Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 81 - Lobbying

The moment the bandaged man placed his hand on my shoulder, a sharp pain shot through me. Almost instantly, dizziness swept over my vision.

Damn it! This despicable bandaged man actually used anesthesia!

“You… why are you doing this?”

Wave after wave of vertigo overtook me as I reached out, trying to grab the bandaged man’s arm. But at that moment, I could barely even stand straight.

Just as I was about to collapse, Jiang Wu stepped in front of me, grabbed me by the collar, and gritted his teeth as he said, “Why? You seriously don’t get it? Sir wants you to behave yourself!”

“You… What exactly are you trying to do?” I mustered every ounce of strength I had left and instinctively clung to Jiang Wu’s collar. My mind had short-circuited by then; I knew full well that holding on wouldn’t do any good. But still, my body acted on instinct-this was probably just my nature.

“Lu Ying, what can you even do right now? Let me tell you, if it weren’t for sir shielding you, I could kill you here and now! Know your place. Even though I’m not the Holy Lord anymore, you’re still my servant!”

After spitting out those words, Jiang Wu forcibly pried my hands off his collar and gave me a hard kick.

But by that point, my consciousness was almost entirely gone. I didn’t even feel the pain before I blacked out.

Half-conscious, I seemed to hear someone calling my name.

I stood up and followed the sound. That’s when I saw a boy holding a ball. I recognized him-it was the younger version of myself. Just then, I heard the childish voice of a little girl. Turning around, I saw my sister skipping rope, calling me to join her as she jumped.

For a moment, I had transformed into the me who played with the ball. This must be a dream-a good dream at that.

Thinking this, I ran toward Lu Che. But before I could reach her, the sky suddenly darkened. In an instant, I saw that the buildings behind my sister had turned into the bandaged man!

At that moment, my face paled. Acting on reflex, I grabbed the ball and hurled it at the bandaged man, shouting, “Get away from her!”

When the ball struck the bandaged man, what happened next shocked me to my core. His grotesque face morphed into mine!

I gasped sharply, stumbling a step back. Suddenly, a massive crack opened up behind me!

My body, completely out of control, began to fall backward. Desperately, I reached out, grasping for anything to save myself at the edge of the cliff.

Perhaps heaven took pity on me-I managed to grab hold of a withered branch sticking out over the abyss.

Instinctively, I glanced downward, only to see that the abyss below had transformed into the face of the bandaged man!

I was utterly frozen in terror. But what shocked me more was that the branch I was clutching began to snap!

Without warning, I plummeted straight down, staring helplessly as the bandaged man’s face split into a wicked grin. And just like that, I fell right into his gaping mouth!

“Ah!”

I screamed, jerking upright. The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with Su Mo’s astonished face.

“Are you okay?” Su Mo asked, his expression filled with concern. “After they left, you fainted. Are you sure you’re alright? Just now, while you were unconscious, you kept mumbling ‘no, no.’ What on earth happened?”

His words brought back vivid memories of the nightmare I had just endured. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I waved my hand dismissively and said, “Nothing, just… just a dream.”

My head was still spinning a bit as Su Mo continued chattering away, though his words seemed to drift on irrelevant topics, nothing about the case.

He helped me up from the ground. As I stood, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, and I nearly fell again.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should sit down for a bit,” Su Mo said, his tone tinged with panic.

Seeing how worried he was made me laugh. His flustered demeanor was somehow amusing.

“Why are you laughing? I’m seriously worried about you, and you’re standing there laughing!” Su Mo huffed, visibly annoyed.

“Alright, alright! I’m fine,” I replied, reassuring him. “Don’t forget, I’m the sole survivor of the enhancement agent experiment. Trust me, if I could survive that, a little anesthesia is barely a scratch.”

“Well… if you say so. But I still can’t shake this uneasy feeling,” Su Mo said, his tone still carrying a trace of worry. “Especially considering that bandaged man plans to use us as a sacrifice to heaven.”

His words immediately reminded me of what the bandaged man had said before leaving. Su Mo was right-if we couldn’t figure out a way to escape soon, both of us would end up as offerings in his ritual.

Unless we manage to escape before the sacrifice to heaven, we’re as good as dead!

But looking at our current situation, these impenetrable walls make it feel absolutely impossible to escape, even if we sprouted wings to fly.

Still, there’s no point just sitting here waiting to die-we have one chance, and that lies in the day of the sacrifice. If we can escape during the ritual, we’ll be safe. But if we fail…

Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on failure. Right now, we have no choice but to go all in!

After making up my mind, I shared my plan with Su Mo. He listened carefully, then remained silent for a long moment before shaking his head.

“No, it won’t work. Your plan is way too risky,” he said.

I nearly coughed up blood out of sheer frustration. Seriously, Su Mo? Whenever I propose a solution, all you ever say is that I’m being reckless. Is the problem really that I’m being rash, or is it that you lack the guts to take risks?

“This kind of thinking isn’t going to cut it,” I said, giving Su Mo a firm pat on the shoulder. “Your approach is way too conservative.”

“Senior,” Su Mo said, using the respectful term as he always did when addressing me, “I’m not the same police officer I used to be. I’m the director now. It’s not just my job to handle cases-I also have to be responsible for my subordinates.”

“But if you don’t listen to me, both of us are going to die.”

That seemed to strike a nerve. Su Mo’s head drooped, and he was silent for a long time. When he finally looked up, there was a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “The truth is, sometimes I don’t know what to do either. Honestly, up until just now, I’d been hoping that Lu Xun and the others would figure it out and come rescue us. But now… it doesn’t seem very likely.”

“Don’t say that. We still have a chance. And maybe-just maybe-they’ll show up on their own during the ritual, before we even make a move.”

Ever since Su Mo became the director, his approach has become more and more cautious-so cautious, in fact, that sometimes I can’t help but think he’s completely useless. But, fine-if I consider it from another perspective, maybe I’m the problem. Compared to Su Mo’s cautious nature, my way of thinking is definitely too extreme.

To be honest, I wasn’t surprised at all to find myself stuck in a situation like this. It felt like something I was bound to face sooner or later. Su Mo, however-that was an unexpected twist.

After all, I never imagined I’d be confronting the bandaged man with Su Mo of all people. That guy showing up here was nothing but a wild card.