Bai Xi walked unhurriedly to the door and checked the situation outside through the peephole.
Standing outside was the older woman who had been banging on her door for the past two days. Behind her stood a man and a woman. The man had an honest-looking face, while the woman had a voluptuous figure and a look of sheer gloating on her face.
"Little girl, if you don't open up right now, I'm going to smash this door in!" the older woman yelled. She was visibly angry, her patience running thin.
The voluptuous woman behind her sneered, "Aunt Rong, you weren't this polite when you barged into our place the day before yesterday."
"You don't know shit!" Aunt Rong turned and shot her a look of disdain. "She left her key in the lock on the inside. It can't be picked at all."
"I call you Aunt Rong to give you face, but you're really pushing it." The woman turned to the honest-looking man beside her and whined coquettishly, "Brother Yong, look at her attitude! I'm your woman, after all."
Disgusted by the woman's familiar tactics, Aunt Rong snapped, "Zhang Qingfang, spare us the act. Boss Wang isn't the type to be blinded by a pretty face."
"Enough," Wang Yong barked, cutting them off. These two women bickering like a pair of hens were starting to seriously annoy him.
Still, Old Lady Rong was thick-skinned, ruthless, and somewhat useful. As for Zhang Qingfang, she had a nice body and he hadn't grown tired of her yet. It was just a shame about those two fresh-faced schoolgirls from earlier. He had lived an ordinary life, breaking his back on construction sites. He never expected to be chosen by this miraculous game and become a player. Although it was a bit dangerous, he now had money and women. He could do whatever he wanted, and it felt damn good.
Silenced by Wang Yong's reprimand, Old Lady Rong and Zhang Qingfang didn't dare breathe a word. They lowered their heads, though their faces were filled with deep resentment and disgust for him. Seeing the two women submit to his authority, Wang Yong felt incredibly powerful. His ego was immensely satisfied.
He stepped forward alone, picking up a sledgehammer leaning nearby to smash the door. But the next moment, the sound of a key turning echoed from inside.
Old Lady Rong's face lit up with joy. She hadn't expected the wretched girl to open the door herself, assuming she would be an easy fool to deal with. Zhang Qingfang scoffed inwardly, waiting to see just how great this little bitch Old Lady Rong kept praising really was. Wang Yong's eyes flickered. He swallowed hard, staring at the doorway with eager anticipation.
"What do you want?" Bai Xi stood in the doorway, looking coldly at the trio. Her gaze was inadvertently drawn to a silver ring on Zhang Qingfang's right index finger.
Ignoring Bai Xi's question completely, Old Lady Rong walked right in. Zhang Qingfang and Wang Yong followed closely behind. Zhang Qingfang rolled her eyes at Bai Xi, while Wang Yong's lecherous gaze never left her. Even though they entered uninvited, Bai Xi made no move to stop them. After all, it was easier to beat the dogs once the door was locked.
Over the past few days, she had been keeping a close eye on the situation outside. Those dark shadows were actually mutated insects or arthropods. During the day, when the temperature was high, they avoided activity, mostly staying underground or in shaded areas. For those scavenging for supplies, entering buildings was extremely dangerous—especially on the ground floor. Multiple times, she had seen different people walk into the same shop, never to come out again. More importantly, just before dawn, she had spotted a swarm of dark shadows creeping into her apartment building. She wondered if she was supposed to stay and feed the bugs if she didn't run now.
She had originally planned to leave right after breakfast. Who knew these people would come knocking, prompting the system to issue such a frustrating task?
[Novice Side Quest:
Obtain the silver ring from Zhang Qingfang.
Reward: One lottery draw.]
The quest couldn't have been more impromptu. It was clear the game wanted her to constantly face danger and actively grow stronger.
Once the trio was inside, Bai Xi turned and locked the door behind them. Old Lady Rong and the other two looked at her as if she were an absolute idiot.
"Little girl, do you have any food? We're starving to death," Old Lady Rong said, feigning a hint of politeness.
Bai Xi shook her head. The expressions on the three faces instantly darkened. Wang Yong stepped toward her, a sickening smile plastered across his face.
With a soft scoff, Bai Xi turned and walked into the bedroom. The three intruders froze in surprise.
"She knows what's good for her!" Wang Yong eagerly followed her in, leaving Old Lady Rong and Zhang Qingfang to ransack the living room for supplies.
Inside the bedroom, Bai Xi's back looked incredibly alluring. Her smooth curves and long, slender legs made Wang Yong swallow hard in lust. Bai Xi seemed entirely oblivious to the danger behind her. She held a bloodstained dagger in her hand, hesitating over whether she should actually go through with it.
"Little sister, as long as you're obedient, I'll treat you real well." In the dim light, Wang Yong dropped his facade, revealing a vulgar and disgusting expression as he hastily shut the bedroom door.
The very next moment, a terrified scream ripped through the darkness.
"AHHHHHH!"
Wang Yong clutched his throat, staring at Bai Xi in sheer disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how she had instantly appeared right in front of him. Moments later, he dropped dead.
[Player Bai Xi has killed same-level Player Wang Yong. Point rewards will be calculated together at the end of the game.]
This was only the second time Bai Xi had killed someone. She still felt a psychological discomfort and a distinct sense of revulsion. Her head was also spinning slightly—the aftereffect of her second skill, Spatial Jump. Her physical body was too weak; every Spatial Jump consumed a massive amount of energy, forcing her body into a temporary period of exhaustion.
After resting for a moment to recover, Bai Xi picked up the dropped item. It was a Stamina Potion designed to replenish depleted energy and quickly restore a person to peak condition. This was a fantastic, life-saving item. Tucking the potion into her system space, Bai Xi stepped out of the bedroom.
Old Lady Rong and Zhang Qingfang had already scoured the apartment but found nothing edible. Seeing Bai Xi walk out completely unharmed, both women were stunned. A pool of blood was slowly seeping out from under the bedroom door. Peering inside, they saw Wang Yong dead on the floor with a terrified expression, his blood covering the ground.
Had this girl standing before them actually killed Wang Yong? That was Wang Yong, a man who could easily take on three or four young guys in a fistfight!
In a direct physical confrontation, Bai Xi certainly wouldn't have been Wang Yong's match. However, within a one-meter radius, she could instantaneously appear in any position. This teleportation wasn't an optical illusion caused by extreme speed; she literally traversed space, much like the mythical ability to fold space. In actual combat, this skill allowed for completely unpredictable surprise attacks. Before the enemy could even react, they would already be dead. This was exactly why Bai Xi had so easily counter-killed both Qi Yubin and Wang Yong—they simply had no defenses prepared against it.
Realizing they had messed with the wrong person today, Old Lady Rong and Zhang Qingfang hurriedly bowed and scraped to Bai Xi. They backed into the living room, retreating toward the entryway. But since Bai Xi had locked the door, they had absolutely no way to escape.
Bai Xi strolled casually into the living room, sat down on the sofa, and looked at the two women.
Old Lady Rong hastily took a step forward and dropped to her knees, begging for mercy. "We never meant to bully you! It was all Wang Yong's fault; he forced us into it."
"We didn't have a choice either! Please spare our lives!" Zhang Qingfang, quick to read the room, immediately fell to her knees beside her.
"That ring of yours is quite nice." Bai Xi didn't want to waste time beating around the bush and cut straight to the point.