The moment I saw the three of them, my whole body relaxed.
With them here, I felt as though I had something to rely on.
Perhaps Old Shu was right. I really did depend on them too much.
I looked at Abe Ichinan. She had not lied to me. Even if she had not stopped me, Duan Hongbin and the others would not have let me push open that door. Still, deep down, I thought more highly of her.
It seemed this was not some ploy to win sympathy.
"I'm taking her with me," I said.
Duan Hongbin and Chu Ge both glanced at her, while Eccentric Song looked indifferent.
Duan Hongbin nodded. "All right."
But Abe Ichinan shook her head. "I won't go with you. I've already made one mistake. I can't make another."
I knew the mistake she meant was failing to attack me. Perhaps, in her eyes, that had been a betrayal of her organization—or a betrayal of the Island Nation.
"Do you know what staying here means? You may be subjected to endless torture."
She gave a bitter smile. "Even so, I won't go with you. Otherwise, I'll never be able to face my family again."
I hesitated. She had her principles, her bottom line. In truth, so did I.
Eccentric Song coughed lightly. "All right, you've done what you needed to do. Leave now. This isn't a place to linger." Chu Ge nodded as well. Duan Hongbin said, "Wuyin Chuanjie locked her up here because he wanted you to push open the door next door. Once you did, if we weren't by your side, do you know what the consequences would be?"
I shook my head.
"It might perform Body Snatching. It would devour your soul, take over your body, and you would cease to