The Unending Pursuit

“Watch out, they’re moving again!”

Villy’s anxious cry echoed in Liu Yu’s mind like a clap of thunder.

The gray-haired girl quickly turned to look and saw that the thugs, who should have been lying motionless, were getting back up with their joints cracking. They seemed completely unaffected by their injuries, rising in ways that defied common sense. Their stiff, numb movements were reminiscent of puppets dancing on the strings of a puppeteer.

“Huh?”

Liu Yu’s bold words, spoken just moments before, were instantly shattered by the enemy’s actions. The humiliation was immediate, and she felt her face flush with embarrassment. She stole a glance at Villy, who was watching from a distance, and was relieved to see that her friend hadn’t mocked her. Only then did she refocus her attention on the battle at hand.

But the thugs, now back on their feet, weren’t about to miss this opportunity. As Liu Yu stood stunned, several of them began to surround her, their movements awkward and unnatural. Some, with broken legs, used their hands to walk upright. Others, injured in ways that forced them to crawl on all fours. Still others leaped with a single hand, tracing arcs in the air before landing and leaping again. Their bizarre antics were a sight to behold.

Liu Yu’s young mind was struck by a shock even greater than when she first encountered the circus performers. She didn’t even react when someone landed a punch on her back.

“Uh…”

Though protected by the shadows, Liu Yu was safe from harm. But a nearby black-haired girl, watching from the sidelines, exploded with anger. She pointed at the gray-haired girl, who was standing frozen in place, and yelled, “You damn idiot! Someone just punched you, and you’re standing there like a moron! I know your grades are terrible, but don’t lose your damn mind too!”

By the end, her face was red with fury, as if she couldn’t stand seeing Liu Yu like this. Despite her harsh words, a hint of concern was evident. Liu Yu finally snapped out of her daze and decided to focus on the battle.

But beneath her pretty features, there was only resentment and frustration. “Damn troublemaker!” she muttered under her breath. She casually blocked a punch from behind and, with a slight effort, threw the attacker over her shoulder. Then, she punched another thug, who was crawling on all fours, and heard the satisfying crunch of bone. Satisfied, she turned to the next target.

These thugs might have been elite fighters in an era of cold weapons, but against absolute strength, they were as insignificant as ants. Like a grasshopper aiming to stop a car, they were doomed to fail.

With a mix of indignation and frustration, the gray-haired girl unleashed her power, sweeping through the crowd like an unstoppable force. But… it was really annoying.

Though the enemies couldn’t harm her, their relentless pursuit was wearing her down. Even with broken limbs and a shattered spine, these mindless thugs kept moving, like zombies from a horror movie—impossible to kill and impossible to contain. Should she just obliterate them?

Nothing could resurrect them if she reduced them to dust. That would solve all her problems. The shadows could easily handle that.

But the thought was quickly rejected. Though Liu Yu considered herself morally average, she couldn’t bring herself to wipe out so many people when she was already winning. So, she had no choice but to…

“Liu Yu, you can lock them up.”

Villy’s voice came from the side of the street. Seeing Liu Yu’s dilemma, she offered a practical solution. Lock them up… but where? What method could hold so many people at once?

Liu Yu scanned the empty street, now deserted due to the rain. The strange behavior of the thugs had sent the cautious citizens of Dongchuan City into hiding, closing shops and locking doors. Only a distant window on a nearby building showed a faint light periodically shining in their direction.

Liu Yu focused her gaze and saw a shadowy figure holding a phone, peeking out from behind the curtains. Biting her lip, she redirected two thugs to crash into each other. Bored from the repetitive action, Liu Yu raised her middle finger to the window and mouthed, “I see you.”

The figure quickly ducked back, disappearing from view. “Hehe.” Liu Yu felt a surge of satisfaction with her prank. Meanwhile, the watching black-haired girl offered another suggestion: “Can you make a big hole and toss them all inside?”

Wow, Villy, you’re a genius. Like a fog lifting, Liu Yu finally understood. She looked around and spotted an empty lot. Decisively, she jumped toward it, and the thugs, like bloodhounds, followed closely.

Huh? Were they after me? Who did I piss off this time? Damn, just leave me alone and let me live my peaceful life.

Liu Yu, frowning at the relentless pursuit, gave an order to the shadows. “Next strike, make a hole big enough to hold them all.”

The shadows gathered at her feet. Liu Yu stomped her foot with a wicked grin. “Crack, crack, crack…”

Like branches of a tree, cracks spread from her foot, forming a web of fissures. “End of the line, guys!” she exclaimed as the thugs fell into the trap one by one. Liu Yu stomped again with all her might.

“Boom!”

With a deafening roar, the solid ground crumbled, forming a bottomless pit. The pursuing thugs tumbled in, one after the other. Should this finally be the end?