Chapter 42: Tit for Tat

Hearing these words, an old lady in the crowd rolled her eyes and instantly fainted. The people nearby scrambled to help, some pressing her chest, others pinching the acupoint beneath her nose.

"Chuan's grandma, you must hold on!"

"Quick, someone help..."

"Oh, what a sin!"

...

With one person fainting and another crying uncontrollably, the crowd fell into a flurry of panic, rushing to comfort the one on the left and then turning to soothe the one on the right.

Just at that moment, an untimely, cold snort rang out: "Humph! So Erlang Shen can die after all? I thought only the witch would die! Didn't you all say he was an immortal? Turns out immortals can die too, ha-ha-ha, absolutely hilarious!"

The voice came from a woman on the second floor. She stuck her head out of the window, looking down with a sarcastic gaze at the bustling crowd below. While she laughed out loud, her eyes were chillingly cold.

This voice fell like a drop of water into a pan of boiling oil. Dazhuang's mother was instantly provoked by the remark, scrambling up immediately, ready to pounce and fight her to the death.

The surrounding people hastily pulled and persuaded her, plunging the scene into even greater chaos.

"Oh, Sister-in-law Liu, just say a little less," someone advised.

"Say a little less? Why should I? When my daughter was murdered by them, what did you all say? You said she was a witch and deserved to die! How come now that it's their turn to die, I can't even speak up?"

As soon as Sister-in-law Liu said this, it was like stirring up a hornet's nest. Those whose families had daughters labeled as "witches" all began to gloat and watch the spectacle, with mocking jeers continuously ringing out.

On the other side, the hardliners led by Auntie Liu firmly insisted on pinning all this sin onto the "witch."

The two sides argued fiercely and endlessly. Meanwhile, the sorrowful and weeping mother of Dazhuang and Chuan's grandma, who had fainted on the ground, were forgotten in a corner, receiving not a shred of care anymore.

...

Lin Qingqing looked on coldly, feeling not a single shred of sympathy in her heart.

Lei Min, however, was reminded of the little girl she had just saved. She squeezed the child's small hand and asked softly, "Little sister, what's your name? Where is your family?"

Her voice was gentle, but the little girl did not open her mouth even after being asked twice.

"Could she be frightened out of her wits?"

She subconsciously looked toward Lin Qingqing, who was currently observing this stubborn little girl with curiosity.

The little girl only reached her chest height, thin and frail. She wore an oversized school uniform, and the words "Rongcheng No. 3 Experimental Middle School" could still be seen on the left chest.

She wore her hair in a simple ponytail, with long bangs hiding half of her face. Beneath the bangs, a pair of eyes were large and round; one could imagine that if they were healthy eyes, they would undoubtedly be very pretty.

As if sensing someone looking at her, the little girl turned her head to "look" in Lin Qingqing's direction, her expression calm and focused.

A thought stirred in Lin Qingqing's heart, and she随即 said, "Rongcheng No. 3 Middle School is the best middle school in Rongcheng!" Furthermore, it only recruited the most outstanding students from all over, with extremely high standards—no one could enter unless they were top academic achievers.

The little girl still did not speak; she seemed indifferent to what Lin Qingqing had just mentioned.

Lin Qingqing and Lei Min exchanged glances. Neither of them had any experience getting along with a half-grown child, and for a moment, they had no idea what else to say.

The little girl continued to "look" at them, a sense of seriousness and stubbornness revealed on her face, as if she were pondering some crucial problem.

A moment later, she solemnly said to the two of them, "Older sisters, can you take me with you? I have abilities and can help you."

She was clearly somewhat nervous when saying this, her fingers tightly clutching each other, yet her face forced an expression of calm.

Lin Qingqing and Lei Min remained silent. They could understand the little girl's state of mind at this moment. Abandoned by her relatives and friends, she certainly no longer held any expectations for them. Since Lei Min had just saved her, it was completely natural that the little girl wanted to leave with them.

"What can you help us with?"

Lin Qingqing did not reject her right away. She could tell that the little girl's words had been spoken after careful consideration. She was not blindly seeking protection, but rather proposing an exchange of conditions—very smart and very bold.

Seeing that the other party was interested, the little girl relaxed slightly and then said seriously, "My name is Wen Ling, I am thirteen years old, and I lost my sight half a year ago. But you don't need to worry, I can take care of myself."

"I can tell, you take very good care of yourself," Lin Qingqing nodded.

Although the clothes on the little girl were old, they were very clean, and her hair was neatly combed. Given the attitude of her relatives toward her earlier, Lin Qingqing did not believe that Wen Ling's daily chores were managed by them.

Seeing Lin Qingqing's gentle attitude, Wen Ling continued, "I know those man-eating monsters are called zombies. I can 'see' them. This ability only appeared after those zombies emerged. As long as I concentrate, I can 'see' very far away. I can help you, I can do reconnaissance for you."

"I won't be a burden to you!"

Saying it all in one breath, she finally mustered up the courage to "look" at Lin Qingqing and the other again.

A perceptual-type supernatural being!

Lin Qingqing and Lei Min were astonished inwardly. They had not expected to encounter a rare perceptual-type esper here, let alone that she was a blind little girl.

"Do they know about your ability?"

Lei Min asked out of curiosity. With a perceptual-type esper in any group, many dangers could be avoided in advance; this was an extremely precious companion. She couldn't figure out how they could bear to feed her to the zombies? Could it be solely because of that ridiculous "witch" rhetoric?

"They knew, but they thought it was useless and didn't believe my words," Wen Ling said with disappointment. She had also tried hard to demonstrate her value, but others simply didn't believe her, or rather, even if they believed it, they didn't take it to heart.

Was this mistaking pearls for fish eyes?

"What is your perception range? To what extent can you sense things?" Lin Qingqing took a deep breath and asked.

"If I try my best, I can sense the entire residential compound. If it's just in one direction, it can be even further, reaching the vicinity of the street intersection from earlier. I can sense all moving things, and I can know their size and quantity," Wen Ling answered very meticulously.

The entire residential compound? That meant a diameter of one hundred and fifty meters, and over two hundred meters in a single direction. A remarkable ability! As she grew in the future, her potential would be boundless.

Lin Qingqing looked at Lei Min: This team member is pretty good, you take her in!

And Lei Min was also excited, her eyes shining as she looked at Lin Qingqing: Such a great ability is exactly what we need, and this little girl is so pitiful, Elder Sister Lin, hurry up and take her in!

The two stared at each other with wide eyes, looking back and forth in bewilderment for a long time, neither having understood the other's intention.

At this moment, Wen Ling grew somewhat anxious. Fearing she would hear a refusal, she hurriedly said, "I have no family left; my uncle's family doesn't like me. If you don't take me, I'll have nowhere to go!"

The little girl sounded very pitiful, and what she said was true. After all, Lin Qingqing and the other had witnessed with their own eyes how she was abandoned by her family.

They were Wen Ling's saviors, and the little girl's choice to follow them could be considered a desperate gamble.

Lin Qingqing knew that if they rejected her, the little girl would surely be cast aside by these people again. She looked into Lei Min's clear, large eyes and said, "You take her with you for now!"