Warm fingertips touched the moist wall of the eye socket.
The world trembled.
Then the world went dark.
Pain completely submerged You Xue, accompanied by the sound of something being pulled out, as the eyeball fell at her feet.
This incident was both easier and more painful than You Xue had imagined.
The eye socket ached, a throbbing pain coming in waves, along with the cool sensation of the wind blowing.
There was no screaming or struggling.
She was long accustomed to pain, and she felt numb that death might not be worse than living.
Tears mixed with blood flowed from the empty eye socket, running down her cheek until reaching her chin, dripping drop by drop to the ground.
The glass container had already been shattered by her.
One hand was frozen stiff.
She could only use her still-functioning hand to grab the Dragon’s Eye lying among the broken glass.
The lifeless, dazzling golden vertical pupil lay in You Xue’s palm.
Even though it had lost its vitality, she could still feel the majesty and power of a dragon from it.
Rock spikes rushed toward her.
The [Guardian] engraving on her neck suddenly lit up, forming a pale white light barrier in front of You Xue, just barely blocking the spikes.
You Xue didn’t hesitate.
Taking this opportunity, she shoved the Dragon’s Eye into her empty socket.
She felt as if she were burning, with an even more scorching pain that grew stronger and stronger.
It extended from the eye socket onward—neck, chest, arms, legs—everything was being destroyed, yet everything seemed to be reborn.
Facing the approaching enemies, You Xue instead pursed her lips and smiled.
Blood-tears still flowed from her cheeks and wouldn’t stop for a while.
‘I really want to laugh. The pain still spreads through my body, but I can finally feel a power of my own being generated within me.’
Pleasure entangled with pain, mixed together.
You Xue could no longer distinguish the two.
The distant enemies arrived before You Xue.
There were still six Soldiers and one Knight she needed to defeat.
“To waste the Dragon’s Eye like this!”
The [Steel Body] Knight glared with fury, his whole body muscles tense, his steel-like skin emitting a cold, hard gleam.
His eyes were full of rage.
He knew too well how the higher-ups would deal with him if this mission failed.
“Kill her! Don’t let her destroy the Dragon’s Eye!”
The Knight commanded the Soldiers to attack.
The Soldiers activated their Supernatural Abilities and attacked You Xue in various ways.
But You Xue stood motionless, neither dodging nor wavering.
Just as those attacks were about to hit You Xue, the air seemed to freeze.
An invisible domain suddenly enveloped You Xue, and the fireballs, lightning, ice spikes, and earth spikes all dissipated into nothing.
“What!”
“How is that possible!”
The Soldiers’ pupils shrank, a chilling cold surging in their hearts.
You Xue slowly lifted her eyes.
Her golden dragon pupils flickered with a faint light.
There was no ripples in her eyes, only a cold indifference.
The burning pain like a blazing fire still surged inside her body, the tearing sensation of flesh never ceasing, but at this moment she stood firmly in place.
You Xue let out a breath, then spoke softly.
“[Judgment].”
There was no energy fluctuation, no physical form of attack.
It was as if a powerful, unyielding will swept through.
In an instant, all six Soldiers collapsed.
“What kind of power is this?”
The remaining Knight was horrified, then blood gushed from his mouth.
“I don’t want… to die.”
Finally, he fell heavily to his knees, and his breath ceased.
She did it.
You Xue looked at her own pale hands, unable to believe that she had used such power.
‘Endless death.’
She instinctively understood the nature of her power.
‘But… this isn’t right. In the Original Story, the Crow Leader definitely couldn’t obtain this level of power.’
‘Why is it surging within me?’
You Xue didn’t get an answer.
Her breathing grew heavier.
She couldn’t stay here.
To be safe, she had to keep moving.
Her clothes were stained with blood again, all of it her own.
The enemies died too easily, no blood splattered on her.
‘It’s fine. In this world, even a person drenched in blood walking down the street isn’t uncommon, right?’
You Xue untied her hair ribbon, using her hair to cover her left eye, which had been replaced by the Dragon’s Eye.
‘How strange. Even though it was just embedded in the socket, I can still see the world through this dragon’s eye.’
You Xue kept her head down, trying to hide the Dragon’s Eye as much as possible.
She walked a distance, came to a corner, turned, and after a short walk, the bus stop would be there.
You Xue quickened her pace.
But unexpectedly, because of the hair covering her face, she bumped into someone.
“Hey! You! Are you not watching where you’re going?”
You Xue covered her left eye with her hand and looked at the person in front of her.
Golden hair slightly fluttering, eyebrows and eyes haughty, and the uniform of Enlightenment Academy was especially eye-catching.
You Xue’s heart sank.
A person with such a beautiful appearance was likely a character described in the Original Story: golden hair plus the school uniform of Enlightenment Academy.
“Alice?”
You Xue accidentally said it out loud.
Alice frowned, looking her up and down.
“You know me? But I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
The golden-haired girl’s gaze fell on You Xue’s messy gray hair, pale face, and blood-soaked clothes.
Finally, her tone carried a hint of concern.
“You look like you need help?”
“No… no, I’m fine.”
You Xue quickly said.
She didn’t want to interact with Alice too much right now, because according to the Original Story, Alice, Su Li, and Cheng Yehai had already formed a team.
‘If this continues, I might run into Su Li.’
Her feelings were strange.
‘I clearly want to see him. I clearly want to get warmth from him. Why not go?’
Her left eye suddenly grew hot, giving You Xue a sting for a moment, and then a phrase surfaced in her heart.
‘No, no, no.’
‘That’s not my longing. That’s not something I deserve. That’s not something I need.’
“You definitely don’t look fine right now.”
Alice stared at the gray-haired girl seriously.
Her words pulled You Xue back from her fantasy.
“I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Pity arose in Alice’s eyes.
This girl seemed to be the same age as her, yet she was covered in wounds, her breath weak, and she could barely stand.
It was impossible to ignore her.
You Xue shook her head.
“I just… fell down.”
Alice’s emerald eyes were full of doubt, thinking that it would be strange if such a terrible state could be caused by a fall.
“I’m a student of Enlightenment Academy. Look at the uniform on me. I won’t harm you. And my companions are nearby, so they can protect you.”
Alice spoke sincerely and extended her hand to You Xue.
You Xue didn’t respond.
‘Companions?’
‘Is it Su Li?’
Her left eye stung again.
You Xue instinctively bent over.
‘Go find him! Go find him! Go find him!’
Such words echoed in her mind.
‘No! I can’t! Su Li has nothing to do with me!’
‘I never thought that way!’
‘And it’s not time to draw conclusions yet. I haven’t found a path that leads a hundred percent to the perfect ending.’
‘I can’t do this.’
“I’m really fine. Please… don’t stand in front of me, okay?”
You Xue’s mind was in turmoil.
Her voice trembled.
“I’m really a good person. If you don’t believe me…”
Alice wanted to continue explaining to this girl.
But the next moment…
“Get out of my way!”
You Xue suddenly raised her voice.
She felt a surge of anger spreading in her heart.
She took her hand away from her left eye and fixed her dragon eye on the golden-haired girl in front.
“Don’t stop me!”
An invisible pressure quietly radiated from You Xue.
Alice was momentarily stunned, her face turning pale.
Seizing this opportunity, You Xue stepped forward, staggering past Alice.
She listened to the sounds behind her.
There was no pursuit.
You Xue breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I survived…’
She sighed.