Chapter 26: The Bewildered Girl (Part One)

To be honest, he still hadn’t fully processed what had just happened. He had expected a monster to appear, but the faint fragrance drifting from someone so close made Kong Zhe instinctively pause his attack. Feeling the soft sensation in his right hand, he even subconsciously squeezed twice.

So big…

That was Kong Zhe’s most genuine impression at this moment. Of course, he paid the price for his actions.

A crisp, resounding slap echoed up the stairwell.

That harsh slap finally brought Kong Zhe to his senses. Feeling the burning pain spreading across half his face, Kong Zhe narrowed his eyes and, with a forceful shove, pushed the person off him.

Although he had clearly taken advantage, it had been an accident—and besides, he had cushioned her fall. Yet all he got in return was a slap. Honestly, Kong Zhe was rather indignant, but this irritation was soon forgotten.

He found himself staring, dazed, at the girl before him.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, with willow-shaped eyes, rosy lips, and a delicate nose. Her face still held a hint of childishness, suggesting she could be no older than sixteen or seventeen. Yet her voluptuous figure was wholly at odds with her age—her curves, especially, must be at least a D cup, Kong Zhe couldn’t help but think, glancing at the pronounced swell of her chest. In both looks and figure, she was near perfection.

Yet what truly drew Kong Zhe’s attention was not her appearance, but the surging magic power emanating from her. The amount she possessed was already close to awakening. Kong Zhe was certain that, barring any mishaps, she would fully awaken within two days.

His heart leapt with joy. He had thought it would be difficult to find someone suitable, but luck had smiled on him the moment he stepped out.

The girl, after delivering that slap, stood frozen in surprise. Having always been timid and bullied by others, this was the first time she had ever hit someone. She’d acted purely on instinct, and was shocked by the force of her own blow.

Remembering that he had just saved her life, and that he hadn’t meant any harm, the kind-hearted little Lei felt a pang of guilt.

But just as Lei was about to apologize, she suddenly noticed an ugly-faced monster off to the side.

The little dog, seeing its master struck, was thoroughly displeased with the human before it. While it was forbidden to eat her without its master’s order, at the very least, it could give her a good scare.

Barred teeth bared, body crouched as if ready to pounce, it growled menacingly at the girl.

Already terrified, and now deliberately frightened by the dog, the girl reacted with practiced precision: she clutched her head, squatted down, and let out a piercing scream.

“Aaahhh…”

Her scream was so powerful that the glass panes in the window trembled, and a chandelier at the top of the stairs swayed. At precisely the wrong angle, the chain slipped from its hook, and the entire light fixture dropped straight down, landing squarely on the snarling dog’s head.

“Ow, ow…”

The dog yelped in pain, howling on the floor.

Kong Zhe’s eardrums throbbed from the shriek.

But he had no time to worry about that. During the girl’s scream, he’d heard the sound of shattering glass from the hall below, followed by the roars of magical beasts and panicked cries.

He heard the door he had just closed downstairs being pounded and shaken violently.

“Help! Open the door!”

Kong Zhe’s face instantly darkened. He didn’t need to look to know exactly what was happening below. Those people must not have heeded his warning to return to the basement. Now that the magical beasts had broken through the main doors, it was too late for them to retreat—they could only flee up the stairs.

They were bringing disaster right to his doorstep!

Kong Zhe cursed to himself. He had no intention of opening the door for them; with a horde of beasts at the mall entrance, all he could do was run for his own life—there was no way he could rescue anyone else.

Now, with the girl’s shriek, she had certainly drawn the attention of the magical beasts. After devouring those people, the beasts would surely follow the sound upstairs.

He had only propped the door shut with an iron bar—it would never withstand a beast’s assault.

“Stop screaming!” Kong Zhe shouted, clamping a firm hand over the girl’s mouth.

But as his palm covered her lips, the storage ring on his right hand brushed against her mouth, and Kong Zhe’s eyes flew open in shock.

At that instant, he felt a powerful surge from the black box inside his ring. It was as if something about this girl was calling to it.

Since acquiring the box, it had never responded to anything—aside from twice granting him rebirth. But now, the energy pulsed so strongly that Kong Zhe could sense a wave of joy emanating from it.

He was stunned. Could this girl be connected to the box?

The girl, too, seemed to sense something. Despite her fear and confusion, she gazed at Kong Zhe with a puzzled expression, a giant question mark practically floating above her head.

But now was not the time to dwell on it. Kong Zhe could hear the downstairs doors being smashed open, followed by shouts and pounding footsteps rapidly approaching.

Judging by the sounds, there were five or six people—and at least twenty magical beasts.

Without hesitating, Kong Zhe scooped the girl up in his arms and dashed upstairs.

The door to the second floor was closed. With no choice but to keep going up, he paused at the landing and spotted a small door in the wall—a disused storage closet, camouflaged by paint the same color as the walls.

He almost missed it. Without a second thought, he kicked the door open and jumped inside, the little dog following close behind.

A musty stench assaulted him, but Kong Zhe quickly adjusted. Compared to the stench in Xue Feifei’s home, this was nothing. He set the girl down and hurried to lock the door.

The little room had clearly been abandoned for years, with dust thick on the walls and table. When he closed the door, a cloud of dust flew up into his face. He fanned it away, covered his nose and mouth, and suppressed the urge to cough—this was not the time to make noise.

Outside, hurried footsteps passed by, but fortunately, no one discovered their hiding place. The footsteps rushed upstairs.

Then came the roars of magical beasts, clearly chasing after those people.

The little room was pitch dark, with only a few rays of light filtering through a tiny window at the top. Little Lei was already terrified; now, with the beasts growling at the door just inches away, she was on the verge of screaming again.

Kong Zhe caught it in time, fixing her with a fierce glare and slamming his hand over her mouth.

“Quiet! Not a sound!” he whispered, holding a finger to his lips.

The girl quickly understood, blinking her wide eyes and nodding.

But Kong Zhe didn’t trust her, so he kept his hand firmly in place.

Peering through the crack under the door, he watched the light outside and listened for any movement.

Before long, screams echoed from the floor above—screams laced with despair and terror. Kong Zhe knew those people were dead.

After slaughtering them, the magical beasts began to wander the stairwell. Through the door crack, Kong Zhe could see at least four or five beasts. The narrow stairs couldn’t possibly hold them all.

Cramped together, the beasts soon turned on each other, fighting and tearing at one another. After a bout of savage brawling, a few seemed to have died, and the survivors calmed down, growling threats as they spread out.

Kong Zhe guessed that the doors to the third and fourth floors were closed, so the beasts had nowhere to go. As time passed, most of them made their way back down to the first floor, leaving only a few to feast on the bodies sprawled on the stairs.

Kong Zhe waited patiently, listening intently. Only when a full ten minutes had passed in absolute silence did he finally relax.

He turned at last to look at the girl. What he saw left him dumbfounded.

She was squatting on the floor, eyes closed, long lashes fluttering, her breathing deep and steady. Her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, and her whole face was pressed against the hand covering her mouth—she had fallen asleep, squatting like that!

Kong Zhe broke out in a cold sweat. How big-hearted could this girl be, to fall asleep at a time like this?

He shook his head and slowly removed his hand.

Without his support, the girl toppled forward, straight into Kong Zhe’s arms.

Perhaps the sensation of falling woke her. She opened her eyes sleepily, stretched, rubbed her eyes, and glanced around in confusion. “Sister, where are we?” she murmured.

In a flash, she recognized her surroundings and remembered the danger she had just escaped. Her face changed instantly, and she reflexively started to scream.

“Don’t you dare! Or I’ll toss you out to feed the beasts!” Kong Zhe snapped, glaring at her.

The girl clamped her hands over her mouth, swallowing her scream. Her face flushed bright red.

Only then did she realize she was lying in his arms, with the creature that had frightened her so badly not far away.

She scrambled up and scurried to hide behind a distant cabinet. After a moment, she crouched down, peeking out with just her eyes showing, watching him warily.

Kong Zhe was deep in thought. This girl was a perfect candidate for protection, and she seemed mysteriously connected to the black box. He had already decided—she would be one of those he would protect.