Returning to the dormitory, Yun Ruoxi headed straight for the bathroom.
Amidst the sound of rushing water, she scrubbed her body rigidly, like a machine.
Fresh blood flowed down her pale thighs, all the way to her heels, finally pooling into the drain below.
Suddenly.
She shuddered violently, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes, and she collapsed onto the floor.
“What have I just done!”
The girl lifted her trembling hands, tears streaming down her face, muttering to herself.
Pa!
Late at night, in the bathroom.
The girl suddenly slapped herself hard, then curled up in the corner of the bathroom, crying bitterly.
Afraid she might be discovered, even unconsciously, she clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling her sobs.
No one knew how long she cried; the corners of her eyes turned red, and she eventually drifted off in exhaustion.
***
The next morning.
The footsteps in the corridor jolted the girl awake.
Holding her head, she crawled up from the bathroom floor, her skin wrinkled from soaking in water.
“Can’t let anyone find out, can’t let anyone find out.”
Yun Ruoxi whispered in pain, fiercely slapping her own cheeks, making her soft face flush crimson.
She turned off the tap and slowly walked to the mirror, forcing out a smile that looked even uglier than crying.
“Smile…Smile, you mustn’t be found out!”
Yun Ruoxi’s lips curled into a radiant smile, but the tears still streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
So, she started slapping herself again.
Pa, pa, pa…
“Big sis, why is your face so red today?”
In the corridor, Aili, who came to wake Yun Ruoxi, asked curiously.
“Is it really that red?”
Yun Ruoxi tilted her head, beaming, “That’s because I slapped it myself.”
“Big sis, you’re teasing me again!”
Aili lightly bumped Yun Ruoxi’s arm with her head, “Who would slap themselves until their whole face turns red?”
“Is that so? Who could be so silly?” Yun Ruoxi said with a smile, sadness filling her eyes, “I just took a long shower this morning, that’s all. It’ll go away soon.”
“You took a shower in the morning?” Aili leaned in for a sniff, “No wonder you smell so nice today!”
With that, they headed to the cafeteria.
As always, the two of them naturally sat down at Lin Zhen and the others’ table.
Lin Zhen and the others, just like Aili, were puzzled by Yun Ruoxi’s rosy cheeks.
But since Yun Ruoxi had already explained it to Aili, this time Aili did the explaining.
Though the explanation was a bit far-fetched, because it was Aili who said it, the others had no doubts, assuming Aili had seen Yun Ruoxi showering herself.
And the blush on Yun Ruoxi’s face didn’t last long.
With a B+ constitution, these minor injuries healed naturally in less than an hour.
Training, eating, playing… the whole day passed like this, and Yun Ruoxi’s behavior was perfectly normal.
This made Lin Zhen and the others completely forget about the small incident.
***
Night again.
Although it was still daytime on Pandora-35 Planet, few trainees remained active in the living quarters.
Yun Ruoxi stayed in the dorm, tossing and turning on her bed, gritting her teeth, struggling to suppress her destructive urges.
“I won’t go. I absolutely can’t go back to that place!”
She knew that if she returned to the laboratory and gave in to the desires festering within her heart,
She would only fall deeper under their brainwashing.
But that ignited flame wasn’t so easily extinguished. Yun Ruoxi fought it with willpower deep into the night.
In the end, in a daze, she climbed out of bed, barefoot, and walked toward the base’s forbidden area.
“You’re here!” Dr. Forefinger, who had monitored Yun Ruoxi all day, was already waiting at the laboratory door, somewhat surprised at how long she managed to hold out.
But just as he had expected, she came in the end.
Yun Ruoxi stopped, raised her head, and pleaded in pain:
“Please, turn me back!”
“Turn you back into what?” Dr. Forefinger laughed triumphantly, “You were born for the war camp. This is your nature.”
“Go inside! Let it all out!” He pushed Yun Ruoxi into the laboratory.
Then closed the door behind her.
Yun Ruoxi looked back despairingly at the door, then turned to look at the animals jumping around in their iron cages in the distance.
She hesitated at the entrance for a long time.
But in the end, she couldn’t resist and walked over.
Her steps were slow, her fingers trembled, and she muttered under her breath, as if trying to persuade herself.
“This is the last time… just, just kill one. I’ll never come here again, gulp.” She swallowed hard, slowly opened a cage, and took out a kitten.
Then, unable to hold back, she tore it to pieces.
Outside the laboratory, Dr. Forefinger leaned against the door, watching the brutal scene with satisfaction.
He had originally considered Yun Ruoxi’s psychological health and hadn’t planned to use such violent and extreme means to brainwash her.
But unexpectedly, Lin Zhen was quite resourceful, somehow contacting powerful people outside the galaxy, breaking Yun Ruoxi’s brainwashing, and even trying to help them all escape.
Though he didn’t know when Lin Zhen would attempt the escape, there was no way he’d let him succeed.
For that reason, he could only speed up Yun Ruoxi’s brainwashing.
“Blame your little boyfriend, then. He’s the one who got you into this! If you were all willing to stay here, I wouldn’t have to use such methods!”
With that, he turned and left.
Half an hour later, the laboratory door opened.
Yun Ruoxi, covered in blood, walked out smiling. Behind her lay five or six brutally dismembered small animals.
Step by step, she returned to the dorm, leaving bloody footprints, which the cleaning robots quickly erased.
Yun Ruoxi took a shower. She didn’t cry her heart out like yesterday, but happily went to bed and slept soundly until dawn.
It wasn’t until Aili knocked on the door in the morning to wake her that Yun Ruoxi suddenly realized what she’d done.
She covered her face, her eyes brimming with tears, but listening to Aili’s shouts outside the door,
In the end, she forced the tears back, pretending nothing had happened as she got out of bed and opened the door.
“Big sis, why do you look a little unhappy today?”
Aili, always sensitive to Yun Ruoxi’s moods, immediately asked softly, “Did someone bully you?”
“Was it Brother Zhen? Tell me, and I’ll go teach him a lesson!”
“No!”
Yun Ruoxi patted Aili’s head and managed a smile through her tears, “I was just thinking about my parents.”
“You go on to the cafeteria first. I’ll wash up and be right there.”
“Oh, don’t you want me to wait for you?”
“You go ahead!”
Yun Ruoxi gave Aili a gentle push, watching her disappear around the corner, then subconsciously murmured under her breath:
“So as long as the lie isn’t discovered… it seems like everything is fine!”