Chapter 1208: YUNYUE VS FENGHUANG (XLIII)

MRS. Winslow's head snapped up, her face twisting in rage. She thrashed against the ropes, her movements wild and desperate. Her eyes burned with fury as she glared at Holmes, her chest heaving with each breath. She struggled harder, her wrists rubbing raw against the ropes. "Shut up!"

Mrs. Thompson's face went pale, her hands trembling as she stared at Mrs. Winslow. "N-No… that's impossible," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes darted between Holmes and Mrs. Winslow, confusion and disbelief etched across her face. "How… how could she be…?"

Mrs. Winslow turned to Mrs. Thompson, her face contorted with rage. "How could I be?!" she screamed, her voice cracking with fury. "You left me at the doorstep of a workhouse in Whitechapel! You left me there to rot!" Her body jerked violently against the ropes, her wrists raw and bleeding from the struggle. "I am that daughter! The one you threw away like garbage! Do you even remember? Or was I so worthless that you forgot?"

Spittle flew from her mouth as she shouted, her eyes wild and unfocused. "You should die like all those worthless women I killed! You're no better than them—no, you're worse! At least they had the sense not to bring a child into this world! With their loose morals, how could they dare to be mothers? But you—! You had a child and then left her in some godforsaken place! And now, seeing you play the doting mother to another daughter makes me sick! Or is it just me? Is it because I wasn't the child you wanted?"

Mrs. Thompson's face crumpled, her hands trembling as she stared at Mrs. Winslow. "A… a workhouse?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, as if saying the word aloud made it more real. "No, that's not possible. My mother—she promised me. She said she would leave you at a respectable orphanage. Not a workhouse. Not… not that."

She tried to reach out to Mrs. Winslow, her body swaying unsteadily, but her legs gave way, and she fell back onto the bunk. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched at the edge of the bed, her voice rising in desperation. "I didn't know! I swear, I didn't know! I thought you'd be safe, cared for… I never wanted this for you. Never!" Her sobs echoed through the cabin, raw and heart-wrenching. "I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

Mrs. Winslow stopped thrashing for a moment, her eyes locking onto Mrs. Thompson. She stared at her, her chest heaving, and then she laughed—a harsh, manic sound that filled the cabin. "Sorry? You think sorry fixes anything? You think sorry makes up for what you did?" Her laughter grew louder, more unhinged, as she shook her head. "You're pathetic. Crying like that, begging for forgiveness. Do you think it changes anything? Do you think it makes me hate you any less?"

Mrs. Thompson's sobs grew louder, her body shaking as she buried her face in her hands. The sound of her crying echoed in the cabin, raw and heart-wrenching.

Just then, the train lurched to a sudden stop. Holmes straightened, his expression calm but resolute. "Now, it's time to bring you to justice, dear Ripper," he said as he pulled Mrs. Winslow to her feet.

Mrs. Thompson reached out weakly, her voice trembling. "Please… wait…"

Holmes paused, glancing at her with a hint of sympathy. "I'm sorry, madam, but this is where it ends."

Mrs. Winslow, for her part, remained silent. Her earlier rage seemed to have drained away, replaced by a strange, almost eerie calm. It was as if she had finally accepted that this was the end.

Luo Yan watched it all unfold like a scene from a drama. As Holmes led Mrs. Winslow out of the cabin, a system notification suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Jack the Ripper has been successfully apprehended!]

[Team Yunyue wins!]

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After the semi-finals concluded, the winning teams were transported back to the central plaza of Lunaris Vale. This time, instead of four teams, only two stood on the stage: Team Yunyue and Team Celestials.

All five members of each team who had participated in the semi-finals stood on the stage. The moment they appeared, cheers erupted from the crowd, loud and overwhelming. Luo Yan, however, wasn't fazed. This was their third time here, and he'd grown used to the noise. Instead, he turned to Su Yuqi.

"Are you alright, Sister Yuqi?" he asked.

Su Yuqi waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Just annoyed that I got taken out in such a ridiculous way."

Just thinking about how Mrs. Winslow, a supposedly wounded NPC, had taken her out so easily made Su Yuqi want to gnash her teeth. She couldn't believe she'd let her guard down like that.

Bai Ze scoffed. "Yeah. The least you could've done was finish writing 'Mrs.' so we wouldn't have been running in circles at first. You're really losing your touch."

Su Yuqi glared at Bai Ze. "Well, I didn't exactly know I'd turn into light particles at that moment, did I? Thank goodness we have smart teammates who could figure out what I was trying to say. If it were just you, our team would've been doomed."

"You—"

"Brother Ze, don't pick on Yuqi," Luo Jin cut in.

Su Yuqi smirked at Bai Ze, her expression smug, which only annoyed him further. He turned to his cousin, exasperated. "Seriously, Xiao Jin? I'm the one picking on her?"

Shen Ji Yun leaned down to whisper to Luo Yan. "Let the children bicker."

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "They'll be annoyed if they hear you say that."

Shen Ji Yun just shrugged, which made Luo Yan chuckle softly.

Just then, the two emcees, Lena and Lila, appeared on stage. Lena, as usual, looked serious and composed, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd with an air of authority. Lila, on the other hand, bounced in with her usual playful energy, a wide grin on her face as she waved enthusiastically to the audience.

Lila stepped forward, her grin widening as she addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a huge round of applause for our top two teams! Congratulations to both of you for making it to the finale!"

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