I walked up to them slow, one step at a time.
Dirt kept crunching under my shoes, louder every damn step.
Each step hit my chest, not because I was scared, but because I knew what's coming. Same damn thing every time I devour — that pain in the heart. Or happiness? Or excitement?
Hard to tell anymore.
Neither of them even looked up. Too busy trying to breathe, trying not to pass out.
I almost laughed. Otherworldly creatures weren't always the bad ones — sometimes they helped you out. Made your enemies softer, slower, easier to kill.
You just need a bit of brain to use them right.
And me? Come on, don't ask stupid questions.
Of course I've got one annd power too. Bad combo, huh?
I stopped in front of them and crouched, eyes level with theirs.
"Tell me," I said, voice low. "Who sent you?"
No one answered.
Lin tried to move, but his arm just twitched.
Wen coughed, a spray of blood hitting the ground between us.
I stared at it for a moment — that blood stain spreading across the dirt, I don't know why, but the way it spread looked kind of… mesmerizing. It looked weirdly beautiful. Like the Wraiths painted with blood and the ground was their canvas.
Then I looked back at him.
"F-five ranks in a newbie zone," I said, smiling faintly. "You came all the way here just for me?"
Still nothing. I couldn't hear a thing from them. Were they too broken to talk? Or maybe I was just too damn polite when I asked.
"You should've killed me when you had the chance," I muttered.
My voice came out calm, almost too calm — no anger, no mercy, just truth rolling off my tongue.
"Now I've got questions…" I leaned a little closer, eyes locked on theirs.
Something in me shifted — the calm slid away, replaced by that cold pull in my chest.
"...and you're going to answer them."
I didn't have the patience. My heart didn't hold an ounce of mercy now.
Those who came to kill me should be ready to die by my own hand.
They just stared at me, blank eyes, no answer — like I was background noise, just some bug buzzing around their ears.
Or maybe that's what they really saw — an ant that somehow got lucky.
Of course they still thought that. In their heads, they were predators, the big ones.
And me? Just a joke, trying to survive in this damn Zone.
I clenched my hand without thinking, nails biting into my palm, heat crawling up my arm like it wanted to burst out.
No… not yet. Not now. I needed answers first.
I could feel the rage in my heart, crawling up, scratching like it wanted out.
Every breath made it worse. Like something burning inside me.
No… not yet. I told myself to hold it in, just for a second.
Just enough to talk before it takes over again.
I took a breath — slowly, heavy — trying to calm the storm in my chest, just for a second, just enough to speak without tearing them apart.
I crouched down, close enough to see their eyes trembling. My jaw was tight, teeth grinding — I could feel the rage crawling up my throat, begging to break out.
"So," I said, voice steady, quiet. "You want to tell me who sent you… before I decide what to do with you?"
For a second, I thought Lin Qiao was going to die before I could get the answer.
No… no, if she died now, what's the point of me holding all this rage in my chest?
Then she laughed. Weak, broken. Still full of that same damn arrogance.
Even half-dead, she still found the strength to laugh like I was a joke.
It almost made me smile back. Almost.
I let out a small breath — not calm, just relief. Good. She's still alive.
Still breathing.
That means I can still get what I want.
"You think…" she spat blood, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and smirked. "...you think you can decide anything, huh? With that trash bloodline of yours?"
She tilted her head, eyes half-open, voice shaky but dripping with arrogance.
"What are you gonna do, huh? Scare me? Please."
Even half-dead, she still talked like those rich academy brats who thought they owned the world.
But then I heard voice, same filled with mockery for me.
Obviously, Wen started grinning too, blood leaking between his teeth.
"Heh… look at you, standing there like you're some big shot just 'cause you hid and watched us do the work."
He coughed, blood bubbling in his throat, but he still kept that smirk.
"What's wrong, huh? Gonna pick scraps now? Or maybe that's what trash like you do best?"
I stared at them. Half-dead, shaking, still talking like they were gods looking down on trash.
Even now, they couldn't shut that pride up.
What's with them? Even with death staring right back at their faces, they still couldn't let go of that fake pride, that useless ego.
I always thought when people face death, they'd drop the act — finally see things for what they are. But no… these two were still clinging to their arrogance like it'd save them.
And as I watched them, I realized — this world's already too far gone to save.
Yeah… you're right, Shen Yan.
This rotten world needs to be cleaned. Burned down till nothing's left but ash.
Then I heard that whisper again, soft at first, crawling under my skin till I couldn't ignore it.
It wasn't far this time. It came from inside my head.
Wait—was that me thinking it? Or did I just… hear it?
I couldn't tell anymore.
It sounded too close. Too calm. Too right.
I didn't argue. What would I even say? Shut up? Stop lying? But I knew it wasn't lying.