She Counted Down to Kill a Man

"You have three seconds to take those trash bags behind you and get the hell out."

Murong Xiner's voice was calm, cold as the snowfall blanketing the world outside.

Liu Zhilin raised his brows, surprised by the fire in her tone. "Oh? Look at you, little Miss Feisty. What, you got a backup squad hiding in the closet or something?"

He glanced behind him at the five burly men flanking him. Six against three. Odds were in his favor.

A sneer tugged at his lips. "You think the law can save you during a blizzard like this?"

"Three," Murong Xiner said, gently wiping her mouth, her gaze locking onto Liu Zhilin's face like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Two."

"The hell—are you counting down on me?!"

"One."

BANG.

Before he could finish his thought, a corpse flew out the door and slammed into the group of men like a ragdoll launched from a cannon. Blood sprayed, steaming against the freezing air.

The five men stared wide-eyed at the still-bleeding body now twitching at their feet. Their confidence evaporated in an instant. None of them had seen death dealt so clean, so brutally.

"Cut the weeds by the root, or they'll grow back into trouble," Xiner murmured.

Without a sound, Lin Yiwan moved.

The air compressed hard.

THUD.

One by one, the men collapsed, choking on air that refused to enter their lungs. Their bodies hit the frozen concrete, lifeless.

Lin Yiwan's killing style was quieter, more elegant than Xiner's—but no less effective.

"I'll go handle the cleanup."

Like she'd done this dozens of times, Yiwan casually picked up a broom and stepped over the bodies. No panic. Just business.

Ethan's eye twitched slightly as he watched her walk away. A broom?

Fifteen minutes later, she returned, brushing snow off her shoulders like it was just another Tuesday.

Seeing his baffled expression, she explained in a soft voice, "It's a special privilege from the system. In an Apocalypse Online scenario, if NPCs threaten our survival, we're allowed to eliminate them. But only in the simulation. In reality, of course, it's still illegal."

Ethan, however, wasn't concerned about the legality. His mind was fixated on something else.

Had Yiwan always been this… twisted? Or had hanging around Murong Xiner warped her over time?

That thought made him glance uneasily at the two women. They looked like angels. But both of them killed like devils.

"Let's eat," he sighed.

He thought that was the end of it.

He was wrong.

That night, someone @-mentioned him in the faculty group chat.

@Ethan Mu: Dean Liu went to your place earlier today. Why hasn't he returned yet?

The message was from a female teacher closely affiliated with Liu Zhilin. Ethan ignored her.

But the woman wouldn't let it go. Next, she @-tagged Lin Yiwan.

The group chat, which had been buzzing with idle chatter, went dead silent.

Everyone watched. Waiting.

Ethan looked toward Yiwan. "Where did you stash Liu Zhilin and the others?"

"Public toilet behind the admin building," she replied casually. "Dropped them in the septic pit. Snow should have covered them by now."

In weather like this, she was right. The bodies would vanish under the ice.

After lunch, Xiner tugged Ethan into the bedroom again to continue analyzing the patterns behind Special Instances.

"By the way," Ethan said mid-discussion, narrowing his eyes. "When were you planning to tell me about the 'Defiled Prophecy'?"

Xiner froze.

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, quietly, she replied, "I'm sorry. I can't tell you yet."

"Why not?" Ethan chuckled bitterly. "What, is the planet gonna explode if I find out?"

"I'm doing this for your sake."

"For my—" Ethan's tone darkened, eyes narrowing. "So doing me a favor now means hiding vital life-or-death information? Is that it?"

"Xiner, the next instance is a freaking Annihilation-class doomsday. People are going to die—everyone might die! And you're still keeping secrets from me?"

His voice rose. From the living room, Yiwan flinched and curled up on the couch like a startled cat.

"Ethan!" Xiner looked up, her tone pleading. "Please. Calm down."

"I can't calm down!" he snapped, slamming his palm on the table. "There've only been two Annihilation-class scenarios in human history. One was 'Falling Moon,' and the other—I know jack shit about it except that it had something to do with a time curse."

"I need to know what's coming. Because this time, it's not just a game. If I fail, the whole damn world dies!"

He stood, panting. His hands trembled—not with rage, but desperation.

For someone with the world's only SSS-rank foresight ability, Ethan felt like a child swinging a stick at a storm.

Xiner tugged his sleeve gently. "Just sit down and listen."

Seeing her solemn expression, he breathed deeply and sat.

"You remember what Vice Director Lai Wenzhi told you, right?" she began. "That the first Annihilation-class scenario has already occurred?"

Ethan nodded.

"That doomsday came with a hidden mechanic. Anyone who knows the full truth about it is automatically marked by the scenario."

"Marked?" Ethan frowned.

Xiner nodded grimly. "Yes. The moment someone learns the truth, they're watched. Hunted. Their lives are in constant danger—even before the scenario begins."

"Are you serious?"

"I wish I weren't," she said softly. "That's why I kept it from you. Everyone who knows about the Defiled Prophecy… is marked. That includes Lai Wenzhi. That includes me."

Her eyes softened. "Ethan… your current strength isn't enough. If you're marked, not even Yiwan can keep you safe."

He clenched his fists. It wasn't that he didn't believe her. He did.

And that made him feel even more helpless.

Even with the Eyes of the Doomed, an SSS-rank prophecy ability, he was still a fragile piece on a collapsing chessboard. His best weapon—the Terminus Shard—was more strategic than practical. Killing people with it felt like using a nuclear missile to squash ants.

"…So just knowing about that first doomsday could get me killed?"

Xiner nodded again.

Ethan's brows furrowed deeply.

"Then forget it," he muttered. "I'm better off not knowing."

And for the first time, the silence between them felt heavier than the blizzard outside.