A vast expanse of bodies lay sprawled across the ground, their living or dead state uncertain.
As he drew closer and examined them, he realized that all of these people had already stopped breathing.
“What formidable blade work—most of them were killed with a single strike. This kind of killing technique, which leaves no chance for survival and exists solely to take life, bears some resemblance to Ouyang Huiye’s methods.”
“Huff… hah.”
The sound of deep, labored breathing came from not far away. He moved forward quickly to investigate. The scene before him made his heart feel as though it were bound by thorn-laden brambles, suffocating in its grip.
Beneath the swirling pink flower petals drifting through the air, a young woman in a red gown stood holding a long blade. Like a female warrior from a martial arts drama, a single swing of her sword forced back ten men attempting to approach her.
The sweeping motion of her movements pulled the mask from her face, revealing her pure and radiant features.
Her pearly white teeth bit down on her lower lip, and fresh crimson blood stained the inside of her mouth, slowly blooming into a flower of blood at the corner of her lips.
Beneath the pink floral haze, her resilience moved him deeply. Her beauty amidst peril struck his heart like a direct blow.
Flames ignited in his hand in an instant. A massive fireball, roaring with tremendous speed, blasted the ten men backward, sending them sprawling to the ground.
These ten men had flushed faces and were naked in a shameful state. They had actually resorted to such despicable intentions against her.
A nameless fury surged within him. The dark crimson fireball in his hand grew larger under the control of his will.
The fireball struck the ten men, and their bodies were engulfed in flames.
As the fire consumed them, all ten suddenly snapped back to their senses as if waking from a dream, letting out screams of agony.
“Ah! What’s happening? Why am I on fire? Ah, put it out!”
“Yu Jin is here!”
“Yu Jin, as the leader of the Base, you dare to use your Supernatural Ability to harm your fellow humans in public!”
“Ah! Put away your Supernatural Ability!”
“Ah! My face, my manhood!”
The flames on the ten men grew increasingly fierce, and the most vital parts of their bodies were burned directly to ash.
“Humans?”
Yu Jin swept his cold gaze over them, his eyes like invisible sharp swords that could pierce through a person. “The ten of you were about to do something so vile to a defenseless woman. I’m merely slaughtering a few beasts.”
The flames on the ten men grew larger and larger. Helpless and furious, they screamed and rolled on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the fire consuming them.
Listening to their screams filled Yu Jin with intense irritation. He unleashed more than a dozen additional bursts of flame, hastening the ten men’s march toward death.
Hua Wuyan no longer had the strength to lift her long blade. She drove it directly into the earth beneath her feet, gripping it tightly with both hands as she fell to one knee, barely managing to keep herself from collapsing.
The scorching heat surging through her body had reached a point where even the cooling power of her Flowing Immortal Gown could no longer provide relief. The sinister heat within her body was burrowing straight into her mind and her Dantian.
“I can’t take it anymore! This thing is even more potent than the Charm Pills I used to refine!”
The pills were now completely useless. The scene before her eyes had begun to blur.
“System, how much longer?! I need the antidote!”
[Host, we’re already at ninety-five percent. Almost there—just hold on a little longer!]
“I really… can’t… hold on any longer!”
With that, her body could no longer support itself and began to go limp, allowing the flames within her to run rampant, seizing control of her mind and senses.
“Are you alright?” Yu Jin hurriedly reached out to support her. But the moment his hand touched her arm, a wicked thought stirred at the bottom of his heart.
The evil fire surged into his abdomen, and his grip on her hand unconsciously tightened.
The rough calluses on his palms and fingertips, forged through years of training, brushed against skin so delicate he had never touched before, and a strange sensation made him suddenly feel scorching hot.
Pink petals danced around him, tugging at every nerve, tempting him to reach out and pull down the mask of the woman in his arms.
Hua Wuyan blinked her eyes, hazy from the pink mist, and after recognizing the man before her, she suddenly curled her lips into a seductive, alluring smile.
Her gaze held a focused intensity as she pinched the man’s chin, leaned close to his nose, and blew a soft breath. “Phew!” Then she laughed, her eyes sparkling with charm.
“Hehe, Sovereign, you’ve come to pick me up?”
[Host! Snap out of it! You’ve got the wrong person—this isn’t Heavenly Dao Sovereign! Research progress has reached ninety-nine percent; it’ll be done soon! This guy is a Mid-tier Ability User, not to be underestimated. Don’t you—hey! Wait!]
The System paused for a long moment, then suddenly shrieked, [This person is Yu Jin!]
It then yelled frantically, trying to wake Hua Wuyan, [Host, wake up! The seduction mission is here! This Yu Jin is one of Xu Qingtian’s greatest future allies and one of your upcoming seduction targets.]
The System was frantic with worry.
This Yu Jin was a military man, a super soldier trained by Hua Country—disciplined, restrained, rigid, and stern. Most importantly, he was one of the most morally upright characters in the book.
Even the most unbreakable Aphrodisiac Poison, he could withstand through sheer, freakish willpower.
The female lead, Xu Qingtian, had exploited this weakness of his, using his righteous, patriotic, and selfless heart to benefit herself and the male lead during the Apocalypse.
In the end, Yu Jin died in the jaws of a Mutant Creature while helping the female lead secure vital resources.
And as the leader of Linjiang City Base, the master of the safety Sanctuary, his death led to the Sanctuary changing hands, eventually becoming the female lead’s property.
Thinking of this, the System stared intently at the research progress while screaming wildly.
[Host, if you don’t wake up soon, you’re going to lose your life! This Yu Jin is an old stick-in-the-mud! If he sees you in this state, your first impression is ruined!]
If Yu Jin thought the host was frivolous, it would be nearly impossible to fully seduce him later.
Most importantly, they were going to bring Xu Qingtian to Linjiang City Base afterward. They absolutely could not let the host’s seduction mission fail before it even began, all because of a bad impression.
Hua Wuyan, with a seductive look, tugged at his clothes, her expression growing impatient.
“Ugh, why are your clothes so hard to take off!”
“Miss, do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Yu Jin grabbed her wandering hands, sucking in a cold breath as he struggled to calm and restrain the strange sensations surging through his body.
[Oh no, oh no, the host has made him angry! What do we do now!]
Just as the System thought Yu Jin would push the host away, he suddenly, with a flushed face, scooped Hua Wuyan up, wrapped one arm around her waist, and gently leaned her against a tree.
“Don’t move!” He panted heavily, his chin resting on the top of her head, yet he didn’t seem angry at all.
“Huh? This Yu Jin actually didn’t push the host away or scold her? Could it be that he’s also been controlled by the Aphrodisiac Poison? His mind is disturbed? That shouldn’t be—Yu Jin is set to be a tough character who can endure what no one else can.”
The development progress had been stuck at ninety-nine percent for over ten minutes without moving.
Just as the System was on the verge of a breakdown, Hua Wuyan, under the influence of the Aphrodisiac Poison, was making every move a test of both the System’s and Yu Jin’s nerves.
“It’s all your fault—you’ve made me suffer so much, and you won’t even let me go back!”
“Can’t I even just touch your abs?”
Yu Jin gripped her wandering little hand, a flicker of tenderness showing in his eyes. He took a deep breath, continuing to suppress the unnatural heat surging through his body, his tone resigned yet probing.
“Don’t move. Tell me—who made you suffer? Were you driven out by someone?”
“Yeah! The moment I got here, this jerk and his green tea b*tch kicked me out the door. They wanted the Zombies to kill me. But I wasn’t about to let them have their way!
Hehe, I lured all the Zombies over to them, and then I ran away.”
Yu Jin kept his grip on her hand, not daring to loosen it, but his voice grew softer and gentler with each word.