White Queen

Chapter 7: White Queen

The car drove freely along the empty road, with vast plains stretching out on both sides. Zhang Ye left a crack in the window, and the fresh air poured in continuously, making Zhang Ye's breathing turn greedy.

On the second day after leaving Washington D.C., Zhang Ye was surprised to find that he had seemingly arrived in "heaven" directly from hell. The journey was smooth and unobstructed; there was no chaos, no smell of blood, and certainly none of those damned gangsters.

This left Zhang Ye somewhat astonished, and his long-tensed heart began to lower its guard.

It wasn't until this evening, while Zhang Ye and Pietro were resting halfway, that they saw a motorcyclist from a circus use his own life to complete the final "extreme sport" of his existence.

The man poured an entire bucket of gasoline over his head, then climbed onto his motorcycle. Without a moment's hesitation, he flicked his lighter. In an instant, his head was engulfed in explosive flames, and his figure sped off into the distance, accompanied by the roar of the engine.

Even from far away, Zhang Ye could hear the piercing screams. Pietro's mouth hung wide open for a long time; even he had never witnessed such a terrifying act.

The flesh on the man's head was quickly burned into grease by the flames, leaving behind only a skull wrapped in fire, as if a Ghost Rider from hell were rampaging across this land.

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

He didn't bother with what happened afterward. The "physical transformation" of Johnny Blaze served as a wake-up call for Zhang Ye: no matter how beautiful this world appeared, hidden beneath it was a depravity and despair that could not be saved.

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

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

"Long enough. It'll be dawn soon." Zhang Ye parked the car in a public lot. "Rest up. Once the orphanage opens, remember: everything goes according to plan."

"Got it. I'm going to refuel first." Pietro replied, then grabbed a full bag of donuts from the backseat.

To be honest, Zhang Ye didn't want to have too much contact with the heroes of this world, because he knew nothing about them. No one knew if these lunatics would end up helping him or killing him.

Pietro was fine; he was just a tragic teenager whose psyche hadn't been polluted to the point of no return by this world. But the others were hard to say. Just how twisted the minds of those struggling to survive under the oppression of President X had become, even Zhang Ye couldn't be sure.

At dawn, the small town gradually became lively. The people in town continued their day-to-day work. Although it was dull, compared to other places, this was undoubtedly one of the few remaining pure lands in the American territory.

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

This orphanage was personally funded by Emma. It was affiliated with the "New Generation Church," also founded by Emma. Zhang Ye didn't know much about this church, only that it was created to better nurture the next generation, and most of its believers were expectant mothers.

The establishment of the orphanage was meant to help children who were homeless or even abandoned by their parents. It was said that to build this place, Emma had contributed more than half of her net worth, which earned her the best reputation in the American territory through nationwide newspapers.

Almost everyone associated Emma with the word "kindness," but Zhang Ye had already prepared for the worst. He truly didn't believe that such a benevolent person could exist in this damned world.

"Hello, is there anything we can help you with?" After entering the orphanage, a nun quickly stopped Zhang Ye.

Looking at the smile and enthusiastic posture of the nun, Zhang Ye also smiled. "Hello, I am a reporter from the New York Times. I'm here to see Ms. Emma Frost, and I hope she can grant me an interview."

"The New York Times?!" The nun was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. The New York Times was no small brand; what was published there could be seen nationwide. Likewise, this paper wasn't something just anyone could get into—Emma had only been featured once. "Oh, an interview? Follow me."

Zhang Ye followed the nun into the orphanage. He had to admit, the environment here was truly excellent. The architectural style was similar to a monastery, with a large number of plants in the courtyard and the sound of birdsong filling the air. Walking here made Zhang Ye's mood improve.

"Please wait here for a moment, I will go inform her." The nun bowed slightly to Zhang Ye, and after receiving a nod in response, she turned and left.

Before long, a woman wearing a white ceremonial robe walked slowly from the distance with the nun.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye couldn't help but feel nervous. He immediately pinched himself hard, then stood up, took the camera that Quicksilver had swiped from somewhere, and flashed a smile at Emma. "Ms. Frost, may I take a photo of you now? You are truly, absolutely beautiful."

"Of course." Emma did not refuse the request of this proactive man. She stopped in her tracks and smiled slightly.

Emma's voice was pleasant, possessing a thick, mature charm that was very seductive. Combined with her face, Zhang Ye believed that the vast majority of men could not resist such a beautiful woman.

The pure white ceremonial robe she wore made her look so holy. The two styles—a pure angel and a seductive demon—appearing on the same person made one unable to help but want to approach her and become her captive.

Click!

The camera made a crisp sound. Zhang Ye quickly lowered the camera and walked toward Emma Frost. "Thank you for your generosity. I believe this photo will make the front page of the next issue, unless my editor is blind.

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

Zhang Ye spoke very quickly. He understood that when facing someone with telepathic abilities, one must never let the other party's mind actively invade. The best method was to seize the initiative, constantly asking questions or changing the subject to make the other party's mind follow his own.

"No need to look, I trust you. And of course, you don't need to be nervous." Emma clearly sensed the nervousness of the young man in front of her, but she didn't find it off-putting.

Hearing this, Zhang Ye couldn't help but shrug and make a funny face.

"Oh, sorry, Ms. Frost, but that's asking the impossible. I believe there isn't a man in the world who could remain calm in the face of your moving beauty. If there really were one, I'd have to question that person's sexual orientation."

Zhang Ye's words drew laughter from Emma and the nun. Emma then waved her hand to dismiss the nun, and she herself walked over to Zhang Ye with her long legs.

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

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

Zhang Ye sat down across from Emma without a moment's delay and opened his notebook, a somewhat "honest" smile appearing on his face.

On the other side of the orphanage.

Relying on his immense speed, Quicksilver entered the orphanage without attracting anyone's attention. The nuns appeared to be ordinary people, and there were countless blind spots in the orphanage's surveillance, making his infiltration effortless.

Hidden in the shadows, Pietro opened his phone and checked the time. Pietro knew that Zhang Ye's side had likely already begun the plan, and it was time for him to act.

Suddenly, a new message popped up.

Pietro looked down; it was from Zhang Ye.

[It's too quiet. Find the children!]