Chapter Twelve: Alice’s Request

“What on earth is this thing—is it rabies?” Wick paced anxiously back and forth in the supply room, the composure he usually carried nowhere to be seen. In the corner, Alice crouched quietly, her face devoid of the confusion and helplessness typical for someone her age. Instead, she was as steady as ice, a strange aura about her that made the old man instinctively keep his distance.

Had Peach been present, she would have greatly admired this scene. The spot Alice chose to crouch in was calculated: the lighting and distance from the door were perfect. If anything burst in, the intruder’s attention would fall first on the anxious old man, not the girl, giving her a moment to slip away unseen. Selfish and cold-hearted—yet the ideal seed for a perfect assassin.

“What should we do?” The old man was clearly panicked, resorting to seeking counsel from a child barely a few years old.

“Wait for rescue,” the girl replied, her voice cold and pragmatic. One was an undeveloped child, the other nearly at death’s door. To save themselves was a fantasy. Their only hope was that someone else would come. Helpless, but realistic.

Wick slumped to the ground upon hearing this, staring blankly. After a moment, his terror calmed a little and his mind began to clear. He thought of something, though it frightened him, and with a tone of hopeful negotiation, asked Alice, “This must be an isolated case, right?”

“Maybe. It could be rabies, or it might be some contagious virus—just like in those biohazard movies.”

This child… Wick suddenly found her less and less likable.

But Alice’s eyes were lifeless, paying no mind to Wick's opinion. She was unnervingly composed, her thoughts broader than before. She recalled the strange man who had suddenly appeared at her home, bringing a little sprite straight out of a film. It had seemed like a fairy tale, but now she felt the uncanny truth of it all. After what had just happened, Alice understood the man's peculiar actions: why he had insisted she buy so many supplies, why he’d bought a military-grade off-road vehicle. Everything now made sense.

He knew all this would happen… The realization chilled Alice, the same coldness she had felt when she caught her biological father threatening her mother for money. Why did people always treat her kindly with hidden motives? Why was warmth and tolerance always a lie in the end?

Just as she was thinking, a faint knock sounded at the dorm room door. The old man nervously retreated a step, cautious enough not to rush over and open it in relief. Two hours had passed; with the police force in the capital, support should have arrived in half an hour for such a horrifying incident. But none had come. There were two possibilities: either no one escaped, the community was large, and the madwoman had killed everyone and lingered in the supermarket so no one called the police; or, as in the movies, a real biohazard had happened and there were no spare police to aid this outlying community.

The timing of the knock was unusual. If it were police rescue, they wouldn’t be so careful, but it didn’t sound like the madwoman either. If that zombie-like creature had retained such intelligence, it would be truly terrifying.

“Alice?” came a soft voice from the doorway—it was Guo Lang. Alice, crouched in the corner, shuddered and stood, about to rush over but stopped abruptly, hesitation in her eyes. She bit her lip and said to Wick, “Go open the door.”

“Huh?” The old man was stunned—was the girl ordering him? He looked over, displeased, but seeing those cold eyes, he shivered and obediently went to open the door. He couldn’t explain it—a child so young, how could she have such a frightening gaze?

Cautiously opening the door, Guo Lang saw it was an old man. He frowned, impatiently pushed past, and swept the room with his eyes until he spotted Alice in the corner. Relief flooded his face. Although he’d seen Alice escape safely on the surveillance cameras, his heart hadn’t been at ease until he saw her alive. Now, a weight was lifted, and he walked over to embrace this troublesome child.

Yet as he approached, he noticed her gaze was unfamiliar, and as he neared, she warily retreated two steps. Guo Lang recognized that expression—she’d looked at her biological father the same way.

“What’s wrong?” Guo Lang frowned. Had she been too badly frightened?

“Did you always know?” The girl looked at him, her eyes complicated—there was a trace of joy, but also fear, and a hint of unfamiliarity.

Guo Lang froze. He disliked this look from the girl. He’d risked his life to save her, and she greeted him like this? Annoyance welled up in him, and his earlier warmth vanished. “Come with me first. We’ll talk later.”

Alice fell silent, then pleaded softly, “Will you help me save my mother?”

“No.” Guo Lang refused coldly, his gaze growing icy. He had risked himself to save her, and she not only failed to show gratitude but questioned him—that would irk anyone. Given her intelligence, she should know how dangerous it would be to rescue her mother, yet she selfishly asked anyway, as if she would hate him if he refused. The thought made Guo Lang’s heart grow colder.

Alice was silent again, finally closing her eyes as if exhausted. “Then go.”

“What?” Guo Lang almost thought he misheard. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

“You took my two hundred thousand, bought supplies and the off-road vehicle. You risked danger to save me, so you owe me nothing now.” Alice’s eyes dulled further. “But Alice owes you nothing either.”

Guo Lang was stunned. He realized his logic had been faulty from the start—he had benefited from another’s kindness, and now, when she made a request, from a child's perspective it wasn’t unreasonable. She only wanted to save her own family. Why had he been so angry? Seeing Alice tally up their debts so clearly, Guo Lang felt a vague discomfort.

“There’s a reason I didn’t tell you…” For some reason, Guo Lang wanted to explain. Before he could finish, Alice interrupted, “I know. You don’t trust Mom. You’re afraid she won’t trust you, that she’ll call the police. And you don’t trust Alice, either. You think Alice wouldn’t believe you.”

“That’s not true!” Guo Lang frowned, realizing he was losing this debate to the little girl.

“It is true!” Alice stared at him, enunciating each word. “It’s exactly so!”

“Should I have trusted a little kid and a stranger?” Guo Lang’s tone grew irritable, the frustration in his chest spilling over. He spoke without thinking, and immediately realized something was off.

“Yes, you should.” Alice looked at Guo Lang without a spark in her eyes. “Only children trust strangers so readily, like the first time they meet.”

Boom! Guo Lang’s mind went blank. He suddenly understood why he kept losing to her. The girl was articulate, but more importantly, she was right. She hadn’t used any clever dialogue tricks—she simply spoke the truth.

Why hadn’t he told the mother and daughter? The reason was just as the girl had said—he didn’t trust the woman, certain she wouldn’t believe him and would call the police, putting him in a difficult position. He didn’t trust Alice, either, thinking she would dismiss his outrageous story and lose her initial trust in him.

But that raised a question Guo Lang had overlooked: why did the child’s trust seem so natural? Who was it that trusted a stranger without reason, who handed over her savings to buy supplies on his word? He used to think it was because she was just a child, easily swayed, but her actions showed she was rational. Even so, she still unconditionally trusted him.

The selfish one had always been himself. He took for granted Alice’s unconditional trust. When she became wary, he grew angry; when she asked for help rescuing her mother, he thought her ungrateful and demanding. But the truth? He had been selfish all along. For his own peace of mind, he undertook a rescue that wasn’t too risky, but when faced with a dangerous request, he instinctively saw her as ungrateful and kept finding excuses to refuse.

Most people are probably like him, Guo Lang thought, a bitter smile on his lips as he looked at the girl’s cold face. Remembering how stubbornly she’d settled their debts, he felt a twinge in his heart that turned into an overwhelming tenderness.

He crouched down and, as she looked at him with confused surprise, he gently stroked her brown hair. “Daddy was wrong. Don’t be angry, Alice, okay?”

Alice stared at Guo Lang’s gentle face, biting her lip nervously. “Will you help me save Mom?”

“Yes. Let’s go back first and figure out how to save her, alright?”

“Mmm…” The girl bit her lip, looking at Guo Lang. The eloquent child now wore a pitiable expression, wanting to speak but unable to find the words.

Guo Lang smiled, giving her nose a playful flick. “Daddy won’t lie to you. We’ll save Mom, I promise. Trust me one more time, okay?”

“Okay!” Alice bit her lip so hard it turned white, then nodded fiercely and threw herself into Guo Lang’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Guo Lang stroked her hair, helpless. He wanted to say that crying so loudly wasn’t good—it might attract those things—but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Based on her earlier behavior, she likely knew this, but she still cried as she pleased.

Guo Lang kept smiling. This, he thought, was how a child should be.