In the dark and damp dungeon, where waves of foul stench filled the air, a woman lay curled up on the cold, hard floor.
The clothes on her body had long since been torn to shreds and were covered in dirt and blood, as though she had endured countless brutal tortures and abuses.
Terrifying scars crisscrossed the exposed skin of her body, and some wounds were still oozing blood.
Standing before the woman was a well groomed man and woman, both looking healthy and radiant.
Their complexions were rosy and their clothes were clean and immaculate, forming a stark contrast with the woman lying on the ground. Her body was covered in wounds, her face was deathly pale, and she was so thin that she looked as though she could barely remain alive.
The wounded woman struggled to slowly open her dry eyes, which were almost too stiff to move. Her vision was blurred, but she still tried her best to see what was happening before her.
As she looked at the well dressed man and woman before her, she thought of how they were able to live so comfortably in the apocalypse because of everything she had done for them. An indescribable bitterness and irony welled up inside her.
She lowered her head and looked at her filthy, broken body, unable to stop herself from letting out a self mocking laugh.
“Why…” The woman forced the words out from the depths of her throat with all her remaining strength. Her voice was hoarse and weak, yet filled with grief, anger, and unwillingness to accept her fate.
“For the past five years, I gave everything for you! How much suffering have I endured and how many hardships have I gone through, only to end up like this? Is it simply because I stood in someone else’s way? I am your biological daughter! How could you treat me so cruelly?”
By the time she finished speaking, her emotions had grown increasingly agitated. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks and fell onto the filthy ground beneath her.
“Do you know that as long as you remain alive, Ah Yao will never have a chance to rise above the others, let alone show his true strength?”
“Only after you have suffered enough and died will she willingly help us and allow Ah Yao to rise to a high position within the base’s management.”
“To tell you the truth, you were never our biological daughter in the first place.”
“Back then, we followed the instructions of that mysterious expert and brought you back from another family. Our only real child is our precious son, Ah Yao!”
“All these years, you foolishly risked your life for us and fought for us, but what did we do?”
“We hid behind you and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. Every minute and every second, we were calculating how much longer we would have to wait before you, this eyesore, finally disappeared. Once you are gone, we will be able to reveal our own abilities without any restraints!”
“Now, that person has sent word and told us that the time has come!”
“You can finally disappear!”
Their wild and ear piercing laughter echoed through the air, as though it were trying to pierce straight through the soul.
“Hahahahahaha… You can finally disappear!”
After hearing those words, she simply lay there without moving, as still as a statue.
Originally, she had thought that her heart would be filled with hatred and that the endless sorrow and pain would tear her apart. Yet at this moment, she was surprisingly calm. Deep inside, there was nothing left but profound numbness.
Wealth? Power? Perhaps those people considered such things the standards by which a person’s worth was measured, but what did any of it mean to her? They were nothing more than fleeting illusions.
Just then, faint footsteps came from the doorway.
She slowly raised her head and looked toward the sound. A woman was slowly walking in from outside.
She stepped into the light and approached one step at a time. Sunlight fell upon her body, outlining her breathtaking features and making her entire figure radiate a dazzling glow.
Her beauty was astonishing, like a fully blossomed flower in its most radiant state. Her skin was as fair as snow and as delicate as silk, seemingly soft enough to break at the slightest touch. Her eyes were like deep lakes, clear and luminous, making anyone who looked into them feel as though they might become lost within them.
At that moment, her entire being seemed to radiate the holy light of a saint. She was noble and elegant, making others reluctant to profane her.
She slowly crouched down and gazed at the filthy, haggard woman before her. Lowering her voice, she spoke softly.
“Do you still remember your beloved boyfriend? When he heard that you were trapped here, he was frantic with worry. He rushed desperately to Dawn Base, risking everything just to rescue you from this terrible situation.”
She paused for a moment, then a cold smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
“However, when he finally arrived here, he discovered that rescuing you would not be easy.”
“So I gave him a condition. As long as he was willing to feed himself to those vicious zombies, I would let you go.”
“To my surprise, after hearing my words, he did not hesitate even for a moment. He resolutely turned around and walked step by step toward that horde of zombies, his determination unwavering.”
Her gaze became somewhat distant, as though she had returned to that horrifying scene.
“I simply watched him jump into the horde of zombies. He was immediately swallowed by the swarming zombies and disappeared amid the storm of blood and carnage.”
“But how could I possibly let you go? You really are foolish. You are the only person I came here to deal with. You had a happy life, a family who adored you, and powerful strength, while I was nothing more than an unwanted child who was never loved by my father and was bullied by my stepmother, living every day without enough food to eat.”
Li Li raised her head and stared at the elegantly dressed woman in confusion, murmuring, “How could she… How could she… How could she? She was so powerful, so powerful, so powerful…”
The mysterious woman spoke louder and louder, becoming increasingly frenzied.
Looking down condescendingly at the crazed woman, the mysterious woman sneered.
“Why? Of course it was all for you! Hahaha! I went to such great lengths to get rid of you and make you lose your family’s affection. I never expected that you would encounter a man who loved you so deeply. Now everything is over. Your mission is finished.”
After hearing the mysterious woman’s words, Li Li’s adoptive parents immediately came over, acting submissive and obsequious.
“My Lady, can we begin now?”
The mysterious woman nodded.
“Come over here. We can begin. Drain all the blood from her body. Not a single drop can remain.”
Her adoptive parents immediately bowed and asked ingratiatingly, “Could you give us a few more bowls?”
The woman laughed frenziedly upon hearing their words.
“I’ll reward you with a little extra.”
As soon as they heard this, Li Li’s adoptive parents immediately took out daggers and rushed toward her.
Looking at her crazed adoptive parents, Li Li thought about everything the woman had just said.
She had concealed one of her abilities. Her Water-type Ability could drain all the water from a person’s body.
Silently, she gathered all the blood in her body toward the Crystal Core in her heart, intending to detonate it and die together with everyone else.
However, she never expected that all the blood in her body would instead gather inside the Wooden Token hanging from her chest.
As her consciousness gradually became blurred, she felt as though she had entered a dreamlike world.
Before her was a breathtaking paradise that looked like a fairyland. Flowers bloomed everywhere, lush trees provided shade, and a clear stream flowed gently through the landscape while the melodious songs of birds echoed one after another.
A gentle breeze brushed against her face, bringing with it a faint coolness and a sense of comfort.
Yet faintly, she could still hear a series of chaotic and terrified cries.
“Why is there no blood? There isn’t a single drop!”
It was the panicked voice of her adoptive parents, filled with fear and disbelief.
They continued shouting, “My Lady! My Lady! My Lady! Come and look!”
At the same time, another woman’s sharp and frenzied screams repeatedly reached her ears.
“How could this happen? How could this… It’s all over!”
Her voice was like the cry of a night owl, filled with despair and unwillingness.
Li Li’s thoughts gradually drifted away, and the figure of the man who had devoted himself wholeheartedly to her emerged in her mind.
He had always cared for her tenderly and given her meticulous attention. No matter how difficult the situation became, he would firmly stand in front of her and shield her from every storm.
Thinking of this, warmth surged through Li Li’s heart, but what filled her even more was a deep reluctance to part with him and an overwhelming longing for him.
In the end, carrying endless thoughts of that man and an attachment to this world, Li Li slowly closed her once bright and beautiful eyes and completely sank into darkness.