Akiko’s brows furrowed slightly as she locked her gaze on the surveillance screen.
A faint sense of foreboding lingered in her chest, though she couldn’t pinpoint its source.
Maybe the screen’s brief flicker had planted doubt—unnoticed, her thoughts spiraled into restless speculation.
Eyes fixed desperately on the monitors, she searched for even a trace of anomaly. Yet everything appeared perfectly normal: occupied zones showed movement where expected; empty areas remained utterly still.
After a while, even Akiko began to doubt herself. *Could I really be overthinking this?*
Hesitating only a moment, she decided on an extra precaution. Keying her walkie-talkie, she spoke to Kailuo patrolling nearby:
"Kailuo, do another sweep through Sector B-04." (B-04 was where the flicker occurred.)
"Eh, sure… but what’s up?"
"Nothing. Hope it’s just my imagination… Thanks."
"OK. Copy that."
After hanging up, the uneasy thumping in her chest didn’t ease. An invisible pressure tightened around her ribs, stealing her breath.
Flustered, she shook her head hard, trying to fling the thoughts away.
*Maybe… I should go see the captain,* she thought.
She stood—
—and in that instant, a cold, dark gun muzzle pressed against her back.
"Don’t move, beautiful lady," purred a smooth, seductive male voice.
Akiko shuddered. A cold sweat soaked her shirt.
"Wh-who are you?" She forced her voice steady, masking the tremor with feigned calm.
"Do you honestly think I’d be foolish enough to tell you?" The effeminate voice drew closer, whispering directly into her ear.
"Honestly, a lady as lovely as you… I’d never have the heart to kill you—"
Akiko glanced sideways slightly. From the corner of her eye, she saw a pale man with eerie beauty, messy purple curls framing his face with bewitching allure.
"—But this mission isn’t capture or abduction—"
Leaning over her left shoulder, he murmured almost inaudibly:
"—It’s a hunt."
*Thwip.* A faint silenced shot. Numb pain bloomed in her throat.
Her pupils dilated sharply, then slowly blurred.
The man caught her collapsing form, lowering her gently into the chair. He smoothed her collar like admiring flawless art.
"Now… much more beautiful," he murmured with satisfaction, nodding before turning away.
Slumped in the chair, Akiko’s lips parted slightly. All she heard was the soft gurgle of blood.
With her last strength, she trembled, raised one finger, and pressed a console button.
*Beep.*
Her hand fell limp.
As her eyes closed for the final time, a bitter smile touched her lips.
*This time…*
*My Lord…*
*…won’t make it in time.*
—
—
*Lord…*
Ming Yi, eyes tightly shut until now, felt his heart skip a beat. Jolted from his trance, he snapped awake.
He glanced beside him—Xiao Chengcheng and Chu Tong still sat cross-legged, eyes closed in deep meditation, each holding their Corruption Artifact.
He looked at his hands. The earlier boiling sensation in his blood had faded. Sated, it now rested in quiet stillness.
*Is this the saturation state Meryl mentioned? Must be nearly half an hour.* He closed his eyes again. Confirming the White Bloodsource’s influence had nearly vanished, he opened them.
Strength, perception, mental clarity… every facet of his body felt refined. A strange lightness filled his limbs—he couldn’t yet measure how much he’d gained.
Beside him, Xiao Chengcheng and Chu Tong slowly opened their eyes, dazedly savoring the afterglow.
"Incredible… Whoa!" Xiao Chengcheng snapped out of it first, stunned by his own transformation.
Chu Tong hopped awkwardly in place a few times before settling.
The door swung open. Meryl stepped in, smiling. "Congratulations. Feeling the changes?"
"Absolutely!" Xiao Chengcheng exclaimed. "Months of sweat-drenched training barely moved the needle—but half an hour here feels like a total rebirth!"
He clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk… No wonder it’s protagonist-tier treasure. This effect’s insane!"
"If it’s this powerful, why not roll it out academy-wide?" Ming Yi asked.
"Because awakening your potential consumes the White Bloodsource’s energy," Meryl explained. "It’s a critical strategic resource—and utterly unique. We can’t waste it."
She added with a knowing smile, "You earned this as a special reward. A rare privilege."
"Exactly," Xiao Chengcheng shot Ming Yi a disdainful look. "If this stuff were everywhere, how would it highlight the protagonist’s awesomeness?"
*Not worth my time,* Ming Yi thought, turning away silently.
Seeing they’d finished, Meryl led them out and closed the door.
"Alright, rewards claimed. Next—"
*Beep-beep-beep!* Her waist-mounted walkie-talkie blared urgently.
Meryl’s expression hardened. She snatched it, stared, then shouted to Bailian:
"Bailian! Alert! We’re under attack—"
Before she finished, explosions roared down the corridor—gunfire erupted, screams rose in waves.
Bailian’s face darkened. "Stop gawking!" he barked at panicked researchers. "Evacuate to the safe passage—now!"
Meryl radioed headquarters, but only static crackled—signal jammed.
Bailian turned to Ming Yi’s group. "Get the researchers to safety. We’ll hold them off—"
"Running? Too late," a cold voice cut in.
Four figures emerged, distinct in attire, followed by over a dozen armed mercenaries.
"Who are you? How dare you attack the Liberation Syndicate?" Meryl demanded.
The gray-cloaked man who’d killed Jin Xuanwen at the entrance rasped a chuckle. "Spare the pointless questions. Do you think we’d leave evidence for your Syndicate to hunt us?"
"Heh heh," cackled a frail white-haired elder beside him. "So arrogant—bullying everyone for years, never imagining *this* day?"
"Must you chatter with prey before the kill?" A youth with flamboyant purple hair filed his nails boredly, admiring his hands from every angle. "Just kill them."
"Kill us? Try it," Meryl snorted, cradling her massive sniper rifle—her Corruption Artifact.
Beside her, Bailian slowly raised the Spear of Deaththorn, stance guarded.
Then the leader stepped forward: fiery red hair, a black bodysuit tracing every bewitching curve—angelic face, devilish figure. Enough to mesmerize any man.
To Meryl, she was pure succubus.
Arms spread, she offered a world-stopping smile.
"Four Class S individuals…" Her voice dripped honeyed certainty.
"…Isn’t that more than enough?"
