Chapter 556: Are You Serious?

He looked around, identifying the direction.

Ruins stretched endlessly, collapsed buildings scattered like a giant's skeleton.

In the distance, some intact buildings could be vaguely seen, but their windows were pitch black, with no light, no people.

Need to find a way out of here.

Sha Jin took a step forward, just as he stepped—

A chill surged from his soles straight up to the back of his head!

He instinctively recoiled, his body leaning back, almost losing his balance!

A black‑red flash skimmed past his nose, and with a "Bang" it lodged at the spot where he had just stood!

It was a sword.

The blade was jet‑black, blood‑red patterns coursed over the edge, exuding a suffocating pressure.

It was slanted into the rubble, the blade still trembling faintly, emitting a low hum.

Sha Jin's pupils narrowed slightly.

If he hadn't stepped back just then…

He lifted his head, looking along the direction from which the sword had come.

In the distance, a high building was cut in half, its remaining rooftop edge held a silhouette.

Black armor covered the whole body, golden short hair fluttered slightly in the wind.

The face was handsome yet sinister, a grin that gave goosebumps.

Dark red aura swirled around him, the energy raging as if to tear everything nearby.

Sha Jin didn't recognize the person.

But he could feel that the aura emanating from this guy was exactly the same as those two monsters earlier.

The two stared at each other across the ruins.

Wind blew through the middle, lifting a few scraps of waste paper.

Sha Jin's mouth twitched.

He looked down at his disheveled appearance, then looked up at the murderous figure in the distance, his expression was quite something.

"My luck… is it serious?"

He muttered to himself, his voice full of helplessness.

Perspective shift.

A Xing stood at the street corner, his gaze fixed on the hotel building.

Sunlight reflected off the glass curtain wall, dazzling the eyes.

People came and went at the lobby entrance.

The aura was right here.

She gave a slight nod, pulled a phone from her pocket, and dialed a number.

"Fire department? XX Hotel is on fire, third floor, the blaze is huge, send help quickly."

She hung up, slipped the phone back into her pocket, and from the other side pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

The lenses covered her hollow golden eyes, also masking all emotions.

A Xing crossed the street and entered the hotel lobby.

Air conditioning hit his face, the marble floor shone like a mirror, reflecting the shadow of the crystal chandelier above.

The front desk staff were busy with heads down, several travelers sat on the lounge sofas chatting; everything was normal.

A Xing halted.

She reached into her coat, and when she pulled out, a jet‑black Handgun rested in her palm.

No hesitation, no doubt, the barrel pointed skyward—

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Three gunshots erupted in the lobby!

Screams burst out instantly!

People fled in all directions, luggage scattered on the ground.

The scene was pure chaos.

A Xing stared expressionlessly at it all, the other hand pulling out several round objects from her pocket.

Pull open the latch.

Throw them out.

"Bang bang bang!"

The smoke bomb detonated, thick smoke instantly filled the entire lobby!

In the white smoke nothing could be seen, only frantic footsteps and the rising and falling screams could be heard.

A Xing tucked away the gun, turned toward the elevator.

The smoke automatically cleared a path, as if paving a passage for her.

She pressed the elevator button.

The doors opened, empty inside.

A Xing stepped in and pressed a floor number.

The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off all the outside clamor.

The elevator rose smoothly.

The floor numbers ticked up one by one: 8, 9, 10, 11…

A Xing leaned against the elevator wall, her eyes behind the sunglasses fixed on the flashing number, showing no expression.

11, 12, 13…

Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a halt!

The number stopped at 15.

Immediately, the numbers on the display began to warp—those clear digits were covered by something, and a deep‑green data stream surged in from the screen's edges like a living thing, crawling over the entire display!

The green data continued to spread.

The whole elevator was enveloped by that eerie green, as if something had swallowed it.

A Xing stood there, motionless.

The lenses of her sunglasses reflected the flowing green data.

She seemed to have anticipated it.

A Xing lifted her hand and flicked her finger lightly.

"Snap."

The crisp snapping sound echoed in the sealed space.

In the next instant, A Xing inside the elevator vanished.

She dissipated like foam, leaving no trace at all.

Fifteenth‑floor corridor.

The real A Xing stepped out from behind the stairwell door.

She was bound with climbing rope, the rope coiled several times around her waist, the other end tied to the stair rail, the knot neat and tidy.

Another bundle of rope hung from her shoulder, the rope's end dangling at her side.

She walked to the window at the end of the corridor and pushed it open.

The wind rushed in, stirring her ash‑colored hair.

A Xing lowered her head to check the ropes on her body, then vaulted over the windowsill and leapt out!

Her body plummeted downward!

Three stories of height flashed by!

A Xing's hand yanked hard—the rope snapped taut, and the fall halted abruptly!

Her body swung in the air, her foot catching a point on the wall, then she used the leverage to swing to the opposite side!

She moved like a nimble spider, precisely landing on the target under the rope's pull!

Twelfth floor.

The window was right before her eyes.

Through the glass, the living‑room scene was visible—a woman with violet hair sat on the sofa, and on a chair opposite, a green‑haired little girl was bound.

Huo Huo.

A Xing's pupils narrowed slightly.

She inhaled deeply, thrust her legs forcefully against the wall, and launched herself toward the window like a cannonball!

"Bang—!!!"

The glass shattered!

A Xing's body smashed through the glass into the living‑room, the floor littered with shards of broken glass!

She flipped in mid‑air, and at the moment of landing rolled to absorb the impact, half‑crouching as she lifted her head.

Dust billowed.

She rose slowly to her feet.

On the opposite sofa, Ailixiya stared at her with wide eyes, her delicate face full of disbelief.

"You—?!"

A Xing gave her no chance to speak.

She moved.

She moved so fast that only an afterimage remained!

Three meters vanished in a blink, and a fist slammed into Ailixiya's face!

"Bang!"

Ailixiya's whole body flew off the sofa, hit the wall and bounced back, and before she could hit the ground, A Xing grabbed her neck and pinned her to the floor!

With her other hand she fished a rope from her waist and, in a few swift motions, bound her into a tight bundle.

The whole process took no more than five seconds.

A Xing stood up, pulled out several black objects from her pocket, and casually tossed them beside Ailixiya.

Each object had a tiny display, with red numbers flickering.

10, 9, 8…