Chapter 392: A Chilling Morning Wake-Up

Early morning. A thin mist glimmers faintly.

Outside the slightly parted curtains, a cool morning light caresses her face.

“Mmm…”

Incoherent murmurs of a meaningless dream.

The girl tangled in her blanket first opened her eyes drowsily. The next second, realizing she was in an unfamiliar place, she sprang off the bed in a panic—like a startled creature reaching instinctively for the small dagger at her side.

While crouched on the soft bed, barely before her face turned pale, her left hand met only emptiness as a calm voice sounded from behind her.

“Awake?”

“If you’re up, let’s move.”

She turned around in astonishment.

Maybe still groggy or due to a head injury, Blood Nightingale quickly spun around and caught sight of Yenir sitting at the desk, scribbling away.

This is…?! What is happening to me?!

How did I end up here?!

Gazing at that face, seemingly engraved in her very bones, a surge of murderous intent burst forth almost instinctively.

In her daze, after a few deep breaths, a cool breeze swept over her, jolting her awake. Only then did she realize where she was and recall the events of the previous night.

The murderous urge dissipated.

Damn it! I fell asleep!?

I really slept with that bastard!?

Her delicate face turned ghostly pale. In bewilderment, Blood Nightingale stared at Yenir’s retreating figure as a whirlwind of complex emotions surged within her.

Her head ached, and every inch of her body throbbed with pain.

Yet her right hand seemed healed, and the wound on her forehead had long since scabbed over.

Maybe it was the emotional upheaval or the severe blow—after that bastard forced her into cooperation last night, she had eventually fallen asleep.

Perhaps sensing her inner turmoil, Yenir slowly set down his pen, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Stop dawdling. Get dressed—Tang Hai will be here soon.”

“It’s six. If we hurry, we should reach the Blood Shadow Settlement before dark.”

As his words faded, Blood Nightingale blinked. The next moment, her face shifted in shock as she looked down to realize she wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Luckily, she regained herself quickly; a flash of embarrassed anger crossed her eyes, yet she managed to stay silent like no ordinary girl would.

Well, if he sees me naked again, so be it—this bastard has seen me plenty of times already. Might as well pretend I’m dead…

The only nagging thought was whether she still had her virginity.

After all, every part of her ached and she hardly remembered what had happened. Overwhelmed and powerless, she had dozed off. That bizarre mental attack targeting her will had left severe aftereffects.

But didn’t I say something? And then that bastard stopped?

“Rustling…”

As she silently dressed while lost in thought, and when Yenir wasn’t watching, Blood Nightingale’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t resist a furtive touch.

No blood… The blood on the sheets must be from the cut on her forehead, right?

Noticing nothing seemed amiss—nothing growing there—she silently exhaled in relief.

Seems like it’s still there…

With conflicting emotions swirling, Blood Nightingale realized that if she really had slept with that bastard, she wouldn’t know how to face Yenir.

Is there a way to kill him without actually killing him? No… then it probably doesn’t matter. In fact, she might end up hating him even more.

Just because he’s been in bed with you doesn’t mean he’s conquered you. No way—Blood Nightingale would decapitate him and crush him under her heel.

Yet, for some reason, amidst this eerie atmosphere…

She couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Yenir’s profile. Watching him bent over his desk, jotting something while continuously absorbing Spirit Crystals, a strange glimmer flickered in her eyes.

To be honest, Yenir wasn’t unattractive. If you overlooked what he’d done, at first glance he even had a pleasing appearance.

Rousing so early that he was willing to leave his warm bed, he looked remarkably diligent—an unusual quality among Awakeners.

Especially his forced method of absorbing Spirit Crystals. It was clearly deliberate, not passive…

Forced absorption might speed things up a bit, but it felt like a knife piercing his body. Only a Second-Stage Awakened would endure such agony when pushing into the Third-Stage.

Once reaching the Third-Stage, most Awakeners lose their drive, preferring to merely wait and gradually enhance their power.

She suspected that Yenir was a second-generation member of a major power—otherwise, how else could he unleash a Third-Stage attack with Second-Stage capability on their first encounter?

Clearly, that must have been thanks to a precious system tool storing a one-time Third-Stage attack. Otherwise, Yenir wouldn’t have been able to nearly kill her afterward.

After last night, she became even more convinced of her theory.

Ye Lin must be the scion of a formidable faction; only someone of that caliber could have a Third-Stage Advanced protector working in the shadows. No wonder even Tang Hai treated him with such deference.

The only puzzle remaining was why Yenir’s power had surged so rapidly that he could even overpower her with sheer physical strength…

“Maybe because he works hard? For someone of his standing, such dedication is truly rare…”

Muttering softly, Blood Nightingale walked behind Yenir, curious to see what he was writing.

If she remembered correctly, Yenir had arrogantly hinted at taking on Yinglong last night.

Though it seemed unrealistic, so what—if that kid was killed by Yinglong, it would finally free her from the threat…

Perhaps Yenir’s strength really did surpass hers; before she knew it, she no longer found that bastard utterly repulsive, but instead felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Before she could fully see, Yenir swiftly gathered his paper and pen. With a flash of white light, he tossed them into his Space Ring.

He then stood up and met her gaze.

As if he knew what she had just done, Yenir chuckled lightly before calmly saying:

“Don’t worry—I haven’t done anything.”

“If you’re going to get close to Yinglong, the change from girl to woman is obvious. I need you to gather some intel.”

After that offhand explanation, Yenir turned away, leaving Blood Nightingale staring in shock.

He really hadn’t done anything.

Though he wasn’t bothered, when it came to the bigger picture he wouldn’t let carnal impulses derail his plans. Maybe later he could indulge, but now wasn’t the time.

Moreover, last night Blood Nightingale seemed to harbor a secret—her first time wasn’t as simple as it appeared. Considering everything, Yenir had merely knocked her out to keep her from straying.

After all, he only wanted to ensure she stayed by his side until his plan was complete…

“So what if you slept with him!”

“I’m not worried about that!”

As if Yenir had read her mind, remembering her earlier childish act that he had clearly noticed, Blood Nightingale’s face flushed in anger as she tried to sound defiant.

“Don’t even mention sleeping with him. Even if I end up pregnant with your child, I’d still kill you!”

Almost instantly, she regretted the harshness of her words, clinging desperately to her remaining pride.

Sure, both of them knew their so-called cooperation was nothing more than coercion, but she shouldn’t have laid out her murderous intent so blatantly—after all, she had to play her part…

Her life was still in Yenir’s hands…

Yet when Yenir heard her raw confession, he only smiled indifferently.

If Blood Nightingale decided not to kill him and changed her mind at the last moment, then he’d truly be the one to fear…

Just as Yenir prepared to contact Tang Hai again to check if the fighter jets were ready, a gentle knock sounded at the door.

Outside the heavy door stood Tang Hai, his expression a confusing mix of amusement and concern.

Damn it, did he hear something again?

Child? What child?

Is this guy seriously not taking any safety measures?! Today’s youth really get on his nerves…

Sob, sob… my Blood Nightingale…