Chapter 99 87: The Curtain Falls

...I don't know how long has passed.

Headache, it felt like it was about to split, brain matter scrambled like a shaken cocktail.

Nausea, wanting to vomit.

The bitterness mixed with a metallic taste filled her mouth, the taste of acid rain, and chaotic whispers filled her ears, that damned eyeball tempting her again.

The blinding white light occupied her entire world, so glaring that she couldn't open her eyes, a cold sensation came from beneath her, she seemed to be lying on an operating table.

The next moment, Xu Xiaoyou gasped heavily, suddenly sitting up.

The cracked headache made her face twitch, tightly clutching her head, under the blue halo, the entire world kept spinning.

After adapting for a while, she finally saw the surroundings clearly.

Black ceiling, old equipment cluttered around, exposed pipes on the walls, an old incandescent bulb flickering constantly, she noticed the woman sitting in the corner.

"Awake?" The woman flipped the book in her hand unhurriedly, reflections from the lenses glimmering.

"Where am I now?" Xu Xiaoyou's voice was a bit hoarse.

"You're in my shop." The woman closed the book, walked up to Xu Xiaoyou, supported her body so she could lean back on the operating table.

Xu Xiaoyou didn't resist, she didn't feel hostility from the woman, nor did she have any vigilance against this unfamiliar environment. If the woman really wanted to harm her, it certainly wouldn't wait until she awoke, especially considering she was worth a lot of money.

"You should be glad you woke up now, otherwise I'd have tried a craniotomy." The woman brought a bowl of hot water to Xu Xiaoyou's mouth, feeding her sip by sip.

The warmth soothed her mouth, the nauseating feeling alleviated a lot.

"Wait." Xu Xiaoyou remembered something, her emotions grew agitated, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Almost six days, I guess?"

"Six days... six days." Xu Xiaoyou held her head, murmuring.

To think she had been unconscious for so long.

That meant tomorrow's the issuance date for that train ticket.

"Why did you save me?"

"I can't even fathom what you did, to make the whole city's black and white factions chase you like mad."

The woman didn't directly answer her question, instead went on an unstoppable rant.

"Saving you brings trouble, obviously taking you for a bounty and I wouldn't have to stay in this cramped dark tiny shop for the rest of my life."

"Honestly, don't know why I had a screw loose in my head..."

Xu Xiaoyou looked outside, there was a sign at the entrance, flickering under the cold-toned light.

——Yunyun Beauty Salon.

Currently, the shop door was locked with a metal lock; apparently, it's not open for business.

"Wait, you're a beautician?" Xu Xiaoyou asked.

In her impression, beauticians in the city often held high status, embraced by many gangs, wouldn't open a shop in such a shabby place.

Furthermore, looking at the disinfected and sutured wounds on her body, the other party seemed quite professional in this area.

"Mhm."

"Don't make such a weird expression, a qualified beautician certainly needs to understand basic medical knowledge and obtain a physician license, otherwise what happens if something goes wrong during surgery? Though I didn't get either."

Xu Xiaoyou: "?"

"You practice medicine without a license?"

"What's the big deal, I even provide beauty services without a license." The woman had a blank expression.

"For the record, I never received any complaints though~"

Xu Xiaoyou: "..."

After a moment, it was still the woman who broke the silence first.

"My name is Chen Yun."

"Remember, I saved you. If I encounter difficulties later on, don't turn a blind eye."

Chen Yun seemed to think of something, went into the inner room, soon came out and tossed over a string of jade beads.

Xu Xiaoyou caught it, looked down to see it was a Peace Bracelet.

"This was given to you by a woman from the slums," Chen Yun said. Xu Xiaoyou noticed the fleeting glint deep in the woman's eyes, weak and small in this dark room.

"What's her name?"

"Not sure, I also don't know her name..." Xu Xiaoyou said.

"This bracelet saved your life."

"By the way, is that little girl your child?"

"Anya?" Xu Xiaoyou said hoarsely: "Where is she now?"

"She was still guarding outside not long ago, hasn't slept for days, just went to sleep." Chen Yun paused for a moment, then continued: "Originally, I didn't plan on helping you, would be quite troublesome, but that little girl kept holding onto my arm, crying and begging, plus I saw this bracelet, decided to save you."

Saying that, Chen Yun pulled open the curtain of the room, dawn's light cast a layer of gold edge on her figure.

"The owner of this bracelet also once saved me, when I was pursued by the gangsters, she took me in at the slums, gave me food and water. I remember it well."

"It was a plain bun, a precious food in the slums."

"I was starving at the time so ate it too quickly and choked, she handed over a cup of tea, I saw the bracelet on her hand."

"And so I remembered it."

Chen Yun's smile bloomed under the morning sun, radiant.

"Quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

"Now that you're awake, the medical bill, and accommodation fee, oh right, there's also meal expenses, I gave you glucose for several days, a total of two hundred credit points, don't forget to pay before leaving."

The woman left these words and walked away.

Xu Xiaoyou smiled silently.

Clearly, the other party could have handed her over for a prize of fifty thousand credit points, living a life of luxury, yet instead negotiated a seemingly insignificant two hundred credit points with her.

After regaining some strength, barely able to move normally, Xu Xiaoyou got off the operating table, headed inside the house.

Soon she saw Anya lying on the couch, the girl curled up, nestled inside a worn quilt, with tear stains still at the corners of her eyes.

The TV was playing "Flying Baby," Anya's favorite family drama series.

Not bothering the girl's sleep, Xu Xiaoyou sat at the other end of the sofa, picked up the remote control to change channels.

She wanted to see what's happening in the city now.

After a brief static flicker, the screen presented a picture.

Under the gray sky, surrounded by countless figures marching on the streets, protesting shadows.

The pure white investigator's uniform was extremely dim, she looked like a peacock stripped of its feathers, her always high-held head now heavily bowed, all her glory and pride vanished, Bai Youyou walked on the street, people's scolding and accusations constantly echoed in her ears.

"Get out of our Nest City!"

"Investigator disrupting public order, get out!"

"Using gang power to catch a criminal, making the whole city restless, I think you're more like the criminal, you're condoning crime."

"Criminal Investigator! Criminal Investigator! Criminal Investigator!"

"Demand the association severely punish this investigator!"

They threw what they held towards the black-haired girl walking on the street, looking at the high-status figure now so embarrassed and dejected, only at such times, they unreservedly vented the malice deep inside them, unleashed all long-accumulated grievances onto the girl, without worrying about consequences.

Bai Youyou numbly lifted her head, her empty gaze also landed on the news on the screen.

'The criminal's life and death are unknown.'

'After five days of citywide search, still no results.'

"You..."

She was pierced with pain by the words "life and death unknown."

The items people hurled at her didn't hurt. All kinds of unpleasant criminal labels didn't evoke any change in her numb face either.

She resembled a doll incapable of anger, sadness, or pain, until the tightly wound spring nearly unwound, did she reach the end of this street.

A golden floating ship appeared, numerous elegantly dressed and distinguished figures descended, the clamoring residents fell silent, stopping their actions.

They were the supreme Law Enforcers from Oasis

——Order Court.

Just using their gaze, they repelled the previously furious crowd, the powerful dignity pressed them so not a single unpleasant syllable could escape their mouths.

Golden rune-like caution lines manifested out of thin air, the power of law contained within, all external sounds and rules were suppressed!

"Mom..." Bai Youyou's voice was very soft.

She tightly embraced the figure radiating loving care, surrounded by aura, crying her heart out like a child.

"Let's go home, I don't want to stay here anymore."

"I don't want to stay here anymore..."

"Let's go home..."