Chapter 6126 - 5139: A Journey of Surprise (14)

The man didn’t seem to know if he was insane or what, even with the police entering, he was still banging on the door. When the police asked who he was, he didn’t respond, as if he had entered a manic state. But the police had no patience for this; they fired a taser gun, followed by a group of strong men who swarmed over and pinned him to the ground, even so, he was still cursing wildly.

At this point, the police realized that this might be a mental patient having an episode. Besides handcuffing him, they also called for medical assistance. It didn’t take long before the psychiatric hospital’s vehicle arrived, and quickly took the man away.

The players were quite pleased, this was the first instance in this scenario that had some interesting developments. At least what they did could affect the storyline, and it had a quite high degree of freedom. Almost every item in the room was interactive and useful, providing a strong sense of positive feedback while playing.

But soon, they realized they had been happy too early.

After the police took the man away, they naturally had to check on the situation of the people in the room. They probably also worried about scaring the residents inside, so a female officer went over to knock on the door, and said softly, "Did you call the police? Are you okay?"

There was no response from the room, the female officer frowned and said, "Do you need medical assistance? The ambulance is outside. Can you respond?"

Still, there was no sound from inside. The officers looked at each other. After thinking for a moment, the female officer said, "We have to think of a way to open the door. If she has fainted due to a panic attack, and we do nothing, it could lead to a casualty, which would be difficult to explain in a report later."

Greed was eagerly nodding from above, this female officer was quite professional. Although the police in this area generally don’t like to meddle, even if a crime happens right next to them, as long as it’s not a case they were called for, they won’t intervene, but would rather call headquarters to have them send someone else. However, confirming the condition of the person who called is also part of their job.

Moreover, she anticipated the panic attack response, even knowing that a panic attack might lead to respiratory alkalosis and psychogenic syncope, and planned to confirm the situation before leaving, which indeed was quite professional and responsible of a police officer.

But possibly to avoid further scaring the person inside, she didn’t choose to kick the door down, but rather found professional tools to pry the door open. Just as expected, Nina was found fainted inside the room.

A few players sighed in relief, luckily that police officer was there, otherwise they would’ve sprinted to a bad ending.

Nina was also carried to the ambulance. But a few players couldn’t leave the house; they could only wait inside. However, fortunately, when Nina fell into a coma, she seemed to have left behind a memory, which they watched together.

This time it was about Andrew. But Greed had already guessed as much before, and the real situation indeed matched his predictions: At the darkest time of Nina’s life, Andrew gave her recognition and encouragement, they became a couple, and even had a relatively happy period.

But soon, Andrew got addicted to gambling. Although he didn’t have a formal job in the first place, he could at least take on odd jobs. After getting into gambling, he only thought of gambling more, and the money from odd jobs wasn’t enough. He started selling drugs, then debt collecting, and eventually joined the mob, mingling in the red light district.

He kept asking Nina for money, and since Nina didn’t have a formal job either, the money from odd jobs was just enough for her to buy medicine. So, Andrew kept dragging Nina to bars, constantly suggesting she drown her sorrows in alcohol, getting her addicted, and then introduced her to jobs in the red light district, continuously exploiting money from her.

Although expected, this storyline still made people angry. Just because of the initial shred of kindness from Andrew, Nina was willing to give her whole self to him, listening to him without question, never suspecting Andrew’s intent.

Initially, she wanted to find a proper job, but after getting used to the quick money route, she was getting deeper and deeper, now fully professional. She damaged her body and didn’t earn any money, all her money was taken away by Andrew.

In the end, the players felt more helpless than angry. You can’t expect everyone in this world to be extremely astute; sometimes, being astute isn’t even useful. Emotions are the greatest weapon of the human race, but also its greatest weakness. Once emotions take over, even the simplest traps feel like a guillotine.

Once a person falls into an unhealthy relationship, it’s difficult to escape. This kind of premeditated scam always cuts off the victim’s ability to receive outside help first, such as constantly brainwashing the victim, telling them their family and friends are out to harm them, preventing them from seeking advice from close ones.

Then they constantly suppress the person’s personality, making them feel they can’t live without them, even thinking they are already lucky to have found someone like that. No complex manipulation techniques are needed, after all, a traumatized person’s psychological defenses are fragile and can easily be broken through.

Once this manipulation relationship is built, trying to escape by one’s strength becomes impossible. The best solution Greed could think of is the intervention of social authority. Simply put, having the victim spend a few days in custody is the best way to break the brainwashing.

On one hand, the environment inside a prison is highly isolated, completely cutting off contact between the aggressor and the victim, which other methods can’t achieve. On the other hand, those who fall under such manipulation naturally fear authority, and the majesty of social authority allows them to find a new master, thus diminishing their fear of the previous one.

Of course, incarceration is somewhat extreme. If there’s any way, going to a compulsory psychiatric hospital might be better. Don’t underestimate the complexities of a psychiatric hospital, but at least you can stay alive if you’re isolated from the perpetrator.

Players chose to report to the police for this reason. The police might have countless faults, but they’re still better than gamblers and drug dealers. Andrew is a desperado, and considering the possibility of him showing up at any moment, it’s truly better to stay inside for a few days.

Nina might have gone to the hospital, but the players didn’t leave. The night Nina left, Andrew came knocking. This guy looked as skinny as a ghost, with sunken eyes and staggered steps; it was obvious he had hit a dead end.

Moreover, despite finding Nina not at home, he didn’t leave. He stayed, as if he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw Nina. The players were helpless, their ability to manipulate was limited. He was just an obstinate rascal—no matter if the sprinkler went off or the kitchen caught fire, he just wouldn’t leave.

Early the next morning, a group of dubious people came to the door, clearly up to no good. Once inside the house, they were even more unscrupulous, searching every corner. They took anything of value and, finally, even conducted a powder trade.

This angered the players: cheating people out of money was already evil enough, but turning someone’s home into a drug transaction site was going too far. By then, the house would be surrounded by dangerous characters, and at any moment one might rush in—how could Nina survive?

Additionally, Andrew wasn’t unable to leave. If he simply took a few steps and traded outside this neighborhood, it wouldn’t be a big issue. But he was persistent about doing it in this house. Simply put, he was deliberately causing Nina trouble. Once Nina was scared, she’d only have him to rely on, letting him become even more aggressive.

Although the players had seen through his sinister intentions, their strength was too weak, and they couldn’t leave the house. They had no means to expel him, only hoping Nina would stay in the hospital for a few more days, waiting for this scoundrel to lose patience and leave before returning.

Sadly, things didn’t go as hoped. Not even two days passed, and Nina was discharged and returned home. Even more unfortunate was that upon her return, Andrew was in the middle of handling his powder.

Of course, Nina wouldn’t knock when entering her own house; she opened the door and walked in. Behind her was a person who had pried open the door to save her that day—a female cop. She was a black woman, slightly older, looking around thirty, with a neat hairstyle and dressed in police uniform.

Nina entered, saw Andrew and his accomplices, froze for a moment, and then appeared flustered. She wanted to close the door to keep the policewoman out, but it was too late. Once inside, upon seeing what Andrew and his accomplices held, the policewoman’s expression turned instantly stern, and she drew her gun in the next moment.

Unexpectedly, Andrew was faster, grabbing Nina and pressing a knife against her neck.

"Wait, Madeline! There’s a misunderstanding here!" Nina shouted. "Put the gun down! He’s my boyfriend!"

But the police officer was very professional; she completely ignored Nina, instead staring at Andrew and his accomplices, with her gun aimed directly at them. Then she said, "Are you sure you want to take hostages?"

This was a severe warning. Selling drugs might land you behind bars, but bail is possible, and the sentence wouldn’t be too long. However, resorting to hostage-taking to resist arrest could mean a life sentence. Adding an assault on a police officer, most of your life could be wasted.

Andrew and his partner seemed a bit nervous too. With a bit of force on his end, Nina naturally felt it. She shouted under tearful strain: "No! He’s not holding me hostage! He’s just... I’m..."

Unfortunately, facing such a tricky situation, Nina panicked once more, hyperventilating and unable to speak. Andrew, growing bold with malice, tossed Nina onto the sofa nearby, while his accomplice charged at the policewoman.

Bang! A shot fired, and the accomplice dealing with Andrew was struck down instantly. However, as the policewoman was about to fire a second shot, Nina reared up from the sofa, lunging straight at her.

Standing by the policewoman’s side, Nina caught her off guard, pushing her to stagger. Meanwhile, Andrew pulled out a gun, aimed, and fired all in a smooth motion.

In the critical moment, Deathstroke acted fast, swiftly darting to the muzzle, pressing it down with maximum force. A bang echoed—the bullet meant for the policewoman’s chest struck her right thigh instead—but the policewoman still convulsed and fell.

"Femoral artery rupture!" Greed shouted. "Stop the bleeding! Quickly!!!"