Ugly

Inside the Department Store, in another room, all the survivors had gathered together.

"I've confirmed it. That woman won't find out about this place."

Aldo looked around and spoke first, his expression slightly vicious.

His usual courtesy and elegance had vanished without a trace.

But that was only natural. Gentlemen couldn't survive in a world devastated by disaster. Only by letting the beast within awaken and becoming a bandit could one improve their chances.

"But... Miss Olivia helped us. Without her, we would've been finished during the last monster attack..."

A woman with a curvaceous, sexy figure hesitated before saying, "And today, she protected us too..."

"Hmph. How can we trust a stranger who only joined us halfway through?"

Another young man curled his lip in disdain, greed in his eyes. "She clearly has mysterious powers, yet she refuses to share them with us. She even claims that contact with the mysterious is dangerous... She's so selfish."

"I object!"

An elderly gentleman stood up and said, heartbroken, "Ladies and gentlemen... what's gotten into you? Wake up! Why treat those who help us with such malice? Our holy Father tells us..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, someone struck him from behind, knocking him down. The culprit was a burly man with a pipe clenched between his teeth. "Save your breath, Father... Your Lord is dead."

The old priest had served at a church before the Cataclysm and had been held in high regard.

But now, he was cast aside without a second thought.

"Now then... let's begin. We've already tested her. That woman needs a long time and special materials to perform her ritual, and she can be injured too. On top of that, she's exhausted after every ritual..."

Aldo raised his shotgun and grinned viciously.

Laughter echoed through the secret room, like the howls of hyenas.

"What an... ugly scene."

Aaron walked out of the Department Store and came to Lin's side. Using the mysterious connection established through her prayers, he reached out to her.

Without that connection, she wouldn't be able to hear him.

In an instant, Lin felt her soul tremble.

She knew that the God she worshipped, the Lord she had prayed to, had answered her plea. Overcome with excitement, she cried, "Praise be to my Lord!"

"There's a soul inside the building that needs saving."

Aaron spoke in a perfectly calm voice, then severed the connection.

After all, too much contact with people would undermine a god's mystique.

Before, he'd had no choice. If he hadn't helped her, he might have lost his only means of communication.

"I shall obey your divine will!"

Lin prostrated herself on the ground, then rose. A glint of red flashed in her eyes as she turned into a pool of blood and surged toward the building.

Bang! Bang!

Several gunshots suddenly rang out inside the enormous Department Store.

Aldo raised his shotgun and fired wildly at the door.

Then he kicked it open and looked at the prey inside.

A group of hunters poured in one after another, weapons in hand and vicious smiles on their faces.

"Mr. Aldo, Miss Elena, you..."

Olivia stared at the scene, disbelief written all over her face. "Why?"

A gaping hole had been torn through her chest, and dark red blood seeped from it in great quantities.

The earlier gunfire had clearly wounded her.

"Why? Why are you hoarding the mysterious, Ms. Olivia, and refusing to share it?"

The young man who had spoken earlier grinned viciously. "You must be planning to use your power to rule us and become a dictator!"

"No... I wasn't..."

Deep sorrow and anguish appeared in Olivia's eyes. Her powerful charm spread outward, making everyone feel an inexplicable sense of regret.

"Watch out! That bitch is messing with our minds!"

The burly man with the pipe held a silver Revolver and pulled the trigger without hesitation. "Shoot her dead first, then search her!"

Bang! Bang!

Gunpowder smoke billowed, and blood sprayed through the air.

Aldo watched the Witch who had used dark arts fall, a sincere smile on his face.

If he let her stay any longer, he would lose his authority...

Now, not only had he secured his position, he might even gain her powers.

"You..."

Olivia lay on the ground, her expression suddenly turning horrifying. One half of her face was sorrowful, the other twisted. Her eyes were bloodshot, as though she were wearing half a mask.

Her chest heaved violently, but she said nothing. Instead, she let out a faint sigh and closed her eyes.

"What a... despicable scene."

Just then, a young girl's voice came from behind them.

"Who's there?"

Aldo spun around and saw a girl of fourteen or fifteen looking at them with disdain, a mocking sneer tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Who are you?"

"Another survivor?"

The burly man with the pipe grinned. "Not bad, sweetheart. You're mine!"

He grinned and stepped toward her. "Stick with me, and I'll protect you. You know how rare that is."

In truth, he planned to have his fun with her, then dump her. That way, he wouldn't have to waste much food or water on her.

The next moment, a flash of red streaked past.

The burly man's expression froze as he stared at his wrist.

The hand holding the Revolver dropped to the floor, a torrent of blood gushing from the severed wrist.

"You... stopped me from completing my Lord's task... You all deserve to die!"

Lin spoke in a hoarse voice.

It was bad enough that these people had committed evil deeds. The real problem was that they had stopped her from saving that soul!

They deserved to die a million times over and still wouldn't have atoned for it!

"What is that?"

Aldo rubbed his eyes and realized that the girl's right hand had somehow become a scarlet dagger, its base almost fused to her wrist, creating a startling sight.

"A... monster! She's a monster!"

He fired without hesitation. Smoke poured from the shotgun's muzzle, and countless pellets struck Lin, leaving holes like those in a honeycomb.

"I am 'Crimson.' I am the flowing scarlet!"

Lin chuckled softly, and her body abruptly dissolved into a pool of blood. Pellet after pellet fell to the ground.

She was a Blood Overflowed. Unlike that unlucky Transcendent, she could turn her body to blood and evade most physical damage!

Splash!

The blood surged and suddenly formed a scarlet humanoid shape again. Its arms turned into cleavers, and it charged into the crowd like a slaughterhouse.

A moment later, Lin returned to her human form and stepped over the scattered limbs before entering the room.

Although she couldn't complete her Lord's task, perhaps she could at least give the woman a grave.

But as she entered, her expression changed.

Thump. Thump!

Thump. Thump!

She heard a heartbeat and saw something as tall as a person— a cocoon?

At the bottom of the cocoon, countless fine strands like silkworm threads stretched out, connecting to the earth like roots and greedily sucking up the blood of those people.

As it fed, the heartbeat inside the cocoon grew louder and louder!