Not Elegant Enough

The intense slicing pain stimulated her nerves, bringing every cell in her body to life. The Killing Factor within her was about to bloom.

This slash triggered Cheng Luoyi's awakened ability, Deadly Pain. Her aura continued to rise, and a wristband was visible on her right wrist.

It displayed: Pain Value: 10%

"Huh?"

The man in the leather jacket immediately sensed that something was wrong. He tried to pull back his alloy dagger, but Cheng Luoyi's hand was like an iron vise. No matter how hard he struggled, it would not budge.

As the leather-jacketed man struggled, the dagger cut deeper into her flesh. Blood streamed from between Cheng Luoyi's fingers.

Her Pain Value continued to rise.

15%.

Crack!

Cheng Luoyi suddenly exerted force, snapping the blade in half. She gripped the broken blade and stabbed it straight toward the man's temple!

Squelch!

The man did not even have time to react. He only felt a sharp pain in his head as warm blood ran down the side of his face.

His consciousness gradually blurred...

"Th-this is a gentle girl?"

His pupils dilated as that final thought arose in his mind. Then he breathed his last, and his body crashed to the ground.

In that brief instant, Cheng Luoyi had taken down a Crystal Core awakener.

Song Yang and the others' pupils contracted in shock. They had never expected this seemingly delicate girl to be so fierce.

"She killed him that easily?"

"I feel like... there's something wrong with her!"

"Everyone, be careful. This person is actually very dangerous!"

"..."

Their expressions immediately turned solemn.

When Cheng Luoyi had killed that man just now, her face had remained calm and unruffled. Her movements had been steady, precise, and ruthless. At a glance, she looked like a seasoned killer who had done this sort of thing often.

Cheng Luoyi lowered her eyes to the corpse at her feet, as though she had suddenly remembered something.

She slowly crouched down and used the alloy blade to pry open the leather-jacketed man's head. Then she inserted her fair fingers inside and began "stirring" around in his skull.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Dong was somewhat curious. Watching her movements reminded him of the days at the orphanage when they had "mixed dumpling filling."

Soon, Cheng Luoyi found the man's Crystal Core and forcibly pulled it out. Her hand was covered in dripping blood, along with bits of red and white matter.

She then turned and walked over to Lin Dong, holding out the thing in her hand.

"You gave me bread, so I'm giving you a Crystal Core."

"Oh..."

Lin Dong nodded. So she had remembered that. Just like before, she was still impatient.

But her blood-soaked palm was still hung with unidentified brain matter. Blood mixed with other fluids continued to drip down.

"It doesn't seem very hygienic, does it?"

"It's freshly removed from the skull and still warm. Clean and hygienic."

Cheng Luoyi knew that Lin Dong had a habit of being germophobic, so she explained.

To Lin Dong, this was the equivalent of rice soaked in soup, except the broth had been splashed everywhere, making it rather unsightly.

So he stood where he was without moving for a long while.

Cheng Luoyi glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, looking somewhat puzzled.

"What are you still being picky about?"

"It's not elegant enough," Lin Dong said.

"..." Cheng Luoyi's face darkened as she mimicked his previous tone.

"Eat it or don't!"

"Hiss..."

Song Yang and the others sucked in a breath of cold air. The person before them was far too savage and had nothing to do with the gentleness the leather-jacketed man had described! That bastard had not died unfairly at all!

At the same time, a question arose in their hearts. Was this really someone from the Official Shelter?

Why did she seem even more brutal than they were?

The Black Scorpion Organization had eaten human flesh and even tortured and killed people, but compared to Cheng Luoyi, they lacked one quality: composure.

"Eh? Wait..."

Suddenly, Song Yang noticed a serious problem. The number of people on the other side... seemed wrong. His gaze swept from Lin Dong to Chen Ming, examining them one by one.

No matter how he counted, there was one extra person...

"Yuanyuan, didn't you say you sensed six people? Why are there seven?"

"I..."

The short-haired girl frowned deeply, her expression exceptionally grave.

"Brother Yang, one of them... doesn't seem to be human!"

"What?"

Song Yang's eyes widened.

He had considerable faith in the perceptions of a Mental Type awakener.

Not human?

Then what was it?

Following the girl's gaze, Song Yang looked toward Lin Dong. He saw him pick up the bloodstained Crystal Core, put it in his mouth, and savor it as though it were exceptionally sweet.

The answer became increasingly obvious.

A zombie!

His heart skipped a beat. Someone from the Official Shelter was actually mixed in with zombies!

What had happened today was simply too absurd.

An intense sense of danger welled up within him.

He looked around.

At present, his greatest advantage was their superiority in numbers.

"Forget everything else for now. Kill them. Everyone, attack together."

"Mm."

The people beside him silently nodded.

Then—

The battle was about to erupt. The Black Scorpion Organization members each unleashed their awakened abilities.

They charged like fierce tigers, their auras equally formidable.

Cheng Luoyi turned her head to look at them, her expression still calm.

"Stand here and don't move. I'll go get some more Crystal Cores."

"Huh?"

Lin Dong raised an eyebrow.

That sentence sounded rather strange...

But at that moment, Song Yang and several other core members had already arrived before Cheng Luoyi. Song Yang's awakened ability was metallic skin, and his physique was exceptionally strong.

His skin transformed, and a bright silver sheen spread across his entire body. With every movement, the sound of clashing steel rang out, as though he were wearing metal armor.

When Song Yang threw a punch, it carried immense force. A gust howled through the air as it shot straight for Cheng Luoyi's face.

Cheng Luoyi was utterly fearless. She raised her slender arm and held it horizontally before herself.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Cheng Luoyi blocked the tremendous force, but her feet slid backward for some distance. At the same time, her arm went numb as intense shock pain spread through it.

Pain Value: 17%

Song Yang's silver face twisted into a grin as he called to his teammate. "Now!"

"Okay!"

Yuanyuan answered from behind him and launched a mental attack at the same time. Her mental power surged like a tide, pressing into Cheng Luoyi's mind as she activated Brainstorm!

Cheng Luoyi felt as though boiling oil had been poured into her brain. Intense pain struck her, and she became disoriented as her consciousness began to blur.

Song Yang immediately seized the chance, his massive fist smashing toward her once more.

It seemed that this blow would shatter her head!

At that moment, the number on Cheng Luoyi's wristband changed.

Pain Value: 26%

Her gaze instantly sharpened, and clarity returned to her eyes. The power of pain made her even stronger.

She clenched one hand into a fist and struck Song Yang in the chest at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Bzzz—

Even with Song Yang's metal body, his chest caved in and warped. The enormous force sent him flying backward as though he had been hit by a truck.

Rumble!

Song Yang crashed through a wall and was buried beneath the rubble.

"H-how is that possible?"

Yuanyuan's eyes nearly split with fury. Cheng Luoyi had clearly been hit by a mental attack, yet she had sent their leader flying. Yuanyuan's face twisted viciously, and the Black Scorpion tattoo on her face seemed to come alive.

But the situation was urgent, leaving her no time to think. She hurriedly turned her head, searching for Cheng Luoyi's figure and preparing to launch another mental attack.

But—

A delicate, fair face had already appeared before her!