Chapter 44: Arrival
"Murder in attempt; even in the next life, you'll still rot in prison. Why not go all the way? Kill her and hide the body! No one will know we murdered an awakener!"
Dai Ming's voice dripped with seduction as his gaze swept across the room, gesturing to the glowing light brain on his wrist. "Don't forget who stands behind us."
His words ignited a spark among the others, who exchanged glances, tightening their grips on their weapons and brimming with eagerness.
"Yang Miao, it's time for you to take action," Dai Ming directed, eyes fixed on Yang Miao's back. The most invaluable asset in this operation was precisely her.
Having repeatedly overpowered Song Shi, her unfathomable strength served as their safety net.
This was precisely why they had sought to include her in the plan during the final days.
Unlike the others, Yang Miao bore no weapon.
She took a step forward, fixing her gaze on Song Shi. "Where is Mao Rong?"
With great stealth, Song Shi pressed the bathroom doorknob down and stepped inside, placing the blade against Mao Rong's throat.
"If you come any closer, I will kill her!"
Yang Miao halted her advance.
Mao Rong, spotting Yang Miao, could no longer maintain her composure; tears streamed down her face as she emitted sharp, muffled sounds from her throat.
Song Shi pressed the blade harder. "Silence."
The edge sank into Mao Rong's flesh, etching a thin line of blood that glistened as it slowly trickled down.
Song Shi kept her focus on Yang Miao's response throughout.
Yang Miao's hand clenched at her side, tightening with each passing moment, yet she ultimately relented upon seeing the mark on Mao Rong's neck.
"Do you remember the time you struck Dai Ming's lackey in the cafeteria?"
Song Shi recalled the incident vividly; it was a performance staged between her and Yang Miao.
Aiming to thrash Dai Ming's men without getting tossed into the black room, Yang Miao pretended to pursue her. Song Shi veered into the territory of the unfriendly diners, successfully bringing them down while Yang Miao "punished" her afterward. Thus, both achieved their objectives without arousing suspicion.
Now, as Yang Miao revisited the memory in light of the current situation, she understood the delicate balance in play.
Dai Ming's glowing light brain suggested observers were likely monitoring their actions, making it impossible for Yang Miao to plainly intervene.
They would need to act once more.
"Of course."
Song Shi withdrew the knife, rushed out of the bathroom, and kicked the door before aiming at Yang Miao.
Dai Ming, initially relieved by the apparent threat to Yang Miao, found himself puzzled by the cryptic exchange between her and Song Shi.
On the other side, Yang Miao and Song Shi were already locked in combat. Song Shi, with her injuries healed, struck with astonishing speed, pushing Yang Miao—who fought barehanded—into a precarious position.
Dai Ming dismissed the turmoil in his mind, focusing on the unfolding battle. He nudged a nearby boy. "Go, give your knife to Yang Miao!"
"What?" protested the boy, clutching his weapon protectively. "What will I use then?"
Dai Ming coldly yanked the knife from the boy's grasp. "If Yang Miao dies, what will it matter what you have?"
Just as he was about to toss the knife to Yang Miao, he glimpsed her being knocked away.
In a parabolic arc, she flew from Song Shi's position to the now-broken bed.
The bed collapsed under the tremendous impact, burying Yang Miao beneath its remnants, falling eerily silent.
Dai Ming's complexion blanched with sudden horror.
The event played out with alarming swiftness.
Song Shi was charging toward them!
Dai Ming hastily returned the knife to its previous owner, stumbling backward a few steps, ceding the fray to the others.
Awakened, Song Shi fought like a pain-immune machine; blades cut into her with little effect. Mere seconds after being injured, her wounds closed, her movements wholly unencumbered save for the tears in her clothing and the blood that seeped out—she remained as agile as lightning, making each slice appear almost illusory.
The others lacked such a gift.
Song Shi's blade lacerated their arms, legs, and heads—each assault diminishing their combat prowess.
Blood splattered against the walls and ceiling, painting the once-spotless surfaces in a grim tableau of chaos.
The floor became a devastating sight; it lay strewn with bodies—some sprawled, some kneeling, and others curled in corners. In this less than ten-square-meter dorm room, eight or nine figures lay injured, some crying out in agony while others lay motionless, having succumbed to their injuries.
There was no room left on the ground for Song Shi to step.
Striding over two corpses, she exited the dormitory, facing the remaining unengaged assailants in the corridor.
Wang Danyu had indeed dispatched a significant number of her henchmen; seven remained before her.
Wiping the blood from her face, Song Shi zeroed in on Dai Ming, who hid timidly at the back. The events of the day surged through her mind, igniting a ravenous bloodlust within her.
The moment their eyes met, an icy chill enveloped Dai Ming's legs, coiling around like a venomous snake, rendering him immobile.
"Get in there! Now! Kill her! Ten million! Ten million!" Dai Ming howled, nearly losing his voice, shoving the two in front of him to confront Song Shi.
In that instant, Song Shi propelled herself upward, her toes propelled against the left wall. Using this leverage, she exploded toward her enemies, evading those blocking Dai Ming's path with exceptional agility.
The blade grazed Dai Ming's neck. Initially, it only tore the outer layer of skin, but then it sank deeper into the muscle, severing tissue, and puncturing his trachea; when she withdrew the blade, it took with it the adjacent blood vessels.
Scalding blood erupted like a geyser, splattering against the nearby walls.
Dai Ming clutched his throat with both hands, blood oozing through his fingers. His eyes, filled with disbelief and despair, rolled back as he slowly collapsed, ultimately crumpling at Song Shi's feet.
Shifting her focus from Dai Ming's dying light, Song Shi regarded the remaining six.
The blade still dripped crimson as it hung from her hand.
The six faced the grim reality of Dai Ming's demise; trepidation took root in their hearts.
Yet they found themselves cornered at the end of the corridor, the only exit behind Song Shi.
There remained one option for escape: jumping from the building.
Peering down at the waist-high barrier lining the corridor, fear gripped them; the prospect of leaping down four stories was fatal at best, crippling at worst.
The thought of jumping faded away in an instant.
Resigning themselves, they exchanged defiant glances, rallying each other as they stormed toward Song Shi.
Song Shi kicked aside the bodies at her feet, subtly adjusting her grip on the weapon, raising the blade before her with laser focus as she locked onto the relentless attackers.
"Stop!"
A thunderous voice boomed from behind, causing the knife in Song Shi's grasp to slip from her control. Confused, she clutched it tightly, struggling against an opposing force that made the blade tremble ominously.
With the six figures before her unable to hold on, their weapons flew from their grasp, drawn upward as if by an unseen magnetic force, gliding along the ceiling.
"Song Shi, we're here," echoed Tang You's voice.
As Song Shi released the knife, it crashed against the ceiling.
(End of Chapter)