As long as, as long as that place is reached

"Time's almost up? What do you mean?"

Li Hao, still in his Red Heat state, was momentarily stunned by this cryptic remark.

Before he could react, Jiang Mian's expression shifted instantly, as if struck by a massive shock, and she screamed at him shrilly:

"You—don't come any closer! Please, I'm begging you!"

Her voice cracked with tears, as if she'd flipped back into that pitiful, helpless Jiang Mian from before.

Li Hao suddenly felt like a clown, toyed with by Jiang Mian, and rage flared within him. "Keep pretending! What the hell are you faking for?! I'll fucking—"

Before he could finish, a violent surge of wind swept him up, its force nearly lifting him off the ground.

A gale erupted from nowhere inside the warehouse, howling like a banshee.

Centered on Jiang Mian, a visible Cyan Wind Field took shape.

Li Hao lost his footing, was blasted away by the eerie wind, and slammed hard into a pile of shelves.

"Cough, cough..."

He struggled to his feet, shock plain in his eyes.

"What—what kind of ability is this?!"

The wind carried scattered wood chips and iron nails from the warehouse, cutting into his ability-enhanced hardened skin like blades.

To his disbelief, these trivial little things, seemingly empowered by the bizarre wind field, easily broke through his defenses, leaving countless fine wounds.

Li Hao hadn't read much and had very limited knowledge of other Sequence Abilities, but from the chase earlier and the current situation, this was likely wind control from the [Elemental] Path.

But... shouldn't this ability be weak in the early stages?

There were a few Awakened with [Elemental] Path abilities at school, and they hit him like a tickle—how could it have such absurd destructive power?

This power... even a typical Second-tier Awakened couldn't pull this off, right?!

When did she awaken?!

Before he could figure it out, Jiang Mian's lips curled slightly. The scattered wind deliberately converged toward Li Hao's position, forming several invisible wind blades.

Li Hao's pupils contracted. Though he'd never been in a life-or-death fight, the killing intent hidden in the wind was now bearing down on him without restraint.

A chill ran down his back. He instinctively rolled to the side, but a wind blade still grazed his thigh, slicing off a chunk of flesh and leaving a wound deep enough to see bone.

"Splat!"

"Argh!"

Li Hao had never endured such pain and cried out.

But this was only the beginning.

Soon, wind blades came one after another, deliberately avoiding his vitals, as if to slowly "grind him down."

Gritting his teeth, he clung to the ground, crawling inch by inch toward the nearby door, dragging a trail of blood behind him.

"If I can just... reach that place..."

But Jiang Mian wasn't about to give him the chance.

Just as he was about to reach the entrance, the wind's intensity surged another level, yanking him into the wind field.

Like being in a washing machine, Li Hao felt the world spin, and even the pain from the wind blades dulled.

"Stop! Please... stop..."

He couldn't help but beg, but Jiang Mian showed no sign of relenting. In just a few seconds, his voice faded.

His proudest defense was like paper against these eerie wind blades.

If you can't find the book by title, try searching by author—maybe it just changed names!

Li Hao could clearly feel his life slipping away, a montage flashing before his eyes as he regretted ever targeting Jiang Mian.

Below, Jiang Mian coldly watched Li Hao's miserable state, her heart utterly still.

This was the price he deserved.

Just then, through her [Gale] perception, Jiang Mian sensed a familiar aura.

"Chili Fried Pork?"

She instinctively thought of that young Security Officer.

"Wait, this ability is... Golden Body?"

Jiang Mian clearly sensed that figure advancing through her wind field without any resistance.

Better speed this up, though it's still under control.

With a thought, a wind blade instantly formed and precisely pierced Li Hao's throat.

His voice cut off abruptly. His body crashed heavily at the end of the long blood trail, his eyes losing their light. He twitched a few times before falling silent.

"Hmm, looks like [Gale]'s damage is decent."

Li Hao's so-called [Steel Bones] was like tofu before her gale—offering no resistance at all.

But for a Sequence 48 [Eye of the Storm], it still seemed a bit excessive. She'd have to control it better next time.

As she pondered, Jiang Mian manipulated the airflow, tossing some sharp metal fragments toward Li Hao's corpse, and added a little extra seasoning into the wounds.

At the same time, she slapped her own face hard, then casually tore at her collar, vaguely revealing the pale skin beneath and a hint of her collarbone.

"Something still feels off..."

Her earlier face-change was only skin-deep. That fool Li Hao wouldn't notice, but if she ran into two Security Officers, it'd be a different story.

With that thought, Jiang Mian stimulated her Calamity Core. Her body immediately reacted, trembling slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Tch—overdid it, that hurts..."

Time was tight. She quickly curled up in a corner, hugged her knees, and began to sob softly.

Ye Chenyang was surrounded by a faint golden halo, advancing like an icebreaker through the chaotic wind field.

Although, to simulate [Shining Blade], he had chosen [Condense Light] as his First Order skill—turning power into weapons or tools—

relying on his mastery of his own abilities, he could still use some skills he had obtained in his Previous Life.

For instance, the [Flowing Colors] he was using now was a fairly effective defensive skill.

Ye Chenyang surveyed the scene. Li Hao's burly figure stood out starkly.

Seeing the blood trail behind him, Ye Chenyang's first thought was death from excessive blood loss.

Looking at the wounds alone—throat, heart, lungs, even the groin... there seemed to be several fatal injuries.

And the wounds were messy, filled with all kinds of debris, making it hard to determine the primary cause of death at a glance.

Ye Chenyang suppressed his doubts. This Li Hao was already Dead Thoroughly. For now, saving people was the priority.

Before entering, he had asked Lin Yun about Jiang Mian's basic information.

After learning the circumstances, Ye Chenyang found it a bit strange, but tentatively assumed Jiang Mian was a Natural Awakening who had accidentally awakened and erupted in despair.

An Elemental Burst could indeed kill an Awakened of the same rank instantly, but... just awakening with this intensity and range? That seemed a bit too absurd.

Only High-tier Sequence Awakened could trigger an Elemental Storm of this scale...

After advancing a bit, the storm seemed to weaken as he neared the area of the "eye."

Ye Chenyang entered the center of the warehouse. The sight before him made his heart tighten slightly.