Attacked (Part 2)

Running away is useless.

The excruciating pain preceded her sanity in realizing what had happened. Ning Xi didn't know who the enemy was, but it was clear that they had come specifically for her.

The opponent's cards have characteristics such as "space jump" or similar abilities, which makes the opponent incredibly fast, and it will probably not be easy to get rid of him.

She had to fight back.

Ning Xi still had the card reader on her wrist, but it only contained one card, the same amplification card she had used in the previous competition.

She activated the card without hesitation.

A beam of light instantly enveloped her. The card also had a healing effect, quickly stopping the bleeding from her finger and slightly halting the opponent's attack. Ning Xi took the opportunity to escape towards a more crowded area.

"it's useless."

With a soft sigh, another wound appeared on Ning Xi's left arm. Did they intend to sever her right arm, preventing her from accessing the card reader...? What a terrifying pursuer.

Fortunately, she blocked it with her left hand.

The newcomer clung to her like a persistent, invasive disease. Ning Xi, however, felt a slight sense of relief: under her mental vision, the surrounding black, ink-like energy field had diminished considerably as she moved. This energy field hadn't caused her any harm; perhaps its purpose was to strengthen her pursuers or sever her connection to the outside world.

Ning Xi finally pressed the alarm button. Relying on her agility and mental strength to detect attacks, she barely managed to dodge several attacks, but ended up with a few more wounds.

No, this can't go on...

Her mental energy surged forth even more violently, like a floodgate being opened. The opponent's card effects were hampered by this almost tangible mental energy, causing their movements to freeze slightly.

Ning Xi did not continue to run away.

Her mental energy was being absorbed by something. She felt terrified, but then instantly realized what had happened.

The mysterious card that Song Shichun gave her reacted to her mental power for the first time.

But it's not a gentle acceptance or response; rather, it's a greedy absorption, like a dried-up sponge absorbing all the moisture it can reach.

However... it is not entirely without feedback.

It generated some "blocks".

Like an old game called "Tetris", oddly shaped blocks were piled up beside her, waiting for her to manipulate them with her mental power.

They appear to have two functions: first, to combine with external energy fields and "eliminate" them; second, to combine with Ning Xi's own spiritual power and form a barrier.

She chose the second option without hesitation.

She forcibly ignored the attackers' attacks, using all her mental energy to stack blocks.

One, two, three...

One floor, two floors, three floors...

The attack seemed to have disappeared. Ning Xi wasn't sure whether the opponent had left or whether she had managed to withstand the attack. She forced herself to channel more of her mental energy into the mysterious card.

Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor...

The pursuer stopped in frustration, revealing his true face—a fierce, gloomy face riddled with scars.

There was a transparent film enveloping him, making it impossible for him to leave!

His target, the seemingly frail S+ level mental power card maker, now had wide-open eyes, gritted teeth, and a ferocious expression, as if she were in extreme pain. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her fingers twitched unconsciously.

“We can talk.”

"Don't you want to know who wants to kill you? I can give you a hint."

The other person didn't speak. However, it's less that she didn't respond and more that she simply couldn't hear her.

Her attention was completely captured by the cards.

But the pursuers, in their haste, were completely unaware of this.

"I have a backup plan. You don't want to die with me, so let me go."

A ruthless glint flashed across the pursuer's face, and a pure black card appeared in his hand.

"If you don't agree, I'll..."

"What will you do?"

A third voice rang out. The pursuer immediately activated his card; his body transformed into shadow, and a sharp blade shot out in the direction of the voice.

Guan Heyu snorted coldly, and an ordinary-looking dagger appeared in his hand.

His movements were precise and orderly, like a demonstration video accompanying a textbook. Efficient and powerful, yet easily predictable and countered.

But this was just the pursuer's illusion. In just a few moves, he was cornered against the wall, and Guan Heyu's gaze was sharp, showing no mercy in his attacks.

"Wait, I—"

"Go talk to the security team."

The pursuer fainted, and a very thin anesthetic needle was inserted into his neck.

Guan Heyu removed his card reader and looked at Ning Xi.

His gaze softened considerably.

Even after the danger had passed, Ning Xi continued the process of creating the barrier in a monotonous manner. Her mental energy was immense, almost inexhaustible. However, this was the first time Ning Xi had sustained such a prolonged output of mental energy, and her body simply couldn't withstand it.

But she also couldn't stop.

Several cards glowed around Guan Heyu as he drew his sword, forcefully breaking through several layers of barriers, and finally inserted an anesthetic injection into the young woman's arm.

Ning Xi collapsed, but her fingers continued to repeat the motion incessantly, as if in response to an emergency.

"It's been resolved." Guan Heyu made a call. "The one who made the move was Yale, a Class C wanted criminal. Ning Xi is out of danger, but she's not feeling well."

"You should bring Teacher Murong along as well."

...

"Yale, a Class C wanted fugitive in the federal government."

"There are reports that he appeared at the San 33 Star, but no one has seen him near the attack site."

"Besides his tools, Yale also carried some card-making materials, which he had no use for. It's reasonable to guess that he might have planned to sell these materials after killing Ning Xi, creating the illusion that he had accidentally encountered Ning Xi and then decided to rob her because he was greedy for her money."

"But Ning Xi really didn't have much money, so he even prepared the card materials himself to justify his actions."

“Yale denies that he committed premeditated murder, and the FBI is urging us to hand him over... I’m afraid we won’t be able to get any information out of the people behind him.”

"Who exactly wants to harm Ning Xi? Is it the person the academy suspects, or Ning Xi's enemy from before she lost her memory?"

Song Shichun rubbed his temples.

After all, she's in academia, so it's not easy for her to get involved in this kind of thing.

Ning Xi...

She invested far more energy into this card maker than she had initially anticipated.

However, Ning Xi did not let her efforts go to waste. She made more progress than she had imagined.

Song Shichun took several materials from the collection room and went to the Mental Health Testing and Rehabilitation Center.

...

fire……

Golden fire, blazing fire, fire that burns everything, annihilates everything...

It ignites, it spreads. It is like a divine oracle announcing the end of the world, aloof and indifferent; it is also like a divine punishment, powerful yet irresistible.

She was unwilling to accept it, she wanted to struggle. But everything around her—the mountains, rivers, plants, birds, beasts, insects, fish, and even the great and sacred [unclear]—was still burned to the ground.

She was the same, yet different. She was sent away from a world destined for destruction, and she was reborn.

But at the end of her spirit, deep in her soul, the scorch marks of the flame remain forever.

“…Ning Xi”.

“I actually saw the news, but I didn’t pay much attention to it… I should have advised you. You don’t like going out anyway, so maybe you wouldn’t have gone.”

“I was too complacent, thinking that I would be fine as long as the wanted criminal wasn’t nearby; or maybe I was just a little tired of being teammates with a ‘celebrity’ like you.”

"You're an S-rank... It's alright, nothing will happen."

This is a very familiar voice.

In her memory, the owner of the voice had a warm and cheerful appearance, but was actually pragmatic and calm, and rarely showed negative emotions so obviously.

It seems... she was frightened too.

Ning Xi opened her eyes.

"Zhang Min?"

Her faint, delicate voice echoed in the room.

Zhang Min suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She had been pacing around the ward, but suddenly stopped, her cheeks slightly flushed and her expression somewhat unnatural.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, but her voice had already returned to calm.

"You're awake. I'll go tell Teacher Murong; she'll be so happy."

"I'm very happy too." Ning Xi smiled, though the other person in the ward who was being coy might not see it, she still insisted on saying it.

"I can see you the moment I open my eyes, my friend."

"My little darling, you're finally awake." Before Zhang Min could even inform them, Murong Xixiu entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Everything is normal, except for the finger..."

Ning Xi stretched her hand out from under the covers and looked at it with a puzzled expression. All five fingers were intact, but she still felt that something was wrong.

"I feel like I can't feel my fingers anymore."

"It's a post-operative complication; it'll get better with some rest." Murong Xixiu breathed a sigh of relief. "How are your mental strength feeling?"

"There's plenty."

Do you have any symptoms like headaches?

Ning Xi touched her forehead: "My head should be fine."

"Phew... So do you remember what happened before?"

"I found out how to use that card and escaped from that person." Ning Xi paused. "Was it...was it a teacher from the academy who saved me?"

“To be precise, it’s Zhang Min.” Murong Xixiu turned to look at her, and the person being stared at was clearly uncomfortable and stood up to leave.

Murong Xixiu smiled slightly: "It was because she found that she couldn't get through to you that she reported it to the school in time. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to react so quickly."

"Zhang Min!"

Ning Xi was deeply moved; tears welled in her eyes as she called out to her teammates with deep emotion.

"I will definitely repay you. By the way, I've added your account to my card maker forum account, hoping to get more orders for you."

"I want to add 100 hours of card-making room usage time to your student card."

"besides……"

"No need!" Zhang Min blushed, then deflated. "It was just a small favor; I only made a call."

"It's all thanks to the academy for valuing you..."

“The college values ​​every student,” Murong Xixiu said with a smile. “Alright, Zhang Min, could you please step outside for a moment? Ning Xi and I have something to discuss.”