Chapter 118: The Feeling of Despair

"Dammit, dammit..."

Tuantuan watched the scene in despair, gritting her teeth and crying out. She waved her left hand repeatedly, trying to drive a syringe into the woman's body, hoping to inject just a drop—it was her last hope.

However, no matter how many times she tried, she only succeeded in splashing water.

"It’s useless, little girl. Hahahaha! Do you really think you can hurt me when I’m on guard? Isn't that a bit naive?"

The woman in the raincoat laughed maniacally, finding immense pleasure in the look of desperation on the girl's face.

"Now, as a return for the medicine you tried to inject into me, it's my turn to give you a dose! Hahaha..."

The woman in the raincoat laughed, reaching into her pocket to pull out a syringe marked with a skull symbol.

Watching from a distance, Xue Feifei felt a jolt of terror. The skull emblem sent a chill down her spine. Whatever was inside that syringe was definitely not good.

With a flick of her finger, the woman in the raincoat knocked the needle away. To Xue Feifei’s horror, the woman laughed and plunged the syringe directly into Tuantuan’s arm.

"Ahhh..."

A moment later, a shrill, heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.

Hearing those agonizing cries, Xue Feifei felt her heart shatter. She was certain that such a sound could only come from unbearable pain. It was clearly not from a simple needle prick—the drug inside the syringe was the cause.

Damn it, what was that?

Overcome by the intense pain, Tuantuan’s body triggered its defense mechanism, and her eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness.

"You madwoman! What did you do to my sister?"

Xue Feifei scrambled to her feet and charged at the woman in the raincoat. With a demonic, terrifying expression, she seemed to have forgotten the massive gap in power between them, rushing forward with claws bared.

The image of Tuantuan smiling and giving her a thumbs-up flashed through her mind.

"Don't worry, before I fall, I won't let anyone hurt you. That’s a knight's promise..."

Having lost her remaining reason, only one thought remained in her mind: she had to kill the woman who dared to hurt her sister.

*Thud!*

The reckless charge proved useless. Before she could reach her target, she was struck by a heavy blow to the stomach.

Xue Feifei doubled over, nearly vomiting from the agony.

"Don't be so anxious. You won't be separated from your sister for long..."

The mocking voice of the woman in the raincoat came from inches away: "After all, you are one of our targets too. Giggle, you two can have a nice reunion in the organization’s laboratory!"

Amidst the laughter, the suffering Xue Feifei saw a dark shadow pass over her head. She struggled to look up and realized that the shadow in the sky was Tuantuan.

Tuantuan, like a butterfly with broken wings, traced an arc in the air and landed precisely in the arms of the man who wielded explosions.

"Ugh..."

Xue Feifei felt a surge of fury. Her sister was being tossed around by these two like a toy!

Her rage boiled over, but she was powerless. She gripped her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms, blood trickling down her hands. She didn't even notice the pain, lost in the lament of her own helplessness.

***

"Come back quickly... Kong Zhe!"

"Come back, Kong Zhe!" Xue Feifei roared the last hope in her heart.

*Hiss!*

*Splash!*

Almost as soon as the words left her lips, she heard a familiar roar, followed by a large splash of water hitting her face.

Looking up, she was stunned, then overcome with ecstasy.

In front of her, where the woman in the raincoat had been standing, only half a body remained.

The upper half of the woman was gone, vanished into thin air. The cross-section of her remaining torso bubbled like a boiling hot spring, a gruesome sight.

Xue Feifei had no time to ponder this. Nearby, the giant beast that had been protecting them was slowly rising, its nine severed heads fully regenerated.

"Xiao Jiu!"

Xue Feifei cried out in joy. Suddenly, she felt her waist being coiled by the Hydra’s long tail, lifting her into the air.

She closed her eyes instinctively as the wind rushed past. When she opened them again, she was back on the ground, safely tucked away in a small protected zone created by the Hydra, guarded tightly by its tail.

"This beast, it’s still not dead?"

Where the woman in the raincoat had been blown apart, she began to reform. She frowned at the massive monster in the distance, her brow furrowed with annoyance.

The man with the explosive power also watched the Hydra in astonishment. He knew exactly how much force he had used; he had assumed the creature would have died long ago.

He hadn't expected it to stand up, looking as vigorous as ever.

He had heard of the Hydra’s powerful regenerative abilities within the organization, but he hadn't fully believed it until now.

However, he sneered. Even if it had recovered, so what? He could knock it down once, he could do it again!

"Wait, don't interfere!"

Just as the man was preparing to charge, the woman in the raincoat blocked his path.

Her eyes gleamed with malice as she hissed in a sharp voice, "This monster dared to humiliate me; I will teach it a lesson myself. You have the hostage, so stay out of it and just watch her."

"Fine! If that’s what you want..."

The man shrugged, shaking his head helplessly. He knew his partner well—she was a woman who held a grudge for everything. He didn't object; it gave him a chance to rest and enjoy the show. After all, their abilities weren't infinite and required significant stamina.

"Xiao Jiu, and Tuantuan! Save Tuantuan!"

Seeing the man carrying Tuantuan away, Xue Feifei grew anxious and patted the serpent's scales.

*Hiss!*

The giant serpent ignored her. It roared at the approaching woman in the raincoat. Instead of rushing to save the girl, it coiled its body tighter, wrapping its tail around Xue Feifei to keep her firmly protected.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Wrapped in layers of coils, Xue Feifei was safe, but her heart was with Tuantuan. She struggled to break free, but the strength of the Hydra was far beyond that of a normal human.

The Hydra’s eyes flickered with intelligence. Its wisdom was limited, but it understood the power of the two enemies. Its master’s command was to protect the two women; since one had been taken, it had to prioritize the safety of the other.

"Die, you beast!"

The woman in the raincoat grinned, rushing toward the Hydra. A pitch-black, noodle-like dagger appeared in her hand.

In her grip, the dagger hung limp like a rubber toy, appearing to have no lethality at all.

*Hiss!*

The Hydra’s nine heads swayed in the air, their bloody maws filled with serrated fangs.

Suddenly, it lunged at the woman.

*Splash!*

Just as the attack was about to land, the woman disintegrated into a mist of water. She didn't reform immediately, remaining in a liquid state as she clung to the Hydra’s head and slithered rapidly along its body.

Seconds later, she reappeared on one of the Hydra’s heads.

With a sinister smile, she raised the dagger and stabbed it toward the back of the monster’s head.

The moment the limp blade touched the Hydra’s skin, it suddenly hardened like iron.

*Clang!*

A metallic sound echoed. The dagger pierced only a few millimeters before being blocked by the Hydra’s tough scales.

The smile on the woman’s face froze. How could this be? She had spent a fortune on this weapon, the "Blade of Suffocation," specifically designed to deal with magical beasts. It was useless against humans, but against monsters, it was supposed to become rock-hard and inflict massive damage.

Yet, it couldn't even penetrate this Hydra?

How high was its defense?!

*Hiss!*

Even though it was only a shallow wound, it was a strike to a vital point at the back of its head. The Hydra roared in pain, and its remaining heads launched a fierce assault on the woman.

*Splash! Splash! Splash!*

The sound of splashing water echoed as the woman constantly reformed on the Hydra’s heads. Every time she materialized, she left a small wound. Though tiny, the damage began to accumulate.

*Awooo!*

The Hydra thrashed its heads, finally flinging the woman off.

Watching her floating in mid-air, the Hydra flared with rage. Its limited intellect understood that simple biting wasn't working. This time, all nine heads struck simultaneously, each snapping at the woman in the air.

In an instant, the woman was torn to pieces, each of the Hydra’s giant maws catching a part of her.

*Hiss!*

The woman in the raincoat seemed to have vanished entirely, and the area finally fell silent.