"She's out of bullets! Keep going..."
The man nicknamed Goat, who had been hiding behind, stopped mid-sentence as he glanced around. Aside from the man called Wolf hiding behind a pillar, he was the only one left from the Dark Palace team.
Their earlier confidence had come from the fact that Xie Yuyan was severely injured, but the sudden turn of events had caught them off guard. In just a few breaths, most of their team had been wiped out by Xie Yuyan.
"Damn it... Is this woman a monster? How is she still moving like this?"
Wolf tightened his grip on his weapon, his nerves on edge as he kept his eyes fixed on the gap, watching Xie Yuyan's every move. He had already pulled the pin on a smoke grenade, ready to use his most prized skill at the slightest sign of danger.
"Click."
"Step... step..."
A figure emerged from the gap, and Xie Yuyan slowly stepped out. In her hand was a bayonet, and if one looked into her eyes, they would see a deep, unfocused blue that filled her entire irises, like a dead sea—anyone who fell into it would surely perish.
Goat, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Xie Yuyan's wounds were still bleeding. After a full day of pursuit, she must have been at the end of her rope. He immediately pulled out a pistol from his coat, aiming it at Xie Yuyan. But just as he was about to pull the trigger, a flying dagger struck, embedding itself straight into his head.
"How... how could this..."
Goat stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Xie Yuyan's thrown dagger had been too fast for even him to react. His eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground.
After watching Goat fall, Xie Yuyan shifted her gaze to Wolf, who was dressed in a suit. She looked at him as if he were already dead and said, "You're next."
"......"
Wolf didn't say a word, but the fear in his eyes was evident. He was terrified of Xie Yuyan's terrifying state. Goat's gun was too far away, and trying to retrieve it would only expose his weaknesses.
No... If this keeps up, I'm dead! I have to... I have to take a gamble!
Wolf glanced down at the poison-coated talon knife in his hand.
If I can just inflict a wound on her, I can escape. Anyone poisoned by this will suffer excruciating pain, as if being devoured by thousands of insects, before bleeding from every orifice and dying. As for an antidote... there isn't one.
"Yah!"
Wolf threw a smoke grenade at Xie Yuyan's feet. As the smoke erupted from the concrete floor, Xie Yuyan was instantly enveloped in the haze.
Xie Yuyan stood still, unmoving, as if waiting for Wolf to make his move. Her lifeless eyes stared straight ahead.
"Whoosh!"
At that moment, Wolf burst out of the smoke from behind Xie Yuyan, slashing at her back with his talon knife.
As the blade drew closer to Xie Yuyan, and she still made no move to dodge, Wolf felt a surge of triumph. Victory seemed to be smiling at him.
But just as the knife was about to pierce her back, Xie Yuyan's body reacted instantly. She adjusted her stance and delivered a powerful kick to Wolf's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Wolf was sent flying back into the smoke, the force of the blow causing him to spit out blood. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he retreated back into the smoke.
Impossible... With so many wounds, her strength should be waning, not increasing! This makes no sense! What's going on? Did she take some kind of stimulant?
No, attacking her from behind isn't working. I need to go for her front. Without any protective gear, she can only rely on her fists and feet. If I can just land one cut, it's over.
With that thought, Wolf lunged at Xie Yuyan again, this time aiming straight for her abdomen.
"Haah!"
Seeing his chance, Wolf put all his strength into this strike. If he didn't succeed now, it would be even harder to kill Xie Yuyan once she was on guard.
"Slash!"
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed as Wolf's talon knife grazed Xie Yuyan's arm. Just as he was about to make his escape, a dark gun barrel was pointed at him.
"A gun?"
At first, Wolf was startled by the gun Xie Yuyan had aimed at his head, but then he remembered that her gun was out of bullets and burst into laughter.
"Cold Snake, have you lost your mind? Do you think I didn't hear your gun click empty earlier?"
Xie Yuyan didn't respond, only staring at him coldly.
"Tch, let's see how long you can keep this up."
Wolf laughed maniacally, reaching out to grab the barrel of Xie Yuyan's gun, a smug grin on his face.
"Do you know what's on my blade? A poison that will kill you in a short time. If you want the antidote, I suggest you let me go. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you where it is."
"So what?"
"Oh? Scared now... Wait, what did you say?"
"What does it matter? You're still going to die."
With that, Xie Yuyan pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang out, and Wolf collapsed to the ground, his expression frozen in disbelief. Until his dying breath, he couldn't understand why Xie Yuyan remained so calm even after being poisoned. Wasn't she running for her life earlier? Why wasn't she afraid of death now? And where did that bullet come from?
But he would never get the chance to figure it out...
As the smoke gradually cleared, Xie Yuyan glanced down at the wound on her arm, indifferent, and tossed the gun aside near a motionless Dark Palace member. Without looking back, she walked toward the gap.
Just as Xie Yuyan stepped through the gap, she froze at the sight of the destroyed ruins. The hand that had once belonged to Ye Feng was nowhere to be seen. She tilted her head and walked step by step to the edge of the ruins, peering closely. In the corner of the rubble, she saw someone breathing heavily, staring directly at her.
!!!!
100%
......
80%
......
50%
......
30%
......
Xie Yuyan's eyes widened, her previously lifeless pupils returning to normal. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
"Sorry, I couldn't be of any help."
Ye Feng spoke first, his voice filled with resignation.
"Ye... Ye Feng?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"You... you're okay?"
"Seems like it... but looking at your wounds..."
Before Ye Feng could finish, Xie Yuyan threw herself into his arms, her cries tearing through the air.
"Waaah! Thank goodness! You're alive!"