Chapter 131: The White Dress

Tanya did not know how to evaluate Chu Ning’s casual habit of "planting flags," but she blinked and followed his instructions, quickly fleeing through the passage he had carved out.

Before escaping, she cast a final glance at Chu Ning, confirming he truly had no intention of stopping her. She then skipped away from the battlefield with a light, joyful step; this was no time for sentimental attachments. Time was running out for her escape!

The passage he had opened was slowly closing, forcing Tanya to quicken her pace. Besides, she feared Chu Ning might change his mind, so she had to vanish from his sight as soon as possible. Tanya had long wanted to break free from his control, or rather, ever since she realized this was all a conspiracy, she had been yearning to distance herself from the edge of danger.

Now that she had gained her freedom, Tanya felt a sudden sense of relief. Even the tentacles lunging at her could not dampen her light-footed stride. Well, she had to admit, the tentacles were still quite intimidating.

"You really are a good person!" Tanya whispered sincerely to herself. She had to thank Chu Ning for clearing the path of obstacles. The black mist and the tentacles were locked in a stalemate, which had granted her the chance to escape.

"Tch, left all by myself again!" Chu Ning sighed silently, his eyes filled with melancholy as he gazed at the enemies poised to strike. He gathered his spirits to face the trap set for him, unsure of what lay ahead. At times, one had to admit that individual martial prowess struggled against the strength of the collective. Chu Ning fought hard amidst the surging sea of insects. He did not fear invincible enemies, for even the most powerful-looking foes had their own weaknesses. Yet, what Chu Ning could not endure was that his attacks were like pebbles cast into a lake, causing only the slightest ripple before changing nothing at all.

Tanya watched the battle between the two through the narrowing gap. She witnessed the insect swarm closing back up to obscure the scene, yet she remained indifferent. Nothing could be changed, or perhaps, with a more sinister thought, she hoped Chu Ning and Wang Jinkai would perish together in the sea of sand and never appear in her sight again. That way, she could choose to start over, living a carefree life according to her own desires in a place where no one knew her.

There was no lingering attachment in Tanya’s eyes, only a boundless longing for freedom. She cautiously looked back; Chu Ning had not appeared behind her like a phantom. Her fears had not come to pass.

"Finally rid of everything. Freedom is within reach!" Tanya said lightly. She watched with her own eyes as the wall formed by the insect swarm sealed shut. She could see nothing of what was inside and hear nothing of the chaos within.

"Hey, what happened here? Why are there so many insects?" A faint shout came from the distance. Upon hearing it, Tanya’s expression turned panicked, and she looked anxiously toward the source of the voice. She turned to look at the wall behind her with a grave expression, then gritted her teeth and headed toward the perimeter. In this situation, she seemed to have no choice: either face the dominant insect swarm again or choose a competitor she could communicate with.

She trotted quickly toward the voice; her choice was obvious. Tanya’s sharp eyes caught a single figure, and she felt a secret sense of relief. The person kept their guard up, as anyone who had survived this long was not to be underestimated. The previous deaths had culled the weak; those remaining were all capable.

The distance between them closed. Tanya could not yet see the person's face, but from their build, they appeared to be male. After all, there were only a handful of women here, and she had a strong impression of the ones she had seen.

As she ran, Tanya’s expression suddenly changed, and she stumbled, unable to control her body as she fell forward—directly toward the stranger. Calculating the trajectory, she was poised to fall right into his arms.

"Little brother, you really are a heartless one, aren't you?" Tanya looked with mock resentment at the man who had taken a large step back. He acted as if a beauty throwing herself at him were a venomous snake or scorpion, which made her doubt his masculinity. Had she misjudged him? Tanya felt a deep sense of doubt, struggling to find a balance in mid-air so she wouldn't fall too gracelessly.

With a dazed look in her eyes, Tanya asked a question that caught him off guard: "What is your purpose in coming here? You mustn't lie to me!"

"What?" the man instinctively asked. Immediately after, he felt his consciousness beginning to drift. Even when he took emergency measures, biting his tongue to force himself to stay alert, he could not. His mind was filled only with Tanya’s question, and he found himself unable to stop thinking about it. Only after the answer slipped from his lips did he feel a sharp, piercing pain in his heart.

He looked down to see black fingernails embedded in his chest. The light in his eyes began to fade, his body lost control, and a realization surfaced in his mind: he was dying.

"Why?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Blood trickled from his lips. He clutched his wound, looking in confusion at the culprit.

Tanya chuckled. She did not pull her fingers from his heart. Feeling the warmth of the blood, she shook her head helplessly.

"No way, really? Did someone actually think I was a good person? There isn't much of a 'why.' We aren't the same species, to begin with; killing each other is common enough."

"Weren't you reaching for the pistol at your waist when I arrived? Perhaps you realized I was a ghost and abandoned the idea of drawing your gun to kill me quickly. Am I not right?"

Tanya was uncharacteristically kind in answering his doubts, doing her best to fulfill the wishes of the dying. After all, having perhaps done too many bad things in the past, she always tried to find ways to make up for it.

"You..."

"Hehe, you humans are truly adept at infighting. You knew there was a ghost here, yet you lacked any effective means to attack me, keeping only bullets meant for humans in your gun instead!"

After satisfying her urge to vent, Tanya decisively pulled out her blood-stained fingers. The pressure from the heart caused blood to spray onto her white dress. Unexpectedly, the dress remained purely white; the blood sank deep into the fabric the moment it touched it. The color of the dress seemed even whiter than before.