C19 You Are Heartless

An hour earlier, Lu Shaojie would have had no choice but to flee if he'd encountered the monster. But now, he was able to engage the Devil Eye Ratmen in hand-to-hand combat.

Such was the transformative power of evolution.

Qin Feng surmised that Lu Shaojie's aptitude for refining Source Qi was far superior to that of an average person. There was no other explanation for the tremendous strides he'd made in just over two hours.

Despite his significant progress, Lu Shaojie's abilities had their limits. Facing three such vicious creatures, his burst of strength was short-lived, and he was quickly overpowered and pinned to the ground once more.

One of the Devil Eye Ratmen clamped onto his calf, gnawing viciously. Its razor-sharp claws left deep, bloody gashes on his leg.

The pain was so intense that Lu Shaojie lost the will to fight back. His focus wavered, and soon after, his left hand was slashed by the creature.

He cried out, "Damn beast, get off me!"

"Fear not. I'm here to help!" Lu Shaojie's father bellowed. Witnessing his son in peril, he couldn't just stand by idly. Paralyzed with fear yet determined, he charged at the Ratmen from the side and kicked the one attacking his son's arm.

Only then did Lu Shaojie find a moment to breathe. Seizing the chance, he floored another Ratman with a punch and scrambled to his feet.

But the Ratmen were relentless, launching into a frenzied assault. Lu Shaojie's father, desperate, swung his stick wildly, yelling, "Son, get out of here!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Devil Eye Ratmen lunged at him again, sinking its teeth into his thigh and leaving several raw, bleeding wounds.

Zhong Yanan watched the struggle outside with indecision.

She didn't care for Lu Shaojie, yet she bore him no ill will. The thought of doing nothing was unbearable.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she turned to Qin Feng once more. "Please, help them!" she implored.

Qin Feng remained indifferent, his gaze falling away from the chaos outside.

Zhong Yanan's anger flared. Biting her lip, she lashed out, "How can you be so cold-hearted? With your strength, you have a duty to act. If you can save them, why won't you?"

Qin Feng said, "Because I don't want to. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

Truth be told, Qin Feng wasn't too keen on engaging with Zhong Yanan. Her incessant noise was grating on his nerves. Frustrated, he said, "Have you considered that rescuing Lu Shaojie would give away our position? Then we'd have even more monsters on our tail."

Human nature is complex, and Qin Feng understood that not everyone deserved his help.

In his past life, he had tried to play the hero, risking his life to save many.

But all he received in return was betrayal and deceit.

So, after being reborn, Qin Feng chose a different path, one that might seem cold, but it was to ensure his safety above all else.

"You're a heartless madman!" Zhong Yanan realized that no amount of pleading would sway Qin Feng. So, she stopped trying. She snatched up the fire axe from the ground, spun around furiously, and bolted outside.

At that point, Wang Gang's heart softened. He quickly said, "Qin Feng, Manager Zhong just left. Go after her, now!"

"Why should I chase her?" Qin Feng asked.

With a detached look, he added, "If she's intent on doing good, let her be."

Before Wang Gang could respond, Qin Feng shook his head dismissively, "Don't worry. She won't come to any harm."

Wang Gang was puzzled. He glanced at Zhong Yanan's retreating figure, then his eyes widened in shock.

Zhong Yanan might have seemed frail, but there she was, fire axe in hand, sprinting like a seasoned athlete.

In under ten seconds, she reached where Lu Shaojie and his father were being attacked. With a powerful swing, she beheaded a Devil Eye Ratman.

Blood sprayed in all directions. The headless Ratman collapsed, its neck gushing blood like a faucet, drenching Zhong Yanan's face.

In the past, the mere sight of such gore would have been enough to make her faint, let alone cleaving a monster's head with an axe.

But this time, Zhong Yanan was fearless. After slaying the first monster, she swung her fire axe again without a moment's hesitation. She didn't even bother to wipe the blood from her face before striking down the second beast.

Perhaps driven by rage or some other force, Zhong Yanan had shed her usual composure. In that moment, she resembled nothing less than a wild fury in action!

She wielded the fire axe relentlessly, driving the creatures back with each forceful swing. The sound of the air splitting echoed with each strike, her strength rivaling that of a burly man.

Wang Gang watched, dumbfounded, and exclaimed, "How is she doing that?"

Qin Feng replied, "Gang, don't be so surprised. You could do it too, you know."

With an impassive gaze fixed on Zhong Yanan's back, Qin Feng spoke in a chilling tone, "The Abnormal Spot has been around for a while now. Haven't you noticed anything unusual about your body? Take a deep breath. Do you feel a heat in your chest, and are your fists not stronger than before?"

Wang Gang instinctively did as Qin Feng suggested, then gasped, "It does seem to be true. What's happening?"

"You've all evolved," Qin Feng stated simply, his lips tight. He explained briefly, then inhaled deeply and instructed, "Go help them. You need to adapt to these changes quickly—it's to your benefit. Once you've saved them, come straight back. There's no time to lose."

Qin Feng harbored no fondness for Lu Shaojie and had little interest in rescuing him. But Zhong Yanan was adamant about saving him, leaving Qin Feng no choice.

"Alright!" With a moment's hesitation, Wang Gang steeled himself and charged into the fray.

Fear still gripped him, but Qin Feng's words had ignited a spark of bravery within.

Yet, before Wang Gang could even reach Zhong Yanan's side, the fight was over.

With just her axe, she had felled three monsters and rescued Lu Shaojie from peril.

Then, staring at the carnage before her, Zhong Yanan stood frozen, struggling to believe the reality of her own lethal prowess.

She stared at her hands, bewildered, and thought, "What have I just done? Did I really kill all three monsters?"

Wang Gang approached her, first inspecting the monster corpses on the ground, then turning to Zhong Yanan with a look of astonishment. Before he could utter a word, Lu Shaojie scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward his father, crying out in deep sorrow, "Daddy!"

The monsters were indeed slain, and Zhong Yanan had saved Lu Shaojie.

Tragically, Lu Shaojie's father had been throttled by the monsters during the fight, leaving behind nothing but his lifeless body.

Clutching his father's corpse, Lu Shaojie wept inconsolably.

Yet, this was not the time for mourning.

The recent skirmish could draw even more monsters. Without waiting for Lu Shaojie to regain his composure, Wang Gang urged him, "Don't cry. You need to come with us."

Snapping out of her daze, Zhong Yanan shuddered and added, "Exactly. It's likely we're the only survivors left in the villa. Monsters are everywhere. We can't afford to stay out in the open like this."