Zhang Guo'er was startled by Tang Xiaomin's appearance.
She trembled and threatened, "Tang Xiaomin, let me go quickly."
"Heh... Hehehe..."
Tang Xiaomin said nothing, her eerie laughter echoing in the spacious, black-and-white office.
She went out and returned with a box, placing it on the floor in front of Zhang Guo'er, making sure she could see it.
Seeing this, Zhang Guo'er's heart pounded rapidly. She didn't know what was inside the box, but it gave her a very bad feeling.
The unknown was the most terrifying. That's exactly how she felt now.
"Tang Xiaomin... You... What do you want?"
Tang Xiaomin put on a white leather glove and asked her indifferently.
"Are you scared?"
This time, Zhang Guo'er couldn't speak.
But her eyes, her face, and her trembling body all screamed that she was afraid.
"It's okay, just as you think, everything I'm doing to you is illegal, and I'm actually a bit scared."
Tang Xiaomin said this, but when she opened the black box on the floor, various shiny, sharp tools gleamed menacingly.
Zhang Guo'er's scalp tingled, and a chill ran down her spine.
"What are those?"
"You... you brought these out... What do you want?"
Tang Xiaomin patiently explained each item to Zhang Guo'er.
"The first row is surgical scissors, I have six."
"The second row is surgical forceps, I have six."
"The third row is scalpels, I have eight."
"The ones on the other side are cosmetic tools for preparing bodies."
...
Since they were for the dead, did Tang Xiaomin intend to use them on herself?
At this thought, Zhang Guo'er's face turned as white as paper, devoid of any color.
"Tang Xiaomin... You... You wouldn't dare!"
"If you touch me, you're breaking the law, and you'll go to jail!"
"Hehehe..."
Tang Xiaomin laughed again, unfazed.
"You hit and killed Tang Xu, and you didn't go to jail."
"Compared to your crime, what I'm doing is nothing."
Tang Xiaomin picked up a scalpel and slowly walked towards Zhang Guo'er.
Sensing impending danger, Zhang Guo'er struggled desperately, letting out a fearful roar.
"Let me go!"
"Let me go!"
"Ah... no."
Tang Xiaomin acted as if she hadn't heard, instead recalling the scene of her preparing Tang Xu's body.
"You hit Tang Xu, and the skin and flesh on his head tore open, creating a palm-sized gash. His skull was crushed, and his brain matter spilled out."
"After he died, I sewed a total of seventeen stitches on his head."
"His skull was shattered and couldn't support the curve of his head. Do you know how I dealt with it?"
Tang Xiaomin's description of Tang Xu's tragic state stimulated Zhang Guo'er's nerves, intensifying her fear.
"It was an accident, I didn't mean to hit him."
"Let me go!"
"Let me go!"
...
"I stuffed cotton into his head to at least maintain the outline of a complete skull."
"I tore off my clothes to stop the bleeding, but he didn't even make it to the hospital. He died in my arms like that."
Recalling the feeling of powerlessness at that moment, Tang Xiaomin's anger flared.
"Do you think I wouldn't dare do anything to you? Zhang Guo'er, open your eyes and look clearly."
*Thwack!*
With a swift movement of her hand, Tang Xiaomin's sharp scalpel pierced Zhang Guo'er's left foot.
She had been asleep when she was captured, so she wasn't wearing shoes. She was only in a white short-sleeved, short-panted pajama set.
Her foot was pinned to the floor by the scalpel.
"Ah!"
The searing pain made Zhang Guo'er let out a mournful cry, which echoed eerily in the empty office.
She never expected Tang Xiaomin to actually act.
Her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Tang Xiaomin, trembling and begging.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong... Please spare me."
"I truly know I was wrong this time."
"Tang Xiaomin, I killed your brother. I deserve legal punishment. You can send me to prison, please just let me go."
...
After a taste of reality, Zhang Guo'er finally changed her tune and began to plead for mercy.
But to Tang Xiaomin, these were just desperate tactics.
"Heh..."
Tang Xiaomin let out a mocking laugh. Zhang Guo'er was merely a clown fooling herself and others; her true intentions had long been seen through by Tang Xiaomin.
"It's too much trouble. Since you killed Tang Xu, you'll be sentenced to death anyway. It's all the same whether you go or not."
The words "death sentence" caused Zhang Guo'er's pupils to contract sharply.
"No... don't... don't kill me... I truly know I was wrong... I..."
"Ah!"
Tang Xiaomin didn't give Zhang Guo'er a chance to babble further. With a swift movement of her hand, another sharp scalpel ruthlessly pinned her other foot to the floor, rendering her immobile.
Then came her left hand, then her right.
Each stab was accompanied by Zhang Guo'er's piercing screams.
Blood dripped rhythmically onto the floor.
Zhang Guo'er was already mentally shattered by terror. Her thoughts were fragmented. All she could think of and utter was pleas for mercy.
"No... don't do this to me, please don't... *sob*..."
Tang Xiaomin smiled calmly.
"Tell me, are you scared? Does it hurt?"
"I'm scared... It hurts... Please don't..."
In Zhang Guo'er's eyes, Tang Xiaomin had become a bloodthirsty, terrifying demon.
"No, the game has just begun. If you can last until tomorrow, I'll let you go. So, you absolutely cannot fall asleep."
Zhang Guo'er looked at Tang Xiaomin in horror.
"You... you're a demon... You're a demon..."
Tang Xiaomin leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Congratulations, you got it right."
"As a reward, I'll give you a chance to choose your death."
"First, die from a fatal blow to the head, like Tang Xu."
"Second, I'll take one of your kidneys."
"The difference between the two deaths is this: the first will be quick. The second allows you to last until tomorrow. Which one do you choose?"
Zhang Guo'er continued to stare at Tang Xiaomin, broken and terrified, repeating the same words.
"You're a demon... you're a demon... you're a demon..."
*Slap!*
Tang Xiaomin impatiently slapped Zhang Guo'er across the face.
"Choose! Did you hear me!"
"You're a demon... you're a demon..."
Zhang Guo'er's mind was shattered by fear. Overwhelmed by terror, she had lost the ability to think.
As time wore on, Tang Xiaomin grew increasingly impatient.
"You won't say? Fine, then I'll choose the second option for you. This way, you'll have a sliver of hope to last until tomorrow."