White Queen

The car cruised freely down the deserted road. Vast plains stretched along both sides, and Zhang Ye left a crack in the window, letting fresh air continuously pour in and making him breathe greedily.

On the second day after leaving Washington D.C., Zhang Ye was surprised to find that he seemed to have gone straight from hell to "heaven." The journey had been completely unimpeded—no chaos, no smell of blood, and none of those damned gangs.

It left Zhang Ye somewhat baffled, and the tension that had gripped his heart for so long began to ease.

Until this evening, when Zhang Ye and Pietro stopped to rest halfway through their journey, they saw a circus motorcyclist use his life to complete the final "extreme sport" of his lifetime.

The man poured an entire barrel of gasoline over his head, then mounted his motorcycle. Without the slightest hesitation, he flicked on a lighter. In an instant, explosive flames engulfed his head, and amid the roar of the engine, he shot away at breakneck speed.

Even from far away, Zhang Ye could hear the piercing screams. Pietro's mouth hung open for a long time. Even he had never seen anything so horrifying.

The flesh and blood on the man's head was quickly burned into grease by the flames, until only a flaming skull remained. Like a Ghost Rider from hell, he raced wildly across the land.

From a sign posted at the entrance to the circus, Zhang Ye quickly found the man's name—Johnny Blaze.

He did not bother with what happened afterward. Johnny Blaze's "physical transformation" had sounded an alarm for Zhang Ye. No matter how beautiful this world appeared on the surface, beneath it lay only despair and depravity beyond salvation.

"Wake up, we're almost there." Seeing the town slowly emerge in the night, Zhang Ye patted Pietro beside him.

"So soon? How long did I sleep?" Pietro yawned.

"Long enough. It'll be dawn soon." Zhang Ye parked the car in a public lot. "Get some rest. We'll wait for the Orphanage to open. Remember, stick to the plan."

"Got it. I'll replenish my energy first." Pietro replied, then pulled a bulging bag of donuts from the back seat.

To be honest, Zhang Ye did not want much contact with the heroes of this world. He knew nothing about them, and no one could say whether these lunatics would ultimately help him or kill him.

Pietro was all right. He was only a tragic teenager whose mind had not yet been corrupted beyond saving by this world. But the others were harder to judge. Even Zhang Ye could not determine how twisted those people, barely surviving under President X's oppression, had become.

By morning, the town gradually came alive. Its residents continued their day-after-day work. It was dull, but compared with other places, this was undoubtedly one of the few remaining havens in America.

Zhang Ye patted his face, put on a professional smile, and walked straight through the gates of the Orphanage.

This Orphanage had been personally funded by Emma. It belonged to the New Generation Church, which had also been established by Emma. Zhang Ye did not know much about the church, only that it had been created to better nurture the next generation, with most of its followers being pregnant mothers.

The Orphanage had been built to help children with nowhere to go, even those abandoned by their parents. It was said that Emma had spent more than half her fortune constructing it, earning her America's finest reputation through newspapers distributed nationwide.

Almost everyone associated Emma with the word "kindness," but Zhang Ye had already prepared himself for the worst. He truly did not believe a person so genuinely good could exist in this damned world.

"Hello, how can we help you?" Not long after Zhang Ye entered the Orphanage, a nun stopped him.

Looking at the smile on the nun's face and her warm manner, Zhang Ye smiled as well. "Hello, I'm a reporter from the New York Times. I'm here to see Ms. Emma Frost and hope she'll accept an interview."

"The New York Times?!" The nun froze for a moment, then immediately recovered. The New York Times was no small publication; its articles could be seen across the country. Likewise, it was not a newspaper just anyone could appear in. Emma herself had only been featured once. "So it's an interview. Please follow me."

Zhang Ye followed the nun deeper into the Orphanage. He had to admit, the environment here was truly excellent. Its architectural style resembled a Monastery, with abundant plants growing throughout the courtyard and birdsong filling the air. Walking through it even lifted Zhang Ye's mood.

"Please wait here for a moment. I'll go inform her." The nun gave Zhang Ye a slight bow, then turned and left after he nodded.

Before long, a woman in pure white ceremonial robes slowly approached from the distance with the nun.

At the sight of her, Zhang Ye could not help growing nervous. He immediately pinched himself hard, then stood up, took the camera Quicksilver had stolen from who knew where, and smiled at Emma. "Ms. Frost, may I take a picture of you now? You really are stunningly beautiful."

"Of course." Emma did not refuse the request of the forward man before her. She stopped walking and smiled faintly.

Emma's voice was lovely, carrying the mature allure of an older woman. It was deeply seductive, and paired with her face, Zhang Ye believed most men would be unable to resist such a beautiful woman.

The pure white ceremonial robes she wore made her seem utterly holy. The styles of a pure Angel and a seductive devil coexisted within the same person, making one unable to resist approaching her and becoming her captive.

Click!

The camera gave a crisp sound. Zhang Ye swiftly lowered it and walked toward Emma Frost. "Thank you for your generosity. I'm sure this photo will make the front page of the next issue—unless our editor-in-chief is blind.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zhang Ye. You can call me Zhang. I joined the New York Times just last week as a reporter. Would you like to see my press card?"

Zhang Ye spoke very quickly. He understood that when facing someone with telepathic abilities, he could never allow her thoughts to take the initiative and invade his mind. The best method was to seize the initiative himself, constantly asking questions or changing the subject so that her thoughts followed his lead.

"No need. I believe you. And you don't need to be nervous." Emma could clearly sense the nervousness of the young man before her, but she did not dislike it.

At that, Zhang Ye could not help shrugging and making a face.

"Oh, sorry, Ms. Frost, but you're asking the impossible. I don't believe any man in the world could remain completely calm in the face of your breathtaking beauty. If there were one, I'd have to question his sexual orientation."

Zhang Ye's words drew bursts of laughter from Emma and the nun. Emma then waved for the nun to withdraw, while she herself walked over to Zhang Ye on her long legs.

"Just call me Emma. Sit down. I'll accept your interview."

"Thank you so much. Honestly, I think I should mark today down as my lucky day!"

Zhang Ye promptly sat across from Emma and opened the notebook in his hands. A somewhat "simple and honest" smile appeared on his face.

On the other side of the Orphanage.

With his incredible speed, Quicksilver entered the Orphanage without drawing anyone's notice. The nuns appeared to be ordinary people, and the Orphanage had countless blind spots in its surveillance coverage, making his infiltration effortless.

Hidden in the shadows, Pietro took out his phone and checked the time. He knew Zhang Ye had probably already begun the plan, and it was time for him to act as well.

Suddenly, a new message popped up.

Pietro looked down and saw that it was from Zhang Ye.

It's too quiet. Look for the children!