Just finished saying that sentence, and then continued to read on, many netizens were stunned.
【I was wrong, I was really too naive. The Holy Father is the Holy Father. Look at Dong Peng’s appearance; he can endure and not give up. What else can he be influenced by? Now he’s even helping with feeding】
【The audience called on the Australian gambling king Su Xuan and the psychic Zhao Jie to predict how many people would die next. They not only said that no one would die, but the team’s numbers would also increase. Everyone cursed them as frauds, and the result was exposed within a few hours】
【Everyone, don’t be too surprised by the Holy Father’s actions. Please have a seat.】
Indeed, as criticized by netizens, these four outsiders, Yin Minglu not only didn’t kill these people, but also didn’t expel them. Instead, he bound them up like Dong Peng and had them sit in rows in the back of the bus. Due to limited food, they were provided with one meal a day, and when it came time to address physiological needs, three or four people would take turns leading them outside.
“Why didn’t you kill us?” Although their hunger was somewhat addressed, perhaps being bound like captives was too humiliating. One of the girls angrily shouted at Yin Minglu. They had cleaned off the makeup from their faces, revealing three youthful and charming visages.
Yin Minglu gave her a look as if she were a fool, “If I killed you, I’d end up in jail. Why would I kill you and spend the rest of my life in prison? That’s not a smart move; I’m not stupid.”
“If you don’t want to kill us, why not let us go?” Another girl asked immediately. The ropes were tied too tightly; the more she struggled, the harder it was to breathe. Eventually, she had to give up struggling, glaring stubbornly at Yin Minglu.
“Release the tiger back to the mountain?” Yin Minglu countered, “I’m also puzzled. Now that you’ve fallen into our hands, you have the food you wanted, a place to sleep at night, even blankets and pillows. Why keep complaining?”
“I…” The three girls were at a loss for words. Indeed, now they had everything they desired—food to fill their stomachs, beds to shield them from the elements, and warm blankets. Apart from being observed like zoo gorillas every day and being bound so they couldn’t move, there was really nothing to complain about.
They could survive without killing anyone. Wasn’t that what they wanted? So, why were they still loudly complaining? In the dark, black eyes of the young man, like a still pond, they fell into deep confusion. It seemed that after experiencing this ordeal, they couldn’t go back to their normal lives.
They couldn’t return to a normal life.
“You’re still young. After you’re released, turn yourselves in and strive to get out before you reach thirty,” the young man advised earnestly. He tore open a bread bag and took turns feeding the four of them. One bite at a time, treating each equally.
One of the girls laughed, “You, the bookworm, don’t understand. We can’t leave this cursed place. Perhaps we’ll have to stay here for the rest of our lives.”
“Those who can leave, we are working on it. Don’t give up hope,” Yin Minglu said calmly. Without saying much more, he took a bite of the wild boar meat roasted by others for him. The meat was exceptionally chewy and fragrant.
Although the three girls had just eaten bread, the enticing aroma and the sight of the crisply grilled meat quickly aroused their appetites. After holding back for a while, one of them spoke, “Hey, bookworm, why are you giving us bread? You’re eating meat, and we want meat too.”
“I’m doing it for your own good,” Yin Minglu replied, without lifting his head and continuing to eat.
“Hmph, for our own good? You’re obviously hiding something good and not sharing it with us. After all, we’re outsiders, and we’ve killed people, so you’re wary of us!”
“Not letting you eat meat is genuinely for your own good,” Yin Minglu said with an innocent look. The three girls clearly didn’t believe him, so the young man explained, “This meat is from a wild boar, a second-level protected animal in our country. We had no choice but to eat it these past few days to survive. If you eat it, it would only add to your crimes when you go out. For your own good, I definitely won’t let you eat it.”
Second-level protected animal… The three girls fell into silence, looking at the young man who was eating meat while feeling guilty. Suddenly, they didn’t know what to say.
“However, your legal awareness is really low and needs improvement,” the young man said after finishing the meat, wiping his hands. He decided to start his own educational program. He wouldn’t waste his breath trying to convince them because the stubbornness of these three girls ran too deep.
Yesterday, they were willing to go hungry themselves just to leave the food for Fu Enman, repeatedly saying, “We’re not hungry. Give our bread to Enman to eat. He’s the young master, who has never suffered. How could he endure hunger like us?”
It could be considered the highest realm of being a “licking dog.”
Yin Minglu’s persuasion was in vain and he even got mocked.
One of the girls angrily exclaimed, “You, bookworm who knows nothing about love, don’t understand at all. We’re definitely not ‘licking dogs,’ and we’re not lowly. Licking dogs can’t control themselves, but we’re different. We can do as we please. If we’re in a good mood today, we’ll treat Enman well, but if our mood is off tomorrow, our kindness to Enman will decrease a bit. We’re in control! Enman can’t predict whether we’ll be good to him next, and he feels insecure!”
“Yeah, that’s right. We have a special sense of control. Once we’re not nice to Enman, he’ll have to worry. We just can’t bear to see him worried and afraid.”
“Well said!” Yin Minglu wanted to applaud them. Realizing he couldn’t persuade such people, he took out his phone, set it on a stand, and played educational videos for them. It was a collection of movies he had stored locally, ranging from “The Amazing Licking Dog” to “Goodbye, Licking Dog,” and from “Licking Dog A’s Devotion” to “Licking Dog Until the End with Nothing Left.” He played them all day long.
The protagonists in these movies were both male and female, ranging from poor boys with nothing to their name to ordinary-looking girls and even billionaires with immense wealth. However, they all did the same thing—licking until their homes were ruined, families shattered, licking until their hands were stained with blood. They went to jail for their idols, male or female, without remorse, willingly and passionately, a poignant and regrettable sight.
Perhaps out of boredom, facing these colorful movies with sound and visuals, the girls went from initially resisting to displaying indifference, and finally, tears flowed like rain. Just as the young man had said, “The world is full of danger, love exists, and freedom exists, but a healthy and rational personality is necessary.”
Their reactions made Yin Minglu see some initial success in the transformation. One girl, with red eyes, asked him if she were to turn herself in and show a sincere attitude of repentance, could she seek a reduced sentence?
“Wait a minute, why does your phone have power?” Another girl noticed a loophole. In these days, their impression of Yin Minglu had changed from a “soft-hearted bookworm” to a “soft-hearted, somewhat clever bookworm,” and then to a “soft-hearted, somewhat clever, and quite good-looking bookworm.”
To this, Yin Minglu mysteriously curled the corner of his mouth, revealing a pair of smiling black eyes. He said, “Because we’re also making an effort. We haven’t given up hope of finding a way out of this place.”
Now, the three girls finally understood the meaning behind his words.
Students at First High School all had deeply ingrained impressions. Classes 1 and 2 were considered elite classes, so they were perceived as weak scholars with no physical strength. Classes 3 and 4 were art classes, so they were thought to have more beautiful girls. Classes 5 and 6 had students with athletic talents, so they were assumed to have more handsome guys.
Each class had its own characteristics, and there were covert hierarchies and mutual disdain among them. The top students in the elite classes looked down on those with poor grades who still tried to show off. On the other hand, the non-elite, attractive students looked down on the bookworms who only excelled in academics and had nothing else to offer.
As a result, most of the students in Class 1-2 were lying low. However, it just so happened that the bookish classmate with high myopia, whom everyone had always looked down on, was the one leading the way. Wearing thick glasses, they gathered together on the bus and surprisingly managed to create a generator using the components available!
They all focused intently on the circuit board, holding screwdrivers and manipulating the conductive copper wires. Almost heads pressed together, they dismantled and modified the machines, making them capable of generating electricity and providing illumination. The bright yellow light quietly illuminated the chilly night, transforming the bus that was almost like a tomb in the original plot, submerged in mist, into a shelter from the wind and rain, more like a small home.
The young man’s police baton was placed on top to charge. Anyone wanting to go out to the bathroom could take it with them as an illuminating light.
Although there was no signal, everyone’s phones remained charged, providing some comfort to the students and reducing the likelihood of internal conflicts.
“Good job, young man. It’s a good thing you didn’t forget to bring textbooks while traveling.”
At first, everyone was averse to those nerdy classmates who brought textbooks even when traveling, secretly learning and striving to outpace others like superheroes. However, who would have thought that it was precisely these “nerds” who, with their “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” mentality, ended up saving their lives.
The textbooks were filled with electricity generation experiments, and there were no answers to the post-lesson exercises. However, because the “little bookworms” were diligent in their everyday studies, they remembered every step of what the teacher had taught them. With neat handwriting, following the instructions was a guarantee of success and no mistakes.
Facing the praise, a group of glasses-wearing students in school uniforms grinned innocently. Perhaps they didn’t stand out in appearance on the streets, and people rarely took notice of them. However, when immersed in experiments, they became the most adorable and capable individuals.
“In this wilderness, our lack of signals is what keeps us from getting out. I wonder if we can make a ‘signal transmitter’?”
“Oh, the principle for that is also in the textbook. I remember it from our senior year. There are household signal transmitters and receivers. If we want to make one, we can adjust the low and high frequencies to broaden the coverage.”
“Senior year textbooks? But we’re only in our junior year??” Others were puzzled.
“To be honest, I actually brought the senior year textbooks…” Fang Kai, who had previously been besieged by the boys for his non-killer philosophy, suddenly raised his hand and spoke softly. He had been self-studying senior year science courses in secret, so for this trip, he brought all the senior year textbooks, thinking he wouldn’t waste these days of travel on neglecting his studies. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be useful in this situation.
After Fang Kai spoke, he discreetly glanced at Yin Minglu, and seeing the young man’s sparkling eyes, he blushed slightly, suddenly grateful for mustering the courage to speak up.
“Wow! Fang Kai, you’re amazing!” The boys jumped up, eagerly patting Fang Kai’s slender shoulders, arms, and legs to express their excitement. The conflicts that existed just moments ago vanished instantly, and they turned into friends.
At this moment, Teacher Luo, along with four or five girls, returned. They utilized their skills and drew several SOS signs on the road. Their picnic plan initially involved barbecuing and outdoor sketching, and many of them had paint with them. Splashing red paint on the asphalt road was quite a spectacular sight.
The student who lit the cooking fire with a lighter also came back, looking a bit disheveled.
“The fog is too thick; our smoke couldn’t disperse. We almost caused a forest fire in that area, and the leaves were almost burned up. It could have turned into a major wildfire, so we quickly put it out.” They still remembered what the young man had said—starting a fire in the forest was illegal. Small-scale fires were fine, but if it got too big, they could be held responsible.
Yin Minglu reassured them, “It’s okay. Once the fog clears, we can try again.” With only a few days left for the assessment, whether or not they emitted cooking smoke for self-rescue wasn’t of great significance, but it was better than nothing. Most importantly, it provided these young kids with a positive outlook on survival.
Looking at the lively scene in front of him, Dong Peng yawned and mumbled, “Classmate Yin, my feet are really cold. Can you cover me with another blanket?”
Yin Minglu said, “You already have two; there’s none left for you.”
Dong Peng grumbled, “Then what about those girls next to me? They have three each.” They were all captives, so why the difference in treatment? Weren’t they all from the same class?
As Dong Peng teased, he observed the harmonious and mutually supportive scene. However, the other three girls had red eyes, tears swirling in their sockets. They kept their heads down, sorrowful thoughts running through their minds: If their class also had such a bookish student, perhaps the survivors from their class wouldn’t have died.
“Classmate Yin, we want to watch a movie.” This time, they initiated the request. Yin Minglu handed over the phone that he had just retrieved, still not warmed up.
“Sure, what do you want to watch?” Yin Minglu readily agreed.
“Play ‘Brilliant Spring’ again.” It’s a movie about the life education of a criminal after release. The protagonist, Yinzhi, spent 20 years in prison and was suddenly released. Unable to adapt to the rapidly changing world outside, she contemplated suicide several times. However, under the guidance of her elderly parents, she was not defeated by life. She found a job as a marketing officer in a small-town supermarket, regained confidence, and adapted to life again.
The young man was right; hope is a good thing. They shouldn’t give up so easily.
Meanwhile, after Yin Minglu played the movie for them, he went to personally deliver the meal to the fourth person he had captured. This person was held separately on the second floor because he was extraordinarily good-looking. Almost everyone who brought him meals would inevitably be captivated by him.
The boys were somewhat better at resisting his charm, but the girls unconsciously revealed a lot of information during their interactions.
No one could tell that the person in front of them was a potential high-intelligence criminal. However, he carried himself very gracefully, beautifully, and calmly.
The sound of Yin Minglu’s footsteps echoed, each step leaving an imprint on the stairs, producing a crisp sound, reminiscent of an elegant melody.
Soon, that handsome face appeared in the view of the one delivering the meal. A glint flashed in his eyes as he coldly remarked, “You’re late today.”
Yin Minglu paused, glanced at his watch, and indeed, he was a few minutes late today.
“You’re training me,” the attractive murderer declared with confidence. “You keep me isolated here, don’t kill me, provide me with good food and drink, and don’t allow others to visit. Do you also like me? Then you lock me on the second floor. Aside from satisfying your own desires, do you want to train me into a dog that eagerly awaits your appearance every day? If you arrive a few minutes early, I’m overjoyed; if you’re a few minutes late, I’m disappointed. Is that your mindset?”
Yin Minglu: ???
Do good-looking people like you always have such vivid imaginations?
The author has something to say:
The belated second update, I apologize qaqq
This chapter counts as yesterday’s; I’ll update today’s portion in the evening.
T/N: 9
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