Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 70

All the doubts, guidance from intuition, and deliberate or unintentional tests had found their answers at this very moment. The last bit of uncertainty had finally become certainty. Staring at the person in front of him, Zhou Qian thought—all that’s left is for him to admit it.

Not far away, the northern side of the wetland was ablaze with rising flames and billowing smoke.

Zhou Qian, having evolved through continuous mutations, was hardly affected.

However, Ryan was clearly apprehensive. Despite wearing an advanced mask with strong filtration, when he caught a glimpse of the surrounding black smoke, he frowned and coughed involuntarily.

Ryan then glared at Zhou Qian with clear anger, madness, resentment, and a hint of fear in his eyes, signaling that he was still under the influence of the “Sarah” state.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so you’re not allowed to break character, huh?”

It seemed Ryan didn’t understand and didn’t reply. With an intimidating tone, Zhou Qian asked, “But because of you, I was punched several times by Wu Song. How will you settle this score?”

Another gust of smoke swept over, coating Ryan’s clothing and mask with ash. For a moment, Zhou Qian could barely see his expression.

After sizing him up, Zhou Qian finally decided to move, leading him further south, where towering trees and dense mutated shrubs could temporarily block the smoke.

After a short walk, they indeed found a location almost untouched by the smoke and flames. Glancing thoughtfully at Ryan, Zhou Qian laughed, but there was a hint of cunning and cruelty in his eyes.

“Alright, so no breaking character. Make sure to keep that up.”

As he spoke, Zhou Qian took out several items from his bag. Among them, a wig and contact lenses were purchased from the system trade. The set of witch robes was something he had removed from his own attire earlier.

Soon, the noise of propellers and engines echoed as several helicopters hovered nearby. They were obviously looking for Mayor Ryan. Due to the interference from the smoke and towering trees, they couldn’t pinpoint Zhou Qian and Ryan’s exact location.

A loud broadcast then rang out, “Monster! Release Mayor Ryan! Or you will be annihilated!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian smiled at Ryan. “Your people speak so strangely. Since they’re going to kill me anyway, why should I release you?”

“What do you want?” Ryan clenched his fists, looking visibly paler.

Zhou Qian glanced at him with an “I’m just watching your performance” look and said, “Why don’t you transform into Sarah? I’m quite curious about how you do it.”

Ryan: “…..”

Zhou Qian stepped closer, reaching for Ryan’s collar, and searched for a zipper. Once found, he began to unzip Ryan’s outfit.

“I know, you’re not transforming because you’re hoping your troops will come any moment now.”

After instructing the vines to loosen their grip, Zhou Qian removed Ryan’s jacket and continued, “Actually, I’ve always been curious about something. Why did some of the top officials in your army aid and abet you? Now I think they were deceived by you.”

“They believed it was just an accidental scientific experiment and that telling the public would only cause unnecessary panic, which is reason one.”

“Reason two, you might have told them that letting those kids live would spread radiation to others. After all, these army officials don’t really understand your research.”

“They believed you were working for the greater good. In their eyes, killing some children now is better for the long-term good of the town. They thought the technology you were developing at the base would bring tangible benefits to the town. But if—”

“What if they find out you’re actually Witch Sarah? Moreover—”

“What will happen when the witches from the Witch Association find out that the witch they respect is actually Mayor Ryan, who has killed many of their kind?”

Seemingly realizing what Zhou Qian was getting at, Ryan’s pupils dilated in fear. He immediately said in a low voice, “My device, it’s useless to you! Only I can activate it! I will never tell you how to use it. You can’t possibly contact anyone—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because he saw Zhou Qian holding something—a cell phone.

“When I was at the Witch Association’s base, I asked Eva for a phone. Now, it’s time for her to know the truth. For a mother like her, knowing the truth means realizing she has killed her own child, implying that her lifelong beliefs will crumble from this point on—”

“But she shouldn’t live a lie. She deserves the truth.”

By this point, Ryan’s fear was palpable. But moments later, he managed to regain some composure.

As if reading his thoughts, Zhou Qian said with a smile, “You might think you can justify it to the government troops. And you might consider giving up on the witches. They’re few in number and can’t pose much of a threat. They could set up their base largely because you, posing as Mayor Ryan, covered for them. Without you, they’re nothing, right?

“But what if—there’s more I can do?”

“What… What are you implying?”

Ryan suddenly looked terrified, shaking uncontrollably. It was the kind of reaction a person has when facing the collapse of their dreams—a mix of anger, despair, and unwillingness. How could he accept everything he’d meticulously planned being destroyed? How could he accept the adoration and love of thousands collapsing?

No way.

This monster couldn’t possibly achieve that!

But Zhou Qian intended to do just that. Holding up the phone, he said to Ryan with a cruel smile on his face—

“At the government’s fertility center, I got the phone numbers of all the pregnant women. Your tech is indeed advanced. This phone supports group chats with so many participants. It’s like I’m hosting a live stream for all the pregnant women… or even everyone in town.”

Upon connecting the group video call, Zhou Qian personally fitted Ryan with a golden wig. During the process, a butterfly, commanded by Zhou Qian, held the phone’s camera focused on Ryan.

Next, Zhou Qian put blue contact lenses on Ryan, ensuring that the butterfly gave a close-up of Ryan’s eyes for the viewers.

The townspeople and the government troops, who saw this via the broadcast, initially worried about their mayor’s fate after being kidnapped by this terrifying creature. Their hearts ached for him; some wished they could trade places with him.

Meanwhile, the witches uniformly watched through Eva’s phone. Initially, they gloated over the mayor’s predicament, hoping for his demise.

But no one expected Zhou Qian to put a wig and contact lenses on Ryan and then produce a dress.

Zhou Qian then spoke. At first, he seemed malicious, but upon closer listening, there was an inexplicable teasing tone.

“Do you want me to undress you and then put this dress on you? Or will you transform for them to see?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>