121: Chapter 121 Su Tang's Past

Finally, a woman in a gray coat bought her for two thousand points.

She was pulled out of the cage and led away like a dog, walking out of that place.

There was no light in her eyes, only numbness and emptiness.

The scene shifted.

Su Tang was a little older now, around ten years old.

She stood on a fighting ring, facing a boy who was half a head taller than her.

Many people sat below the ring, some cheering, some jeering, and some gambling.

A voice came from the loudspeaker: "Next match, Su Tang versus Tie Niu. Begin."

The boy named Tie Niu charged at Su Tang, throwing a punch at her face.

Su Tang tilted her body slightly, and Tie Niu's fist brushed past her ear.

Her right hand drew a short knife from her waist, stabbing it into Tie Niu's abdomen. Blood sprayed from the wound, splashing onto her face.

Tie Niu screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach as blood flowed between his fingers.

Cheers erupted from below the ring.

Su Tang stood in the center of the ring, watching the still-twitching Tie Niu, her expression as calm as stagnant water.

The scene shifted.

Su Tang was fourteen, standing on a rooftop, watching the sunset in the distance.

A man in a black suit stood behind her, his voice coming from beneath a mask: "You have already completed thirty-seven missions."

"The organization's training has not gone to waste. You are very talented."

Su Tang did not speak, simply watching the sunset.

Her eyes held only exhaustion and weariness: "I want to go to school."

The man was silent for a moment, then laughed: "School? You have survived until now because of a blade, not books."

Su Tang did not speak, lowering her head to look at her own hands: "I know."

The scene shifted.

Su Tang was fifteen, standing in ruins with a man's corpse lying in front of her.

She knew that man; he was a companion who had grown up with her, training together, executing missions together, and killing together.

He was three years older than her, a head taller, and much stronger than her.

But he was dead, killed by her hands.

Because the mission required that of the two, only one could survive.

Su Tang crouched down, reached out, and closed his eyes: "I'm sorry... Thank you..."

The scene shifted.

Su Tang was sixteen, standing before a ruin.

It was the place where she had once lived; now, only piles of charred wood and broken bricks remained.

Su Tang walked through it, her foot kicking something.

It was a living person. A charred wooden plank was pressing down on him, his clothes were burnt to tatters, and his face was covered in ash and blood.

His mask was broken, with only half still hanging on his face.

Su Tang stood there, looking down at him.

The man's eyes opened, an intense desire to survive erupting as he said to Su Tang: "Su... Su Tang... is it you..."

Su Tang did not speak, only looking at him.

"It's the Twelve Zodiacs... They... they destroyed our headquarters..."

"I... I'm not going to make it... Save me..."

Su Tang's brows furrowed slightly, and the man said again: "Su Tang... you... you were raised by me... you can't just watch me die..."

His hand gripped Su Tang tightly, his nails digging into her skin.

Su Tang smiled, a sweet, obedient smile: "Okay."

She crouched down, reached out, and steadied the man's shoulders.

The man's eyes lit up, seeing hope for survival: "Tha..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a knife stabbed into his heart.

It was Su Tang's knife, her first knife, the one that man had given her.

The man's eyes widened abruptly: "You... you..."

Su Tang looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.

"Thank you for picking me up from the alley. Thank you for raising me. Thank you for teaching me to kill."

"But you never asked me if I wanted to live like this."

"But no matter what, I still have to thank you..."

Su Tang stood up and pulled the knife out of the man's chest.

She took a piece of cloth from her pocket and slowly wiped the blood off the knife—once, twice, three times.

Her movements were slow, like someone saying goodbye, like someone mourning.

"Am I finally free..."

Su Tang looked up at the gray, overcast sky: "Where to go next?"

Wang Lin floated in that white space, watching the scenes unfold before him.

He had a feeling that he could change Su Tang's memories.

To make her forget the past and become an ordinary girl, but Wang Lin did not do so.

If Su Tang's memories were changed, would she still be the same Su Tang?

"Your past, you must carry it yourself. I cannot help you."

Wang Lin took off the Nightmare Mask from his face and put it into the space ring.

Then Wang Lin found a spot in the room and lay down, just like Jin Yuanbao and the others, falling to the ground, motionless.

Not long after, someone in the room woke up.

It was an employee of the Miracle Company. His eyes snapped open, like someone jolted awake from a nightmare.

He looked around, and then he saw the stone platform.

The platform was empty; there was nothing left on it.

The mask embedded with the dark red gemstone was gone.

"The forbidden artifact... it's gone..."

He stood up, walked to the stone platform, and looked at those who were still unconscious.

"Who... who on earth took the forbidden artifact..."

His expression grew increasingly grim.

Slowly, another person woke up.

It was someone from the Circus; he sat up and looked around.

The Miracle Company employee stood before the empty stone platform: "It was you... You took the forbidden artifact!"

The Miracle Company employee shook his head: "It wasn't me! When I woke up, it was already gone!"

The person from the Circus stood up and walked toward the Miracle Company employee: "Hand over the forbidden artifact!"

The Miracle Company employee took a step back, his hand pressing against his weapon: "I said, it wasn't me!"

More people woke up.

They sat up one after another, looking at the empty stone platform and the Miracle Company employee.

Their eyes were flashing with greed.

Voices flooded in from all directions: "It's you! It must be you! Hand over the forbidden artifact!"

The Miracle Company employee was surrounded, like a sheep encircled by a pack of wolves: "It wasn't me... It really wasn't me..."

A Night Watcher stepped forward: "If not you, then who? You were the first to wake up. You must have taken the forbidden artifact."

"That's right! You were the first to wake up! The forbidden artifact must be on you!"

"Hand it over quickly! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"

More people began to chime in:

"Hand it over!"

"Hand it over!"

"Hand it over!"

The Miracle Company employee was surrounded: "It wasn't me... It really wasn't me... When I woke up, it was already gone..."