Chapter Thirty-One: Mysterious Power

The man, his face covered in a black, viscous liquid, was struck in the chest by the wooden sword and tumbled backward, rolling down the stairs. The thunderous sound of his fall seemed to startle Bruce inside the room.

"Is everything alright out there?!" he called out anxiously from behind the closed door.

"Hoo... I'm fine. Just stay where you are and try to stay calm!"

Shakya decided to focus solely on guarding the staircase; there was no room to think about anything else for now. Just a moment ago, she had taken a few deep breaths, and the "zombie" had reacted instantly. It seemed they used breathing to lock onto their targets.

Suddenly, Shakya noticed a few droplets of the black fluid, which had splattered onto her hand from the man’s face, beginning to move. She hurriedly tried to shake them off, but even those few drops seemed to possess a life of their own, clinging tightly to her skin and crawling around, even attempting to burrow into the cuff of her sleeve!

"Eek!" Shakya almost cried out, but she bit her lip and held it back. Under the pressure, every cell in her body trembled, shifting into a combat-ready state.

"Haa... hoo..."

She had developed the habit of instinctively using the breathing technique she had learned from her martial arts master, Mr. Shi, whenever she entered a fight. A surge of power rose from deep within her. Although it was an unconscious reaction, golden flashes, like sparks of electricity, suddenly erupted where the black droplets touched her skin.

*Pfft! Crackle!*

The black liquid was actually being vaporized.

"This is...?"

Was this the effect of that breathing technique? Right, she remembered seeing Master Shi’s hands glow with similar flashes during his demonstrations. She had never had much success practicing it herself, but it seemed the stimulation of this crisis had forced her to tap into her latent potential.

If that was the case, then it was a blessing. All Shakya wanted now was to survive this catastrophe, and she would take any advantage she could get. Her limbs, previously tense with fear, began to relax as her state stabilized.

Inspired by the vaporization of the black fluid, Shakya took the initiative. She took several deep, measured breaths, trying to channel the surging internal energy into her hands. Soon, her palms began to emit a faint golden glow.

"It worked!"

The mysterious power now seemed to flow according to her will. She decided to push further. Concentrating, she guided the energy to flow into the wooden sword. Slowly, the surface of the wood began to shimmer with that same golden radiance.

Why channel it into the sword? Because touching those black-oozing creatures directly was just too repulsive!

Shakya charged down the stairs and thrust the wooden sword into the "zombie" as it struggled to rise. Though the energy on the blade wasn't intense, the moment it touched the person corrupted by the black fluid, the creature let out a distorted, unearthly shriek, as if being seared by extreme heat.

The creature struggled, but Shakya used all her strength to pin it to the floor with the sword, preventing it from getting up. The black fluid flowing on the victim’s face suddenly stopped its flow and began to churn and bubble, as if it were boiling.

"It's working!" Shakya felt a surge of joy.

Though the process wasn't instantaneous, it was clear that this energy was something the black fluid feared. As the fluid continued to churn and evaporate, the corrupted person gradually returned to their normal state. Eventually, the man stopped struggling and collapsed, likely unconscious. A strand of the black fluid then seemed to flee, crawling out of his mouth and darting out the window.

"Whew..."

Shakya checked the victim's pulse. Good, he was still breathing. Now she knew how to deal with these infected individuals.

She stood up and looked toward the hallway on the first floor, where another creature had been drawn by her heavy breathing.

"Haa... hoo..."

Shakya deliberately practiced the breathing technique right in front of it. Sure enough, the infected creature quickened its pace and charged at her. But this time, it was met with a sword infused with mysterious energy.

With a long stride, she lunged forward, striking the creature in the chest. It felt as if she were holding an electric baton; the moment the "zombie" touched the blade, it let out a bizarre cry and recoiled violently.

As she continued to fight while maintaining her breathing, the glow on the wooden sword grew from a faint shimmer to something clearly visible to the naked eye. Each strike was significantly more powerful than the last. While the first creature had only been slowly scorched, this time, a single heavy blow was enough to blast the black fluid right out of the victim's body.

The puddle of black fluid tried to escape through the window just like the last one, but it was too large a target to get away. Shakya rushed over and brought her sword down in a powerful slash.

"Haa... hoo..."

She didn't forget to perform the breathing technique once more as she charged. The radiance on the wooden sword intensified even further!

*Pfft! Crackle!*

With that blow, the entire puddle of black fluid was vaporized. The victim collapsed to the floor, lying motionless.

"Heh... I never expected that I would actually... at such a critical moment..."

Relieved, Shakya sat down against the wall. To have such divine assistance in a moment of crisis—her luck was truly incredible. She silently thanked her martial arts master.

Having fended off the creatures in the room, she finally allowed her nerves to loosen. She suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion; perhaps it was the toll of continuously using the breathing technique, or simply the result of her sudden relaxation.

But it was too early to celebrate. Looking through the shattered window, Shakya saw that the house was being surrounded by more and more corrupted entities. A rough count suggested there were over thirty of them. She had to find a way to hold out.

"J, how much longer until you arrive?" Shakya knew that even if she had a way to repel them, with so many, she might collapse from exhaustion before she could clear them all. She had to hold on until reinforcements arrived.

"K and I have already linked up! The Bureau deployed a helicopter to pick us up. We're breaking through the perimeter now—we’ll be there momentarily! Please, hold on for another ten minutes!"

It seemed the Bureau had realized the severity of the situation and sent a helicopter to rescue the trapped agents.

"Understood. I can hold on for ten minutes. Please, hurry!"

After hanging up, Shakya moved some of Bruce’s furniture to barricade the two shattered windows on the first floor, hoping to buy some time. Unfortunately, the house was too large; no sooner had she finished with the windows than she heard the sound of glass breaking in several other rooms!

It seemed she would be playing a game of whack-a-mole. With an annoyed grunt, Shakya gripped her wooden sword, performed the breathing technique several times, and strode toward the source of the sounds.

"Come on then. Today, I'll make you regret ever coming here."

The wooden sword in her hand began to glow once more.