Ugly

Inside the department store, in another room, all the survivors had gathered together.

"I have already confirmed it; that woman will not know about this place."

Aldo looked around the circle and spoke first, his expression slightly ferocious.

The politeness and elegance he once possessed had vanished without a trace at this moment.

This was only natural, however; a gentleman could not survive in this apocalyptic disaster. Only by letting one's inner beast awaken and becoming a bandit could one survive better.

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

A woman with a hot and sexy figure said hesitantly, "Today, she protected us as well..."

"Hmph, how can a stranger who joined halfway be trusted?"

Another young man curled his lips in disdain, his eyes filled with greed. "She clearly possesses mysterious abilities yet refuses to share them with us, claiming that coming into contact with the mysterious is dangerous... She is too selfish."

"I object!"

An old gentleman stood up, his heart aching as he said, "Gentlemen, ladies... what has happened to you? Wake up! Why treat those who help us with such malice? The Holy Father tells us..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, he was struck down from behind. The one who attacked him was a burly man chewing on a pipe. "Save it, Father... your Lord is already dead."

This old priest had been a clergyman at a church before the Great Cataclysm and was highly respected.

But now, he had been abandoned without mercy.

"Then... let us begin... We have already tested it; that woman requires a long time and specific materials to initiate her ritual, and she herself can be injured. At the same time, she becomes very exhausted after each ritual..."

Aldo raised his shotgun and grinned hideously.

A chorus of laughter echoed in the secret room, sounding like the howling of hyenas.

"What a... truly ugly scene."

Aaron walked out of the department store and came to Lin's side, beginning to establish a connection based on the mysterious link created by her prayers.

If this mysterious link were not established, she would not be able to hear him speak.

In an instant, Lin felt her soul tremble.

She knew this was the God she worshipped, the Lord she prayed to, responding to her plea, and she could not help but exclaim excitedly, "Praise my Lord!"

"Inside the building, there is a soul that needs saving."

Aaron spoke in an incomparably calm tone, then severed the connection.

After all, if one interacts with mortals too much, the prestige of a god vanishes.

Before, there had been no choice; if he didn't help, he might have lost his only mouthpiece.

"I obey the divine oracle!"

Lin knelt on the ground, then rose to her feet. A flash of red light flickered in her eyes as she transformed into a pool of blood and surged toward the building.

Bang! Bang!

Inside the massive department store building, several gunshots suddenly rang out.

Aldo held his shotgun and fired a barrage at the door.

Then, he kicked the door open violently, staring at the prey inside.

A group of hunters swarmed in one after another, weapons in their hands and hideous smiles on their faces.

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

Olivia looked at this scene, her face filled with disbelief. "Why?"

There was a large hole in her chest, and a significant amount of dark red blood was seeping out.

Clearly, the previous gunfire had already wounded her.

"Why? Miss Olivia, why do you hoard the mysterious and refuse to share it?"

The young man who had spoken earlier sneered, "You must be planning to use your power to rule over us and become a dictator!"

"No... I didn't..."

A deep sense of sorrow and bewilderment appeared in Olivia's eyes. Her rich emotional influence spread out, making others feel a sense of regret despite themselves.

"Be careful, this bitch is affecting our minds!"

The burly man with the pipe held a silver revolver in his hand and pulled the trigger without hesitation. "Kill her first, then search her body!"

Bang! Bang!

Gunpowder smoke rose, and blood splattered.

Aldo watched the witch who used evil arts fall, a sincere smile appearing on his face.

If he had let her stay any longer, his leadership would have been lost...

Now, not only had he consolidated his position, but he might even obtain her abilities.

"You..."

Olivia collapsed to the ground, her expression suddenly turning terrifying; one half of her face was filled with sorrow, while the other was twisted in agony, her eyes bloodshot as if she were wearing a half-mask.

Her chest heaved violently, but she did not speak, instead letting out a faint, lingering sigh before closing her eyes.

"Truly... what a despicable scene."

At that moment, the voice of a young girl suddenly drifted from behind the group.

"Who is it?"

Aldo spun around abruptly, only to see a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old staring at them with utter contempt, a mocking sneer curling the corners of her lips.

"Who are you?"

"Another survivor?"

The burly man with a pipe in his mouth grinned hideously. "Not a bad-looking chick, she's mine!"

He stepped forward with a sinister laugh. "Follow me, and I'll protect you. You should know how rare that is."

In reality, he was thinking that once he grew tired of her, he would discard her, saving himself from having to share his food and water.

The next moment, a flash of red light streaked by.

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

His hand, still clutching the revolver, fell to the ground, and a massive geyser of blood erupted from his severed wrist.

"You... you've made it impossible for me to complete the Lord's mission... you all deserve to die!"

Lin rasped, her voice hoarse.

It was one thing for these people to commit evil acts, but the critical issue was that they had prevented her from redeeming that soul!

For that, dying ten million times would not be enough to atone for their sins!

"What is that?"

Aldo rubbed his eyes, discovering that the girl's right hand had somehow transformed into a crimson dagger, its base fused almost seamlessly with her wrist, delivering a powerful visual shock.

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

He fired his shotgun without hesitation. A thick cloud of smoke billowed from the barrel, and countless iron pellets struck Lin, leaving her body riddled with holes like a honeycomb.

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

Lin chuckled softly, her body suddenly dissolving into a pool of blood, the pellets clattering onto the floor.

She was a Blood Overflowed. Unlike that unfortunate Beyonder, as long as she turned her body into blood, she could negate the majority of physical damage!

Splash!

The blood surged, abruptly reforming into a crimson humanoid shape. Her arms morphed into the blades of cleavers as she charged into the crowd, turning the area into a slaughterhouse.

A short while later, Lin returned to her girlhood form, stepping over the many severed limbs and broken bodies to enter the room.

Although she had failed to complete the Lord's mission, perhaps she could at least provide the other party with a grave.

But upon entering, her expression shifted.

Thump-thump!

Thump-thump!

She heard the sound of a heartbeat and saw a cocoon the size of a person—a cocoon?

At the base of the cocoon, a multitude of silk-like threads, resembling roots, connected to the earth, greedily absorbing the blood of the humans.

With every bit of absorption, the heartbeat from within the cocoon grew louder and stronger!