69: Chapter 68 The Instinct to Admire the Strong

The massive Energy Rings surrounding her were spinning at high speeds, emitting a low humming sound.

In a savage, crude, and unreasonable manner, they were forcibly extracting the lightning magic from Leng Yubing's body and channeling it into the upper decks' weapon and defense systems.

"Ugh... ah..."

A scream of agony that reached the depths of her soul escaped from Leng Yubing's clenched teeth.

Her long, straight silver hair, once smooth and her pride, was now matted with sweat and seeping blood, clinging messily to her deathly pale cheeks.

Her purple pupils, once cold, aloof, and seemingly capable of seeing through everything, had now completely lost focus.

Her vacant gaze reflected endless humiliation, pain, and despair.

Her combat suit had long since been reduced to tatters by Lin Feng's previous torture, barely covering her vital areas, leaving large patches of her snow-white, delicate skin exposed to the cold air.

But that once-flawless skin was now covered in charred marks left by the backlash of her lightning magic.

Deep bloody welts had been gouged into her wrists and ankles by the cold alloy chains, with blood dripping down the metal onto the freezing floor.

Every time the heavy machine guns upstairs fired, and every time the defense grid withstood the impact of acid, a suffocating amount of lightning magic was violently torn from her body.

The sensation was indescribable.

It felt as if someone were using a rusty, blunt knife to scrape away at her bone marrow bit by bit, roasting her soul over hellfire.

"Lin Feng... you... monster... beast..."

Leng Yubing cursed weakly.

But her voice was as faint as a thread, barely audible even to herself, drowned out by the humming of the Extraction Pillars.

She hated him.

She hated Lin Feng's ruthlessness and the brutal way he trampled on her dignity. But even more, she hated her own weakness and the fact that she had fallen into the clutches of this tyrant.

Yet, in the face of this soul-deep pain that threatened to tear her apart, her once-unyielding pride was crumbling bit by bit.

"Warning! System energy reserves have fallen below 15%! Entering the danger zone!"

The piercing system alert blared simultaneously in the power room and the upper command deck.

To prevent the train from being melted by the Second-Order Peak Spider Queen's toxic acid, the power room's system automatically adjusted the extraction power.

The rotation speed of the Energy Rings on the Extraction Pillars suddenly doubled, emitting an ear-piercing screech.

The extraction of Leng Yubing's magic had officially entered a state of destructive overload.

"No... stop... please stop... I beg you..."

Leng Yubing's body began to convulse violently and uncontrollably.

The alloy chains rattled loudly as she struggled.

She could clearly feel the crystal-clear S-rank Origin Core deep within her Sea of Qi let out an overwhelmed wail, unable to withstand the savage extraction of such terrifying intensity.

*Crack.*

It was an extremely faint sound, but in Leng Yubing's mind, it boomed like a thunderclap from the highest heavens.

An Origin Crack.

For any ability user, the Origin Core was their life, the very source of their power.

Once the core developed a crack, it meant the foundation was damaged; if it shattered completely, it meant irreversible death.

She had reached the absolute limit of her endurance.

Blood.

Shocking, hauntingly beautiful blood.

It began to slowly seep from the corners of Leng Yubing's eyes, her nose, her mouth, and even her ears.

The crimson blood against her pale skin looked both tragically beautiful and gruesome in the cold power room.

Bleeding from all seven orifices.

The aura of life was rapidly draining from her body.

Her consciousness began to sink into a deep blur. The shadow of death, like the thick lead-gray clouds over the Chemical Plant, completely enveloped her.

In the face of true mortal terror, dignity, pride, and past glory all became meaningless, pathetic jokes.

She didn't want to die.

She really didn't want to die.

Even as a lowly slave, a plaything at someone's mercy, or a mere tool for providing energy, she wanted to live.

This most primal and instinctive desire for survival completely shattered the final line of defense in her heart, grinding her proud soul into dust.

And in this desperate near-death state, an Instinct to Admire the Strong—one that she herself found utterly shameful and loathsome—began to grow wildly in the darkest corner of her heart.

She needed power.

She needed the power of the tyrant who could run rampant in this apocalypse, the one who could trample her underfoot, high and mighty, as cold as a god.

Only Lin Feng.

Only this man, who had utterly broken her, could grant her a slim chance of survival in this fatal predicament.

"Lin Feng... save me..."

Leng Yubing's parched lips moved slightly.

Giving up all resistance and her dignity as the Thunder Emperor, she squeezed out a plea from the depths of her throat, one that was humbled to the very dust.

She had completely surrendered.

On the screen, Lin Feng's back was as straight and imposing as a mountain.

Even with the torrential acid outside and the sea of mutant spiders overwhelming the train, that man still stood there steadily.

He didn't flee, he didn't panic, and he certainly didn't push his subordinates out as shields.

He simply pressed buttons with cold precision, using absolute heavy firepower to tear the monsters attempting to invade his territory into shreds.

With that unreasonable, overbearing posture, he kept the entire train and every passenger on board firmly under his protection.

Looking at Lin Feng's profound and towering figure, a flash of extremely complex emotion suddenly flickered in Leng Yubing's vacant eyes.

She thought back to her past.

She remembered her former team leader—Bloody Hand.

That man, who usually spoke of benevolence and morality and posed as a savior to survivors, had been so panicked and cowardly when faced with a slightly stronger High-level zombie tide.

To save his own life, Bloody Hand hadn't hesitated to chop off his teammates' legs and throw them into the horde as bait.

In that crisis, the proud Leng Yubing had been treated as a disposable pawn.

The despair and disgust from that time were still etched into her very bones.

Now, look at Lin Feng.

He was an utter tyrant, a demon who prioritized profit above all else.

He had broken her pride with the most brutal methods, chaining her here like livestock and ruthlessly draining her like a human battery.

He never showed any compassion, nor did he ever pretend to be merciful.

Yet, it was this cold-blooded tyrant who hadn't retreated a single step when facing tens of thousands of insects led by the Second-Order Peak Spider Queen.

The protection he provided was ten thousand times more real and ten thousand times more solid than that of those who spoke of hypocritical justice.

Leng Yubing's body convulsed violently as her magic was forcibly extracted.

Every jolt of pain felt like it was stripping away her facade, forcing her to confront the most primal darkness within her.

"If, in such a chaotic world, one is destined to become a man's subordinate..."

"Then, to submit to a tyrant who can trample even the apocalypse underfoot, to be possessed and protected by his absolute power...

...isn't that much better than struggling in this hell?"