Chapter 13: The Hunt for the Drill Rats

Having realized that her current self was vastly different from her past, Liu Xingluo immediately resolved to return and ‘repay’ the creatures for their earlier transgressions.

Even though two of them hadn’t actually done anything to her, it did nothing to lessen her fierce intent to kill them.

Before Liu Xingluo could even seek them out, however, the creatures obligingly delivered themselves to her.

Her enhanced hearing allowed her to distinctly perceive their movements beneath the earth, as they burrowed forward with their drills.

Perhaps they believed this method would mask their presence, enabling them to launch a surprise attack, but their assumption was wildly off the mark.

Liu Xingluo’s hearing was, in fact, far from ordinary; she could clearly discern their every move, including their precise locations as they shifted.

By tracking their subterranean progress, she could effortlessly predict where their next assault would originate.

Once armed with this knowledge, intercepting their attacks would be no difficult feat.

Truly, before the current Liu Xingluo, the three drill rats were as exposed as if stripped bare, leaving her with absolutely nothing to fear.

Nevertheless, before engaging them, Liu Xingluo knew it would be prudent to first adjust her mindset.

Should she inadvertently succumb to panic upon witnessing their attacks, how could she possibly hope to fight them?

Conveniently, they were still some distance away, allowing Liu Xingluo to simply close her eyes and take several deep breaths.

As she did so, she continued to monitor their positions, maintaining a keen vigilance against their impending attacks.

[Relax, Liu Xingluo. You are no longer your former weak self; your current strength is terrifying.

Mere aberrant beasts are nothing to you now; you can effortlessly demolish them.

Yes, it’s this direction—it’s coming!]

She noted that one of the drill rats had positioned itself directly beneath her.

It appeared to be preparing to deliver the first strike, aiming to make her lose her composure, thereby allowing the remaining two to easily inflict damage.

Their strategy was rather clever, but alas, they had chosen the wrong target.

Liu Xingluo already knew precisely what they intended to do next.

Extending her hand, Liu Xingluo effortlessly seized the drill as it burst forth from the earth.

Against the sheer power of her grip, the rapidly spinning drill was forcibly brought to a halt.

With a powerful tug, she then yanked the drill—and the entire drill rat attached to it—out of the ground.

Simultaneously, the other two drill rats also burst forth, launching their assault towards Liu Xingluo’s position.

According to their plan, the initial strike would send Liu Xingluo flying, leaving her suspended immovably in mid-air to absorb the attacks of the remaining two, thereby suffering immense damage.

Reality, however, unfolded much as they had planned, for the drills of the remaining two drill rats indeed struck a target.

Yet, this target was not Liu Xingluo, whom they had initially intended to attack, but rather the first drill rat, which she still held aloft.

Under the assault of two rapidly spinning drills, the unfortunate drill rat’s body was pierced with two gruesome wounds, and it perished on the spot.

To their horror, their attacks had not only missed their intended target but had also tragically killed their own comrade.

This realization instantly shattered the two remaining drill rats’ will to fight, prompting them to turn and attempt to flee.

A superior specimen was indeed a superior specimen; even in a weakened state, she was not someone they could possibly contend with.

However, Liu Xingluo had no intention of granting them an escape.

She tossed aside the drill and the corpse she held, then swiftly seized the leg of one of the drill rats burrowing to escape.

Forcibly dragging it out, she then vigorously flung it away.

[Did one still manage to escape?

Never mind, I should be able to pursue it by following the tunnel it dug.]

Glancing at the tunnel dug by the drill rat she hadn’t managed to catch, Liu Xingluo decided to pursue and deal with it later.

For now, she would focus on the one currently before her.

Realizing it had no hope of escape, the drill rat began to exhibit peculiar behavior.

Clasping its front limbs around its head, it repeatedly bobbed its head up and down towards Liu Xingluo.

It appeared as though it was…

[Is it begging for mercy?

Because it knows it’s no match for me, it chose to surrender.]

As before, Liu Xingluo understood what they were trying to convey.

But simply because they had chickened out and were begging for mercy, did that mean she had to let them go?

No, absolutely not!

“I won’t just let you off the hook! Go to hell!”

Ignoring its pleas for mercy, Liu Xingluo delivered a direct kick to its belly, sending it sprawling to the ground.

She then stomped on it and mercilessly rained down a flurry of punches.

Though she lacked a weapon capable of an instant kill and had never studied martial arts, her current absolute strength meant that even the most rudimentary blows were more than enough to claim the drill rat’s life.

Indeed, before Liu Xingluo’s immense power, the drill rat quickly succumbed, ceasing its struggles and lying motionless beneath her within moments.

“Is it dead? It certainly seems so.

Good, then I’ll go after the one that got away earlier.”

She gave the drill rat two hard kicks, wanting to confirm whether it was truly dead or merely feigning death, in case it suddenly revived to ambush her or simply escape once her guard was down.

However, seeing no reaction from the creature, it appeared to be genuinely dead, allowing her to confidently pursue the one that had fled.

Just as Liu Xingluo prepared to give chase, however, her left hand suddenly moved of its own accord.

“Huh? What? My left hand just—?!”

Liu Xingluo tried to regain control of her left hand, attempting to pull it back.

Yet, it seemed to possess a will of its own, moving independently and completely ignoring her commands, pointing directly at the drill rat’s corpse.

Then, to Liu Xingluo’s astonishment, light particles began to emanate from the drill rat’s corpse.

These particles gradually shifted, converging into her left hand.

After approximately five seconds, a coin-sized object appeared in her palm.

Only after this process was complete did Liu Xingluo regain control of her left hand.

“What is this? Did you do this?

If you can hear me, please respond.

What is this thing, and my body’s transformation, that’s your handiwork too, isn’t it?”

She had no idea what this coin-like object truly was.

However, Liu Xingluo did glean one crucial piece of information: her left hand’s earlier loss of control must have been due to this bracelet.

Only the left hand, adorned with the bracelet, had acted erratically, while her right hand had shown no such anomaly.

Only yesterday had this strange bracelet, which she couldn’t remove and others couldn’t see or touch, been placed on her.

Now, with her body undergoing such a profound transformation today, Liu Xingluo found it nearly impossible not to connect these changes to the mysterious bangle.

She wished this bracelet were like those in novels, possessing its own will or even a system to explain her myriad doubts.

Alas, this was reality, and even if Liu Xingluo had countless questions, the mysterious bangle would offer no answers.

Oh, well.

For now, she decided she shouldn’t dwell on this.

She should first pursue the drill rat that had escaped earlier.

As for this coin, she would keep it; since the bracelet had compelled her to create it, it would likely prove useful in the future.