114: Chapter 114 A Mother's Words Drag Her Daughter Down

Tiangong No. 1 living room.

The main screen was lit.

The review of the kidnapping on the outer ring was broken down into twenty-seven nodes.

It started from the pregnant woman in labor and the man kneeling.

Su Muxue leaving, followed by Xia Qingqiu.

Then the knife to the throat, and Su Xiaonuan scattering crystal cores.

Finally, Wang Ya controlling water, and Qin Yumo executing the kill.

Every node had been marked with a time by Liu Qing.

No one spoke in the living room.

Su Xiaonuan stood next to the seat Lin Yuan usually occupied.

She did not sit down.

The main seat was empty.

Yet, everyone was looking at her.

Su Xiaonuan held a tablet, her fingertips hovering at the edge of the screen.

"Everyone, speak your piece first."

Captain Han Xue stood to one side, still wearing the combat suit with the rabbit logo.

She looked at the woman in labor and the infant on the screen.

"This wasn't an ordinary hostage situation."

"They used the pregnant woman and the child to lure out the doctors and the healing-type Esper."

"The nature of this is worse than a riot."

Fat Dragon's voice came from the interrogation channel.

"Captain Han, I love hearing that."

"These bastards weren't just starving; they were rotten to the core."

He and Lu Yan, as team members, attended the meeting, albeit via video.

Qin Yumo leaned against the wall.

The bandages on her shoulder had not been removed yet.

Her twin blades were placed beside her.

"Next time we run into scum like this, kill them first, ask questions later."

Xia Qingqiu sat by the sofa, her face still pale.

"I underestimated them."

"When the child was crying, I thought it was real at that moment."

"I was even thinking then, if Mr. Lin were here, he probably wouldn't call me stupid anymore."

Tang Qiqi hugged a pillow and muttered softly.

"The child was real, the people were real, and the beasts were real too."

Su Muxue sat on the other side.

Gauze was taped to her neck.

"I will remember."

Just that one sentence.

Su Xiaonuan nodded.

"Good."

She tapped on the second video.

The water collection point.

After the water plant shut down, several drainage outlets on the outer ring became water collection points.

Every time Wang Ya finished training, she would release a batch of water for daily use in the outer ring.

Liu Qing's mother stood in the crowd, holding a bucket.

Her voice was shrill, grating even through the screen, completely lacking the frailty of a diabetic.

"My daughter lives in Tiangong No. 1!"

"You know? That fortress belonging to Mr. Lin!"

"I even know the secrets inside."

"Mr. Lin? He went out these past two days, so don't go spreading rumors outside..."

The women nearby immediately started flattering her, and the corners of Liu Qing's mother's mouth were almost uncontrollable.

The video ended.

Liu Qing stood in front of the console.

Her face went pale bit by bit.

She wanted to push up her glasses but found her fingers were shaking too much to touch the frame.

She remembered warning her mother not to talk nonsense last time, but her mother had laughed and said, "Can Mom ever harm you?"

Thump!

Her knees hit the floor, a sharp sound.

"It's my responsibility."

Liu Qing kept her head down, her glasses sliding to the side due to momentum.

"When I went out to visit my parents, I chatted with my mom for a while..."

"I thought my mom was just loose-lipped."

"I didn't expect..."

Captain Han Xue looked at Liu Qing.

"The leak of these fragmented pieces of intelligence is what led to this organized hostage-taking."

Su Xiaonuan raised her hand and tapped the tabletop: "Solution."

Liu Qing didn't look up.

Her brain was whirring at high speed, fine sweat on her forehead.

"I accept any punishment."

Su Xiaonuan looked at her.

"What punishment could offset the risk to two lives today?"

Liu Qing's throat tightened; she couldn't utter a word.

The screen lit up again.

Fat Dragon dragged a middle-aged woman in front of the interrogation view.

It was Liu Qing's mother.

Her hair was messy, and she was still cursing while sitting in the chair.

"My daughter stares at the screen all day, her eyes are almost blind!"

"What right do you have to arrest me?"

"And that Su Xiaonuan!"

"What is she?"

"Wasn't she just a little secretary serving tea and water to men before?"

"Without my daughter, your computers would all crash!"

The living room went quiet.

Liu Qing wanted to tell her mother to stop, but having left the table, she had no authority to speak.

Tang Qiqi opened her mouth.

She didn't dare to make a snide remark.

Xia Qingqiu gripped her notepad tightly.

Su Muxue looked at Su Xiaonuan.

Su Xiaonuan didn't move.

She just watched the screen.

Her face was expressionless.

In the video, Liu Qing's mother was still shouting.

And Liu Qing was kneeling on the floor, her shoulders shaking like a sieve.

She realized for the first time that the technology she was so proud of was about to be ruined by her mother's uncontrollable mouth.

Lin Motong sat in the corner of the sofa.

She was holding a lollipop given by Tang Qiqi, dark red rising in her eyes.

"She can still talk."

"That's because her tongue hasn't been bitten off by a zombie yet."

Wang Ya raised her hand and gently pressed her head.

"Eat less candy, don't get cavities."

Mo Tong puffed out her cheeks and didn't say anything else.

Su Xiaonuan finally spoke.

"Liu Qing."

"Your parents will move out of Villa No. 21."

"They will join the outer ring labor group."

"Daily rations will be distributed based on labor volume."

She paused.

"Your mother's insulin will be supplied as normal."

Liu Qing looked up abruptly, her eye sockets turning red.

Her eyes were red.

"Thank you."

Su Xiaonuan's tone was flat.

"Don't thank me. It's because you are still useful."

She pressed the intercom button in front of her.

"Liu Qing's mother is to be gagged and observed."

"If she can't control her mouth, Fat Dragon, you help her control it."

In the interrogation view, just as Liu Qing's mother was about to speak, Fat Dragon slapped her across the face.

Smack.

She tilted sideways on the chair, two teeth mixed with blood falling to the floor.

Fat Dragon grinned.

"Say one more word, and I'll let you choose."

"Sew your lips shut, or sew your bottom lip shut."

Su Xiaonuan looked at Liu Qing.

"If it happens again."

"It means death."

"Even if Tiangong No. 1 loses its network, we can still survive."

"Understand?"

Liu Qing lowered her head.

"Understand."

Su Muxue spoke in a low voice.

"Xiaonuan, the insulin..."

Su Xiaonuan looked at her.

"This isn't mercy."

"It's a cost."

Liu Qing knelt on the floor, her voice very low.

"After Mr. Lin returns, what do I need to do?"

Su Xiaonuan glanced at the empty main seat nearby.

She walked over, crouched down, picked up the glasses Liu Qing had dropped on the floor, and handed them back.

"You need to make Mr. Lin believe."

"That you are not a leaking computer."

"From now on, every time you hit the keyboard, remember this—"

"The reason your family is still alive is because you are still useful."

Su Xiaonuan stood up and closed the tablet.

"Meeting adjourned."

"Captain Han Xue, register the relationships of those in the outer ring."

"Lu Yan, warn everyone: failing to register after awakening is equivalent to treason and will result in immediate execution."

"Auntie, from now on, only remote emergency treatment plans will be kept for the outer ring."

Su Muxue's fingertips trembled slightly.

She glanced at the crying infant on the screen, and in the end, said nothing; she only took off the gauze on her neck and threw it into the medical waste bin.

Su Xiaonuan continued.

"Qin Yumo, Wang Ya, continue training."

"Tang Qiqi, stop adding rabbit ears to Captain Han Xue's uniform."

Tang Qiqi sat up straight immediately.

"Received."

She paused.

"What about the tail?"

Captain Han Xue covered her forehead and turned to look at her.

Tang Qiqi hugged the pillow and shrank back.

"Pretend I didn't ask."

...

B1 server room.

Liu Qing sat in front of the screen.

The sound of the mechanical keyboard was very fast.

She deleted all the special privilege applications for her parents.

Temporary access to Villa No. 21.

Priority water collection rights.

Extra meals for patients.

All cleared to zero.

After finishing, she clicked send to let Su Xiaonuan review it.

Then she opened a private memo.

Title: Punishment List.

First item: Active reporting three times a day.

Second item: Parents no longer enjoy Tiangong No. 1 family treatment.

Third item: Access rights locked; unauthorized departure from B1 is prohibited.

She paused.

The cursor blinked.

She remembered the night before Jiang Xiaowan left.

She remembered the look in Lin Yuan's eyes when he looked at people.

She remembered Su Xiaonuan's words just now.

Liu Qing bit her lip, her fingers falling back onto the keyboard.

She typed a few words.

Deleted them.

Withdrew again.

Liu Qing stared at the line of text, her earlobes turning red, but she didn't change it again.

Fourth item: After Mr. Lin returns, go to the master bedroom to accept punishment.

She was not Jiang Xiaowan; she had neither the thought nor the ability to leave Lin Yuan.

Just then, the firewall Liu Qing had set up lit up.

[Warning! A probe is attempting to invade]

[Hello, Tiangong No. 1.]

[Say hello to Mr. Lin Yuan for me.]

Immediately following it was a handshake icon.