. Unsure of Fuhu Zhengsi's exact location, she decided tracking Su Xiaoyu would suffice, given his protagonist's halo. Su Xiaoyu, a newly appointed exorcist who'd just arrived in Tianzhou City, managed to receive the support from the police, enabling him to get involved in a major case linked with the mysterious experimental organization. That night was the time when Su Xiaoyu had tracked Fuhu Zhengsi. Nan Yin decided to follow him, confident it would lead her to her target. Entering the forest, Nan Yin searched for a while before giving up. Locating Su Xiaoyu was difficult, so she decided to wait for the novel’s heroine to appear, then simply tail her. As it was a romance game, it was highly implausible that a major plotline would unfold without the heroine’s involvement. Su Ling, the female lead whom Nan Yin had saved only the night before, was supposed to appear in this scene. So, Nan Yin decided to wait for Su Ling. She waited until it was almost entirely dark, finally spotting Su Ling. From a distance, Nan Yin lurked behind Su Ling, observing. The female lead, Su Ling, met up swiftly with the male lead, Su Xiaoyu. Su Xiaoyu, reckless and adventurous yet lacking in emotional intelligence, instantly invited Su Ling to join his investigation. During this process, Su Ling even thoughtfully called the police. Nan Yin, trailing behind them under the cover of darkness, aimed to recruit a certain assassin about to perish in the original plot. It produced a thrilling feeling, taking advantage of the fledgling stage of the male lead, essentially a plunder amidst chaos. At this time, Su Xiaoyu, newly arrived from his hometown and freshly appointed as an exorcist, was weak enough that his strength could be overlooked. This allowed Nan Yin to deceive him with the skills honed during her previous life in the army. After about half an hour, Su Xiaoyu and Su Ling indeed met a familiar face as they did in the original plot. It was the chief of the local police force, named James, an NPC who provided information in the original plot. Nan Yin recognized James from afar, not solely due to the plot, but because James often patrolled the Filo district. As one of the big shots of Filo district, it was natural for the original persona to know James. However, his presence meant their search would be significantly slowed down. Another hour passed. At last, Nan Yin spotted Fuhu Zhengsi. He was hiding in a tree, silently observing the team below. Had it not been for Nan Yin's trained intuition from her time as a special forces soldier, he likely would have remained undetected. She knew Fuhu Zhengsi had no intention of harming others, but was here to reminisce about his childhood. Therefore, she decided to sneak over at a slow pace without alerting him. She wanted to shorten the distance between them for the upcoming pursuit. Despite his hands being handcuffed, Fuhu Zhengsi's physical prowess was evident from his ability to climb trees. Suddenly, Su Ling turned to look in Nan Yin's direction. "What's the matter?" Su Xiaoyu asked, also glancing in the same direction. Su Ling hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "Nothing, it might just be my imagination." Suddenly, she noticed Fuhu Zhengsi on the tree. His emaciated, skeletal figure frightened her, causing her to let out a scream. Fuhu Zhengsi swiftly descended the tree and ran away at the sight of this. After determining his path, Nan Yin started following him from a distance. Initially, Su Xiaoyu focused on Fuhu Zhengsi, but upon hearing the sounds from afar and spotting a dark shadow rapidly running, he was taken aback. When did they get followed?! Su Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and he thought that the figure was heading in the same direction Su Ling had glanced earlier. Before he could fully digest the situation, James, the police chief by his side, fainted due to the shock of seeing the skeletal-like Fuhu Zhengsi. Su Xiaoyu reluctantly abandoned the idea of tracking Nan Yin, staying behind to wait for help. … On the other hand, Nan Yin had managed to close the gap between her and Fuhu Zhengsi down to about two meters. The moment he noticed her, he started fleeing in terror. "Why are you relentlessly chasing me!?" Fuhu Zhengsi was certain that this woman was different from the three he had previously killed, believing she must have come from 'that place'. She was emanating an aura that sent chills down his spine—a feeling he was too familiar with. However, the aura was merely a projection of Nan Yin's demeanor whilst on pursuit, derived from her past life as a soldier. "I just want to talk to you." Nan Yin increased her speed and managed to tackle Fuhu Zhengsi down. His explosive power was indeed formidable. Even after a long run, he still had the strength for a brief struggle. But it was just a brief resistance. After all, he seemed like he hadn't eaten for days… his will to live was indeed potent. After restraining Fuhu Zhengsi, Nan Yin turned quiet to listen for any nearby movement, ensuring there was no one else around. With a cold smirk she introduced herself, "Nan Yin." "Please spare me! Don't take me back to that dreadful place…" Fuhu Zhengsi's face shoved against the ground, he pleaded. "I'd rather you turn me over to the police or just kill me than be taken back there. I'll do anything you want, I beg you!" Nan Yin exhaled, “Then pledge your loyalty to me." Fuhu Zhengsi paused in confusion. "Swear yourself to my service, work for me, and I'll help you start afresh. Live as a normal person." Seeing that Fuhu Zhengsi remained silent, Nan Yin continued, “You have two options now: trust me and live a good life or don't trust me, and I will take you back there." Fuhu Zhengsi, likely suffering from experiment-induced PTSD, hurriedly nodded. “That's more like it,” Nan Yin relaxed her hold on him. “Trust me, you have a bright future with me. I will pay you a monthly salary of 10,000. How does that sound?” Fuhu Zhengsi's head spun with confusion; he nodded and then shook his head, his mind on overload. Just then, Nan Yin heard faint footsteps approaching from afar. She immediately picked up Fuhu Zhengsi with one hand and climbed the nearest tree. Within a couple of minutes, Su Ling arrived, panting heavily. She then collapsed on the ground, while about ten meters away, in a tree, Nan Yin and Fuhu Zhengsi were hiding. It seemed like Su Xiaoyu was still caring for Police Chief James. To prevent Fuhu Zhengsi from escaping, Su Ling had pursued him herself. "I'm just like this kid..." Fuhu Zhengsi muttered something under his breath, and then looked at Nan Yin. "I agree to your terms. I don't need anything else. Could you let me guide this lost child back to the path?" "Sure." Nan Yin immediately loosened her grip. Fuhu Zhengsi hadn't recognized that Su Ling was the very person who'd chased him. Now he mistook her as a lost child. Could it be that his mental state was indeed unstable, like the original book described? Possibly due to her swift agreement, Fuhu Zhengsi paused, then showed gratitude as he nodded, before jumping off the tree. Unbeknownst to Su Ling, while on the tree, he'd heard Su Xiaoyu's group discussing their search for fireflies. In reality, Su Xiaoyu and Su Ling were discussing Fuhu Zhengsi. However, since Fuhu Zhengsi was Japanese, they were using the Chinese pronunciation of his name, which coincidentally sounded similar to 'firefly'. Nan Yin remembered, “Ah, right, he misunderstood.” So, this kid was also here to see the fireflies. A wave of childhood memories washed over Fuhu Zhengsi as he started strolling towards Su Ling. Su Ling's face, on the other hand, was filled with terror. She was utterly drained and found herself unable to even stand up. When she tried, her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. Judging by Fuhu Zhengsi's countenance, he was no kind soul. The handcuffs around his wrist only strengthened her guess. A criminal? A ruthless murderer, perhaps? "Don't be scared." Fuhu Zhengsi tried his best to appear less menacing, but regardless of how gently he smiled, it only made him look more terrifying. "We're the same," Fuhu Zhengsi looked at Su Ling's joined hands. "I am now, somehow, just like you, a child." "What...what are you talking about?" Su Ling swallowed hard as chills ran down her spine. The talisman attached to her backpack, a gift from Su Xiaoyu, was beeping continuously. The talisman was crafted by Su Xiaoyu, an exorcist, to serve as a tracker. It seemed he had already started showing concern for his future wife. "What you’re holding in your hand, is it a firefly?" Fuhu Zhengsi sat down beside Su Ling. "After a while, many fireflies will come out in this forest. It's a truly beautiful scene." "Oh...yes." Su Ling raised her hands to her eyes, opening a gap to reveal the soft green glow from within. This was a firefly she had incidentally found while searching for clues. Although this man appeared scary, for now, he didn't seem to bear any ill will. "May I have a look?" After a moment of hesitation, Su Ling cautiously extended her hands. Fuhu Zhengsi leaned in like a curious child, peering closely at her hands. "It's beautiful..." "Sir, you..." "Let me take you to your friends." Fuhu Zhengsi interrupted Su Ling, stood up, and helped her to her feet. Instinctively, Su Ling wondered whether he wanted to use her to find Su Xiaoyu and the others. However, her intuition told her that this man genuinely wanted to guide her out. Watching as Fuhu Zhengsi led Su Ling away, Nan Yin jumped down from the tree and discreetly trailed behind them.