Kill

Pang Xinting sensed Tu Ran closing in and shoved harder toward Pang Shixi's side.

He knew Pang Shixi had expert bodyguards around him—if he could squeeze in there, he'd be safe.

But Pang Shixi was already packed in with his son, daughter, and wife, and there was no room for Pang Xinting. They shoved him back.

In the chaos, he grabbed hold of Pang Shixi's tie and refused to let go, no matter how they pushed and pulled at him.

He'd completely forgotten that his promotion to director of the Executive Department depended on Pang Shixi.

Right now, survival came first. Nothing else mattered.

Dragged backward by Pang Xinting's grip, Pang Shixi tugged at his own tie, his face flushed red. "...Let... let go... don't pull my tie..."

He was about to choke.

Tu Ran watched this pathetic spectacle with cold eyes, hardly believing these clowns were the rulers of this world.

She improvised, hooking a discarded machine gun off the floor with her toe, kicking it up into her hand, and swinging it at the head of the nearest bodyguard.

The man's skull split open on the spot, and he collapsed, blood gushing from his head.

Tu Ran didn't spare him a second glance as she swung at the next skull.

She was strong—almost no one she touched stayed standing.

Bodyguard after bodyguard fell like mown hay.

Up on the third floor, the members of External Affairs Group Nine who witnessed this couldn't help but recall their own past encounters.

Not long ago, they'd been the ones beaten senseless by Tu Ran wielding a sniper rifle.

These bodyguards protecting Pang Shixi had been handpicked in the early days and groomed with massive investments later on. They weren't originally this fragile.

The problem was the scene was pure chaos. On one hand, they had to guard against the mutant—the moment it came near, they had to lure it away. On the other, Tu Ran had burst in, tearing a gap in their defensive formation and beating everyone indiscriminately like a madwoman.

And they couldn't fire their guns. The scene was too chaotic; they'd only hit their own people. Pistols were useless in this situation, so they had to engage Tu Ran in close combat.

But Tu Ran had that long machine gun, and ordinary people could barely get near her. And that gun—heavy as it was—felt light as a feather in her hands, yet she wielded it with the lethal force of a massive cleaver.

Tu Ran swung the machine gun to clear her path toward Pang Shixi while staying alert to her surroundings. Her target was no longer Pang Xinting—a mere deputy director of the Executive Department could be dealt with later. Her priority now was finding the person hiding in the shadows.

Pang Shixi definitely knew what that person looked like.

If she could read his memory and see the face, she could have Zero search the entire Wanle Temple through the facial recognition system.

She was very close to Pang Shixi now.

Tu Ran sped up, the battered machine gun reduced to a bare metal rod, cutting down the three people between her and Pang Shixi in quick succession.

Noticing that Tu Ran's goal wasn't him anymore, Pang Xinting quickly released Pang Shixi's tie, slithered through the gaps in the crowd, and fled the Wanle Temple first.

Still trapped in the crowd, Pang Shixi watched helplessly as Tu Ran drew closer. The bodyguards he'd spent a fortune raising couldn't stop her at all. He couldn't help but shout, "Zeng Jing, save—"

Tu Ran grabbed his tie in one swift motion, choking off the rest of his words in his throat.

Tu Ran was far stronger than Pang Xinting. She yanked him forward by the tie, pulling him right up to her, and clamped her other hand around the back of his neck.

Like an iron claw, it seized hold of Pang Shixi's fate.

"Who is Zeng Jing? Where is she now?"

As she asked, the relevant memories flooded into her mind.

Pang Shixi didn't know where Zeng Jing was hiding at the moment, but her appearance jumped clearly into Tu Ran's head.

Receipt complete, Tu Ran's palm tightened abruptly. A crack sounded—Pang Shixi's neck snapped.

Tu Ran leaped out of the crowd and ducked behind a pillar. "Female, long straight black hair, twenties, a mole at the corner of her eye..."

With her description, the countless figures on her visor were gradually filtered out, narrowing down the suspects.

Then, spotting a certain face, Tu Ran called out, "That's her. Where is she now?"

"Fourth floor." Zero sent her the real-time feed.

The woman hadn't expected Tu Ran to access the surveillance feed, so she hadn't bothered to avoid the cameras. She was half-leaning against the wall, clutching her chest, with a pool of blood in front of her and blood smeared at the corners of her lips. Every so often, she'd peek out to look around.

Tu Ran charged out from behind the pillar. The instant she emerged, a hail of gunfire erupted—all aimed at the spot she'd just left.

Not a single shot hit her.

"Damn!" Zhou Ming, sprawled on the third floor, punched the ground hard. So close—he'd been this close.

Tu Ran had already dashed into the stairwell, vanishing from everyone's field of fire.

Some of the crowd shifted their attention back to the mutant, while others grabbed their weapons and headed for the stairway to block her.

Zhou Ming scooped up his sniper rifle, ready to follow, when Ye Qingcai's voice suddenly crackled through the earpiece. "Everyone, focus on the mutant."

"Why aren't we going after Tu Ran?! We're closer to her!" Zhou Ming had just raised his objection when he saw a stream of people being hurled out of the stairwell entrance like trash. Some were even thrown down from the third floor.

Before those on the ground could scramble to their feet, the rapid-fire crack of a submachine gun rang out.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."

From his position, Zhou Ming couldn't see Tu Ran—only the stubby muzzle of a gun poking out.

Mist of blood rose from the fallen guards. These were elites of the Executive Department, battle-hardened veterans, yet facing Tu Ran, they had no power to fight back, meeting their deaths helplessly.

Zhou Ming's forward charge halted mid-step. He snapped fully back to his senses.

He was no match for Tu Ran.

The old Tu Ran had spared him to keep her identity hidden.

But this Tu Ran had just killed the head of the Pang Family outright. Could someone like him, who'd provoked her again and again, walk out of this alive?

Fear set in. Zhou Ming pressed himself against the wall, barely daring to breathe, his breaths slowing unconsciously.

He only prayed Tu Ran wasn't coming to this floor, or she'd spot him the second she stepped in.

In that instant, he'd already rehearsed how he'd beg for mercy.

He heard the sound of a gun being slung, and footsteps fading into the distance.

Tu Ran wasn't coming to this floor. He let out a long breath.

Tu Ran climbed to the fourth floor.

In the feed, Zeng Jing was leaning over the railing, scanning below for Tu Ran's figure.

When Tu Ran had entered the stairwell, Zeng Jing had been clutching her chest and coughing up blood, clueless as to where she'd gone.

Tu Ran crept closer to the pillar at Zeng Jing's back, lightening her steps.

Closing in, Tu Ran spotted a corner of Zeng Jing's clothing dragging on the floor.

Gripping her submachine gun tightly, Tu Ran broke into a full sprint.

Hearing the sudden footsteps so close, Zeng Jing's face went a shade paler. She scrambled to her feet and bolted for the other exit.

But it was already too late.

Tu Ran swung the submachine gun into her back.

Zeng Jing slammed face-first onto the ground.