19: Chapter 19 The Deadly Waltz
Chapter Nineteen: The Deadly Waltz
The moment that dagger, shimmering with a ghostly green light, appeared, I felt a sense of extreme danger.
In my [Heat Perception] vision, the dagger was shrouded in a cold, deathly black mist filled with negative energy. It was like a venomous snake, flicking its tongue and lunging toward Lin Qingzhi's heart, which blazed as hot as a sun.
This had already exceeded the scope of a common street brawl; this was a true, life-or-death struggle!
Lin Qingzhi's reaction was fast to the extreme.
The instant Zhang Meng pulled out the dagger, her own black dagger—which had been thrusting toward his vitals—immediately changed its move. Shifting from offense to defense, she held it horizontally before her at an inconceivable angle.
Clang!
A piercing sound of clashing metal exploded in the silent alleyway!
The two daggers collided violently, sending out a shower of dazzling sparks.
Lin Qingzhi's figure was knocked back several steps by the immense force before she managed to steady herself. Her right hand, gripping the dagger, was trembling slightly; clearly, taking this hit head-on was a massive burden on her currently weak body.
Meanwhile, Zhang Meng was like a mad bull, grinning to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth, a crazed and triumphant sneer plastered on his face.
“Hehe... didn't expect that, did you?”
He panted heavily, looking greedily at Lin Qingzhi's cheeks, which were slightly flushed from the intense exertion. “This is a treasure I spent a great deal of effort to scavenge from a 'Ruin'!”
“It's imbued with 'Armor Piercing' and 'Toxic' effects! Even if you are an Awakened One, one hit and you'll have to lie down obediently and let me do as I please!”
“Ruin”?
I keenly caught that keyword.
It seemed the changes in this world were even more complex than I had imagined.
“Is that so?” Lin Qingzhi's tone remained ice-cold.
“Just a piece of scrap metal tainted with an evil aura, and it's worth boasting about?”
Though she spoke with contempt, her gaze was more solemn than ever before.
She knew that the opponent's lethal weapon did indeed pose a fatal threat to her.
Although her Ice Phoenix Nirvana Sutra was an Emperor-grade technique, she hadn't even completed the first layer yet. Her protective True Essence was thin, making it impossible to withstand the edge of such an enchanted weapon.
Her only remaining advantage was her combat experience and skills, which were as vast as the sea.
“Still acting tough! See if I don't skin you alive today!”
Thoroughly enraged by her contemptuous tone, Zhang Meng roared and charged again. The Toxic dagger turned into streaks of green light, frantically stabbing at Lin Qingzhi's vital points.
In an instant, the situation on the field reversed.
Lin Qingzhi fell completely into a disadvantage.
She was like a dancer performing a waltz on the edge of a blade; every dodge was thrillingly close to disaster.
Several times, the poisoned dagger grazed the edge of her clothes, tearing away scraps of fabric, making my heart leap into my throat.
I knew I had to do something.
Conventional harassment was no longer enough to effectively affect this beast in a state of frenzy.
I had to give him a heavy blow!
I locked my gaze onto Zhang Meng's wrist—the one gripping the dagger, where the veins were bulging.
That was the source of all his power, and at this moment, his most fatal weakness!
I took a deep breath and channeled all the power in my body into my wings and proboscis.
Due to High Efficiency Agility, my wings were covered in a layer of faint wind-element runes; now, all these runes lit up!
[Main Quest: Ensure Lin Qingzhi is unharmed!]
The system's prompt boomed in my mind like a war drum!
Go!
The moment Zhang Meng lunged with his dagger again, exposing a flaw where his old momentum was spent and his new strength had yet to form, I moved!
This time, I no longer hid my form.
Like a black meteor, I tore through the air with an indomitable determination, charging straight and fearlessly toward that lethal green shadow!
Zhang Meng also noticed that the 'Little Bug' that had been harassing him actually dared to reveal itself. A flash of disdain and cruelty crossed his eyes; he didn't even bother to change his move, intending to pierce through both me and Lin Qingzhi together!
But he underestimated me too much.
He underestimated a peak Abnormal-rank... Killer Mosquito that had invested over 60 evolution points entirely into speed, piercing, and toxins!
My speed surpassed sound, and even surpassed his visual nerve reaction speed!
In his eyes, he perhaps only saw a black shadow flash by.
The reality was, I had already reached his wrist!
My goal wasn't to use my fragile body to clash head-on with that dagger.
My goal was his wrist!
Ding!
A sound crisper and louder than any previous clash rang out!
My proboscis, evolved to the intermediate level and comparable to an alloy drill bit,
Stabbed fiercely and accurately into his wrist, which was tightly gripping the dagger, at an incredibly tricky angle!
In that instant, I even felt as if my proboscis hadn't pierced flesh, but a piece of tough rock encased in energy!
A violent counter-shock traveled through my proboscis and throughout my body, making me feel like I was about to fall apart!
But I succeeded!
My proboscis pierced through his skin, which had become incredibly tough due to the stimulation of his blood and qi!
[Nerve Paralysis (Beginner)] toxin, maximum injection!
“Aaaargh—!”
A scream so shrill it didn't sound human erupted from Zhang Meng's mouth!
He felt as if his wrist had been pierced by ten thousand red-hot poisoned needles at once. A cold, overbearing numbness instantly destroyed all the nerves in his wrist!
His hand, which had been gripping the Toxic dagger, suddenly stiffened and then released its hold uncontrollably.
The lethal weapon fell to the ground with a crisp 'clang.'
And Lin Qingzhi—what kind of person was she?
Would she pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity created by me with my very life?
Of course not!
The instant Zhang Meng screamed in distraction, a heaven-shaking killing intent erupted from her phoenix eyes, which had always been as cold as frost!
Her figure seemed to teleport as she instantly closed in on Zhang Meng.
The black dagger in her hand traced a desperate arc of death.
Thwack! Thwack!
The dull sounds of a blade entering flesh rang out twice.
I didn't even see her movements clearly.
I only saw Zhang Meng's burly body suddenly stiffen. The tendons in his flailing arms and the hamstrings in his supporting legs had all been severed cleanly and decisively by that black dagger!
No redundant wounds, not a single drop of wasted blood.
Precise, efficient, and lethal!
“Ugh... ah...”
Zhang Meng collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud, let out desperate, wheezing moans. The intense pain and fear made even fainting a luxury.
The battle was over.
And I, after completing that fatal strike, was also affected by the massive counter-shock and the evil energy radiating from the Toxic dagger. Several tears were ripped into my wings, and like a plane out of control, I spiraled down helplessly toward the cold ground.
My consciousness began to blur.
Before I completely lost consciousness, the last scene I saw was:
Lin Qingzhi standing in the center of the alley, the moonlight stretching her shadow long.
There was no expression on her peerless face as she quietly watched the several piles of squirming 'trash' on the ground.
Then, she slowly turned around, her eyes as deep as the starry sky accurately locking onto my small, falling body.
She stepped forward and walked toward me.
Then, a fair, slender, well-defined hand—one that also contained supreme majesty—reached out slowly and effortlessly toward me.
What... was she going to do?
Kill me to keep me quiet? Or...
I didn't know, and I no longer had the strength to think.
Endless darkness swallowed me whole.