Qiu Ran clenched her fists, trembling all over.
She tightened her arms around Nomi's broken body. A layer of reddish-black briefly stained her bright eyes before vanishing in an instant.
"So we deserved to become your test subjects?"
"Before I came here, I was just a repairwoman working away from home... Because I was labeled an 'Esha Infected,' I spent three whole years in Nethermark Humanity."
"Three years."
Qiu Ran clenched her fists, her whole body shaking. The surrounding temperature visibly rose, and the heated air began to warp faintly. Rage burned in her eyes, yet her voice was cold as iron:
"My younger siblings, my family—the people I was supposed to protect—just because you said, 'You are an Esha Infected,' I left them without a word."
Tears glistened in Qiu Ran's eyes, only to rapidly evaporate under the heat. "No news, no contact. This year was when they took their college entrance exams, but I couldn't cheer them on or make them a lucky breakfast. Other students had their parents and families with them, while their older sister—the one who should have been by their side—was undergoing 'treatment' in Nethermark Humanity!"
She reached out and grabbed Nordly's hand. The latter let out a muffled groan, and the smell of scorched flesh immediately rose from her hand.
"I was terrified that I'd infect them with my Malefic Calamity, turn them into those deformed, ugly monsters, and ruin their futures—now you're telling me Malefic Calamity never existed?"
Nordly opened her mouth. The pain of the burns was unbearable, but when she met Qiu Ran's gaze, she could not cry out in agony.
Compared to anger... there was even more sorrow in Qiu Ran's eyes.
She certainly hated Nordly and all of Nethermark Humanity for deceiving her, but that truly meant little.