I Attacked Because I was Afraid of Death

IABIWAOD-CHAPTER 25.2

Arc I: Novice village

Chapter 25.2: Growth (2)

Silky black hair fell over her shoulder with a tempting fragrance when Chi Xin bent down, but the man did not dare to feel seduced. He had seen what had happened to his leader.
He shuddered and asked: "You... what do you want to do?"
He looked like a little bunny and Chi Xin had become his bully.
She replied gently in a soft voice: "Your boss doesn't want to say anything, can you answer me instead?"
She was polite, not acting as if they had just shot at each other, and the man took a deep breath.
"I... I..." He glanced at the scarred man's menacing eyes. His gaze flickered and he pointed at the timidest of their group with his good hand: "Ask him! He knows! I'm just a follower, I don't know anything!"

The timid mad was stunned at this turn of events and at this hot potato thrown his way. But when he faced Chi Xin, he whispered: "We are really here to find medicine."
Chi Xin stared at him for a moment and nodded coldly. The man wasn't lying to her but it was probably not the whole truth either.
She turned back to the man with the broken wrist, a little conflicted, and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for a while and when she opened them again, her usual indifferent mask was in place. She slowly raised her gun toward him, until the cold muzzle was aiming at his eye socket.
Let him watch his doom crept closer.
Then she spoke: "I will give you one more chance. Where do you come from and what are you doing in City L?"

She can press the trigger, she can really do it. This girl is different from the weak women from the base. She can press the trigger.
These thoughts were echoing in the man's mind as he stared at the gun with fear. Hearing her cold voice, he finally gave up.
"Don't, don't kill me!" He screamed, "We are from Longteng Base, someone said there was a base here and—"

Bang.
Chi Xin suddenly felt danger come from behind her; she bent down and rolled to her left quickly. She raised her head and her pupils shook.
Before he could finish his sentence, the man she had just been questioning had been killed, his dead eyes staring at her in horror. Chi Xin slowly turned around and saw Yu Xiang kick the scarred man who had gotten up and grabbed his gun.
Her throat tightened but although the man's words had been short, from the two sentences she could guess these men's identity. Added to the fact their leader had just killed him...

The scarred man struggled to speak: "Don't believe him, he's crazy!"
"I think you're the crazy one."
Yu Xiang had his gun aimed at him and Chi Xin had no intention to stop him. Instead, she also raised her weapon to the others but when she met the clear eyes of the timid man, she couldn't press the trigger for a long time.
Her heart was so conflicted. In the movie, the Longteng Base had been the ones to show the wolf into the house when they had sent Han Yiyi to Base L, only to later attack them.
It had also been the place where the original Chi Xin had ended.
Could she kill them now?
In the movie, the Longteng Base had represented pure evil. If she didn't kill them now, more innocent people would suffer.
But could she?

Chi Xin was no judge nor executioner but she knew what would happen in the future. She kept hesitating and the timid man under her gun showed a hint of relief before closing his eyes peacefully.
"Chi Xin, those men are definitely up to no good? Do you want to solve the matter here?"
Yu Xiang's question came from behind her. Chi Xin breathed deeply and answered: "Let's do it."
She moved her gun away and face the other injured men. But at the same time, a sharp alarm sounded in her mind.
[It is forbidden to kill characters related to the plot! It is forbidden to kill characters related to the plot!]
Chi Xin was taken aback and a cold feeling rushed into her heart. She ignored all the men struggling to pick up their weapons and rushed towards Yu Xiang.
"Stop!"
Bang.

Yu Xiang was knocked down and the gun in his hand shot at the wall. He stared in a daze at Chi Xin's face so closely, at her beautiful eyes, her beautiful nose, her beautiful mouth, and her extremely cold expression, and the roots of his ears suddenly turned red.
Chi Xin stood up and stretched her hand to Yu Xiang to help him back on his feet too. She looked at the panting men on the floor. She knew that if she left them walk away from here, they would do evil but she wasn't allowed to kill them.
She swallowed her anger but the system's panicked notice made her feel somewhat hopeful. This might be an opportunity to get rid of it but the risk was too big right now.
If she luckily managed to destroy it, she would be able to live on her own accord. But if she failed, her consciousness would be wiped on the spot.

Struggle flashed again in her eyes but her obsession with freedom grew even bigger.
She needed to take the gamble.
She reached behind her waist but took two knives out of the space, before handing one to Yu Xiang.
"Cut off their hands and feet." She said, "It's up to them whether they survive or not."
Yu Xiang had been a little surprised by her change of mind and had just thought Chi Xin was too kind and wasn't able to kill those men. But when he heard her new orders, he nodded with no objection.

The men resisted in vain and Chi Xin suppressed the nausea in her heart as she looked at their hands and feet blankly.
But when she thought of what they had done to all those women in the base in the movie, Chi Xin couldn't find any compassion in her.

The timid man was the only one left. He watched everything happen in a trance and took a step back when Chi Xin approached him.
"I have been a coward all my life and this might be the only one I have the courage to ask for something." He smiled bitterly, "Although I follow them, I haven't done any bad things. Can we find another way?"
Chi Xin could feel the system shake in anger. But Chi Xin had to punish them without killing them and she smiled.
"Watching on the sidelines is also a crime." She replied, "But I can let you live."
She handed him her blood-stained dagger. A trace of determination flashed in the man's eyes and he grabbed the knife before stabbing his left hand fiercely.

"Ahhhhh—" He fell to the ground in a cry.
Chi Xin glanced at him with indifference. She wasn't a homicidal maniac, obsessed with killing everyone. But when someone did something wrong, they had to pay the price.