Ivy’s pupils constricted. She ducked, her right arm moving instinctively.

Zhang Tong’s fist transformed into a claw, his arm extended, five dark fingers snapping towards Ivy’s head.

“Fast movements, a brutal strike,” Ivy thought, startled.

She didn't dare to match his speed. In a life-or-death situation, she couldn't afford to be certain. She could only retreat and defend.

A retreat often led to another, and in a life-or-death fight, one wrong move could be fatal.

“Hah!”

Zhang Tong’s eyes gleamed, his five fingers clamping down. His sharp nails tore into her flesh, seizing the bone beneath.

Ivy’s wrist muscles were torn, her entire hand going numb. The knife slipped from her grasp.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Zhang Tong was furious. The ease with which he’d overpowered her was unexpected.

It wasn’t that she was weak. She’d managed to cut his scalp, albeit by surprise, using considerable force. But her clumsy counter-moves and lack of experience were laughable.

Zhang Tong’s right hand tightened, his arm muscles bulging as he attempted to pull Ivy's bones from her flesh.

“Who gave you the guts to lock the door, thinking you could win?”

Zhang Tong sneered, his left hand snatching the knife from mid-air. The blade, like a venomous snake, lunged towards Ivy’s heart.

“The essence of martial arts combat is to strike the weak, to be fast and slow. But in reality, it’s a battle between equals, a clash between ruthless opponents. Survival doesn't depend on being stronger or faster, but on ruthlessness.”

“If he’s ruthless, be more ruthless. If he’s crazy, be crazier. Only then can you kill him and survive!”

The instructor’s harsh words from martial arts class echoed in Ivy’s mind, fueled by the blood and the deathly aura in the air.

Ivy suddenly understood, her heart pounding violently.

Her heart skipped a beat. She realized her fatal mistake.

That step back. She shouldn’t have retreated. It seemed like a small step, but it had put her on the defensive, allowing him to grab her wrist.

Am I going to be beaten to death? To death?

A primal terror gripped her, her tongue stiffening, her throat tightening, her breathing constricting, her black eyes filling with fear.

The world around her fell silent. Only her heart’s frantic beat remained, the surging blood pressure making her eyes bloodshot and terrifying.

On her retina, the previously dormant icon flickered with a golden light.

[Blood Frenzy] was responding to blood loss.

[Blood Frenzy]: When I lose blood, I will gain strength across the board.

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“My wrist is bleeding! I’m scared! I don’t want to die!!!”

Ivy’s vision blurred with blood. Fueled by blood loss, reason and fear gave way to madness. She let out a guttural roar, the first since entering the house.

Rage, bloodlust, a primal urge to bite.

Rip!

A tearing sound, five fingers clamped onto Ivy’s wrist, ripping it apart.

Three fingers remained attached; two lay on the floor, a gruesome sight.

Zhang Tong didn’t even feel the pain. He stared in shock at the unevenly severed fingers, the torn flesh and exposed nerves.

It wasn’t me who held her wrist, but she who held my hand?

Zhang Tong, shocked by Ivy’s strength, pressed his attack. The severed fingers ignited his fury, he pressed forward, his entire body tense as he plunged the knife towards her.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

Two ferocious roars overlapped, morphing into a strange scraping sound.

The knife pierced through tense muscles, through ribs, and then jammed, grinding against the bone, sparking.

The bone and blade met in a brutal clash. The already deformed knife handle couldn’t withstand the force and snapped.

Zhang Tong’s rage, like the knife handle, had been broken. He let go of the knife, his eyes fixated on the half-embedded blade in Ivy’s chest.

With a slight twist, Ivy easily pulled out the knife and plunged it into Zhang Tong’s throat.

Black blood gurgled from Zhang Tong’s mouth. He looked up at the metallic gleam of Ivy’s ribs, seeming to want to ask something, but only a gurgling sound escaped his throat.

Zhang Tong clutched his throat and fell backward, joining Ma Wei’s “corpse” on the floor.

With the immediate threat gone, the blood in Ivy’s eyes receded slightly, but her heart still pounded, fueling a relentless urge to kill.

Ivy kicked Ma Wei’s “corpse.” Her voice, hoarse and chilling, sent a shiver down his spine. “Wake up, don't pretend to be dead. Otherwise, you’ll stay asleep forever.”

The lingering effects of [Blood Frenzy] heightened Ivy’s senses. She could hear Ma Wei’s frightened heartbeat.

Zhang Tong, relying on his second-level martial artist’s constitution, wouldn't die so easily. He clutched his throat, his face pale, glancing at Ma Wei.

Ma Wei isn’t dead, only unconscious. She didn’t use a knife to attack Ma Wei, meaning she was here to kill me, Zhang Tong thought frantically.

Ma Wei scrambled to his feet, meeting Zhang Tong’s complex gaze, stammering, “Brother Tong, I just woke up.”

He quickly averted his gaze, swallowing nervously and cautiously observing Ivy.

Ma Wei was lying. He’d been awake for a while, but seeing the brutal fight, he hadn’t dared to interfere. He was weaker in martial arts and would only have hindered Zhang Tong, so he’d pretended to be unconscious.

He’d assumed Zhang Tong would win, but he hadn’t.

Ivy sneered, not bothering to expose his lie. She didn’t know the nature of their relationship, but in a life-or-death situation, even close bonds could be easily broken.

Ivy asked coldly, “Is he your older brother?”

Ma Wei didn't understand Ivy’s question, but her eyes were too terrifying. He dared not lie, replying cautiously, “Yes.”

Having successfully counterattacked Zhang Tong, Ivy's demeanor changed significantly. She was no longer nervous or flustered. She didn’t need to pretend to be a villain.

Ivy said gravely, “Do you want to live or die?”

Ma Wei quickly answered, “Live, I want to live.”

“Good.” Ivy pulled out her phone, turned on the camera, and commanded, “Kill him. You live.”

“What?” Ma Wei’s face paled in shock.

Zhang Tong shook his head frantically, gasping for air, unable even to crawl, his eyes filled with despair.

Ivy raised her phone, pointing the camera at Ma Wei. Her voice, as calm as death’s call, said, “Hurry up. If he dies, you’ll join him.”

Ma Wei understood. His expression was filled with conflict.

Ivy frowned and sneered. “How much does he pay you each month? You think you’ll die with him? Don't be ridiculous. In this day and age, gangs don’t care about loyalty, do they?”

In her previous life, even in gangster films, money was king.

In this cruel world, would gangs still value loyalty?

Ivy didn’t believe it, but she also knew that the more unbelievable the betrayal, the crueler the punishment. Ruthlessness was the only way to enforce gang rules.

“Fine, die together,” Ivy sneered, lowering her phone slightly.

Ma Wei’s face twisted in agony. He knelt before Zhang Tong, tears streaming down his face, “Brother Tong, I’m sorry. Don’t blame me. I haven’t lived my life yet. I don’t want to die.”

Sobbing, Ma Wei pushed Zhang Tong’s hand aside, grabbed the knife, and plunged it in, again and again.

Zhang Tong’s eyes slowly lost their color. In his final moments, his mind wasn't filled with memories of their childhood, or anything else, but with the woman in the hospital two days ago.

I killed her so ruthlessly just like this!

Ivy felt no pity. Kindness to a beast was cruelty to humanity.

“Come on, smile for the camera,” Ivy said coldly.

In the video, the blood-covered Ma Wei forced a twisted, manic smile…