Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)-Chapter 159: "Are you alright?"

The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, a suffocating blanket over the women huddled in the back of the shipping container. Their faces, gaunt and drawn, were etched with fear, their eyes wide and hollow. They were a sorry sight, emaciated and filthy, their matted hair a testament to their prolonged ordeal.

Xiang Yu, his heart heavy with a mixture of relief and anxiety, stood at the entrance of the shipping container, his presence a beacon of hope in the darkness. "Lian, Mei," he said, his voice soothing in the oppressive atmosphere. "Are you alright?"

The twins, their faces alight with joy, scrambled to their feet, their bodies trembling with a mix of weakness and exhilaration. "Master it’s really you!" Lian cried, her voice thick with emotion. "We were so scared. We thought we were going to die."

"See," Mei chimed in, her voice a whisper. "We told you our master would save us." Xiang Yu’s gaze swept over the women, his stomach churning at the sight of their suffering. They were a stark reminder of the depravity that they had gone through. He knew they were terrified, their fear magnified by the gunshots they had heard coming from outside.

The truth was these women had been even more terrified with what they had witnessed before. Just a day ago, the twins had lain motionless, their bodies ravaged by fever. The young women had been convinced they were dead, their hope dwindling with every passing moment. Then suddenly a few hours ago, they had sprung awake, their eyes blazing with an unexpected energy. Their inexplicable resurrection had sent waves of fear through the group. For a moment, they actually thought they were facing a pair of ghosts.

The twins had tried to comfort them, saying, "Don’t worry, our master will come and save us." The women had thought the twins were delusional, their minds lost to fever and despair. But now, here was the so-called master, standing right in front of them at the entrance of the shipping container.

"Come," Xiang Yu said, his voice firm and reassuring. "Let’s get you out of here." He held out a hand to Lian, and she took it, her fingers clinging to him tightly like she was afraid he would leave them alone again. As he helped her down from the container, he glanced at the other women, their faces etched with a mixture of awe and trepidation. "We will get you some help," he promised. "Don’t worry."

He helped Mei down and turned towards the nearest corpse, a young man slumped against the wall, his face contorted in a silent scream. He reached into the man’s pocket, his fingers brushing against cold, hard metal.

He was looking for his phone. Lian and Mei, their eyes wide with curiosity stared at the corpses scattered around them. They had seen way worse while travelling with their master both in the mortal world and the demon realm; thus, they weren’t shaken at all.

But the sight of these lifeless bodies, their faces frozen in expressions of terror, was interesting. The people had holes on their bodies like they had been hit by arrows but there were no arrows at all. Lian, drawn by a morbid curiosity, reached out to touch the man closest to her, but how could Mei let her touch? "Don’t touch it," Mei warned, her voice sharp as she gripped her sister’s hand. "It’s dirty."

Lian, bewildered, frowned. "Why can’t I?"

Xiang Yu, oblivious to the twins’ squabble, had found several more phones and was passing them out to the women, his face grim. "Make multiple calls to the police so they can take it seriously," he instructed. "Tell them it’s urgent and... don’t tell them about me." The women shook their heads frantically as they dialled the police with trembling hands. After making sure the women were safe, he turned back to the twins.

"Let’s go," he said. They tried to follow him, their legs weak and their bodies trembling.

"Master, we are too tired," Lian gasped. Xiang Yu, accustomed to this turned back without hesitation. He scooped them up effortlessly, one in each arm, like a father carrying his twins after forgetting to bring a stroller into the car. Lian clung to his neck, her small arms almost strangling him in her grip.

"Master, what’s in the bag?" she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder as she tapped the duffle bag.

"Guns," Xiang Yu replied, trying to move a little faster.

"Guns?" Lian whispered, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What are those?"

"I will show you later," Xiang Yu promised, his voice soothing. Mei, perched on his shoulders, began to play with his hair, her fingers tangling in the thick, black strands.

"Master, I am hungry," she whined. "Me too," Lian echoed, her voice soft. Xiang Yu’s heart ached for them.

"I will get you some food just now, okay?" he promised as he carried them to the fence. Meanwhile, the young women still huddling in the shipping container, afraid to come out, were calling for help, their voices brittle and dry. "Please hurry," one of them pleaded. "The bad guys who put us here might come back."

The urgency in her voice spurred the phone operator into action, quickly dispatching officers to the location. Meanwhile, in a cosy living room, a man sat on his couch with his family, watching TV. His phone buzzed with a notification. His wife glanced at him, her brow furrowing. "Honey, we said no work."

"One second," he replied, getting up. He was the chief of the organized crime division in the Bureau. He had an undercover agent embedded in the Triads, and this notification was too important to ignore. Entering his home office, he opened a safe and took out another phone. He dialled a familiar number, and after a few rings, a female voice answered.

Peng Xiu, the undercover agent, was at a private club, dressed in a stunning red dress. She sat with a group of men and women, sipping champagne while chatting happily. Glancing at Han Xin, who had just left the room, she grabbed her purse and excused herself. "I need a smoke, I will be right back."

She stepped outside by the pool, lighting a cigarette. "Hey, Uncle Yan," she greeted.

"Is it not safe to talk?" the Chief asked.

Peng Xiu smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "No, we can talk a little."