Chapter 100: First Time Hurting Someone
Xi Yu started to say something in his defense, but then he saw Jian Yu dazedly push him away.
His gaze fell, and he glanced down at his empty arms.
He looked up just in time to watch her run to Ling Yanzhi and fling herself into his arms.
"Yanyan, my leg hurts."
Jian Yu pleaded for comfort.
"I’ll teach him a lesson for you later, baby."
Ling Yanzhi swept her up with one arm, patting her back to soothe her while shooting a playful look at the other two men.
A shadow fell over Xi Yu’s eyes.
Phantom tentacles materialized on his arm, lashing out.
When a tentacle wrapped around her ankle, Jian Yu ducked her head and clung tightly to Ling Yanzhi’s neck.
’Why is she crying just like that?’
Pei Yin’s hostility suddenly vanished.
He batted away Xi Yu’s tentacle. "Alright, alright. It’s not the first time Ling has provoked you."
Xi Yu’s dark eyes froze.
’He had a point.’
He made the mark on Jian Yu disappear.
He eagerly shuffled over, his fingers stroking Jian Yu’s slender, pale ankle.
"Baby, I’m sorry. I hurt you again. I’ll be careful next time, I promise. I’ll follow your lead."
Jian Yu’s eyes faltered for a moment.
’Follow my lead?’
’So, Xi Yu really figured it out.’
Jian Yu lowered her dewy eyes, her lashes hiding her guilty conscience.
Her gaze shifted, and she noticed the other two hadn’t paid any mind to Xi Yu’s words.
Ling Yanzhi even made a snide remark.
"He’s always brainwashing himself, altering his memories, claiming that you seduced him, that you like him. Now he’s saying you were the one who started it. Sooo scary~"
As Ling Yanzhi chuckled, he lifted his eyes, a flicker of mockery passing through them.
"If you’re scared, baby, just hold me a little tighter. I’ll shield you from him."
Jian Yu’s gaze drifted as she leaned against him dependently. "Mm."
’Only the one who frames you knows just how framed you are.’
’I can’t believe that saying is actually true.’
Xi Yu’s possessiveness flared, and a restless tentacle snaked up to Jian Yu’s waist.
He’d gotten smarter. He turned and tried to rope in Pei Yin. "Let’s take her back together. I don’t want to share with him anymore."
Pei Yin gave a perfunctory nod. "Uh-huh. You go on ahead. We’ll go left."
The other three really did turn and walk left.
Xi Yu stood rooted to the spot, fuming.
A white slime oozed from his pale fingers as eight tentacles burst from his back, one after another.
Jian Yu rested her chin on Ling Yanzhi’s shoulder.
She crooked a finger at Xi Yu.
Xi Yu’s expression froze once more.
The tips of his ears turned red. He used Instant Teleportation to appear before them and took hold of her outstretched finger.
Pei Yin pursed his lips.
He opened the window to the inner chamber.
"Let’s begin. Stop wasting time."
Jian Yu pursed her lips, her fingers tightening into a light fist.
Her use of the pink mist had gradually become more skillful.
Thanks to Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu’s special access, the supply of Exotic Beast Eggs and Cloned Eggs for Class 1 had skyrocketed.
Back at the villa, in addition to feeding her ling beast, Xi Yu and the others would occasionally bring her Exotic Beast Eggs to hatch.
With the boost from their resources, her ability to control the cyan smoke tendrils grew stronger and stronger.
The only exception was the Purple Smoke, her rarest ability. She had only tried using it to attack Pei Yin and the others, and occasionally to intimidate some newly hatched young Alien Beasts.
Jian Yu had also secretly tried condensing the Purple Fog to physically strike walls and decorative vases, but with no effect.
’It probably wouldn’t have much destructive power against a person, either.’
Pei Yin’s voice broke her out of her daze. "Don’t be afraid. Just attack them the same way you usually attack us."
Xi Yu released her hand. His gaze passed through the window, scanning the criminals inside who were still brimming with energy.
His expression turned murderous. "Why aren’t they tied up?"
Pei Yin gave him a deadpan look. "What’s the point of practicing if they’re tied up? They can’t dodge or defend themselves. I might as well have requested corpses."
Ling Yanzhi carried Jian Yu over to the window.
He gestured toward the one in black. His lazy voice held a hint of encouragement. "Give it a try, baby."
Jian Yu couldn’t bring herself to do it.
’This is out of character. Aren’t I supposed to be the sweet, innocent girl?’
’The fact that I’ve never killed anyone is secondary. This is a fictional world, and he’s a criminal. The trauma shouldn’t be too great.’
’Probably,’ Jian Yu thought uncertainly.
She averted her gaze, practically hanging off Ling Yanzhi.
"These men work as a team. The leader is the one in black, Su Ke."
Pei Yin began playing some videos of the black-clad criminal’s crimes for her.
’After she sees this, even if she won’t become as cruel as him, I don’t believe she’ll still hesitate.’
A screen floated up, projecting an image across the entire wall of the antechamber.
Pei Yin explained, "The Dark Web on Ta Planet."
"They’d been live-streaming for a long time. It wasn’t until they kidnapped two Half-awakeneds as a publicity stunt that they caught the Alliance’s attention."
Jian Yu hadn’t expected it to be a live-streamed video.
In the middle of the room was a huge iron cage holding more than a dozen little girls. Their hair was a mess, their eyes were filled with tears, and their faces were etched with terror.
Their small bodies were huddled together. Their exposed arms and legs were covered in purple and blue bruises. Some of the wounds looked particularly gruesome, as if they had just started to heal only to be torn open again.
Outside the cage stood a rack lined with various implements, some of them still stained with red.
Cameras were mounted in the four corners of the ceiling, recording the children’s every expression and action without missing a thing.
He detected a fluctuation in her emotions.
Pei Yin shut off the video. "That’s enough."
He stepped aside.
Jian Yu squeezed her eyes shut.
When she opened them again, several colored veins on her wrist began to pulse, one after the other.
Wisps of purple fog condensed at her fingertips, forming a long ribbon that snaked through the window. It wrapped around Su Ke’s legs, layer upon layer, sealing them completely.
"HRK!"
A dull thud echoed as the man hit the ground, punctuated by his sharp, pained gasp.
The men around him scattered, manifesting shields with their spiritual power.
One of them, who had an awakened Soul Beast, sensed something was wrong and immediately threw up a Soul Beast Cover.
"What’s going on?"
"Is he having a fit? Trying to fake it so he can make a run for it?"
"He’s a Half-awakened, and not even a high Level. Could his Threshold Devouring Period possibly be more painful than mine?"
Su Ke’s face was contorted, his voice hoarse.
He glanced around in terror. "My... my legs... there’s... there’s something..."
A man beside him crouched down.
"There’s what? Calm down and tell me, did you see something?"
Su Ke’s expression was agonizing. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly. "Help... help me."
He propped himself up with his hands, dragging himself backward.
The stench of blood suddenly filled the space.
Su Ke’s legs were cleanly severed at the hip. Blood gushed from the stumps in torrents.
"!!!"
The men scrambled backward in a panic.
Jian Yu was startled, too.
’Am I really that strong?’
’It was never like this when I attacked Ling Yanzhi and the others.’
"Continue," Pei Yin said in a cold voice.
Jian Yu shook her head, her face pale. "I’m a little scared."
’Actually, it’s not that bad. I don’t feel guilty or uneasy, my mind just feels... blank.’
She wrapped her arms around Ling Yanzhi’s neck, feeling at a loss, and her eyes darted between the men, gauging their expressions.
"One more time, baby. This time, we’ll attack the one with the Soul Beast Cover," Pei Yin said, raising a finger to point at another man.
He resumed the crime video.