Chapter 227 – The Release of Sin

“Rest? Yes, I’m quite tired today. But I didn’t expect you to care about me…”

You Yuntian smiled at Bai Yu, as if he wanted to reach out to her, but she subtly evaded his touch.

“Well, if you’re tired, then go rest…”

Bai Yu forced a smile. Although she appeared calm, she was extremely nervous inside.

It wasn’t just Bai Yu; the other survivors were also visibly uneasy.

After all, this was a matter of life and death, and they could only try their best to remain composed.

Even the little girl bit her lip, not daring to make a sound, though she couldn’t help but peek at Yang Tianxin and the others’ reactions.

“Why are you sneaking a look at me? You’re just a useless eater!”

Yang Tianxin glared at the little girl hiding behind the middle-aged woman and scolded her.

The little girl quickly shrank back, looking fearfully at Yang Tianxin.

Her eyes reddened slightly, but she held back her tears.

A child like her couldn’t withstand Yang Tianxin’s harsh words.

“You’re crying again? Is that all you can do?”

Yang Tianxin, already seething with anger, grew even more furious at the sight of the little girl.

He strode over and reached out to grab her.

The middle-aged woman quickly stepped in front of him. “Yang-Ge, I’m sorry…”

“Get lost, you’re just as useless. Ugly and can’t even serve people properly!”

Yang Tianxin pushed the middle-aged woman aside disdainfully.

She fell to the ground, her face turning pale.

However, the surrounding survivors looked at her with sympathy rather than contempt.

If she hadn’t sold herself, how could she have kept her daughter safe?

“Yang-Ge, I beg you, don’t say that in front of Tongtong…”

The middle-aged woman crawled over again, trying to shield the little girl.

“What are you so afraid of? She’ll end up just like you! But she’s a lot prettier than you are. In a few years, you’ll be living off her.”

Yang Tianxin sneered, reaching out to grab the little girl, but the middle-aged woman blocked him once more.

“You can’t touch Tongtong…”

“Annoying!”

Yang Tianxin kicked the middle-aged woman, causing her to scream in pain and curl up, clutching her head.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Tianxin grabbed the little girl and slapped her across the face.

“Dammit, don’t cry in front of me again! Your whining is driving me crazy! It’s bad luck!”

“Stop!”

Bai Yu hurried over and grabbed Yang Tianxin’s arm, but his strength was overpowering, causing her to fall to the ground.

The little girl finally started crying, her face reddened from the slap. Ignoring her own pain, she quickly knelt to check on the middle-aged woman’s injuries.

The woman’s forehead was bleeding, and her eyes were unfocused, as if she had a concussion.

“Mom… Mom, are you okay?”

The little girl’s cries pierced through the hearts of all the survivors present. Bai Yu slowly got up from the ground, glaring angrily at Yang Tianxin.

“Yang Tianxin, why are you picking on a child? If you’re in a bad mood, don’t take it out like this.”

You Yuntian, who had initially stayed out of it, spoke up to stop him when he saw Bai Yu getting involved.

Seeing the survivors’ mix of fear and hatred towards him, but none daring to speak up, Yang Tianxin felt deeply satisfied.

This is power… Even in this damned place, he could live better than the others.

But being trapped here, his strength could only be used against these useless people!

“Damn it, so frustrating…”

Yang Tianxin cursed irritably, then turned and headed upstairs.

Of course, they wouldn’t live in such a dark place; they had dry rooms that the survivors cleaned regularly.

You Yuntian walked over to comfort Bai Yu, but she turned her head away, silently brushing the dust off her clothes.

“You have to understand, the things we gather are few, and we take great risks…”

He tried to explain, but seeing Bai Yu’s stiff expression and unwillingness to talk, he felt a bit annoyed himself.

It was rare for Bai Yu’s attitude toward him to change, only for Yang Tianxin to ruin it!

Looking at Bai Yu’s face, You Yuntian couldn’t help but feel a surge of desire, but he quickly suppressed it.

Yang Tianxin liked to force himself on others, but what was the point of that? He wanted to see this proud woman completely submit to him!

He believed that with his skills, Bai Yu would eventually ask for his help.

“Alright, I’m heading upstairs too.”

You Yuntian finally turned and followed Yang Tianxin upstairs.

The cold look in Bai Yu’s eyes instantly disappeared, and her deliberately tense expression turned into one of fear.

She had acted on the spot, knowing You Yuntian’s personality. He wouldn’t cling to her stubbornly. To find an excuse to leave, he would take the initiative to go.

However, Bai Yu had sensed You Yuntian’s patience wavering several times.

But she was a smart woman, adept at not letting herself suffer while also keeping You Yuntian’s patience in check. Words alone were enough.

However, she had been completely firm just now. Otherwise, You Yuntian wouldn’t have left so quickly.

Ling Mo and his group could arrive at any moment. The agreed-upon time had already passed, and Bai Yu was growing anxious.

Yang Tianxin always looked for trouble to vent his frustrations whenever he returned, but no one expected his target to be Tongtong this time.

If it had been someone else, they might have silently endured it.

But because it was Tongtong, it caused a delay. Even if others could remain silent, how could the middle-aged woman stand by and watch her daughter be beaten?

“Alright, it’s over now.” Bai Yu helped the middle-aged woman up while discreetly glancing behind her.

At this moment, the other survivors had already gone upstairs, leaving only one person behind.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. When his companions left, he fixed his gaze on a relatively attractive woman.

“Hey, come with me upstairs.”

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t resist any longer and walked over, speaking in a low voice.

The woman lifted her head with an indifferent expression. From her look, it was clear that this sort of thing happened to her often.

With her appearance, it was no surprise she became a prime target for these men to vent their frustrations on.

“Aren’t you afraid Yang Tianxin will beat you up?” The woman sneered.

The man was instantly at a loss for words, then muttered under his breath, “Damn it! Yang-Ge isn’t looking for you today!”

The woman glanced back at Bai Yu and suddenly smiled, “Alright, let’s go then.”

“Really?” The man’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement. This woman was always difficult to deal with, even Yang Tianxin faced resistance from her every time.

But the harder a woman is to get, the more thrilling it is, especially when she looks this good.

He eagerly grabbed the woman’s arm. Her fair skin was covered in bruises, but that didn’t matter to him.

As the two headed upstairs, Bai Yu showed a hint of surprise but quickly composed herself.

“Has everyone packed their things?” Bai Yu asked softly. She reached out to wipe the little girl’s tears, saying, “Don’t cry, Tongtong. Your mom is fine.”

“Okay…”

Tongtong was hugging the middle-aged woman. Although the injuries weren’t severe, the sight of her mother’s bloody face had scared the little girl badly.

“I’ll go wait now. Don’t panic. I’ll come back to get you all, but make sure nothing goes wrong in the meantime. If anyone comes down, it’s over. If I’m the only one missing, it won’t raise suspicion. Please hold on.”

After hurriedly saying this, Bai Yu ran out.

She couldn’t help but think of the look in that pretty woman’s eyes, and her heart tightened.

That woman probably didn’t plan on coming with them…

Bai Yu anxiously waited at the door for a few minutes before Ling Mo and his group appeared at the bridge.

They could have arrived even sooner, but they encountered two Mutation Zombies on the way, which delayed them a bit.

Black Silk was still kept at a distance by Ling Mo. The environment here was complex, and at a distance of one or two kilometers, who would notice Black Silk’s presence?

Ling Mo’s appearance made Bai Yu extremely excited. She glanced nervously behind her and then waved vigorously at Ling Mo.

The structure of the Castle was quite good; from where You Yuntian and the others stayed, they couldn’t see the main entrance.

And generally, the main entrance wasn’t used. Only “outsiders” like Ling Mo would boldly walk through the front door.

“You…”

Ling Mo had just started to speak when Bai Yu nervously grabbed his arm.

“Could you…wait here for us?”

Ling Mo looked puzzled. “Why?”

“It’s…complicated…”

Bai Yu didn’t know how to explain. She had great confidence in Ling Mo and his group’s abilities, but her fear of You Yuntian and Yang Tianxin was deeply ingrained.

She had weighed in her mind whether Ling Mo and his group could overpower You Yuntian and Yang Tianxin.

But even if they could, what difference would it make? Ling Mo might be kind-hearted, but when it came to real danger, everyone would avoid it if they could.

There was a chance that Ling Mo might change his mind at the last moment, or You Yuntian and the others might fight them to escape…

Either outcome would be a disaster for Bai Yu and the others.

There was no turning back now. No matter what the future held, they had to keep moving forward.

So after thinking it over, she said, “Please wait for us here. It won’t cause you any trouble.”

Her request seemed a bit out of the blue to Ling Mo, even somewhat baffling, but he was only planning to help these people as a favor.

He had a vague sense that something might be going on inside the Castle, but that was their internal issue, and he wasn’t overly interested.

“Alright, go ahead,” he said.