Chapter 223: They Won’t Have the Same Humanity as You
This mountain life was a little better off than it was years ago.
But the people here were still just ordinary folks, getting by with modest means.
That hair pin–if she wasn’t mistaken–was worth around thirty to fifty grand.
Forget affording it. Even if someone here had that kind of money, with their traditional and old fashioned mindset, they’d never buy something so flashy.
This was more like the kind of trinket a rich heiress would pick up on a whim.
Which raised the question-
This village wasn’t a tourist spot. It was barely even on the map. The mountain roads were rough, easy to get lost in if u weren’t careful
Who would come here just for fun?
Robin took the hair clip from her hand, his face darkening slightly.
Then, he glanced at Cassius.
Cassius gave him a small nod.
Gemma watched their silent exchange, completely lost.
Before she could ask, Robin suddenly shoved aside the stone altar and started knocking around, searching.
Gemma frowned. “I used to come here a lot as a kid. Never saw any tunnels…”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a hollow sound echoed back.
Gemma, “…”
Well. That was embarrassing.
Robin, strong as ever, didn’t even need to call for backup. He just shoved the stone aside like it weighed nothing..
Beneath it, a dark passageway was revealed.
“I’ll go down and take a look. You two keep watch up here.”
Robin pulled out a candle from who knows–where, lit it, and held it at the entrance. When the flame stayed steady, he headed down.
The mountain was quiet at night.
Time moved painfully slow.
Gemma and Cassius found a big rock to sit on and waited.
“Nervous?”
Cassius asked.
Gemma didn’t bother hiding it. She nodded. “Yeah. A little. This village has always been my worst nightmare.”
“That nightmare’s about to shatter,” Cassius murmured, his voice low and rough, edged with something almost magnetic. “And it’ll never piece itself back together.”
Gemma exhaled, nodding.
“Honestly, I’ve already come a long way. Back then, I wouldn’t have dared to return at all.”
The people here never cared about right or wrong. They only believed women were worthless.
She was lucky she hadn’t been brainwashed,
Otherwise, she would’ve become exactly the kind of person she despised.
“This was never your fault,” Cassius said, his gaze dark. “The real crime is that this place exists as it does.”
Gemma gave him a small smile.
“Cassius, you know what I just realized?”
He turned to her.
The cave was dim, the only light coming from the moon outside. It cast a soft glow over her delicate features, her lips curved into a faint smile.
“What is it?”
“At first, I thought you were this cold, unapproachable guy–super hard to get along with.”
But now that I’ve spent time with you, I realized you’re actually really easygoing. No matter what I do, you always seem to support me.”
She paused, then rephrased, choosing her words carefully.
“In other words, being around you makes me feel… confident.”
Cassius’s lips twitched into a rare smile.
Sotting
14.30
Chapter 223: They Won’t Have the Same Humanity as You
“That’s because you were always capable.”
“Really?”
Cassius tilted his head. “If that’s not true, then why are you the only one who feels that way?”
Gemma, “…”
Wait. He had a point.
Her confidence shot through the roof in an instant.
Even her entire aura shifted.
“I should talk to u more often,” she declared. “At this rate, I’ll be as impressive as u in no time.”
Cassius blinked.
“Talking more… sure.”
He rolled the words around in his mind, his smile deepening.
Just then, Robin climbed out of the tunnel.
His expression was grim.
As he stepped out, he tossed a bundle of rusted chains onto the ground.
They were thick–about the width of a thumb.
Gemma’s stomach twisted.
“This…”
She had grown up in this village. She knew the people here never kept useless things.
Chains like these couldn’t be used for farming. Which meant they didn’t belong here at all.
No villager would’ve just left them behind after chopping wood or gathering herbs.
And judging by their size, they weren’t for animals either.
She had seen chains for dogs, cows, and sheep before. None were this thin.
“These were used on people,” Robin said flatly.
Gemma froze.
Then instinctively shook her head. “No way.”
Sure, the villagers were cruel.
But even when she was the most hated kid in the village, no one had ever chained her up.
Besides, they valued labor.
They’d rather send someone out to gather herbs than waste resources keeping them locked up.
Robin pulled out some tattered fabric.
“I found these down there.”
The cloth was so damaged it was impossible to tell what it once was.
But one thing was clear–it had been expensive.
“Cashmere,” Robin said.
“Pretty popular in N.L. City lately. Rich people use it.”
Gemma stared at the fabric, a horrible thought creeping into her mind.
Maybe –
This village had changed.
Maybe it had become something even darker than she ever imagined.
“Officer Robin,” she said slowly, “does this mean at least one person was held captive down there?”
Robin shook his head. “No. More than one.”
Gemma’s breath caught.
That couldn’t be.
“This is too big. I need to report it. Let’s head back and plan our next steps.”
Gemma was so shaken that she took longer than usual to descend the mountain, her mind spinning the whole way.
The three of them were silent for most of the walk back.
It wasn’t until they reached their lodging that she finally spoke again.
“Officer Robin… if this turns out to be true, does that mean the whole village–”
Setting
19:30
Chapter 223: They Won’t Have the Same Humanity as You
Robin’s face was grim. He seemed to have his suspicions, but without proof, he couldn’t say anything yet.
“If there’s a crime, we investigate. If someone’s guilty, they face justice. If they need to be arrested, they’ll be arrested.”
He thought she was reluctant to see her hometown suffer.
So he added.
“Don’t sympathize with criminals. They won’t have the same humanity as you.”
Gemma blinked, then realized he had misunderstood.
“No, I meant if this is real, you need to bring in more people. There are too many ways out of this village. We need to block every escape route.”
“Officer Robin, we need to root them out completely. No one gets away.”
Robin, “???”
Cassius, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm–almost as if he had expected this all along.
Once Gemma finished speaking, he turned to Robin and said matter–of–factly,
“I can send reinforcements.”
Robin’s eyes widened.
Cassius? Offering backup?
Borrowing people from him was usually impossible.
Now he was offering them up on his own?
“Cass, you’re not joking, right?”
Cassius didn’t answer. Instead, he calmly added, “I have one condition. U have to agree to it.”
Robin narrowed his eyes. He barely recognized this childhood friend anymore.
But curiosity got the better of him.
“…Tell me the condition first. Then I’ll decide.”
Setting
