Chapter 14: Before Sunrise (5)

Everyone was shocked by the sudden visitor, standing still as statues.

Veles was the first to react, barking, “Who are you?”

“Starting with that?” Qiao Anni scratched her head. “I don’t know either.”

She pointed at Bres lying on the ground.

“Um, could I take him away? If he dies, I’ll be in trouble in many ways…”

Veles didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his right hand.

Click — the sound of guns being cocked in unison.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, another round? We just finished off a batch…”

“Open fire!”

Before the words faded, a dozen guns fired simultaneously, bullets screaming through the air, sending chips of concrete flying from the walls.

Qiao Anni had disappeared.

Veles frantically searched the factory for her. The next second, a red-and-white flower blossomed in the forehead of a gang member beside him.

It was a massacre.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Giant Gang members futilely searched the area for Qiao Anni, but she moved like a ghost, leaping between machines and cargo containers, dazzling them.

In the end, they could only roar and shoot wildly at empty space, only to be struck in the forehead or chest by bullets from somewhere and fall.

Soon, only two people remained standing.

Pei Lun and Veles.

Not because Veles was particularly strong—by now he was pale, as if about to collapse—but Pei Lun had blocked several bullets for him.

Bang!

Pei Lun raised his arm, and a metallic clang rang out.

A deformed bullet head fell to the ground.

“Ah—I can’t hit you after all.”

Qiao Anni emerged from the smoke, still calm, except her pupils now glowed faintly red.

“You’ve had quite a few modifications too.”

Pei Lun licked his lips, his expression growing manic.

He stomped heavily, and the skin on his arm began to peel and warp.

Within seconds, his arm had expanded by two full sizes.

Seeming to think that wasn’t enough, he pulled a syringe from his pocket.

It was “Bliss.”

Bres wanted to shout a warning to Qiao Anni, but he had no strength left.

Moving any muscle sent excruciating pain through him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Pei Lun stabbed the needle into his neck.

As the liquid was injected, he let out a satisfied sigh.

Then he crushed the syringe, glass shards falling to the ground with a crackling sound.

“Come on.”

The rationality had mostly faded from Pei Lun’s eyes, replaced by fervor and excitement.

Thump!

Then Pei Lun kicked off the ground, lunging at Qiao Anni with astonishing speed, throwing a heavy punch.

Boom!

The sound of metal colliding.

“Wow, that was fast!”

Qiao Anni’s praise seemed genuine, but Pei Lun couldn’t smile.

What was this?

This was a blow powered by a full dose of “Bliss,” with his cyberbody running at maximum capacity, pushing speed and strength to the limit—yet Qiao Anni had casually caught it with her hand.

“Now it’s my turn~”

Qiao Anni raised her fist.

Then her arm began to transform.

Metal replaced skin, and a strange sound came from inside.

Pei Lun sensed danger.

He quickly pulled his arm back to block.

Then Pei Lun was airborne.

It was like being hit by a speeding truck.

The two-meter-tall, muscle-and-steel brute flew backward and crashed hard into a cargo container.

The steel container crumpled like paper.

“Ugh…”

Pei Lun struggled to stand, checking his injuries.

The prosthetic arm that had blocked the punch was crumpled and deformed—basically useless.

His chest ached dully; probably one or two ribs broken.

“But that’s no problem.”

No problem at all.

Pei Lun pulled out another “Bliss” and injected it.

The pain vanished completely.

His senses returned to sharpness.

Strength seemed to flow back into his body.

All rationality had disappeared from Pei Lun’s eyes.

But that was no problem either.

When was the last time he’d faced an opponent like this?

He felt the passion, worn away by years of competition, return to him.

“Come again!”

He assumed a fighting stance and roared.

Qiao Anni paused for a moment, then looked understanding.

She also assumed a somewhat awkward stance, her eyes still glowing red.

That was enough.

Let’s have a head-on collision without regrets.

He bellowed and charged at Qiao Anni, raising his remaining fist high.

Qiao Anni raised her fist too.

Then she sidestepped, letting Pei Lun’s punch fly past.

In the next instant, Qiao Anni spun around, her fist slamming into Pei Lun’s back.

Bang!

Pei Lun heard the dull crack of bones breaking in his back.

Then he fell heavily to the ground, dust flying.

He struggled desperately to get up, but his lower body had gone numb.

“Why?!”

He roared in anguish.

Why, after so many years of boredom, had he been roused to excitement only to be struck down before being satisfied?

“Why? Well…”

Qiao Anni pointed at Bres on the ground.

“A taste of your own medicine.”

“You…”

In utter despair and resentment, Pei Lun lost consciousness.

Qiao Anni turned to see Veles, now a helpless heap on the floor.

Gone was his elegant, composed demeanor. He sat in terror, backing away.

“St-stay away!”

“…”

“Wh-what do you want? Anything within my power, I’ll give!”

“…”

“Eep…”

Qiao Anni advanced step by step.

Veles retreated step by step, until his back hit the hard wall.

Nowhere left to retreat.

“Do you know?”

Qiao Anni spoke.

“Mr. Bres saved my life and took me in. He might be a bit unreliable, but in this strange world, he’s undoubtedly a good person.”

“…”

“You not only deceived him but also tried to kill him.”

She raised her fist.

“This is my payback.”

Those red-glowing eyes were the last thing Veles ever saw.

“Qiao Anni?”

Bres called her name softly.

Snapping back to reality, Qiao Anni turned and came to Bres’s side.

“Are you okay, Mr. Bres?”

Bres didn’t know how to answer.

After witnessing everything, his feelings were complicated.

He had tried to ignore it before, but not anymore.

Qiao Anni had talent.

Talent for fighting.

Talent for killing.

At that moment, he silently prayed to the gods in his heart.

Forgive his selfish and pitiful heart.

Because he was about to drag an innocent person into his revenge.

Feeling the touch of the remote control in his coat pocket, he made up his mind.

“…What about you? Are you physically okay?”

“Me? I feel fine…”

Before she could finish, the red light in Qiao Anni’s eyes vanished.

She blinked blankly, then noticed the horrific scene around her.

Qiao Anni’s face turned deathly pale.

“Hey, you’re not going to—”

“Ughhhhh—”

“Don’t throw up next to me! It’s going to splash on my face! Splash on my face!”

“Sorry, I feel so sick—ugghhhhh—”

“Aaaaaahhh!!!”

It wasn’t until nearly dawn that police, called by nearby residents, arrived at the factory.

Late to the scene, they found only a mess and the gruesome bodies.

Meanwhile, the two main culprits of the incident had fled to some nameless alley.

“Hey, can you hire me now?”

“…Barely passable.”

Lounging limply on Qiao Anni’s back, Bres said reluctantly.

“Well, that’s good. Guess I won’t have to leave you here.”

“Little brat…”

Facing the dawn light, the two set off on their way back.