Chapter 76
by Need_More_SleepChapter 76: I Really Want To…
Blood trickled through the icy stream, its taste claiming the lives of the fish that dared to sample it.
Picking up a blackfish floating belly-up, she ignored hygiene and sank her sharp canines into it, greedily sucking down its blood—far more pungent than a human’s.
Only then did the wound on her right chest slowly begin to heal.
Her clothes were in tatters, exposing large swathes of pale, flawless skin. If not for the blood smeared across her body, the sight might have been enticing.
“Since when do cops use AP rounds?!”
She gagged but forced herself to keep drinking.
Of the twenty high-potency nutrient solutions she’d brought, only one remained.
Last time, with the Multitool, she’d endured it. But this time? The cops were treating her like a tank, unloading armor-piercing rounds and turning sniping into full-auto suppression.
Did they even confirm I was a criminal before trying to kill me?!
Even staying low in the cornfield, avoiding the stalks and moving unpredictably, she’d still been anticipated.
That damn Devil.
“I told you to keep a low profile. Compared to other Executors, you’re still too green. Though escaping the Devil at all is… passable. Still, this performance is disgraceful for an Executor.”
The voice in her earpiece delivered the cold assessment. “You can toy with the federal police, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t avoid them. Be glad it wasn’t the Little Demon King who came after you.”
No matter how inefficient the Federal Bureau was in other areas, their combat capabilities were never to be underestimated.
“The last Third Fractal was about my age,” Shen retorted weakly, stumbling forward.
“And she outperformed you in every way,” the voice replied, nostalgic. “If it were her, she’d have retrieved Mi without anyone even noticing her presence. You two are like Naruto and Boruto.”
“You—cough!” A fish scale flew out with her cough. Glancing at her last nutrient solution, she decided to save it and surveyed her surroundings instead.
Cross the bridge, and she’d be back in the city. She’d run a long way—thankfully, her laptop had shielded her head, though it was now a lost cause. Bulletproof my ass.
Her clothes were shredded, her lightsaber lost in the chase. An Executor of Easter, hunted like a dog by some rookie cop.
Thirteen rounds. That’s how many had hit her. That bastard reloaded like it took no time at all. Her supposedly bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof bodysuit had crumpled like paper against AP rounds.
By the end, sheer survival instinct had driven her forward. As long as her brain was intact, she wouldn’t die—that was the privilege of LV4 Regeneration.
Fish blood offered meager nourishment, but the nutrient solutions would accelerate her recovery—if she could rest.
Shen collapsed onto the ground. Unlike Mi, that fake LV5 with her cheat-tier healing, Shen still obeyed the laws of thermodynamics. No matter how efficiently she stored energy, she couldn’t shrug off this many lethal wounds.
Each bullet had left a hole the size of a bowl in her body. She felt like all her blood and organs had been replaced.
Not that she hadn’t fought back. Her remotely controlled Sentinels had ensured the Devil stopped shooting—he hadn’t walked away unscathed either.
Snipers. Disgusting. Worse than the First Fractal. How is this profession even legal?!
After three minutes of lying still, her wounds fully closed.
The area was deserted—mostly.
A boy in nerdy glasses stood nearby, looking lost.
He’d stuck a branch in the ground, watching which way it fell to decide his path. When it pointed back the way Shen had come, Mi Xiaoliu tilted his head in confusion.
Ignoring the blood-soaked, half-naked woman, she tried again.
That one didn’t count.
“Hey, little brother~” Shen beckoned, deliberately parting her legs slightly. Through the torn fabric, glimpses of something other than skin peeked out. “This big sister isn’t feeling well. Could you help me?”
“Be careful, Master. She looks like a fugitive being hunted. Don’t tell her I said that,” Sasha warned.
Mi Xiaoliu approached but kept her distance.
“Do you live nearby?” Shen asked, still lying down. She pretended to fan herself, tugging her zipper lower. Without the inner armor, soft curves spilled into view.
Never mind that the city wasn’t hot at all—if anything, rain was coming.
Mi Xiaoliu’s brow twitched. He reached out and zipped her back up.
Shen: “??”
She’d expected him to blush and look away. Instead, this boy had the audacity to fix her clothes.
What an interesting little thing.
“Little brother, could you help me to that windmill over there?” She pointed to an unlocked one nearby. “Looks like rain.”
This area had no shortage of windmills.
Leaving the wheat fields meant leaving cover. Getting indoors was her priority—somewhere to recover safely. It wouldn’t take long.
And why bring him along? Simple. Human shield.
“Mmm.” Mi Xiaoliu agreed.
Remembering Sasha’s lessons, she scooped her up in a princess carry.
Heavier than Gloria. His already poor stamina strained under the weight. At just 156 cm and frail, lifting her at all was a miracle.
Princess carry? This kid’s smooth.
Shen squirmed intentionally, then froze.
This scent—
No mistake. She’d never forget it—that divine fragrance.
This boy—no, this girl—was Mi.
Jackpot.
Shen’s gaze locked onto the glasses-wearing figure before her, overlapping with the one from her memories.
Found you.
No time to waste. Her equipment was destroyed. If Mi left now, she’d lose her chance.
The cops would search here eventually. Their efficiency was no joke.
“THUD!”
The sound of Shen’s skull meeting the floor as Mi Xiaoliu unceremoniously dropped her inside the windmill.
Without a word, Mi turned to leave—only for a light drizzle to block her path.
Fanzui City was rainy, as if the skies mirrored its crimes. Overcast days in poetry always symbolized heavy hearts.
Staring at the rain, Mi Xiaoliu hesitated, then retreated inside.
The air grew colder. After a pause, she picked up a filthy cloth from the corner and draped it over the half-naked woman.
Catching a cold would make her period hurt.
Shen blinked, wrinkling her nose at the grimy fabric but not pushing it away. She studied Mi Xiaoliu, baffled.
Task complete, Mi Xiaoliu squatted by the door, gazing blankly at the rain—just like when Lu Mingxue had found her.
Then, remembering Heli’s instructions, she pulled out her phone. No signal.
“Angel…” Shen murmured involuntarily.
To extend kindness without hesitation to a suspicious stranger… To turn her back so trustingly on someone she’d just met…
Shen tightened the dirty cloth around herself, cheeks flushing as she stared at Mi Xiaoliu’s profile.
So kind. So pure. So cute! AWSL!
I’m conquered. Shen was utterly, irrevocably conquered.
Just looking at her made her want to—
—pin her against the wall and force herself on her, then chop her limbs off one by one, make her watch her own beautiful body from angles she’d never see otherwise, then use her own delicate little feet to step on her face—
“Hehe… hehehe…”
I want to ruin her. Shatter that purity. Trample that kindness.
The mere thought was intoxicating.
Shen shoved the cloth aside, obsession twisting her features. A strange, sweet fragrance seeped into the air.
Mi Xiaoliu’s legs weakened—just like last time.
Bad memories.
Her fists clenched unconsciously.
—
“Lost the target. Thirteen rounds should’ve done the job—unless she’s an LV4 Regenerator. In that case, never mind.”
The Devil’s voice was cold and detached over the comms.
“Also, I’m injured. Broken kneecap and right ribs. Toxins mixed in—my body’s going numb. Six enhanced puppets just ambushed me. The strong kind.”
Long-range control plus potent neurotoxins. This kind of ability user is even worse than snipers!
How the hell does this kind of disgusting power even exist?
“Records confirm she does have regenerative abilities,” the dispatcher responded. “Medics are closing in on your position. Hold on.”
“Wait—something’s up.” The Devil adjusted his scope, his voice tightening. “What the hell is that??”