Naia was already thinking on how to fleece people when Luke spoke up.

He was relieved to see she was not mad or anxious. "I can send you an escort."

"No need. I can drive there."

He immediately cut off her refusal. "It’s no trouble. You’re an important witness, after all."

"..."

...

When Luke finally hung up the phone, he turned to see several of his colleagues facing him, giving him odd looks. Someone was even holding up a donut to his mouth, but not actually eating it as if he were frozen.

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?" Were these people so idle? He should assign more tasks.

As if sensing his thoughts, the others looked away and resumed their tasks. Except for one.

Kenny, one of their youngest, looked at him like he was his idol. "As expected of Captain Luke, always going above and beyond!" He said this genuinely. The others though, had much more meaningful smiles.

They didn’t dare look at Luke directly, but their mouths were sputtering nonsense all over. "He checks on the victim every few days!"

"Wow, our captain is so caring? I didn’t know!"

"Is this the start of a passionate roman—"

"Have you been too idle lately?"

This shut everyone up.

He stood up and opened his phone again, no doubt to arrange things here and there.

Meanwhile, his men—after confirming he was out of earshot—couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves.

"Looks like capt’n’s got a soft spot!"

You have to know: Even when dealing with the beauty queen who was openly flirting with him, he treated her like everyone else!

Johnny, another one of the younger ones, tilted his head. "Eh? I think our captain is just being a professional.

"Sure, but he wouldn’t personally check on them each time~ It so happens that the victim is a gorgeous girl," another couldn’t help but supplement. People, no matter who, seemed to have a knack to find gossip!

...

The next day

"Are you sure you don’t want us to come?" Grandma said, looking very concerned. "Don’t underestimate us! I made several old ladies faint with just my words back in the day!"

Never underestimate village old ladies in terms of word power!

Had she been younger, she’d have offered her fists, too! Thinking of this, she vowed to do a few more exercises today!

Naia held back a chuckle. She did not hide the meeting from them. It was something so big and she wanted them to know more about the darkness of the world early on.

Although they had certainly experienced a lot from the hands of their own family, it was good for them to know that there were many more types of shamelessness in the world and people like Aunt Michi were not unique—rather, they were quite common.

In the apocalypse, people would no longer be held back by the standard sense of morality and shame, and those negative qualities would be exacerbated, exposed to the world to see.

"Yes, grandma," she said. "We have already gathered enough evidence. Who knows, when I get back I might be a little rich woman from the settlements~"

She was absolutely determined to gain something from this trip!

Anyway, the escort soon arrived, and it was led by none other than Luke. The rationale was that she could be targetted and it was for the witness’s safety.

The family looked at Naia, who had naturally taken the shotgun seat, and then the handsome profile of the police captain.

"Thank you, Officers!"

"Thank you Officers!"

"So handsome!"

They were particularly fond of the family, eager to make friends.

"Miss Naia is a valuable witness; We will protect her well," he said, fighting the urge to clear his throat from embarrassment.

Similarly, when they arrived at the police station about an hour later, Naia received a lot of extra stares, and with very different expressions.

Most of the police officers were curious, while her stepmother and stepsiblings were shocked at the sight of her.

They didn’t even recognize her at first. It wasn’t until Luke stepped forward to another officer and introduced her that they flinched, openly gaping at her.

"You...you!!!"

"Are you really Naia?"

"How could you be alive?!"

They couldn’t believe it!

Their shock was not only because they thought she was dead, but because her appearance and aura had changed too much!

The contrast was indeed big. Before, Nadia could only look down, hunch her back, and cover her face. Now her hair was properly cut, her back straight, poised, showing off the beauty she had been hiding this whole time.

It was the type of face that would turn heads, how could Carina, who had always looked down on her, be reconciled?

Her imagination immediately went haywire, attributing everything that had happened so far to Naia!

She did not have a shred of evidence, but somehow she was just certain of it!

"It’s you! IT IS YOU! What happened to my husband—"

Naia’s face remained cool. "Why do you say so?"

"How could you look so well if you’re supposed to be dead?" the woman screamed like a shrew.

If there weren’t officers around, with Luke subtly in front of her, they might’ve attacked and grabbed her hair.

Seeing them like this...Naia shivered, looking down, making everyone else except for the mother and daughter pair feel sorry for her.

Sniffle

"Is it really my fault? I...I was injured and thrown out...I simply hid myself..."

"I had some old jade my mother gave me. I pawned it. I simply wanted to live decently."

She turned her Green Tea mode on. She had a love-hate relationship with the green tea archetype.

On one hand, she found it annoying and fake. On another, she also found it amusing, especially when the other party became speechless. It was a very convenient tool to have.

Houser, at this time, was at the detention center. If this escalated, then Naia would have to meet him in court to testify. However, she was not planning on wasting much time on these people.

The only time she was actually willing to give them a few minutes...was if she had something to gain.

"I tried to keep quiet and get out of your way, but you won’t leave me be!" Naia exclaimed, eyes brimming with tears. "I have had enough!" she said, voice cracking, emanating those dramas she had been watching lately.

Eyes reddish from tears, she whipped her head to Luke and the others. "I’d like to sue the entire Cerra family!"

"For what? Raising you?" Ginna snapped, sounding very sarcastic.

Naia’s face didn’t flinch. "Kidnapping me! And then selling me off! They’re human traffickers!"

"!!!"