Chapter Nineteen: The Tragedy of Human Hearts and the Power of Time

Gu Sha held the alien bone in his hand. Though inwardly delighted, he did not lose his composure. Absorbing the energy of the alien bone was just like with the source beads—it had to be done without interruption. If he were disturbed midway, the energy would dissipate in an instant.

Without delay, Gu Sha placed the alien bone into his backpack, picked up the silenced gun that still had bullets, and grabbed a machete, putting it into his backpack as well before heading upstairs.

He was thorough in everything he did, never leaving loose ends. He and the scar-faced man were now mortal enemies. Although Gu Sha didn’t believe the scar-faced man would ever have the chance to take revenge, one could never be too careful.

Therefore, the scar-faced man had to die!

When Gu Sha rushed to the third floor, he heard commotion coming from a hall. Opening the door, he saw the scar-faced man had somehow already made his way up to the third floor. It seemed while Gu Sha was chasing the giant cat, the scar-faced man had seized the chance to escape, only to be blocked by a group of women who had been cruelly abused. Leading them was none other than Zhang Ya, who had previously fallen unconscious after taking some unknown drug.

Earlier, when Gu Sha had returned to the second floor to dissect the giant cat’s corpse, he had noticed Zhang Ya was missing and had found it odd. He hadn’t expected this woman to possess such strong willpower.

At this moment, Zhang Ya was clearly still under the influence of the drug, her expression dazed, but gripping a kitchen knife. Together with several other women, she blocked the scar-faced man’s way.

What surprised Gu Sha even more was that most of these women, despite their suffering, were actually trying to protect the scar-faced man. He found this incomprehensible.

Gu Sha’s sudden appearance shattered the deadlock. The scar-faced man, whose hands were now crippled, was instantly seized by terror. “You… You’re still alive…” he stammered.

Gu Sha pulled out the machete, sneered coldly, and said nothing.

“How is this possible… What happened to that mutant beast? Did you—” The scar-faced man stared at the black blood on Gu Sha’s body, his eyes widening in disbelief. “You… You killed it?”

Gu Sha didn’t bother with words. He simply charged forward, machete in hand.

“Stop him! Quickly, stop him!” the scar-faced man screamed hysterically.

At once, several women threw themselves in front of him, faces set in a desperate resolve, ready to risk their lives to protect him.

Gu Sha found this beyond comprehension. These women had clearly endured terrible abuse at the hands of the scar-faced man and his group—some still wore iron chains around their necks. He couldn’t fathom why they would shield him, even to the point of willing self-sacrifice.

“Cai Yi, what are you doing?” Zhang Ya shouted at a woman wearing a chain. “Why are you defending that animal? Have you forgotten how he treated us? How can you protect him?”

The woman named Cai Yi looked vacant, shaking her head. “You can’t kill him. If anyone kills him, I’ll fight them to the death!”

Gu Sha frowned, recalling stories he’d heard—how some kidnapped victims fell in love with their captors. They called it “Stockholm Syndrome.” The women protecting the scar-faced man seemed to be suffering from just that.

“Cai Yi, all of you, wake up! He’s a monster…” Zhang Ya shouted.

The scar-faced man cowered behind the women, glaring at Gu Sha and threatening, “These women would die for me. Let me go, or I’ll take them with me!”

“You hear that? He’s inhuman!” Zhang Ya yelled.

“No, you can’t kill him!” Cai Yi screamed hysterically. “If he dies, what will I do? What will I do?”

The scar-faced man, sensing their fear, became smug. “You heard her! Let me go now, or I’ll make sure these women die with me. You—”

A sharp crack rang out.

Gu Sha had no interest in further negotiation. He drew the silenced gun and shot the scar-faced man square between the eyes. A bloody hole appeared on his forehead; his eyes widened in shock as he crashed to the ground.

Screams erupted. The women who had protected the scar-faced man shrieked like mad.

“Why did you kill him? Why?” Cai Yi howled, charging at Gu Sha.

Gu Sha’s eyes narrowed a little. He actually felt pity for her—how truly tragic. Perhaps before the apocalypse, this woman had enjoyed a decent social standing. Yet in just a month of torment, she had become so broken that no diagnosis could explain her state. It was nothing but pitiable, utterly pitiable.

So Gu Sha swung the machete, slashing her throat in a swift, merciful release.

Blood sprayed. The sight seemed to shock the other women into silence; none dared move again. Yet their eyes were filled with undisguised hatred for Gu Sha.

He fired several more silenced shots at them.

Hatred, after all, was never a good thing.

Their bodies fell. The remaining women collapsed to the floor, sitting in a daze.

Laughter erupted—hysterical, desperate.

Zhang Ya, wild-eyed and brandishing her kitchen knife, lunged at the scar-faced man’s corpse and hacked at his face until it was nothing but a mess of flesh. Then she ran to the window, tore away the boards, and leaped out. A heavy thud sounded below, quickly followed by two more women jumping after her.

Witnessing this, Gu Sha found himself at a loss for words. His knowledge was limited, yet he could surmise what unspeakable torment these women must have endured in the past month.

He glanced at the three or four women still sitting on the floor, howling like mad, and ignored them, turning to head upstairs.

On the fifth floor, Gu Sha piled up every piece of furniture—beds, sofas, appliances—blocking the hallway completely. He found a room, sealed the doors and windows, and took out the alien bone.

He gazed at the transparent, gleaming bone in his hand and began to channel his internal energy, using a special breathing technique to guide the source energy within him into the bone.

The bone gradually turned blood-red, leaking streams of liquid energy that wrapped around Gu Sha’s body.

He frantically circulated his energy, drawing the power from the bone into every part of his being.

In that instant, red marks appeared all over his body, surging and pulsing.

After a long time, the crimson marks faded, the bone’s energy was depleted, and it turned into an ordinary piece of bone, clattering to the floor.

Gu Sha’s eyes snapped open, a glimmer of light flashing in their depths.

“Temporal ability…”