Chapter 9

The police station wasn't far from the hospital, and Emily arrived within about fifteen minutes.

The female officer who had called came to meet her. Emily made eye contact with her and hurriedly asked, "I heard you saying earlier that once the rescued victims finished giving their statements, you'd contact their relatives to take them home."

"That was the original plan." The officer's tone was grave. "But when we contacted their families, most of them initially claimed they didn't know these women. Only after the police department provided investigation reports did family members gradually come to take them home. But today, we've received feedback from many families."

The officer looked pained.

"The victims, to varying degrees, are all experiencing severe psychological breakdowns."

Naturally, the police department took such cases very seriously. Upon hearing the news, they arranged for the city's best psychologists to provide counseling.

But without exception, none of it had any effect.

After hearing the officer's account, Emily felt heavy-hearted.

"Currently, the psychologists' recommendation is to find someone who's been through the same ordeal but is psychologically stable to talk with them."

As she spoke, the officer watched Emily's expression carefully.

She naturally understood that asking Emily to counsel these victims would be equivalent to reopening those dark, painful memories.

It would amount to retraumatizing her.

But the victims were already showing suicidal behavior, and if left unaddressed, the consequences could be severe.

The officer fell silent for a moment. She knew this wouldn't benefit Emily in any way.

Moreover, she had no obligation to do this.

Taking a deep breath, the officer deliberated for a long moment before looking up to meet Emily's gaze steadily.

"After discussion among our team, we believe you're the most suitable candidate."

Seeing Emily's expressionless face, the officer pressed her lips together and added, "Of course, you have every right to refuse."

"I'm willing to do it." Emily agreed without hesitation, looking at the officer. "Take me to see them."

"Alright!"

Not expecting such a straightforward agreement, the officer was overjoyed and immediately pulled out her car keys.

"They've all been transferred to Tranquil Forest Psychiatric Hospital. I'll take you there right away."

...

As Emily stepped into the hospital, the faint scent of disinfectant hung in the air. The officer led her through two corridors before stopping at a patient room.

"I won't go in with you."

The officer nodded slightly. "I hope it goes well."

Emily pushed open the door to find a pristine expanse of white. The room contained nothing but beds, and four figures in hospital gowns huddled trembling in the corner.

Sensing someone entering, one of them looked up briefly, but only for an instant before lowering her head again.

The others showed no reaction at all.

The room was silent as a tomb.

Emily remained silent as well, moving forward quietly and drawing slightly closer.

After standing wordlessly for half an hour, the women in the corner finally sensed something was different and cautiously lifted their heads to look at her.

"The sunlight feels so warm during the day."

Emily finally spoke, turning to meet their gazes before they could look away.

No one spoke. Emily crouched down where she stood, maintaining some distance but bringing herself to their eye level.

"It's been a long time since you've seen sunlight, hasn't it?"

"Same here."

Emily murmured to herself.

"I'm also a victim who was rescued from this kidnapping case."

Only when she said this did the hollow-eyed women's gazes slowly begin to focus.

Feeling these desperate gazes, Emily closed her eyes, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

She was all too familiar with such looks.

Over the past year, countless people had looked at her with those same eyes.

"I know what you're thinking, and I understand how you feel."

"Even though you've been rescued, those dark, desperate experiences still come back vividly in the dead of night, don't they?"

"I'm the same way."

She laughed bitterly at herself, her voice full of pain.

"But what's even more painful is being rejected by your own family and friends, isn't it?"

"When I first returned home, my parents wouldn't let me through the front door. My sister mocked me, and my beloved brother publicly called me unclean, said I had infectious diseases, and insisted on sending me to the hospital for testing."

As her words ended, Emily heard a suppressed sob.

She looked toward the sound, her voice gentle and soft, yet firm.

"But none of this is our fault, is it?"

The sobbing woman looked up at her, tears glistening in her eyes.

"The truly guilty ones are those criminal organizations that are worse than beasts. They captured so many innocent people to imprison and torture."

"They're the ones who deserve death."

Emily's eyes reddened slightly. She moved forward, spreading her arms and patting their backs, her voice strong.

"We barely escaped from hell, and all our suffering is finally coming to an end. We survived even that kind of suffering, so we must treasure the hard-won freedom we have now."

"We have to keep living."

Her words rang out with conviction.

Emily closed her stinging eyes. After finishing, she heard the sound of sobbing rising and falling around her.

The sounds grew from soft whimpers to full-blown weeping.

"Let it out." Emily patted their shoulders, murmuring, "Once you've cried enough, try to move forward as soon as you can."

By the time Emily returned from Tranquil Forest Psychiatric Hospital to the hospital where Charles was staying, it was already late at night. After seeing those desperate victims, she remained silent throughout the journey.

When she reached the hospital room door, Emily noticed the lights were still on in Charles's room, so she pushed the door open and entered.

Charles wasn't asleep yet, sitting on his bed with his eyes open, lost in thought.

"You're back?"

Seeing Emily enter, his expression became alert. "I heard you went to Tranquil Forest Psychiatric Hospital."

Emily nodded and told him the whole story.

"After going through all this, they've closed their hearts. I just hope they can emerge from the shadows quickly."

Emily sat down, and at the same time, she made a firm decision.

Clenching her fists slightly, she looked at Charles. "Officer Howard, I've decided to study psychology. When more victims are rescued in the future, I can use my unique perspective combined with professional knowledge to counsel them."

Charles looked at her with admiration.

"Having such thoughts is wonderful."

"There's too much evil in this world." Emily bit her lip. "Officer Howard, I want to work with you to fight against evil and ensure these inhumane criminal organizations face justice."

"I agree."

Charles smiled slightly.

"There is indeed much evil in this world, but because of people like you, like me, and countless others who still carry justice in their hearts, someday all this evil will have nowhere to hide, and every dark corner will be exposed to sunlight."