Actually, Ning Yu's middle and index fingers were still hurting a bit. The bullet's kinetic energy had been suddenly stopped, causing some superficial wounds on her hands.
However, the man couldn't see the red marks on her fingers anymore.
Such injury was still within Ning Yu's expectations. She was already quite satisfied with being able to catch bullets with her bare hands thanks to her [Future Reading] ability and her formidable physical capabilities.
Ning Yu had about a 90% confidence in pulling it off, which was why she wanted to try it.
Having [Death Resistance] gave her the confidence to show off - first by cutting bullets, and then simply catching them with her bare hands.
As Ning Yu got closer to the man, he noticed that her companion's blood on her blade had been completely absorbed.
The blade's surface had returned to its silvery white color.
He felt that everything about the girl before him defied common sense, and his gun was completely useless against her.
Fear finally broke his paralysis, and he unhesitatingly opened the window behind him, intending to escape through it.
He didn't even care if there were zombies outside anymore - the Ning Yu behind him was far more terrifying than any zombie.
Ning Yu noticed his attempt to escape and raised her sleeve, revealing a silver crossbow underneath.
"Bang!"
Before Ning Yu could act, just as the man opened the window, he was greeted by a gunshot.
Just as he had one foot on the window ledge, a bullet struck his exposed shoulder, creating a spray of blood.
He fell backward suddenly, lying on the ground clutching his wounded shoulder as blood flowed from the bullet wound.
It happened to be on the same side he was holding his gun, causing him to drop the weapon.
Ning Yu lowered her sleeve crossbow and slowly walked forward.
She guessed that Shen Yiyue had heard the commotion and, seeing the man trying to escape through the window from downstairs, had shot him directly.
The man realized his dire situation and struggled to reach for his dropped handgun despite his injury.
Just as his hand touched the gun's grip, a foot stomped down hard on it.
"Ahhh!!"
The man immediately cried out in pain. The fingers are extremely sensitive, and the intense pain from his fingertips made him suspect his finger bones were broken.
But what was more terrifying was that with that stomp, his silver handgun simply vanished from the floor.
What was going on now?!
Though after witnessing someone catch bullets with bare hands, encountering something like this seemed to have already numbed his mind to the impossible.
Blood Kite silently pressed against the man's throat.
"Where did you get the gun?"
This was the second time Ning Yu had seen ordinary people with guns.
"St-stole it..."
The man felt the cold sensation on his neck and didn't dare move. Ning Yu had her blade at his throat from behind.
"Be more specific."
Ning Yu wanted him to elaborate. If there was somewhere to get firearms, she'd rather stock up instead of spending points to exchange for them.
"From... from a police officer..."
The man seemed to be in too much pain to breathe properly, but he didn't dare complain.
Hearing this, Ning Yu felt disappointed - she had hoped there was a place to obtain such weapons.
"How did you manage to steal from someone who was armed?"
Ning Yu questioned.
"I... I used hostages... to threaten him... he had no choice but to comply..."
The man explained the reason, and Ning Yu nodded, though he couldn't see her expression.
When Ning Yu suddenly went silent, the man became panicked, worried about his life:
"Please..."
Before he could finish his plea, Ning Yu had already thrust Blood Kite directly into his heart.
The man felt an intense pain from behind, and it seemed as if all the blood in his body was bewitched, rushing toward the wound.
In just 3 seconds, he had completely stopped breathing.
[Blood Kite Experience +3]
Ning Yu frowned, wondering why draining all the blood from a living person only gave 3 experience points.
It was indeed getting harder to level up.
She ignored the man's corpse on the ground - such a person deserved his fate anyway.
Just as she turned around, Shen Yiyue hurriedly ran up from the stairs. Ning Yu noticed her feet were covered in the fresh blood of the two men who had just died.
"Xiao Yu, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
She had rushed over from next door after hearing the gunshots.
"I'm fine, let's go."
Ning Yu put away Blood Kite, preparing to leave with her to continue clearing the remaining parts of the food street.
Just as they were about to go downstairs, she suddenly heard a rustling sound.
"Shh!"
Ning Yu suddenly signaled Shen Yiyue to be quiet. She listened carefully and seemed to hear some kind of whimpering sound.
She walked to a locked room, cut off the lock with one slash, and opened the door.
The scene inside the room left her almost speechless.
There were several people tied up inside - children, women, and a man in a police uniform.
However, that wasn't the main point. Ning Yu noticed that these people were missing either arms or lower legs and feet.
One woman had even lost both hands, so only her feet were bound.
Their wounds appeared to have been burned, as if crudely cauterized, seemingly having undergone some basic but brutal form of sterilization.
Ning Yu seemed to understand something - these people had likely been used as food ingredients.
Who would have thought that in this apocalyptic world, besides the figurative "eating people," there would be literal cannibalism.
Everyone in the room looked at the newcomers with frightened eyes when the door opened, only to find not their familiar tormentors but a beautiful silver-haired girl.
They all showed expressions of fear mixed with a hint of hope, wishing the newcomers were here to rescue them.
Ning Yu was momentarily at a loss for words, and Shen Yiyue, who followed behind, also drew in a sharp breath at the sight before her.
She was clearly shocked by the cruel scene as well.
After thinking for a moment, Ning Yu stepped forward and, with a few cuts from Blood Kite, freed everyone from their bonds.
Those who still had strength stood up and began helping those who couldn't rise on their own.
The woman without arms had to rely on a small boy to help remove the cloth stuffed in her mouth.
A man and woman who seemed to know each other embraced with their remaining arms, crying painfully, finally escaping from this horrific ordeal.
"Th-thank you!"
"Finally... finally..."
The people could finally speak. Some thanked Ning Yu and her companion, while others just wept helplessly, having temporarily lost control of their emotions.
Ning Yu just watched silently, saying nothing.
"Xiao Yu, what should we do with these people?"
Shen Yiyue walked to Ning Yu's side, unsure of how she planned to handle them.
Should they just leave them here, or what?
"Let's take them back to the Ark. There's space in the pickup truck anyway. The Ark's rules state that for each person rescued, you get 3 exchange tickets as a reward."
Ning Yu told Shen Yiyue.
However, she thought about the elderly people Sister Wan Heng cared for. People without the ability to work probably wouldn't have very good lives at the Ark.
But it would still be better than here.
At least they could live a few more days.