(Lirean Province- Capitol City)
(Outer Regions- St. Cheng's Highway)
"There is no need for that…" Qin Lan politely spoke as she kept a careful eye on the guns pointed in her direction.
She fidgeted uncomfortably as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest suddenly intensify as the words flowed out of her mouth.
"You should not think that I am a threat… I am just a poor defenseless woman trying to escape the city," Qin Lan whispered softly.
"Why would you need to check my van? All that is inside are limited supplies… I barely have enough water or food…"
"Please have rcy and escort to the other side…"
The soldier who was approaching the van to perform the inspection froze in place as his pupils dilated.
He turned around and walked back towards his commanding officer.
The middle-aged military officer should have reprimanded him for his insubordination, but Qin Lan's words had insidiously burrowed into his mind.
"The military has the responsibility to protect civilians in tis of crisis," Qin Lan tried to appeal to their sense of duty.
"Please… escort to the other side of the bridge… I do not want any trouble and I have no plans to be hostile."
All the soldiers whose guns were pointing in Qin Lan's direction slowly lowered their weapons as their eyes glazed over.
"Yes… we should… escort you…" the military officer slowly muttered.
One of the soldiers in the back of the group looked slightly confused but as the warm and fuzzy feeling in Qin Lan's chest intensified…
His pupils gradually dilated and the fear and doubt that had been plaguing his mind disappeared in an instant.
"Yes?" Qin Lan replied in shock.
She didn't expect that these military soldiers would be so reasonable and kind!
Maybe it was because it was still the early days of the apocalypse and societal order had not fully broken down yet.
"Please get back in your van and we will escort you to the other side of the bridge," the military officer kindly spoke.
He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to help this civilian instead of his initial plan to kill her and take any valuables left inside her vehicle but…
Sohow what he was doing felt both natural and right as if it was an idea that he had co up with all on his own.
The officer raised up his hand and made the secret gesture for his troops to stand down. The soldiers in the distance lowered their guns.
Qin Lan was feeling a bit hesitant since things were going smoother than she anticipated.
"Thank you for your help… I am grateful that you decided to protect my safety," Qin Lan warmly spoke.
The soldiers in front of her froze briefly and then bright smiles flashed across their faces.
Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she finally noticed that sothing was a bit strange.
So of the soldiers opened their mouths to reassure the seemingly fragile woman that everything was going to be okay.
"No problem, ma'am!"
"We will protect you with our lives!"
"Don't worry! We will escort you to the other side of the bridge!"
Qin Lan nodded in response and hurriedly walked back to the van and sat in the driver's seat.
She could not help but recall what had just happened and a confused look surfaced on her face.
She lightly stepped on the acceleration pedal and the van moved forward at a snail's pace.
The soldiers fell into a fan-shaped formation around her vehicle as they slowly travelled across the bridge.
Occasionally the military officer would shout sothing to the soldiers that they encountered along the way.
Clearly, he was a man in a high position since none of the soldiers dared to question his orders.
Eventually they arrived at the middle section of the bridge where dozens of cars were piled up together to form a makeshift barricade.
"Clear a path! Deng Lun! Get your n to shift so of the cars out of the way!" the military officer ordered loudly.
"Yes sir!" a handso man with short hair walked over and saluted. He gestured using his right hand and ten n walked over.
They slowly began moving so of the cars to the side. Qin Lan sat in the driver's seat and watched them struggle without planning to go outside and help them.
Her strength was a hidden card that she wanted to save in case of an ergency.
The four teenagers in the car were still hiding by keeping their bodies close to the bottom of the seats.
"We should be leaving soon… just endure for ten more minutes…" Qin Lan whispered under the breath.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly as a strange thought entered her mind.
Her power… was it sothing to do with hypnosis?
Mind control?
Wait… but then how did the original Qin Lan expect her to kill? No…
The horrifying reality of the original Qin Lan's first request was finally revealed.
If she possessed a mind control ability, then she could order people to kill themselves and they would.
She could manipulate people like puppets dancing on strings. Brother would turn against brother with a single word…
Faithful lovers would kill each other with a simple request…
And even darker possibilities…
Qin Lan frowned slightly as her fingers tapped against the side of the steering wheel.
Of course, this was just her theory, and she would have to do so testing to make sure that her gift was actually mind control.
And the reality was that in these dangerous tis… she could not afford to not use what would be her greatest weapon.
She just needed to be careful and only use it as a last resort. Qin Lan was not comfortable with ssing with people's minds.
"All done sir!" Lt. Deng shouted loudly as he flipped over a red car with so help from his subordinates.
A large van-sized gap had now been opened up in the left side of the barricade and it was just large enough for Qin Lan's vehicle to pass through.
"Thank you… but you do not need to escort any further," Qin Lan stuck her head out of the window and spoke to the military officer.
The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest bubbled up and this ti she carefully looked at the middle-aged man's face as she spoke.
Qin Lan's eyes widened in shock as she saw the man's pupils dilate as his facial expressions beca wooden for a mont.
"Yes… well I wish you all the best on your journey and please stay safe," the officer replied naturally after the mont had passed.
Qin Lan hesitantly nodded and drove the van into the gap. The red vehicle gradually got further and further away in the distance until it vanished from sight.
"Sir! Why did you let them go?" Lt. Deng asked in confusion.
"Are you questioning my orders?" the middle-aged officer growled fiercely.
"Clearly soone has too much free ti… go and repair the hole that you've just made in the barricade!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)