Chapter Fifty: Lacking in Grace

A searing, slicing pain jolted her nerves, every cell in her body ignited, the slaughter factor within about to bloom. This blade triggered Cheng Luo Yi’s awakening ability—Fatal Agony. Her aura surged, and on her right wrist, a bracelet displayed: Pain Level 10%.

“Huh?” The leather-jacketed man suddenly sensed something off. He tried to pull back the alloy dagger, but Cheng Luo Yi’s grip was like iron pincers; no matter how hard he struggled, it didn’t budge an inch. As he wrestled, the blade cut deeper into her flesh, blood pouring from between her fingers. The pain level continued to rise. Fifteen percent.

With a sudden burst of strength, Cheng Luo Yi snapped the blade and, gripping the broken shard, drove it straight toward the man’s temple. He barely had time to react—only a sharp pain in his head and the warmth of blood trailing down his cheek. His consciousness faded...

“This...is she supposed to be gentle?” His pupils dilated, his last thought flickering before death claimed him and his corpse crashed to the ground. In a fleeting instant, Cheng Luo Yi had eliminated a crystal core awakener.

Song Yang and the others’ pupils contracted in shock. They hadn’t expected this seemingly frail girl to be so ferocious.

“She killed him so easily?”

“I feel...something’s off about her!”

“Everyone be careful. She’s actually very dangerous!”

The group became tense all at once. When Cheng Luo Yi killed, her face was calm and unmoved, her actions swift, precise, and ruthless—clearly the work of an experienced hand, accustomed to such deeds.

Cheng Luo Yi glanced down at the corpse, as if remembering something. She slowly crouched, pried open the man’s skull with the alloy blade, then reached inside with pale fingers, stirring within.

“What’s she doing?” Lin Dong watched curiously, reminded of their days mixing dumpling fillings at the orphanage.

Soon, Cheng Luo Yi found the man’s crystal core and pulled it out, her hand drenched in blood and flecked with red and white matter. She turned, walked up to Lin Dong, and offered it.

“You gave me bread; I give you a crystal core.”

“Oh...” Lin Dong nodded. So she’d been thinking of this all along—just as before, still impatient at heart.

But her blood-soaked palm still clung to bits of unknown brain tissue, the blood mixing with other fluids, dripping ceaselessly.

“It doesn’t seem very sanitary, does it?”

“Fresh from the skull, still warm—clean and hygienic,” Cheng Luo Yi explained, knowing Lin Dong’s fastidious habits.

To Lin Dong, it was like soup poured over rice—but with the broth splattered everywhere, it was rather unsightly.

He remained rooted to the spot, unmoving.

Cheng Luo Yi’s beautiful eyes glanced at him, puzzled. “What are you fussing about?”

“Not elegant enough,” Lin Dong replied.

Cheng Luo Yi was exasperated, mimicking his earlier tone. “Eat it or don’t!”

Song Yang and the others drew sharp breaths—she was far more brutal than the leather-jacketed man had claimed, not gentle in the least! He’d died with not a shred of injustice.

They wondered: Was she really from the official refuge? She seemed even more ruthless than themselves. The Black Scorpion group had eaten human flesh and tortured, but they lacked the one thing Cheng Luo Yi had—an utter calm.

Suddenly, Song Yang noticed something else: the numbers didn’t add up. He scanned from Lin Dong to Chen Ming, counting. There was one extra person...

“Yuan Yuan, didn’t you say you sensed six people? Why are there seven?”

“I...” The short-haired girl frowned deeply, her expression grave. “Brother Yang, among them...one isn’t human!”

“What?” Song Yang’s eyes widened. He trusted psychic perception. Not human? Then what?

Following her gaze, Song Yang watched Lin Dong pick up the bloodied crystal core and pop it into his mouth, savoring it as if it were sweet nectar. The answer grew clear.

A zombie!

Song Yang’s heart lurched. Official refuge members, mixing with a zombie! The events of the day had grown absurd beyond measure.

A strong sense of crisis welled up. He glanced around. His only advantage now was numbers.

“Forget everything else. Let’s finish them—everyone, attack!”

“Right,” the others nodded quietly.

Battle erupted in an instant. The Black Scorpion members unleashed their awakening abilities, charging like fierce tigers, their auras formidable.

Cheng Luo Yi turned, her expression serene as ever. “Stay here and don’t move. I’ll fetch more crystal cores.”

“Huh?” Lin Dong raised an eyebrow, finding the words odd...

But at that moment, Song Yang and the main fighters closed in. Song Yang’s awakening ability was metallic skin, his physique robust and powerful. His skin transformed, his body coated in a layer of silvery sheen; his movements rang with the clash of steel, as if donned in a metal suit.

Song Yang swung a fist with tremendous force, a rush of wind whistling as it aimed straight for Cheng Luo Yi’s face. Unfazed, Cheng Luo Yi raised her slender arm to block.

With a muffled bang, she withstood the force, her feet sliding backward, her arm numb from the impact, pain surging through her.

Pain Level: 17%

Song Yang’s silvery face twisted into a grim smile. He called out to his teammates: “Now’s the time!”

“Got it!” Yuan Yuan answered from behind and unleashed a psychic attack. Waves of mental force crashed into Cheng Luo Yi’s mind, triggering a storm in her brain.

Cheng Luo Yi felt as if boiling oil had been poured into her head—a searing pain assaulted her, her mind growing foggy, her consciousness blurring.

Song Yang seized the moment, his massive fist swinging again, seemingly about to smash her skull.

Then, Cheng Luo Yi’s bracelet numbers shifted.

Pain Level: 26%

Her gaze sharpened instantly, clarity returning. The power of pain made her stronger.

She clenched her fist and, with a speed too fast for the naked eye, struck Song Yang’s chest.

Even with a body of metal, Song Yang’s chest caved in, the force sending him flying as if hit by a truck.

Crash!

Song Yang smashed through a wall and lay buried in the rubble.

“How...is this possible?” Yuan Yuan’s eyes bulged in disbelief. Even under psychic attack, Cheng Luo Yi had sent their leader flying. Her face twisted, the Black Scorpion tattoo seeming to crawl across her skin.

With the crisis pressing, she had no time to think. Quickly, she turned to find Cheng Luo Yi, intent on launching another psychic assault.

But a delicate, pale face was already right in front of her.