Chapter 40: Losing Consciousness

　　Yumeng nodded, pulled out her phone, and handed it to me. I threw both our phones onto the couch nearby, my eyes locked on the guy as I silently plotted how I could end him. After everything I’ve been through, if I’m still the same scared person, I might as well be digging my own grave.

　　I could snatch his knife and shove it right into his throat!

　　Visions of blood and violence started flashing through my mind.

　　“Stay back!” Deng Rong rushed in front of us, swinging the beer bottle at the lackey’s head.

　　The lackey, caught off guard, stumbled backward and fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding getting slashed!

　　“Hahaha…” His clumsy fall was met with mocking laughter from his buddies.

　　“Damn it! You bitch!” The lackey on the ground, humiliated and enraged, whipped out a knife, ready to charge.

　　“Stop!” Deng An, who was being held back, shouted with desperation.

　　“What do you want? We can talk about this. I’m the son of the chairman of Changsheng Group. I can give you money,” Deng An's voice softened, trying to calm the situation. But my focus was locked onto the guy across from me.

　　My eyes narrowed, sharp like a predator zeroing in on its prey. No one seemed to notice me, just a small girl, except for Yumeng beside me. Her sweaty hand clung to mine, searching for some sense of safety.

　　As everyone’s attention shifted, I quickly pulled my hand away from Yumeng’s grip. In a flash, I lunged at the guy, driving my knee into his chest and slamming him to the ground. One hand clutched his shoulder, while the other smashed his head forcefully into the floor.

　　The sheer force of the tackle, combined with my momentum, made the impact brutal.

　　Thud!

　　A scream tore through the air.

　　But then, pain shot through my leg.

　　Damn it, I forgot to control the knife in his hand!

　　Fueled by adrenaline, I grabbed his head and slammed it down again, even harder this time.

　　Another sickening thud, and he went limp, his hand falling uselessly to the floor.

　　When I looked up, everyone’s faces were frozen in shock. I glanced down at my leg, where the knife had pierced. Blood was already oozing from the wound.

　　“Go help!” I heard the leader shout, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing toward me.I picked up the knife he had dropped, gripping it tightly as I slowly stood up.

　　When I turned around, two of them had already closed in, stopping just three steps away. They weren’t holding anything.

　　To my surprise, I felt a strange calm settling over me.

　　They glanced at each other, hesitating.

　　“What the hell are you doing? Get over here and take her down!” The leader shouted in frustration, waving his knife at Deng An as he looked over at us.

　　“Boss, she’s got a knife!” one of them warned.

　　A sudden ringing filled my ears.

　　“Hsss…”

　　I shifted the knife to my right hand, pressing my left hand against my throbbing head. The headache was back, pounding hard.

　　“Get her!”

　　The two of them noticed me faltering and rushed forward.

　　“Xia Ning!!” I barely heard Yumeng’s panicked cry.

　　“Back off!” Deng Rong’s voice cut through the chaos. She dashed to my side, brandishing something, ready to face them head-on.The two men hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes as they kept their distance.

　　Another surge of intense pain tore through me!

　　“Ah…!”

　　With a loud clang, the knife slipped from my grasp, hitting the floor.

　　I cradled my head in both hands, collapsing to my knees as I shut my eyes tight. All the noise around me suddenly faded, like I had been sucked into some other world.

　　And then, a question crept into my mind: What’s happening to me?

　　How could I have done something so brutal?

　　Is that guy... dead?

　　Did I really do that?

　　But if I hadn’t... wouldn’t they have killed me?

　　Maybe I should just kill them all—make sure Yumeng stays safe... Or maybe... I could even taste their blood and flesh…

　　Slowly, I opened my eyes, and the room—everything—was drenched in red.

　　The silence around me didn’t seem strange at all.

　　I stood up straight, watching as the two men pinned Deng Rong to the ground.

　　I walked over, grabbing one by the throat and lifting him until his feet nearly left the floor.

　　His face flushed crimson as he stared at me in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. He clawed at my hand, gritting his teeth, straining with all his strength.

　　He tried kicking me, but I tightened my grip and shoved him forward.

　　Thud! He hit the ground hard, coughing and gasping for breath.

　　Thud!

　　The other guy was suddenly flung across the room—I figured Deng Rong had done that.

　　They both scrambled back to their leader’s side, frantically trying to say something. I could see their lips moving, but not a single word reached me.

　　All I wanted now was to kill them all, and then... carve them up. The thought made me grin.

　　I vaguely remembered a knife lying on the floor behind me. Glancing back, I saw it, just a few steps away from the man I’d taken down. Still there.

　　I walked over and picked it up.

　　When I turned around, another man had entered the room, shirtless with a leather vest.

　　He flicked his wrist, and a baton snapped out. He locked eyes with me, surprise flashing across his face before he bared his teeth in a snarl. He rushed at me, swinging the baton toward my head!

　　I sidestepped, thrusting the knife toward his neck, so fast he couldn’t react in time.

　　Squelch!

　　The man’s mouth opened wide—I knew he was screaming—but in desperation, he blocked with his left hand.

　　The knife went clean through his palm, blood trickling down the blade.I leaned in, yanking the knife free, my left hand reaching for his chest while my right gripped the blade, aiming to put a hole right through his skull.

　　The guy in the jacket, eyes wide with fear, stumbled back in terror.

　　My first strike missed, just grazing his arm, leaving a deep gash, like slicing through a sausage. I didn’t let up, lunging at him with more stabs. He swung his baton desperately as he retreated, but I caught him on the shoulder, then sliced his wrist, sending the baton clattering to the floor.

　　Panic flashed in his eyes as he opened his mouth to scream, turning to run.

　　But then, out of nowhere, someone lunged at me from his side, swinging something at my head!

　　I wasn’t fast enough—whatever it was hit hard. I saw the bottle shatter, felt the dizziness hit me like a wave, and I crashed into the broken coffee table. The knife slipped from my grasp—I didn’t even know where it landed.

　　Strangely, there was no pain. Even the pounding in my head that had been torturing me seemed to have vanished.

　　As I slowly gathered myself, I felt something cool trickling down my face, tickling as it dripped onto the floor...

　　Blood!

　　I spun around, a sinister grin creeping across my face as I hissed, “You’re all dead! Hehehe…”

　　The two men looked terrified, exchanging frantic glances. They muttered something, pointing at me and the others before bolting for the door.

　　I chased them down the hallway, catching sight of their retreating figures.

　　Blood from the guy in the jacket left a trail on the floor.

　　I followed it all the way to the entrance, where I saw the rolling shutter halfway up—they had already squeezed through.

　　By the time I got outside, they were slamming the van doors shut. A cloud of black smoke puffed out as the van sped off.

　　I stood there, frustration boiling over as I watched the van disappear, torn between chasing them down or letting them go.

　　Bzzz…

　　The ringing in my ears started up again.

　　It took a few moments to fade, and with it, my hearing slowly returned.

　　Behind me, I heard hurried footsteps.

　　Suddenly, arms wrapped around me. I let out a cold laugh, breaking free and spinning around, my hand clamping down on the throat of whoever dared to grab me.

　　“Xia Ning…” The voice was strained, gasping for breath.

　　I looked down—it was a face I knew.

　　I stared, my grip easing.

　　“Xia Ning… it’s me, Yumeng!” She finally managed to choke out, her voice desperate as I loosened my hold.