The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

”Do you know what these are for?”

After checking the other dead man, Aisha finally turned her attention to the woman. Lifting the keys in her hand, she noticed the woman hadn’t taken her eyes off them.

The woman nodded vigorously, repeating what she had just said earlier. ”These are keys for the cages.”

”Cages?”

”We...we’re being held here against our will. All of us!” the woman told her. ”The cages I’m talking about are where all of us are being imprisoned.”

Aisha’s eyes narrowed. ”How many of you are there?”

The woman answered just as quickly. ”There are three cages. I was inside the second cage and it held twenty people!”

A total of sixty people, then. There could be more if there were more cages in other rooms.

”Have you seen a man with blonde hair? He’s tall, in his late twenties, and has a mole near his right eye,” Aisha described Zenick to the woman, hoping that it wasn’t too late.

The woman appeared to be recalling the faces of the people inside the cages for a long time before she shook her head. ”I’m sorry. I’ve seen men with the same hair color, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone with that mole. Maybe it’s because it was too dark to see... I... I honestly don’t remember.”

Aisha went silent. She didn’t blame her just because the woman couldn’t remember the faces of strangers. And considering the state they were in, this woman was too distraught to observe and remember every detail around her.

People react differently in a dire situation. But most people panic and feel distressed. It would take time for them to think of a solution to their predicament. And most of the time, it was already too late for them to do anything.

Aisha sighed. She still needed to find Zenick herself, after all.

”Do you know why you were being held here?” she asked.

The woman shook her head again. ”I...I’m not sure. When I was taken here with my husband, they told us they’d give us food and husks of energy stones. We followed them because we didn’t know how to survive until the next day. But... who knew... who knew they’d throw us inside a cage with many others and keep us there!” Perhaps, she felt afraid that Aisha would misunderstand her, so she added, ”I was taken out of the cage because... because they wanted to—”

”It’s fine. Don’t say it.” Aisha stopped her before she could continue.

It wasn’t the first time she’d witnessed how men could turn into vile and evil creatures. They’d become more unrestrained once the boundaries became blurred. And in times of chaos, who would truly follow the rules and laws of the world?

Aisha turned around and crouched down beside one of the men’s bodies, pulling off his suit and throwing it on the floor beside the woman.

”Wear this and follow me.”

”Huh?” The woman appeared confused, but one glance from Aisha prompted her to stand and grab the suit, putting it on swiftly. After throwing away her torn clothes, she asked, ”Wh—where are we going?”

”How well do you remember the path you took up here?” Aisha didn’t answer her question directly.

The woman replied, ”I remember we passed four more floors. But why are you asking? Gasp! You’re not planning to go down there, are you?”

Just thinking about going back there sent chills down her spine. The woman never wanted to return to that hellhole!

However, she belatedly realized that she had no choice in this matter. Aisha had already decided to turn her into a tour guide and follow the path she’d taken with the two dead men.

”Are you not worried about your husband?” Aisha asked, eyeing the woman.

The woman bit her lip. Then she spat out, ”I’m not! That man let these men take me!”

”He didn’t fight back?” Aisha asked. ”Then, you can get your revenge by leaving here alone.”

”That...” the woman appeared hesitant.

The truth was, her husband had fought against the men who took her out of the cage. But they held a weapon against his temple and beat him up until he fell unconscious. She was merely frustrated that he wasn’t strong enough, but that didn’t mean she wanted to leave him here and suffer alone.

Thinking about the time they spent together as a married couple, the woman could only tear up again and grip the fabric of the clothes she wore, finding them deplorable.

”I... I don’t want to leave him here.”

Aisha nodded. She didn’t have to ask about what happened to the woman and her husband. But if the woman refused to guide her to the cages, Aisha would have to tie her up here and not let her get out.

The last thing she wanted was for the woman to report what had happened to the Association or alert the enemies who held them here. Aisha could tell her not to reveal anything, but how could she trust anyone’s words?

Aisha would rather trust a dead man’s words than anyone’s.

At least, dead men cannot speak. No one can compel or pressure them to talk.

”Let’s go.”

Aisha wiped the blood off her dagger by swiping it against her folded arm, soaking her sleeves with blood.

At first, the woman still showed some hesitation and was reluctant to go down the stairs. However, whenever she saw Aisha holding the dagger in her hand and was reminded of what had been cut and stabbed with it, she shut up and continued to lead their journey downward.

The atmosphere was somewhat chilly. And the lower they got down the stairs, the heavier the icy chill became.

Occasionally, a gust of wind would suddenly rush from below. As another cold wind gusted by, Aisha didn’t stop in the slightest. She merely gripped the dagger in her hand tighter, vigilantly glancing around.

Strangely, the two floors they had just passed didn’t have anyone on them. Instead of coming across a room they could get into, the walls were left untouched. Aisha tried to touch one with her bare hands, but the woman panicked and told her not to do it.

When Aisha asked her why, the woman swallowed and revealed what she knew.

”It’s not safe to touch the walls. I saw a man last night slip past the guards, but he couldn’t escape. Instead, when he was backed against the wall, something else happened to him.”

Aisha showed interest in this. ”What happened?”

The woman inhaled tremblingly and answered, ”He showed signs of corruption all over his body.”