Perhaps Bai Ming had overthought things from the start. He should have left this trouble spot long ago...

Relying on others to fix this mess was pure fantasy. He’d been dragged into this chaos for no reason—it wasn’t his fight.

So what held him back from walking away?

Probably that stubborn remnant of human nature buried deep inside him—compassion.

Yes, no matter what, he was still a man who lived by the ideal of "world peace." Destruction and slaughter were never things he wished to witness. Even if hell itself unfolded before his eyes, Bai Ming—no matter how hardened—could never stand idle and watch.

Yet reality was cruel. He *was* standing idle.

*Cough...*

After the deafening explosion, the mall’s floor cracked like a drought-stricken rice field. Everyone present had endured the catastrophe. No one escaped unscathed.

It was as if a fireball had plummeted from the sky. The blast hurled people into the air with searing heat, then slammed them back down—skulls splitting, blood pooling.

Amid the wreckage, only one figure rose: Shen Yuan Yuhu. Her hands trembled violently as she gripped her katana, forcing her battered body upright.

Shards of tile had torn her face open. Crimson streaks dripped from her wounds, splattering the ground like blooming red lotuses.

Silence swallowed the aftermath. A deathly hush, as if time itself had frozen—any sudden move might shatter the fragile calm.

*Ugh...*

But Yuhu hadn’t lost her will to fight. Flames still burned in her crimson pupils—a will as unyielding as bedrock.

"Enough of this..."

Dusting himself off, Bai Ming had slipped away during the chaos. He now hid in a blind spot, unseen by all.

He pitied the girl still struggling to stand. If she’d truly believed she could defeat that scar-faced brute fifteen minutes ago, this attack should’ve shown her the chasm between them.

It was vast. Heaven and earth apart. One casual stomp from Li Scar had unleashed devastation like a bomb—ripping through her body as if to tear her heart from her chest.

Every breath seared her lungs. Every step made her bones scream.

Even Bai Ming, watching from afar, felt a pang of sympathy.

But sympathy wouldn’t move him to act. He’d long abandoned the naive faith that saving lives could rewrite destinies or reshape reputations.

No one believed that. Truth was, staying put did more good than playing savior. Rescuing a few souls wouldn’t change the world.

To him, selfless sacrifice was meaningless.

Yuhu was no different. If she were smart, she’d have retreated already.

Hadn’t Li Scar’s bearded thug said they were cornered here by police and the "Hero Association"?

If true, that so-called "Hero" outside should handle this.

But one look at the girl slowly pushing herself up killed that thought.

*Gurk...*

Yuhu tried to straighten—but her gaze dropped to her thigh. A jagged tile shard was buried deep in her flesh. White-hot pain surged like a shark tearing at her mind. She crumpled back down, a low groan escaping her lips.

"Oops... maybe I went a *bit* too far?"

Li Scar scratched his head, chuckling. He surveyed the carnage: his own men and the armed police officers lay scattered, bleeding. Unlike Yuhu, they’d taken the blast full-force—no defense, no warning.

No one expected Li Scar to hold back this time.

"Mama..."

*What—?*

Faint but desperate, the voice cut through Yuhu’s haze. She whipped her head around. It might be the last hope from the trapped crowd.

A little boy clung to his mother, covered in dust but unharmed.

His mother wasn’t so lucky. Shards pierced her body. Thick, tar-like blood oozed from her temple...

Head injury. Severe.

"Damn it! Shen Yuan—"

"Pointless."

Before Yuhu could raise her katana, Li Scar was upon her. His boot slammed into her stomach. She flew backward, sword clattering away.

*Thud!*

Like swatting a fly, he pinned her against the wall. Blood gushed from her mouth as her body convulsed.

Broken ribs. Crushed organs. Bleeding out. Fading fast... What could be worse?

"Hurts, doesn’t it, little girl? Really hurts?"

Li Scar feigned concern, stepping closer. Towering over her, he bent down like a grinning giant, yellowed teeth bared.

"Hey. Does it hurt?"

"You... bastard..."

"Ah, right! I forgot—Shen Yuan blood runs tough. Even the girls. So stubborn."

He dropped to one knee, his face inches from hers.

"Your body’s strong, kid. Since you love playing hero so much... I’ll give you another chance."

He straightened up, his grin vanishing as he pointed at the fallen crowd behind him.

"You know they’re still alive. Two minutes have passed since those cops barged in. My man’s deal was... interesting. *One life per minute.*"

His lips curled into a grotesque smile. The word "kill" made his eyes gleam with excitement.

Shifting between laughter and cold focus—even Bai Ming, watching silently from the shadows, found it unsettling.

"But I’ll offer *you* a hero’s choice." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Strip off your clothes. Piece by piece. And I might just spare them. How about it?"