Zhu was lost in a fog of agony; she only wanted the pain to stop. Her throat burned from screaming, and her body felt bruised, broken, and used. Why was the world so cruel to her?
Her soul felt shattered. She didn't want to live another second. Her mind slipped into darkness as she fainted, and in that darkness, the pain between her legs dulled to a distant ache.
She focused on the numbness and soon felt herself drifting—floating above the scene below. She watched without sensation as the girl beneath her was violated. It was as if her spirit had torn itself away from her body to escape the trauma.
Then, suddenly, a voice echoed inside her mind.
"Do you want to survive?"
Zhu flinched. She recognized something in that voice, even though she had never heard it before.
"Do you want to survive?" the voice repeated, calm and steady like a still lake.
Zhu looked down at the scene beneath her.
"Surviving means more pain," she whispered.
"Yes, it does," the voice agreed. "But it also means revenge. Say yes to surviving, Lin Zhu, and one day you will crush the evil people who have hurt you today."
Zhu's eyes darkened as she saw Mr. Lee lowering his pants. Her broken heart, frantic moments before, stilled. Her resolve rose to meet her despair.
She would survive.
She would endure.
And one day—she would reclaim everything that had been stolen from her.
"Yes," she said to the voice. "I will survive for revenge. I will live a thousand years if I must, just to crush this enemy."
"Good. I will ensure that you keep this vow." The voice remained calm, though a hint of amusement tinged its tone. "The price is a piece of your soul. Do you wish to pay it?"
Her mind made up, Zhu answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
The voice laughed—bright, delighted, and chilling.
"Excellent."
A burning sensation seared through Zhu's left wrist. She looked down to see a symbol carving itself into her skin. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing at once. Green light flared beneath her flesh as the mark took shape—slowly becoming a lotus flower.
When it was complete, the voice continued,
"It is done. I will lend you as much of my power as I can spare. With it, you will have the strength you need to escape."
With the contract sealed, Zhu's drifting soul stopped abruptly and was yanked back into her body. Pain slammed into her with brutal clarity.
Chairman Lee, preparing to force himself on her, noticed nothing of the transformation—the otherworldly glow in her eyes, the change in her aura.
With lightning-fast movement, Zhu's hand shot up and closed around his throat, crushing his attempted shout—and any chance he had to call the driver. Chairman Lee didn't yet understand the danger he was in.
"Girl, you cannot waste time. Open the door now," the voice urged.
Mr. Lee snapped out of his shock and clawed at her hands, gasping for air. Zhu held him effortlessly, taking a small pleasure in the outrage twisting his face. Something in her grip cracked.
Chairman Lee's soul system, level E—one full grade above her null status—should have protected him. He summoned its power instinctively.
Nothing happened.
For the first time in his life, the powerful Chairman Lee felt true fear. His heart trembled as he stared into the girl's glowing green eyes.
"Remember this day, husband," Zhu said. Her voice sounded as though another being spoke through her. The eerie light in her eyes intensified as she held him easily, effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing at all.
"It is the one that you signed your death warrant with pain..." Zhu reached out and grabbed his penis, then bent it until it broke. Mr Lee's screams were muffled by the fact that he couldn't breathe.
"...and blood", Zhu finished as she headbutted the squealing Mr Lee and knocked him out. Ignoring the pains in her body, she put her panties back on.
Zhu moved to the car door and waited for it to slow down just enough for her to jump out.
Meanwhile, the driver couldn't see what was happening inside, but he could hear everything. When the car suddenly went quiet, he assumed that Chairman Lee was finished with his "play."
It wasn't until he stopped at a red light and heard the door open that he realised something was wrong. He immediately hit the brakes—this had never happened before. Concerned, he stepped out to check what his master was doing.
By that time, Zhu had already gotten out.
When she opened the door, she realised she was on a bridge. The bright sunlight stung her eyes, reminding her that even though the past few hours had felt like a lifetime, everything had only just begun.
The voice spoke up.
"Girl, the guard comes. You must run."
When the driver reached the back of the car, the sight before him made his skin crawl. Panic gripped him as he looked around for the missing girl. Spotting Zhu running away, he took off after her, knowing his master would never forgive him if she escaped.
Even though he could see Chairman Lee bleeding and unconscious on the floor of the limousine, he didn't stop. He had served his master for years—he knew what failure meant. If he didn't catch this girl, his own life would be on the line. Little did he know how right he was; in just a few hours, he would suffer in unimaginable ways.
As if sensing his doom, the guard picked up speed.
"Girl, you cannot outrun this guard. You are too weak," the voice warned.
Zhu glanced back. The guard was gaining on her fast. The bridge was deserted—no cars, no buildings, no one to help. What could she do? Even if someone came by, who would dare to defy the Lee family? They would probably hand her back, even if she screamed.
As if hearing her despair, the voice urged,
"You must jump. The river will aid your escape."
Without a second thought—without even caring if she lived or died—Zhu hiked up her torn dress. With a strength that wasn't her own, she climbed the railing and jumped.
The river was raging. Weeks of rain had turned it into a violent torrent. The current swallowed her instantly, pulling her under and sweeping her away from the pursuing guard.
But she had leapt from one danger straight into another. The floodwaters were filled with sharp debris that cut and bruised her as she struggled to stay afloat. She couldn't tell which way was up; the current tossed her around endlessly. Her lungs screamed for air. When she finally gasped, all she took in was water. She was drowning.
The riverbed changed, and her body slammed into jagged rocks. Pain exploded through her abdomen as she struck a sharp edge. Her last breath escaped in a scream before the darkness took her.
The current flung her limp body between two narrow rocks, where she became wedged. The water tried to drag her away, but the stones held her fast. The force twisted her ankle painfully, yet by some cruel luck, the rocks kept her head just above the surface.
Zhu lay unconscious for a long while, until a floating branch struck her head, jolting her awake. She coughed violently, vomiting up water and gasping for air. Pain radiated through her body. She tried to move, but her ankle screamed in protest. If she freed it, the river might drag her away again.
She took a shaky breath, trying to think. She couldn't stay like this forever. Gathering what little strength she had, she fought against the pull of the water, clinging to the smaller of the two rocks.
The waves battered her relentlessly. Every muscle burned. Her vision blurred. She didn't know how long she could hold on.