Chapter 142: Left to the Wild
Hearing Xiu's final, scathing words – accusing Xiaoyuan of foolishly trusting him, implicating her in his downfall – seemed to trigger something primal in Shota.
His earlier fear and pain were momentarily eclipsed by a surge of pure, incandescent rage. He thrashed violently against the ropes binding him, letting out an incoherent scream of fury, his face contorting, veins bulging on his neck. He looked like a cornered animal, desperate to lash out, to tear apart the source of his humiliation.
Xiu calmly leaned back, easily avoiding the desperate lunges, watching Shota's furious outburst with detached amusement. He casually tossed the iron poker aside, letting it clatter onto the stone floor, then leaned closer again, his voice dripping with mock sympathy beneath the cheerful Jigglypuff mask.
"But I should still thank you, Shota," Xiu purred softly, twisting the psychological knife. "Honestly? I've disliked that 'Miss Yuan' for a while now. Always acting so high and mighty. How did someone so naive, so incompetent, end up managing such an important part of the boss's operations? Utterly crazy." He paused, letting the poison seep in. "Your… missteps… they provide the perfect opportunity. The perfect excuse to finally demonstrate her failures, push her out. Maybe," he added thoughtfully, "I can even take over her position myself. Thanks to you, of course."
"Ah! I'll kill you!" Shota roared again, renewed fury giving him a burst of strength. He strained against the ropes, the rough fibers biting deeper into his wrists, drawing blood. Each movement sent jolts of agony through his burned torso, but his rage seemed to override the pain. He glared at Xiu with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"Still thinking you're in a position to make threats?" Xiu chuckled softly. He leaned even closer, whispering conspiratorially right into Shota's ear. "Don't you think she likes you? Maybe secretly? A little workplace romance?"
He let the suggestive question hang for a beat, then continued, his tone turning cold again. "Doesn't matter now, does it? Once I present the evidence of your failings, directly linked to her poor judgment in hiring and supervising you… she'll be finished. And don't worry," he added with chilling reassurance, "I'll be sure to 'take care' of her personally once she's out. Thank you for the opportunity."
The combination of the physical agony, the humiliation, and now this insidious psychological attack – suggesting not only Shota's own downfall but also the ruin of the one person who had apparently shown him kindness, potentially at Xiu's own hands – finally shattered Shota's will completely. The fight drained out of him. He let out a choked, strangled sob, a sound of utter despair, his mind seemingly breaking under the pressure.
Kurokawa, watching from the shadows, saw the ropes binding Shota suddenly go taut, straining against his weight as Shota's body went limp, consciousness perhaps mercifully deserting him. But then, Shota began to twitch, strange guttural sounds escaping his lips. Kurokawa felt a surge of genuine fear, glancing nervously towards Xiu, seeking reassurance, some sign that the masked figure still had control.
But Xiu remained perfectly calm, observing Shota's breakdown with the detached interest of a scientist watching a chemical reaction. The earlier adrenaline-fueled burst, the desperate rage… it was like water without a source, quickly depleting Shota's remaining physical and mental reserves. Kurokawa watched as Shota's struggles ceased, replaced by a vacant stare, a look of utter hopelessness. Defeated.
"Ha~ Giving up already?" Xiu sneered softly, his tone dripping with contempt. "So disappointing." He leaned forward again. "I hear you have family, Shota? Parents? A younger brother you were supposedly doing all this for? Trying to earn enough to send him to a good school, wasn't that the story?"
Shota didn't respond, didn't even seem to register the words. His head lolled forward, eyes fixed blankly on the dirt floor.
"Pity," Xiu continued conversationally. "This embezzled money… it's definitely not enough to cover support your family and pay for your brother's tuition. Looks like he'll have to go back to working in the mines, or whatever it is poor folks do." He paused, leaning closer again, whispering with feigned sympathy. "Don't worry, though. While you're… indisposed… I'll be sure to check in on your family too. Take good care of them for you."
He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small, sharp utility knife. He casually tested the edge against his thumb, then held it lightly against Shota's neck, applying just enough pressure to draw a single bead of blood.
Seeing the knife, Kurokawa finally couldn't remain silent. "Sir," he began hesitantly, his voice trembling slightly, "this… this isn't necessary… killing him… it could cause… complications…"
Xiu glanced back at Kurokawa, annoyed by the interruption. "Complications?" he echoed dismissively. "You've been in Viridian City long enough, Kurokawa. You know how dangerous the Viridian Forest gets, especially during the summer migration season. Pokémon attacks… people go missing… tragic, but entirely normal, wouldn't you say?" The implication was chillingly clear. An 'unfortunate accident'.
Shota, hearing this, seemed to understand his fate was sealed. The last flicker of light died in his eyes, leaving only dull resignation.
Kurokawa swallowed hard, daring not to argue further. He knew nothing. Saw nothing. His own family was waiting for him. Getting involved further was unthinkable.
Suddenly, a faint electronic beep-beep sound came from Xiu's pocket. "Uh! So soon?" Xiu muttered distractedly, seemingly annoyed by the interruption. He casually tossed the knife towards Kurokawa, who fumbled and almost dropped it before catching it instinctively. Xiu then made a sharp, throat-slitting gesture towards the still-suspended Shota. "I trust you know how to handle this," he stated flatly, his voice reverting to the cold, electronic tone.
Without waiting for a reply, Xiu patted Kurokawa lightly on the shoulder, then turned and walked swiftly towards the cellar exit, melting back into the darkness from which he'd emerged, leaving Kurokawa alone with the condemned man and the knife.
Kurokawa stood frozen, staring dumbly at the knife in his trembling hand. He looked up at Shota, who was now also staring back at him, a flicker of desperate, pleading hope entering his otherwise dead eyes. They locked gazes for a long, silent moment.
Suddenly, the sound of muffled voices, seemingly arguing, drifted down from the darkness near the cellar entrance, startling them both.
["No! The amount embezzled is too large! Letting him live poses too great a risk! He knows too much! He'll only damage the company's interests further!"] (A harsh, unfamiliar voice)
["But this incident… it highlights her poor judgment! Boss, can you still trust her management after this?!"]
["..."]
["Yes. Proceed."]
The faked argument, cleverly staged by Xiu using a small voice modulator hidden just out of sight, became more intense, then abruptly subsided. A few seconds of tense silence, then the sound of receding footsteps.
A moment later, Xiu's figure reappeared at the cellar entrance, stepping back into the firelight. His aura felt different now – less predatory, more… resigned? Disappointed?
He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Ha! What a pity..." he announced, his voice back to its slightly altered, masked tone, though lacking its earlier menace. "Seems that foolish woman actually pleaded your case to the boss. Took responsibility herself, apparently. Even offered to cover your embezzled share out of her own funds…"
Hearing this, Shota's dead eyes suddenly flared with disbelief, then a complex mix of shame, gratitude, and perhaps… hope?
But Xiu wasn't finished. He walked back over to Shota, leaning close again, whispering harshly, "Don't think this means you're forgiven. I'll be watching you. Watching both of you. One wrong step, one hint of betrayal… and I will find out. Don't let me catch you crossing the company again."
With that final warning, Xiu casually took the knife back from Kurokawa's numb fingers, raised his hand, and with a swift flick of his wrist, sliced through the ropes suspending Shota.
Shota collapsed heavily onto the dirt floor, gasping, free but broken.
Xiu didn't spare him another glance. He dropped the knife onto the ground near Shota, turned, and walked towards the exit again. "Let's go, Kurokawa."
Kurokawa stared for a moment, then quickly scrambled to follow Xiu out of the cellar. "W-what do we do now?" he stammered as they emerged into the cool night air.
"Go back, obviously," Xiu replied brusquely, his tone harsh again. "You think I want to spend the night out here?" He started walking quickly towards where the van was hidden. Kurokawa didn't dare argue, just hurried after him, starting the van and driving back towards the city lights.
Left behind in the dark, damp cellar, the fallen Shota struggled painfully to sit up. His hands and feet were still bound. Using his teeth and awkward contortions, he managed to snag the knife lying nearby. After several agonizing minutes, he finally cut through the ropes. He lay there on the cold ground, gasping for breath, pain radiating from his burns.
It took a long time for him to gather enough strength to even move. The fire had died down to embers, casting only a faint, ominous red glow. The darkness pressed in, filled with the rustling sounds of unseen things. Shota suddenly remembered the hooded man's parting words: "...the Viridian Forest in summer is very violent..."
He realized with dawning horror: he hadn't been spared. He'd just been abandoned, injured and helpless, in a potentially dangerous location, left for the wild Pokémon to finish the job.
No! He wouldn't let them win! He wouldn't let her sacrifice be in vain! He had to live!
Ignoring the searing pain, driven by a second wind of adrenaline, Shota found the discarded iron poker, using it as a makeshift crutch. He grabbed the knife with his other hand. He stumbled towards the cellar exit, peering out into the night.
He found himself not in the city outskirts, but in a truly desolate area. Dim moonlight revealed only a few dilapidated, collapsed structures nearby – an abandoned village, overgrown with weeds, silent and dead.
However, red eyes glinted from the tall grass. Shota yelled incoherently, swinging the poker wildly. "Get back! Stay away!" The red eyes vanished. His bluff had worked, for now. He needed to get out, get back to the city, find help. He started walking, stumbling, forcing himself forward into the darkness, the pain a secondary concern now to the fear of what lurked in the shadows.