Inside Training Room 3, Yin Zhen’s heart pounded wildly, but her hands remained rock-steady as she carried out the final assembly. The Fallen Species was lunging at her, its putrid, bloody stench practically spraying her face.
Assembly complete!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three gunshots exploded in the confined space, deafeningly loud!
Yin Zhen’s muzzle barely paused. The first shot accurately struck the bulging center of the Fallen Species’ brow. The second tore through its twisted, transformed windpipe. The third landed solidly on the withered, mutated area of its left chest where the heart lay.
The massive impact sent a violent tremor through the Fallen Species’ body, making it stagger backward. However, it didn’t die!
The bullet at its brow was actually lodged within the grayish-black, hard bone. Letting out an even more frenzied howl, the Fallen Species lunged again with greater speed, its sharp black claws aimed straight for Yin Zhen’s face.
A sudden chill struck the back of Yin Zhen’s neck. Cannon Fodder’s Intuition was triggered!
She "saw" herself three seconds into the future, her chest pierced by the Fallen Species’ claws. She was torn in half like a rag, her blood splattering across the entire training room. She was going to die. She would be the first cannon fodder to die out of the five individuals tested separately!
Almost simultaneously, the translucent Character Card in her mind lit up. The Protagonist Halo Experience Card!
If she used it, she would be the protagonist for these three seconds. Protagonists didn’t die; protagonists could always snatch victory from the jaws of defeat; protagonists would erupt with unimaginable Strength at the final moment to counter-kill formidable foes. With just a single thought, she could survive.
She couldn’t do it! This card held far greater value to her, and she hadn’t reached a certain-death situation yet.
The fear in Yin Zhen’s eyes was instantly replaced by a near-mad ruthlessness. Her brain overclocked like a precise instrument under the shadow of death. The Fallen Species was faster and possessed greater Strength than her; a direct confrontation meant certain death.
But it had a weakness: the middle section of its spine, between the third and fourth vertebrae. That was the most fragile point of its central nervous system.
In the split second before the Fallen Species’ claws touched her face, Yin Zhen abandoned her backward dodge. Snatching the dagger off the table, she forcefully dove forward sideways, sliding almost directly beneath the creature’s razor-sharp front claws!
SLASH!
The Fallen Species was faster than her. Its sharp claws viciously raked across the outside of her left arm, tearing through her Combat Uniform and muscle. Blood sprayed outward!
Failing to secure a fatal blow, the Fallen Species was further stimulated by Yin Zhen’s blood. It grew even more enraged, abruptly twisting its body to slam a claw down at her.
Yin Zhen’s pupils contracted. Mustering all the Strength in her body from her prone position, she kicked hard against the floor, launching herself like a cannonball beneath the Fallen Species’ swinging arm.
URGH!
Another heavy claw grazed the back of her left shoulder. Combined with the previous wound on her left arm, it tore off a large chunk of her flesh. Her shoulder blade was exposed to the air, the stark white bone splinters stained with blood silk. The pain was so agonizing she nearly fainted.
Yet, what did this bit of pain amount to compared to the dual agony of losing her mother and her legs while lying in the hospital ward after that car crash? The only thing that mattered was that she had finally maneuvered into her desired position!
Forcing down the excruciating pain that threatened to knock her out, Yin Zhen leaped up from the floor. Twisting her wrist at a tricky angle, she viciously thrust the dagger upward, plunging it right into the crevice beside the Fallen Species’ spinal vertebrae.
Using every ounce of her strength, she violently twisted and sliced to the side.
CRACK!
A dull yet crisp sound of bone fracturing rang out, accompanied by a geyser of black blood. The Fallen Species’ body jerked to a sudden halt. Its cloudy, pus-yellow eyes instantly lost all their violent luster, and its massive frame crumpled to the ground.
A one-strike kill!
Yin Zhen’s face was covered in the Fallen Species’ black blood. She lay on the floor, the wounds on her left arm and shoulder deep enough to show bone. Her own blood rapidly dyed the ground beneath her red, and her vision blurred from the blood loss and intense pain.
The Gray Card event didn’t prompt a completion notice. She was still bleeding out, and the shadow of death continued to loom over her. Yin Zhen could only grit her teeth and hold on!
The Blood Clan didn’t have body heat, but Yin Zhen felt her entire body burning up. The strange ravings of a woman echoed in her mind. Whether it was an illusion or not, the silhouette on the Protagonist Halo Experience Card seemed to have grown a bit darker.
At that moment, the Fallen Species’ black blood flowed to the corner of her mouth, and Yin Zhen unconsciously licked her lips. A metallic, astringent, and bitterly salty taste instantly exploded on her tongue, followed by a massive, fragmented stream of data violently rushing into her mind!
[Congratulations, Player. You have awakened...]
Countless chaotic flashbacks burst before her eyes, drowning out even the system’s notification sound. A Blood Clan man in a cheap suit sat at a desk piled high with documents, his eyes exhausted yet holding a glimmer of hope for the future.
The man curled up in a corner of the office area, hugging his head, his face etched with agony. He heard the flow of blood, the buzzing of emotions, the fluctuating waves of minds, and various clamoring whispers. Every sound in the office was continuously magnified within his brain. Unable to bear such Strength, he fell into a complete loss of control.
Uncontrollably, the man bit into the neck of his own kind...
This brief impact from the Fallen Species’ residual memories left Yin Zhen momentarily dazed. Why could she see these things? Did the system notification just say... she had awakened an Extraordinary Ability?
As if echoing this stream of information, Yin Zhen’s ears buzzed. Surprisingly, she also began to hear subtle, fragmented sounds. The friction of footsteps moving out in the corridor... the sounds of slaughter in the adjacent training ground... and the clicking of metal equipment cooling and contracting...
She even caught the conversation of two men, one of whom was the blond man.
This sudden sensory explosion, especially those pervasive whispering noises, caused a needle-like dizziness to pierce through Yin Zhen’s brain, which had just endured agonizing pain.
***
Inside the adjacent observation room.
Victor’s lips curled up slightly. "Under an absolute disadvantage, S717 analyzed the situation, created an opportunity, and precisely struck the fatal weakness, even at the cost of severe injuries just to secure that single opening. It’s a pity that under such an extreme and lethal environment, she doesn’t seem to show any signs of awakening an Extraordinary Ability. I had the highest hopes for her, which was why I specifically arranged for her to be in Training Room 3."
Beside him, Ian pushed up his glasses and arranged for rescue personnel to send S717 to the healing pod.
Having received Victor’s praise, S717’s value had increased; she couldn’t be abandoned just yet. Moreover, the awakening of some Extraordinary Abilities happened subtly, without outward signs, making it impossible to draw a conclusion merely through observation. Further verification was required.
Meanwhile, the battles in the other four training rooms were still fiercely underway. Two of the subjects were already showing signs of awakening. The red-haired one, in particular, looked very promising.
Ian recorded the data expressionlessly. "The genetic samples used for the Source Series all come from that person. In a near-death state, the stronger the will to survive, the higher the probability of awakening an Extraordinary Ability.
"As of now, excluding those eliminated in the first phase, the awakening rate among the remaining seven hundred-plus seed experimental subjects is 73%. The lowest is D-level, but the ’Source’ you all desire has yet to appear."
Victor’s eyes brimmed with anticipation. "Even if there’s only a 0.0001% chance, it’s worth the wait."
***
A deathly silence filled the training ground. Beneath Yin Zhen’s heavy eyelids, the edges of her vision were gradually swallowed by darkness, while the cold countdown timer continued its stubborn ticking.
[00:00:03]
It truly didn’t give her a single moment to catch her breath...
[Countdown finished. Time in this world is frozen.]
[Mission complete. Welcome back.]
Darkness invaded as the tearing agony and the cacophony of noises receded like the tide. The sharp ringing in her ears from before her transmigration, the burning sting on her cheek, and the suffocating sensation of her neck being crushed all suddenly flooded back into Yin Zhen’s senses. The fat man’s flabby, fierce face abruptly sprang back to life from a state of absolute stillness.
[Mission rewards distributed. Character Card activated.]
[Danger detected. As you do not currently have any Character Card equipped, your sole Character Card ’SHL-717’ has been automatically equipped for you.]
[Public Mission for this round: Hunt...]
"Get lost!!!"
Ignoring the mechanical voice in her head, Yin Zhen let out a furious roar. The muscle memory forged through countless life-and-death struggles in the Red Corpse World instantly took over her body. Throwing a punch, she smashed into the fat man’s Adam’s apple.
"URGH!!!"
The fat man’s eyes bulged as he was knocked to the ground, clutching his neck and groaning in pain.
Yin Zhen took the opportunity to roll over. Although her legs were still numb and stiff, her body’s Strength had suddenly surged. Without exerting much effort, she crawled over to the wheelchair, slipping her fingers into the cushion’s lining to grip a fruit knife.
"I’ll fucking kill you!" the fat man croaked hoarsely, lunging at her in a murderous rage.
A flash of killing intent darted through Yin Zhen’s eyes, accompanied by absolute clarity.