Not Bad Perseverance

The two chatted happily, as if they had endless things to talk about. With Luo Li deliberately playing along, the atmosphere between them grew increasingly warm and pleasant. In the end, they even went to see a movie together.

Throughout the date, Luo Li kept suggesting they split the bill. Her eagerness made it clear that she wanted to grow closer to him.

In the dim theater, Luo Li boldly took the initiative and placed her little hand in Liu Bing's. The gesture caught him completely off guard, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he held her hand and gently squeezed it.

Passing up a chance to take advantage wasn't Liu Bing's style. Besides, Empress Nuwa had said as much before, and Liu Bing was always obedient.

Luo Li clearly hadn't expected Liu Bing, who had seemed so honest until now, to turn around and hold her hand, squeezing it. She instinctively tried to pull away. After all, she'd never been this intimate with anyone before.

But she hadn't eaten in days, surviving on coffee alone. The hunger was so intense that she endured the discomfort of having her hand squeezed. She could feel how desperately she needed to feed. Otherwise, she'd lose control and attack people indiscriminately.

As night deepened and the movie ended, the two took a taxi home.

To their surprise, they were going the same way. The car drove on, and soon they arrived at the entrance to the residential complex where Luo Li lived.

Then Luo Li smiled and took Liu Bing's hand, asking softly, "Would you like to come up for a while?"

Liu Bing put on an appropriately bashful smile and stammered, "Well... all right, then. Thanks for having me."

Seeing that Liu Bing had agreed, Luo Li smiled happily. She generously paid the fare, then led him out of the taxi by the hand and into the complex, all under the driver's envious and jealous gaze.

The complex was only a little over a kilometer from the bachelor apartment Liu Bing rented on his own. But his place was a small, self-built apartment building of the kind found in urban villages, while Luo Li's home was in a mid-to-high-end residential complex.

Liu Bing followed Luo Li into her spacious apartment and was a little surprised. This woman was rich after all. Property prices had fallen through the floor, with many homes losing half their value. This complex was no exception, but prices were still around fifteen thousand per square meter. This apartment must have been over three hundred square meters.

It was the kind of mansion Liu Bing had never even dared to dream of owning.

After leading Liu Bing inside, Luo Li shut the door behind them and locked it. Only then did she turn to face him. She could no longer suppress her hunger.

She was just about to make a move when Liu Bing turned around. "Hey, why have your eyes turned black?"

Luo Li ignored the fact that Liu Bing had noticed something was wrong. She lunged at him like a facehugger. Liu Bing hurriedly dodged, looking alarmed. "What's wrong with you, Ah Li?"

Luo Li said nothing. Two blood-red, tentacle-like fleshy appendages suddenly sprouted from her back and stabbed toward Liu Bing.

"Holy crap, a ghoul!" Liu Bing pretended to be horrified and rolled aside to dodge the attack.

While Liu Bing was still on the floor, Luo Li immediately closed in to chase after him. But she stepped on a cup that had somehow ended up on the floor, slipped, and sprawled flat on the ground.

She glared angrily at the cup, then got up and continued after Liu Bing. And so the two began a game of cat and mouse in the enormous apartment.

As they chased each other around, Luo Li seemed reluctant to cause too much damage, so she didn't use any wide-area attacks. Sometimes, she even deliberately avoided certain things when she attacked.

Like the conspicuous antique display shelf.

Liu Bing noticed, too. He ran straight to the shelf, grabbed a piece of porcelain, and held it in front of himself. Luo Li's fleshy appendage stopped just short of the porcelain. She snapped furiously, "Put that vase down!"

That piece was a genuine Tang Sancai Blue Glazed Ceramic Jar! It was worth as much as her entire apartment. If it got smashed, she'd be devastated.

"Let me go, and I'll put it down," Liu Bing said, acting timid.

Luo Li was close to losing it. What a blunder! How was this guy as slippery as an eel? He was so hard to catch! And every time she was about to grab him, she somehow ended up falling over.

On top of that, so many of the things in this apartment were antiques she'd painstakingly collected. If she'd known he'd be this hard to handle, she wouldn't have tried to make a move so soon. She should have pretended to hug him before attacking.

Luo Li really wanted to smack herself. She'd been too impulsive.

"Put it down first, and I'll let you go."

"You let me go first. Otherwise, if I put it down, what's to stop you from pouncing on me and biting me?"

"Put it down first..."

"Let me go first..."

They were at a complete stalemate, and neither would give in.

The hunger in Luo Li's stomach grew stronger and stronger. She was about to lose control. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Let me take one bite, and I'll give you a million."

"Dream on. Who knows if you've got rabies? And if you bite me, you won't let me go. Don't think you can fool me," Liu Bing said, looking like there was no way he'd fall for her trick.

Luo Li was at a loss. Her eyes were growing more and more bloodthirsty. She knew she couldn't suppress her bloodlust any longer. All she could do was say quietly, "You'd better not regret this."

"Uh..." Seeing how little reason remained in Luo Li's eyes, Liu Bing knew there was no point playing around anymore. He shook his head, turned, and put the porcelain back on the display shelf.

Then, while Luo Li stared in astonishment, he raised one hand toward her from a distance. In an instant, her whole body floated into the air.

Her eyes widened in shock. Her long, shapely legs kicked a few times, confirming that she really was hovering in midair.

She wasn't just shocked—her reason had returned, too. In astonishment, she asked, "You got powers too?"

"More or less." Liu Bing nodded, then said, "You must have had your powers for a while. You managed to go that long without feeding. Not bad perseverance."

Liu Bing had been willing to play along with Luo Li only because she carried no killing intent and hadn't killed anyone. In other words, after gaining a ghoul's powers, she had endured her bloodlust all that time without hunting anyone for food. Her restraint was the reason Liu Bing hadn't killed her right away.

"I wish I'd never gotten this power." Luo Li's expression was awful. She felt a little jealous of Liu Bing.

How had Liu Bing ended up with a power that was practically a superpower, while she'd gotten this disgusting ability that made her eat people?