Little Loli lay on the bed, hands and feet bound, her breath tight like winter air in a cracked window. Footsteps thudded outside, a drumbeat rolling down a hallway.

She strained her neck toward the old wooden door, its paint peeling like bark. Screech… the door swung open, and a tall, hard-faced man stepped in like a storm breaking the calm.

Her stomach clenched first, then her body slid toward the headboard, trying to prop herself up like a leaf braced against wind. The ribbon that bound her silk-blond hair slipped free in the scuffle, and her long golden hair spilled beside her like blossoms strewn on a path.

Her thin legs in black stockings crossed and tightened like two tense reeds, shielding herself as best she could. She finally sat up; her cheeks flushed like dawn, breath quick and brittle. Two golden eyes locked on the man at the door, steady as coins held to the sun.

Ah Hu froze at the threshold, eyes wide, caught like a moth by a candle’s flare. Then his face warped into a lewd grin, oily as smoke.

He chuckled, a snake rubbing its scales. “Heh, little beauty, landing you is the luck of my life. I haven’t been a saint. Don’t fight—it’ll be easier if you enjoy it.” He moved toward the bed, steps slow as a hunter circling prey.

“Don’t—don’t come closer. I’ll scream.” Panic swam in her eyes, a storm cloud rolling in. The man’s shape grew larger in the gold of her irises, like a shadow swallowing light.

“Wait—I have a question!” Her body curled tight, words snapped like a taut bowstring.

“Oh? A question?” He rubbed his hands, a cold laugh dripping. “Since I’m about to ‘eat’ you, I’ll be kind and answer. Easier on my conscience—whatever pit I tossed that thing into.”

He halted, savoring the moment like a jackal at a carcass. “Who sent you to grab me, and what do you want?” Little Loli asked, her voice steady as a blade laid flat.

“That classmate of yours, Ou Xiangyang, sent me,” he said, eyes glinting like rusted nails. “Goal? Drag you back and have his fun. He’s the Deputy Mayor’s son. I don’t get a say. Thought you were ordinary, but you’re this beautiful—so I’ll get my kicks first.”

The leash on him snapped, and Ah Hu lunged like a dog off-chain.

“Stay away! Get out!” Little Loli screamed, her voice a white flare in a dark room.

“Host at risk of assault. Entering battle mode…” The mechanical voice drifted through her mind like a bronze bell shaken in mist, and Wu Hao felt it as if the sky finally opened.

Relief washed him like rain on parched earth. “I thought I’d die today. You disgusting scum—I’ll drain you all. Ou Xiangyang, wait. One day you’ll pay.”

The man’s bulk loomed, closing like iron gates. Little Loli blinked, and her eyes bled into crimson, two coals under snow. Teeth slid out, sharp as moonlit fangs, and her smile tilted wicked, thin as a knife’s edge.

Ah Hu didn’t notice the storm under him. He screamed—Aaaagh!—as her razor mouth punched into his neck, a needle into a vein. His body shrank, flesh collapsing like a punctured wineskin, until only a husk lay crumpled, dry as old parchment.

“Not a drop wasted,” she murmured, licking her blood-stained fangs, tongue flicking like a cat after a kill.

Her gaze lifted from the husk, and through the wall she saw two red shapes moving fast, heat like lanterns in fog. Bang—the door slammed open, and two men burst in, voices jagged.

“Boss, what happened?!”

They’d come for the scream, pulled like fish by a line. They saw a husk lying by the bed, and from its clothes they knew it was Ah Hu. They didn’t see the girl’s eyes, red as coals, measuring them with a wicked glint.

“So, my eyes can read heat like a hawk sees movement,” Wu Hao thought, a cold current rolling under thought. The last fight hadn’t shown it; this one lit the feature like a torch.

One man jolted, finally seeing the girl on the bed. “You demon! You killed him! I’ll kill you!” He snatched a steel pipe from the room, lifting it like a storm-bent branch.

Little Loli’s hand unfolded from behind her like a flower with thorns, nails lengthening into claws, bright and sharp as icicles. She drove them into his torso, clean as a spear through water.

“Heh…” Her perfect face hovered close, eyes red as winter berries locking onto his fading gaze.

“You…” His last breath fell away, and his body wrinkled into a husk, drying at the edges like leaves in drought.

She pulled her hand free, glanced at her red-clawed fingers, and breathed out, steady as frost forming. “Powerful. Worth the exchange.” She’d traded Ah Hu’s blood for her new claws, a close-combat edge—and a quick way to tear the ropes.

“Devil! Devil!” The last man broke, mind snapping like a brittle branch. He bolted for the door, running wild, hoping the dark would hide him.

He couldn’t outrun the tide. Her teeth were already in his neck, cool and final as winter steel. He hit the floor and stilled.

She licked her fangs by habit, the motion small as a ripple. Then Little Loli stepped outside, her stride light as a cat crossing beams.

“Not many left. I’ll drain them all.” Her eyes read three, maybe four red lights outside, heat-points scattered like embers.

Outside the warehouse, a man leaned by the wall and asked another, voice flat as stale smoke. “What happened? Sounded like the boss yelled.”

“Who cares? Two guys already went in. Maybe he’s just busy having his fun,” the other said, chewing on a cigarette like a bitter root. “Shame about that girl.”

“Yeah. A shame,” the first replied, agreement dull as mud.

“Well, thanks for the concern,” Little Loli said, voice soft as silk and cold as rain.

Her hands slid in from behind like twin vipers. Each palm opened into a claw. She speared both men at once, and their lives drained away, bodies sagging into husks, empty as shed skins.

She’d already taken care of the other two in the factory; she stepped out and found these two chatting in the dying light. Then there was nothing more to say.

With the last enemy gone, Little Loli let the battle form ebb. Her eyes, hands, and teeth eased back to normal, calm as water settling in a bowl.

“Considering future difficulties, the host may now shift into battle form at will. Skills can unlock under specific conditions.” The mechanical voice faded from her mind like a bell toll dissolving into mist.

Wu Hao stood stunned inside, then grinned. “Great. I can transform anytime now?” He looked at his hands, blood still tacky, and thought, sharp as a command, Battle form.

Claws slid from his—her—fingertips, gleaming like polished ice; teeth shifted, a cold prickle in the mouth, neat as a mechanism.

Restore. He spoke the word, and everything smoothed back, quiet as a stream after rain.

“Hahaha! Am I invincible now?” Little Loli laughed, joy bursting like fireworks, feet stamping a small dance on the dusty ground.

The sunset hung halfway, a molten coin in the sky. Little Loli squatted at the door of a derelict plant, her golden hair draped over her back, catching light like wheat at dusk.

Her delicate face nestled between her knees, hands pale as milk wrapped around her legs. She didn’t notice she was inadvertently exposed, a careless gap like a curtain caught by wind.

A refined-looking boy passed by, clothes plain as school greys. Little Loli, mind spinning on how to get home, didn’t see him at first.

He saw her and went still, struck by her beauty like a bird stunned by glass. Then he startled, dropped his gaze, and flushed.

“Sis, heads-up—you’re exposed,” he said, gentle, voice like a soft cough behind a door.

Little Loli blinked awake from thought, saw the problem, and tugged her skirt into place, cheeks reddening like apple skin. She spun, scolding, words darting like sparrows. “You saw, didn’t you? You definitely saw!”

“No, no—I just wanted to warn you. I didn’t see anything,” the boy said, hands up, denial fluttering like a white flag.

“Ugh! Go die!” Little Loli sprang up, anger flaring like hot pepper, and bolted after him, ready to teach this supposed pervert a lesson.

“Help—!” The unknown boy took one look and ran, legs pumping like a startled deer, Little Loli chasing close, her footsteps pattering like rain.