Chapter 43: Survival

With her trachea slashed, the girl gasped for air like a fish out of water, blood gushing relentlessly from her mouth.

Song Shi found herself pinned beneath her, a torrent of warm, foul blood soaking her neck, one wave after another.

Suppressing the tumult in her stomach, Song Shi shoved the girl off her.

Outside the door, the second wave of attackers finally reacted. Seizing the moment while Song Shi lay on the ground, they surged in, brandishing knives aimed at her head.

Song Shi rolled out of the way, seized the knife embedded in the girl's neck, and retaliated.

The cramped space could barely contain the attackers, and a third wave grew impatient, eager to force their way in.

Springing onto the bed, Song Shi kicked a three-legged table—already half-destroyed—toward the doorway, sending the incoming third wave tumbling.

Meanwhile, she wielded the stolen knife to defend against the onslaught of two crew-cut men.

Engaging in a direct confrontation with many adversaries was the most foolish tactic, unless one possessed overwhelming strength—but Song Shi knew she didn't belong to that latter category.

The attackers were not mere thugs; the earlier Tang Jun would have merely fetched tea for these men, and even Dai Ming was leagues away from their caliber.

Song Shi had to tread carefully, testing her opponents during their skirmish, searching for a weakness.

The crew-cut man with a scar struck quickly, employing cunning angles in his attacks.

The chubby crew-cut assailant boasted formidable defense and raw strength. Every time Song Shi's blade met his weapon, her wrist would throb painfully.

To make matters worse, her left hand was utterly unusable, bleeding profusely, causing her grip on the knife to become slippery.

The wooden bed creaked incessantly under the strain of Song Shi's movements. 

With every groan and creak, she feared the bed might collapse. It wasn't that she feared injury; her reflexes were sharp enough to avoid any splintering wood. Rather, it was the threat of distraction amid her intense focus on the two assailants—if the bed gave way, she would surely falter, giving them an opening.

The three contenders remained locked in a tense stalemate.

A series of alerts flashed through Song Shi's mind.

[Abuse Value Progress: +1%]

[Abuse Value Progress: +1%]

…

Out of the corner of her eye, a familiar silhouette appeared at the doorway.

It was Yang Miao!

She had arrived!

Dai Ming was speaking with her.

Instinctively, Song Shi glanced toward the bathroom but held back with effort.

Mao Rong was hidden in the bathroom, her trump card to threaten Yang Miao.

However, at that moment, Song Shi was pinned on the bed, two men blocking her escape. The bathroom doorway was unobstructed, and if Yang Miao discovered Mao Rong's presence and rescued her, Song Shi would lose a crucial ally.

Perhaps driven by urgency, Song Shi's resolve tightened as she faced her two opponents, her movements now infused with ruthless determination.

The two had excellent teamwork; she needed to dispose of one first.

Song Shi focused her attacks on the scarred crew-cut man, who was beginning to show signs of fatigue after sustained combat.

Beneath her, the bed creaked ominously, signaling it was on the verge of breaking. Song Shi feigned weakness in her retreat, luring the scarred man closer until he could no longer resist leaping onto the bed.

As he jumped, the weight of both combatants caused the bed to finally give way, collapsing in the middle and sending the ends flying up.

Song Shi had anticipated this, quickly stepping onto the bed's iron frame. As the scarred man ducked to evade the splintering wood, she darted underneath his arm, slipping behind him. She drove the knife into his waist, twisting it before yanking it free.

A crimson fountain erupted, splattering across the chubby crew-cut man's face.

The scarred man didn't perish immediately but was significantly weakened; his combat effectiveness plummeted.

With no time to finish him off, Song Shi dropped to the floor, fully committing herself to the fight against the chubby crew-cut assailant.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Dai Ming had concluded his conversation with Yang Miao, who was now looking inside.

Song Shi's pace quickened as she subtly shifted toward the bathroom doorway.

The chubby crew-cut man defended stoutly, making it difficult for her to find a weak point.

Just then, a third attacker burst into the fray, taking the place of the scarred crew-cut man.

The wearisome battle began to exhaust Song Shi's stamina.

She exchanged blows with the chubby crew-cut man repeatedly, her entire right arm feeling numb and sore.

Before long, she could barely feel it, relying solely on her reflexes to evade and retaliate.

The third man wielded an object resembling a baseball bat.

Every time their blades collided, they left cuts that deepened the numbness in her arm, pushing her to the brink of losing control.

Desperate, Song Shi was compelled to switch to her left hand, temporarily relieving her right.

While the bleeding from her left hand subsided slightly, she still struggled to maintain a grip on the knife, and her left hand lacked the dexterity of her right.

As she retreated step by step, her back pressed against the bathroom door.

Another fierce clash echoed as the bat met the blade.

"Clang—"

The knife in Song Shi's hand shattered into two pieces; the force caused her left hand to release the blade, tearing the newly healed wound and causing blood to flow from the split.

[Abuse Value Progress: +1%]

Seizing the moment, the bat swung toward Song Shi's head.

Her pupils contracted as she instinctively dodged to the left.

The swing missed its target, striking her right shoulder instead.

The sound of breaking bone resonated in her ears; despite her right arm's previous numbness, the sudden agony forced her to collapse to the ground, clutching her shoulder, drenched in sweat.

[Abuse Value Progress: +2%]

The bat swung again, targeting her head. The assailant gripped the far end of the bat tightly, raising it high, eyes locked onto the defenseless Song Shi seated on the floor. The bat hurtled forward!

[Total Abuse Value Progress: 100%]

[Congratulations! The "Pain Infliction" system grants you liberation from suffering!!!]

[You have successfully awakened a healing ability!!]

A brilliant cascade of white light erupted from within Song Shi, dazzlingly brilliant, causing the two men facing her to abruptly cease their assault, shielding their eyes and staggering back.

The group standing at the doorway was also engulfed in the radiant light, their vision obliterated.

Yang Miao reacted the fastest, darting to a spot where the blinding glare could not reach, squinting as she adjusted her vision, followed closely by Dai Ming.

Once their eyes could perceive again, the two exchanged incredulous glances, each mirroring disbelief at the other.

Song Shi had awakened at such a critical moment!

But what had she awakened? A berserker ability?

If it were a berserker ability, they were doomed; none of them stood a chance against Song Shi!

Inside the room:

Every injury on Song Shi was healing at an astonishing rate, broken bones mending, and her battered flesh repairing itself. Even the blinding light posed no harm to her.

She could still see everything within the room clearly.

Suppressing the rising questions about her awakening mechanics and the nature of her healing powers versus the berserker ability, she forced herself not to ponder why the progress bar had reached its limits to trigger such an awakening.

The immediate priority was addressing the peril before her.

As the two men remained blinded, Song Shi felt the small dagger nestled in her pants pocket. Rising slowly, she aimed toward the throat of the man with the bat.

The sound of a muffled groan emerged as she struck, and she gently laid him down.

The chubby crew-cut man remained oblivious; Song Shi had already positioned herself stealthily behind him, swiftly bringing the knife down.

The slender blade sliced through his artery, sending a jet of blood spraying onto Song Shi's unrelenting grip.

Thick blood flowed down the blade; she casually wiped it on her clothing before returning the dagger to her pocket and seizing the chubby crew-cut man's knife.

As the radiant light began to ebb, seven or eight people surrounded the doorway, cautiously eyeing her. Yang Miao stood in the forefront as Dai Ming positioned himself centrally behind.

Yang Miao's gaze fell upon Song Shi's right arm, now moving normally, noting that her left hand had ceased bleeding.

She had healed completely.

Healing ability!

Dai Ming quickly made the same observation.

He erupted into laughter. "It's not a berserker ability! It's healing! Fortune favors us! Everyone, attack together!"

Sadly, no one dared to move.

Ordinary individuals were ordinary, while awakeners were awakeners.

The Federation's regard for awakeners was profound; taking the life of an awakened individual would lead to inquiries that stretched to the horizon. Even those from the West Suburbs couldn't hope to conceal the murder of an awakener.

The Federation employed no death penalty.

For an ordinary person, life in prison could be comfortably endured; with good behavior, release could even come early. But for someone who had taken the life of an awakener, endless experiments awaited, cruel and torturous until the very end.

Seeing the commotion among the group, Dai Ming grew agitated. "Don't you remember what we did before?! Even if we don't kill her, do you think we'll fare any better?!" 

(End of Chapter)