Gentle Girl

After Cheng Luoyi and the others finished eating and regained some strength, they continued searching for members of the Black Scorpion Organization.

With Lin Dong around, the journey went exceptionally smoothly. Those feral zombies had somehow vanished without a trace.

It even gave Cheng Luoyi an illusion.

It was merely an ordinary afternoon, and she was taking a stroll down the street.

Lin Dong reminisced with the two of them, mentioning picking cherries, making dumplings, and the like. Walking through the apocalyptic streets, he looked remarkably relaxed.

Chen Ming and the others exchanged glances.

They did not dare ask, nor did they dare speak. They simply followed silently behind, doing their best to make themselves invisible.

They only noticed that Cheng Luoyi, who had always been quiet and reserved, was talking a little more today...

Far behind them, Tank, Little Eight, and Doctor stood atop a high-rise building, three pairs of ferocious eyes fixed on them.

"Why is the boss leading humans around?" Little Eight seemed a little jealous.

"Don't underestimate that human woman. I don't think you'd necessarily be her match," Doctor said.

"Hmph."

Little Eight was unconvinced. "If it weren't for the boss's orders, I'd already be eating her brain!"

Doctor did not respond. Instead, he looked at Tank.

"The boss is searching for the humans who secretly infiltrated this place. The direction they're heading is the area you patrol, right?"

"Yeah. They must have gotten it wrong. I've wandered around there several times. There's no way any humans could be there."

Tank said confidently.

The three underlings, along with thousands of elite zombies below, remained on standby at any moment while watching the show.

At this moment, Lin Dong had arrived at the edge of his territory. Since his territory expanded, this was his first time patrolling this area.

From afar, he caught the scent of blood. There really was a human presence here.

The street ahead was lined with KTVs on both sides. It had once been the busiest place around, alive with music and lights every night.

Now, it was utterly dilapidated. The buildings were cracked, signs had fallen, shattered glass covered the ground, and bloodstains and mangled corpses were everywhere.

Dense spiderwebs had formed over the wrecked vehicles parked out front.

One of the buildings had shattered glass doors on the first floor, weeds growing over the steps outside, and complete silence inside. It seemed no different from the others.

However, the second-floor windows had been sealed shut.

There were clearly signs of human modifications.

"Found them."

Cheng Luoyi stared ahead with her bright eyes, evidently sensing something as well.

Chen Ming frowned slightly behind her. In their minds, the Black Scorpion Organization was ruthless and cruel, so he could not help but speak up.

"According to the intel, more than ten Awakened were involved in robbing the supplies, and they're holding three hostages. The order from above is to recover the supplies and rescue the people as well."

"Hostages?"

Lin Dong muttered instinctively. For some reason, the word felt incredibly unfamiliar, as though those two characters did not exist in his mind at all.

"Uh..."

Chen Ming froze and did not dare make another sound.

Sun Xiaoqiang looked at Lin Dong.

"I heard the Black Scorpion Organization is very cruel. How about you stay here and wait for us instead?"

"Cruel?"

Lin Dong was quite familiar with that word.

"It's fine. I'll go in and take a look with you."

"Sure. Then stay close to me when the time comes."

Sun Xiaoqiang nodded, very confident in his own strength.

After all...

He was an Awakened from Shelter 002!

They immediately headed toward the KTV ahead.

There were thirteen Black Scorpion members inside the KTV. Six of them had condensed Crystal Cores and awakened abilities, making them extremely powerful.

Among those six was a woman with a buzz cut and a black scorpion tattoo on the right side of her face. She looked utterly deranged.

She was a psychic Awakened with powerful perception.

Suddenly, the woman rose from the sofa.

"Brother Yang, someone is approaching us!"

"Oh?"

The bald man at the head of the group narrowed his eyes, a vicious gleam flashing within them. Even after hiding in a place like this, they had been found?

"How many are there?"

"Six. Only two of them have awakened Crystal Cores."

The woman answered.

With her ability, she still could not sense Lin Dong's presence.

The bald man snorted coldly.

"Only two Crystal Core Awakened, and they dare come looking for us? They're pretty confident. Come on, let's go meet them."

"Yeah, hehehe."

The man beside him gave a lewd laugh, not taking it seriously at all.

They left only three people behind to guard the hostages while the remaining ten headed outside.

At that moment, Lin Dong's group stepped on shattered glass scattered across the floor, making crunching sounds as they entered the first-floor hall.

Before long, they heard rustling footsteps coming from upstairs.

"They're coming down."

Cheng Luoyi's expression remained calm as she stepped forward alone.

Chen Ming and the others were far too weak. She did not expect anything from them. She might as well settle this herself and end the fight quickly.

Soon, a group of people appeared at the second-floor staircase.

At the front was the bald man, with triangular eyes and shaved-off eyebrows, his entire face radiating menace. He was Song Yang, a minor leader of the Black Scorpion Organization.

Behind him, the others all looked different. Some wore nose rings or lip rings, while others had facial tattoos. Their appearances were bizarre, and they all sized Cheng Luoyi up with hostile eyes.

"Hehehe, it really is her."

A young man in a leather jacket within the crowd had sparkling eyes and an expression of delight.

Someone beside him asked curiously, "What? You know her?"

"Yeah, I saw her profile on the shelter's official website."

The leather-jacketed man wore a lewd expression. When he had seen Cheng Luoyi's photo, he had been stunned at first sight. She was simply too beautiful!

He had started fantasizing about how wonderful it would be if he ever met her.

He had not expected it.

Today, he had hit the jackpot. She had actually come looking for him.

Moreover, the leather-jacketed man remembered there was a short description beneath Cheng Luoyi's photo, one that had left a deep impression on him.

"I'm a gentle girl. I'm afraid of pain."

"I like gentle girls. Brother Yang, leave her to me!" The leather-jacketed man volunteered.

"You sure know how to pick them. If you like her, go ahead." Song Yang smiled wickedly, not taking it seriously either.

It was not that these people were stupid or careless. In her normal state, Cheng Luoyi's aura was not particularly strong. She was merely an ordinary B Rank Awakened.

Ordinary people could not sense it at all.

The leather-jacketed man's eyes burned with excitement. Bending down, he drew an alloy dagger from his pant leg. The blade gleamed coldly and looked exceptionally sharp.

"Beauty, let me play with you!"

The leather-jacketed man flashed forward, charging straight at her with the weapon in hand. He was extremely fast, a speed-enhancement Awakened.

Cheng Luoyi remained where she was without moving at all. Her large eyes simply stared blankly at him, with no intention of dodging.

The cold glint grew larger and larger in her pupils. The dagger was right before her, within arm's reach!

Suddenly, Cheng Luoyi raised her hand and grabbed the blade!

Squelch!

Scarlet blood gushed out and ran down her wrist, leaving a glaring streak of color across her fair skin...