To the Start of a New World

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.