A deathly silence hung in the air. Four pairs of eyes converged on Li Sang simultaneously, making her wonder if she had said something wrong.
However, after mentally replaying her words, she felt that she hadn’t made a mistake. She was simply telling the truth.
Regardless, the weight of those gazes was hard to ignore.
Initially, when Jiang Tai’an heard these things relayed by Uncle Lin, he thought they were absurd. But after personally finding Xu Jiao and her “space that could store all things,” he was starting to believe Li Sang.
However…
The way Li Sang had spoken those words with such absolute certainty—as if she had known everything all along—was truly impossible to overlook.
How did she know these things?
Li Sang had never explained. She had only told Uncle Lin that she was trustworthy.
Because of what Li Sang just said, Jiang Tai’an’s gaze, which had been fixed on Xu Jiao, slowly shifted toward Li Sang.
He opened his mouth, about to ask something, but Xu Jiao beat him to it. “How do you know that?”
This was exactly what Jiang Tai’an wanted to ask. It was also what Ling Lan and Qi Yan were thinking.
How Li Sang knew these secrets had suddenly become the focal point.
Becoming the center of attention, Li Sang’s gaze flickered. She coughed twice, and then her eyes suddenly grew resolute. “That isn’t important. All you need to know is that what I said is true.”
With that, she forcefully steered the conversation back on track. “So, are you willing to tell the truth now? Are you a ‘reborn’ person, and do you have a spatial dimension that can store everything?”
Her voice was firm, carrying a gravity that couldn’t be ignored. Xu Jiao was immediately drawn in by her words, losing interest in whether Li Sang’s previous statements were true. Instead, she immediately shook her head in denial. “No. What ‘reborn’? I wasn’t reborn.”
As long as she refused to admit it, what could these people do to her?
“Captain Jiang, I’m out of ideas. You take over.”
Hearing Xu Jiao’s denial, Li Sang chose to give up in a split second. She turned to look at Jiang Tai’an and gave a helpless shrug. By signaling her withdrawal, she was indicating that Jiang Tai’an could use his own methods.
Seeing this, Xu Jiao thought her stubbornness had paid off, and a flicker of joy rose in her heart. But before she could enjoy it for long, Jiang Tai’an’s hand, which had been resting casually on the seat, moved slowly toward his waist. He drew a gun.
The firearm spun nimbly in his hand before the dark muzzle leveled off, pointing straight at Xu Jiao.
The moment she saw the black hole of the barrel aimed at her, Xu Jiao’s eyes widened. She recoiled, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “Wh-what are you doing?”
Jiang Tai’an answered coldly, “To prevent you from taking actions that harm the State or the public interest, we will restrict your movements until your stance is clarified.”
“This will not threaten your physical safety; it will only limit your freedom.”
Sitting beside Jiang Tai’an, Li Sang provided a simple translation of his “official-speak.”
Once he finished, she added, “Basically, they’ll lock you up. They’ll bring you food at set times every day, but you won’t be able to contact anyone. You’ll be completely cut off from the outside world.”
After speaking, as if fearing Xu Jiao wouldn’t believe her, she added a redundant question to Jiang Tai’an: “Right, Captain Jiang?”
Jiang Tai’an shot her a glance but ultimately nodded.
If Xu Jiao refused to join the State, this would indeed be her fate.
With such a powerful spatial dimension, the consequences would be severe if the State allowed her to use it at her own discretion during the apocalypse.
How could the State be sure that the supplies Xu Jiao stockpiled in her space were only enough for herself? What if she hoarded resources far exceeding her needs?
In the extreme environment of the apocalypse, every extra item Xu Jiao hoarded that she couldn’t use meant one more person would starve to death.
From the State’s perspective, such an existence could never be permitted to roam free.
Furthermore, when the comet disintegrated, it wouldn’t just be China under fire—other nations across the ocean would be as well. Thinking globally, anyone with such a powerful ability would be a target for every country.
What if Xu Jiao, possessing this power, was scouted by another nation and took all of the country’s remaining post-apocalyptic supplies with her?
Therefore, if she refused to join the State, her freedom would absolutely be stripped away.
With every sentence Li Sang uttered, Xu Jiao’s face grew darker. Especially after she saw Jiang Tai’an nod.
It didn’t take a genius to see that Jiang Tai’an was the backbone and leader of this team; his word was absolute authority.
In other words, everything this girl just said was true!
If she didn’t join the State to fight the apocalypse together, she would be imprisoned indefinitely.
While her physical safety might be guaranteed, Xu Jiao couldn’t stand the thought of it. She was someone who valued freedom, someone who loved traveling across the country. If she were forced to spend the rest of her life in a sealed room, she’d rather die.
But soon, the girl’s voice rose again.
“However, if you choose to fight the apocalypse alongside the State, the State will guarantee your absolute safety—and the safety of your family.”
“Your freedom won’t be restricted. You’ll just need to let the State use your space when necessary.”
Hearing Li Sang actively helping with the persuasion, Jiang Tai’an’s deep, dark gaze lingered on her for a moment before he picked up where she left off. “I assume the reason you divorced your husband after being reborn is that he did something to betray you after the apocalypse began.”
At the mention of Liu Cheng, a look of disgust and loathing appeared in Xu Jiao’s eyes, and her fists clenched involuntarily.
“In certain necessary moments,” Jiang Tai’an continued, “the State will not stop you from giving up on a person’s life.”
For instance, if they were surrounded by zombies and couldn’t guarantee everyone’s safety, a “necessary sacrifice” would be acceptable.
Li Sang, who had just been thinking that Jiang Tai’an’s emotional intelligence was too low, was quite surprised. How was this possible? She had honestly thought his EQ was in the negatives.
As soon as he said this, Xu Jiao’s eyes lit up. She was beginning to be swayed.
With the State as her backing, she wouldn’t even have to be secretive about hoarding supplies anymore.
More importantly, she had considered this: her spatial dimension didn’t allow for long-term human habitation. It was essentially a massive freezer; humans couldn’t get oxygen in there. she could only stay inside briefly to put things in or take them out.
Having such a space didn’t necessarily mean she had the ability to protect herself. But with a team responsible for her safety, she would no longer have to worry about that.
Just as Xu Jiao reached this point in her thoughts, a voice asked, “So, what is your decision?”
Her resolve hardened, and Xu Jiao’s voice became certain. “I believe that contributing to the prosperity of the motherland is an obligation that every citizen should uphold.”