3.11

Content warning: blood, violence, graphic deaths

It was chaos inside the villa. People ran everywhere as ability users, both inside and outside the base, exploded with violence.

Ji Ling screamed as she watched an ability user set a man's arm on fire, the flames bursting from the woman's fingertips. Another assailant, one with body strengthening, seized a woman, the bad intentions clear on his face.

No one was sure who could be trusted. The SG had rescued dozens of refugees each week, and no one could have guessed that so many undercover spies would have mixed in with them. The ability users in the SG tried their best to fight back and restrain the situation, but they were all caught up near the entrance of the base, where most of the fighting was.

None of the defenders came to rescue the logistics team in the offices.

Ji Ling hurriedly scrambled to the exit of the room. She couldn't do anything to help, even if she was an ability user, she was just a girl. She couldn't fight back. All she could do was try and hurry to find help. But just before she reached the door, one of the other ability users noticed her, and he reached out and yanked her arm.

With a wail, Ji Ling fell over. Her arm nearly felt like it was being pulled off from the force of the man with heightened strength. He was a horrible, wretched man—the look in his eyes as he raked his gaze over her made her want to vomit.

Physiological tears sprung up in Ji Ling's eyes from the pain and fear, and she desperately struggled. "Let me go!"

Her ability had been active this whole time, but it was too weak. Like Lu Hao had told her earlier, her ability could make it so she attracted less attention, but people could still notice her if they were alert. She was already in the man's grasp. There was nothing her ability could do.

The terrible man just laughed, holding her and the other struggling woman in his arms. The words he spoke to her made Ji Ling want to vomit. On the other side of the room, the fire ability user was torturing the other survivors, holding fire up to their faces and excitedly telling them what would happen if they weren't obedient.

This was hell!

But these ability users could only laugh for a few minutes.

A bang erupted in the air. A bullet blew open the skull of the man holding Ji Ling. All she saw was an explosion of flesh and bone over her head, and suddenly, the force holding her grew slack. She tumbled to the floor. In the confusion, she saw the face of the fire ability user grow shocked, just as a bullet sank a hole into the woman's eye to pierce through the brain.

Ji Ling sat there in shock, even more dazed than when the zombies had attacked her. Black and neat combat boots crossed her vision. Overhead, a cold and gloomy voice spoke. "Help the injured go to the medical room."

Only two of the logistics staff had been injured. One was the man who'd been set on fire. The other had gotten a burn on her face. Both of them were in shock from the pain, whimpering incoherently.

"We can't go out there!" The woman beside Ji Ling shouted. She was covered in blood and her eyes bulged, looking miserable from fear. "What if there are more of them? We need to close the door!"

Hong Sheng swept a dull, emotionless glance at her, and didn't even speak a word. He turned back to the fire victims and picked up the man himself, slinging the uninjured arm over his shoulders to help the man walk. His dark gaze wandered to the burned woman, and his lips pursed.

"I—I," Ji Ling stuttered into life, shakily picking herself back up. "I'll help." She went to the burned woman, reaching out to try and take her arm. But the woman recoiled in fear, and she instinctively slapped Ji Ling in the face.

"Get away!" she moaned hoarsely. The woman couldn't even see, the burns were so horrible. Ji Ling's face stung, tears springing in her eyes, which soon filled with burning anger.

This bitch didn't even want her help! Just let her die!

But Hong Sheng was waiting. Watching. Ji Ling had to swallow her fury down. Shaking with rage, she whispered, "I, I'm just trying to help. I'll bring you to a doctor." The woman's chest kept heaving from exertion, but she didn't have much strength. Ji Ling forced herself to reach out and take the woman's arm and help her up.

The moment Hong Sheng and Ji Ling crossed the threshold with the injured, the other survivors rushed the door and locked it behind them. Ji Ling wanted to curse at them for thinking that would save them from ability users. But she didn't voice it, and just followed Hong Sheng.

The hallway in this part of the base was clear, but the sounds of shouting could be heard through the walls. The two of them hurried to the medical wing, hoping that they wouldn't run into any enemies.

They soon came across a small group of survivors. Ji Ling stiffened with tension, wondering if they were hostile, but the group had clear expressions as they looked toward Hong Sheng. "Boss Sheng, let us help. We just came from the medical wing." Ji Ling only then noticed that one of them was carrying a medical kit. It seemed like they were out looking for people who needed immediate aid.

Hong Sheng nodded. He and Ji Ling passed over the burn victims, and then Hong Sheng looked to Ji Ling.

"I—I'll go with you." Ji Ling knew that Hong Sheng was going to look for more rebels. Although she didn't want to face danger, if she helped Hong Sheng now, she'd have a better position in the base later.

Hong Sheng and Ji Ling went around the villa. When they saw ability users hunting down human survivors, Hong Sheng killed without hesitation. But when they found multiple ability users fighting each other, it was difficult to know who was on whose side at a glance.

In those cases, Hong Sheng backed off and went around the fight, and they continued to search for trapped survivors.

Hong Sheng stopped in his steps at the flight of stairs. He then walked up, to the floor of his and Lu Hao's private rooms.

The area was deserted, as currently only a few people lived here, and they were all out on missions. But Hong Sheng walked with intent, and Ji Ling followed quietly.

One of the doors was open. Shuffling and thumping noises came from the open gap to Lu Hao's room. Ji Ling saw Hong Sheng's body tense up, and then it was like he became a predator on the hunt, his center of gravity lowering as he made his way to the wall beside the open door.

Ji Ling used her ability to lower her sense of presence. She hesitantly followed Hong Sheng, who turned his awful gaze on her. He looked at her for a second before jerking his head, signaling Ji Ling to take a look through the door.

A nervous chill ran through her, and she worried whether she'd instantly die after being noticed by whoever was inside the room. But she couldn't just back away—she had to show Hong Sheng she was useful.

So she stepped forward, and leaned her head to peer inside the gap.

There was a man inside. He looked much stronger and more cunning than the other ability users they'd seen, the kind of man who was used to pulling dirty tricks and breaking kneecaps. He tore through Lu Hao's things with efficiency, barely anything in the room left unscathed. He'd managed to pull out some folders from somewhere—the kind that might hold important documents.

Ji Ling held her breath and hurriedly stepped away. She mouthed at Hong Sheng, 'He's dangerous'.

But Hong Sheng didn't have the luxury of stepping away. He crept to the open doorway and silently aimed his gun.

But this ability user was much keener than the others.

In a split second, he turned around. His vicious eyes clearly captured Hong Sheng, and his sharp stubble-ringed mouth twisted in a sneer.

Gunshots sounded, the walls and furniture exploding as Hong Sheng's bullets missed the ability user. The man moved with inhuman agility, and he grabbed Hong Sheng.

A speed ability user!

The gun fell from Hong Sheng's hands. The ability user tossed Hong Sheng against the wall with a bang, one hand around his neck, and the other taking out a serrated knife which he held to Hong Sheng's neck.

"Where's your intel?! Huh?!"

The documents in the Lu Hao's folder scattered across the floor. The ability user cut a wound on Hong Sheng's pale skin, and when Hong Sheng didn't answer, the man shoved him again. In this short moment, Hong Sheng saw the documents.

Unseen by anyone, his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

After not getting an answer, the ability user quickly started growling at Hong Sheng with threats and coercions, the knife slicing into Hong Sheng's neck and face. But Hong Sheng was as if he didn't even notice the pain, a ragdoll held in the man's hand.

Outside the room, Ji Ling trembled. Hong Sheng was going to die! Her eyes caught sight of the gun lying not far away. As long as she grabbed it, she could shoot that man while he was distracted.

Even while terrified out of her mind, Ji Ling forced herself to crawl forward. Luckily, the man didn't notice her as she picked up the gun.

It was heavy. The gun was cold in her hands. It was a weapon for murder, and even as Ji Ling tried to convince herself that she needed to use it, her hands were unsteady and shaking.

She had never killed anyone before, and she was panicking. Instinctively she looked up at Hong Sheng and the ability user. By now, the man had moved on to threatening to kill Hong Sheng.

"Aren't you the second-in-command here?" he snarled. "Are you an idiot? You don't have to die. Tell me how you knew the apocalypse was coming!"

But Hong Sheng was as if he didn't hear a single word.

Instead, he just kept staring downward.

Ji Ling followed his gaze. That's when she saw it, and her eyes grew wide—

Pictures of herself, dozens of them, scattered over the floor of Lu Hao's room.

Lu Hao had collected pictures of her.

Why?

Even though these were clearly pictures that she had never consented to, for a moment, Ji Ling's mind exploded with a certain possibility:

Lu Hao liked her.

He knew about her from earlier, followed her, was so obsessed that he even stalked her.

The night she was saved, it wasn't a coincidence that he was there, was it? He didn't let her die, and even had her come back to live with him.

Even if he didn't admit it, even if he pretended to dislike her, the proof was right there.

In the moment that all of these thoughts flashed through Ji Ling's head, she had subconsciously made a decision.

Her hands held the gun, but she didn't fire.

Once Hong Sheng died, she and Lu Hao would be together.

In F City, Lu Hao had another unexpected reunion.

The boom of thunder shook the entire building. The opulent chandelier hanging in the luxurious and secretive lobby trembled and fell to the floor in a crash.

Dozens of gang members were scattered throughout the rooms. Charred lightning marks surrounded their bodies.

In the depths of the triad's secret base, Lu Hao stood over the gang leader. The annoyance deep in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

It was this guy again.

The man half-dead in front of Lu Hao was the triad leader, Kai. This time around, he was still human.

Lu Hao's policy of mercy didn't extend that far. A trail of lightning danced around his fingertips, ready to pierce right through Kai's skull as easily as it pierced through a zombie's.

"Why target my people."

Kai spit blood on the ground. Half his face was covered in blood from a head wound, and he looked up at Lu Hao with a vicious sneer. Beneath that facade was a clear element of fear.

Lu Hao didn't bother to ask again.

He sent the lightning bolt snaking through the air, and it split into near-invisible static energy. The layer of electricity fell on Kai and electrocuted him, sending him spasming. The pain of being electrocuted was so high that the muscles in his throat locked up, and the man couldn't even scream.

The lightning released him. It returned to a visible bright white line with a crackling snap.

"Fuck!"

After being released, Kai fell to the ground. His body still twitched in agony. But when he lifted his head to glare, he saw the shocking strand of lightning hovering between his eyes, like a bullet hovering in midair.

Kai's throat rolled.

Even if he had his pride as a gang leader, in the face of absolute suppression, he still had to choose life.

"Everyone knows you built your base before it started," he said, voice rough. "People got talking. They wanted to know what you were hiding. My plan was to push your buttons. Lure you out. See just what you were made of."

As soon as the words 'lure you out' crossed Kai's lips, Lu Hao's expression changed.

Kai couldn't help but sneer, "While you're here with us, who knows if your people are still left standing?"

The moment Lu Hao was distracted, Kai pressed a device hidden in his suit. The lights of the room went out, and a moment later, gunshots sounded. Lu Hao's eyes went cold.

Even in the dark, with bullets racing toward him, Lu Hao didn't bother to move.

An electric field burst out from him in a bright mesh pattern, illuminating the dark space. The lightning tore apart the bullets and quickly surged, ripping apart the human flesh it encountered not far away.

Kai had only a moment to scream before he died.

Whoever found his body afterward wouldn't even be able to recognize him as more than a pile of meat.

Not caring in the slightest, Lu Hao turned and blasted a hole out of the building. He rushed out of the secret triad base and back to the SG car as quickly as possible.

He had to make it back!

——

Alternate timeline mini theater

Burglars break Lu Hao's desk.

Hundreds of pictures of Hong Sheng spill out.

Lu Hao: Oh no!

Hong Sheng: ...?

Ji Ling: ???