Volume One: Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter 51: Go Ahead and Scream—Let’s See If Anyone Comes to Save You

Zhang Jingzhi struggled as she cried out, “No, I heard it! I heard it!”
“Oh, you heard it, did you? Then you know what’s coming next, don’t you?”
“Mmm…,” Zhang Jingzhi bit her lip, refusing to let herself cry, shaking her head desperately.
“Do you want us to spare you?”
She nodded her head hurriedly.
The scantily clad woman seemed very pleased with Zhang Jingzhi’s response and continued to threaten her: “Then, whatever we ask next, you answer. Do you understand? If I find out you’re lying to us… well, you know the consequences.”
Seeing Zhang Jingzhi nodding frantically in panic, the woman stood and asked, “Do you know any other people with powers?”
Zhang Jingzhi shook her head at once; she truly did not know any others.
“What does shaking your head mean? I want you to answer. Are you mute?” The woman feigned a menacing tone to frighten her further.
“No, I don’t. I don’t know any others,” Zhang Jingzhi shouted out, terrified.
The woman pressed on, “What is your ability?”
“Emotional perception. My ability is to sense emotions.”
“Emotional perception?” The woman was a little surprised; what kind of ability was that?
She frowned and asked, “What use is your ability?”
Zhang Jingzhi glanced at her in fear, trembling as she answered, “I can sense other people’s emotions.”
“You can sense their emotions? And that’s useful how?” The woman mused, then pointed at a subordinate nearby. “Go on, use your ability on him. I’m not about to be your test subject.”
That subordinate, though reluctant, did not dare defy the order, so he glared at Zhang Jingzhi menacingly.
Shrinking back in fear, Zhang Jingzhi hesitated before saying, “If I use my ability on someone, they’ll feel it.”
“Oh? Give it a try on him, then.”
Forced and helpless, Zhang Jingzhi had no choice but to focus her mind and use her ability on the man. Immersing herself, she let her power flow forth—and was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of obscene intent, directed straight at her.
“Ah!” Zhang Jingzhi screamed in terror.
Hearing her outburst, the woman sneered in disgust. “Stop screaming. Scream again, and I’ll have them gang rape you.”
Zhang Jingzhi hurriedly clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling any further sound, but the tears she had held back finally streamed down her face, falling drop by drop.

“What did you sense?” When Zhang Jingzhi finally quieted, the woman impatiently asked.
“I… I sensed… he has ill intentions toward me,” Zhang Jingzhi replied in a broken voice, struggling to compose herself.
The woman frowned—what kind of answer was that? She turned to her subordinate. “What did you feel just now?”
The man thought for a moment. “It’s hard to describe… I guess it felt like being watched while you’re showering. Just a sort of itch inside.”
The woman frowned even deeper. This power was utterly useless! Not only could it only sense vague emotions, but the target could even tell they were being watched. What was the point?
She had made up her mind. Although she felt it was probably unnecessary, she asked Zhang Jingzhi casually, “Have you seen a little mixed-blood girl with purple hair recently?”
At the mention of the purple-haired mixed-race girl, Zhang Jingzhi’s heart gave a violent thump. But on the surface, she kept up her silent weeping, sobbing quietly, and pretended not to know. “A purple-haired mixed child? No, I haven’t seen one.” A purple-haired mixed-race girl—wasn’t that Molly? Were they searching for Molly?
Now Zhang Jingzhi finally understood their purpose. Whatever happened, nothing good could come of these people finding Molly. She must not let them find her.
Her outward show of calm, however, made the woman narrow her eyes, then lick her crimson lips and grin. “Miss Zhang Jingzhi, you’re not telling the truth!”
She was certain Zhang Jingzhi was lying. Unexpectedly, just as their investigation had run cold, they had stumbled upon another lead by accident.
Zhang Jingzhi stammered, “No, I’m telling the truth. I really haven’t seen any purple-haired girl.” No matter what, she would never reveal Molly’s whereabouts.
Seeing she still refused to talk, the woman was in no hurry. Clearly, unless she used real force, Zhang Jingzhi would never tell the truth. “Heh. I already told you the consequences of lying, didn’t I? If you won’t talk, don’t blame us for what happens next!” She signaled to several subordinates.
“Hehehe…” Receiving her signal, they immediately leered and lunged at Zhang Jingzhi.
Seeing them approach with ill intent, Zhang Jingzhi struggled and screamed, “No! Please, don’t! I really don’t know anything! Please, let me go!”
First, the men untied the ropes binding her arms and legs, then grabbed her limbs, ready to haul her onto a nearby table—for anything would be easier there.
“No, please! Don’t do this to me! I swear I know nothing—let me go!” Zhang Jingzhi struggled with all her might, but it was no use. There was no way she could break free from several strong men, and even if she did, where could she run? Realizing this, she sank further into despair, and could only continue to scream and struggle, praying for some miracle to save her.
The men carried her onto the table, each pinning one of her limbs to prevent her escape.
“Heh, I’ll go first,” said the man who had earlier been subjected to her power, scrambling on top of her and straddling her chest. Watching her struggle, he licked his lips and sneered, “Go ahead and scream, sweetheart. The more you resist, the more excited we get. Scream louder—maybe someone outside will hear and save you.” With that, he grabbed her shirt collar and gave it a vicious pull.
With a tearing sound, Zhang Jingzhi’s white blouse split down the middle, revealing a pale green bra and a swath of delicate skin.
“No!” she cried in utter despair.
Seeing her exposed skin and curves, the men around her swallowed hard. The man on top of her was panting heavily now. He reached out and stroked her stomach, leering. “Such soft, tender skin.” His hand slid upward and stopped at the center of her bra. “Let me free you from this little prison…”
“No!” Zhang Jingzhi’s limbs were pinned and a burly man sat atop her—she was completely immobilized, left only to cry out in despair over and over, praying someone would come to save her and end this nightmare.
“Hey, guys, watch this…” The man grinned, ready to rip off her bra, when suddenly his head exploded in a shower of blood.

Before anyone else could react, another man was shot dead.
“A sniper! Take cover!” The others finally realized what was happening, shouting and scrambling for shelter.
In the chaos, two more men were shot through the head. In an instant, all the Pandora members near Zhang Jingzhi had been wiped out.
The corpse of the man who had been sitting on top of her now pinned Zhang Jingzhi to the table. She hadn’t even processed what had happened, lying motionless—ironically, her stillness was her best protection.
Amid the confusion, Zhang Jingzhi slowly came to her senses. Had someone really come to rescue her?
The woman had darted for cover the moment the shooting started, watching in fury as her subordinates fell. She shouted, “Have you found the sniper’s position?”
A subordinate shouted back, “It’s at that window—” He never finished; a bullet took him down. Terrified, the woman ducked behind her male companion.
How could they still get shot while hiding? Were there multiple snipers?
The Pandora group was unable to pinpoint the sniper’s position. Every so often, someone else would be shot dead—every shot was a clean headshot, every one fatal.
They soon realized the sniper’s silhouette was constantly shifting position, firing from different spots. The factory was cluttered with obstacles, making it even harder to find the shooter. After every shot, the sniper would relocate, rendering even a lucky sighting useless.
With no way to find the sniper, the woman finally changed tactics. She shouted, “Stop looking for the sniper—find that woman! Bring her here!”
“Yes, use her as a hostage—the sniper must be here to rescue her.”
The remaining Pandora members caught on and rushed back to where Zhang Jingzhi had been restrained. But it was too late.
After losing two more of their own, they finally reached the table—only to find corpses on the table and floor, and no sign of Zhang Jingzhi.
“Damn it! That bitch got away.”
“Stay low! Cover each other—find her. She can’t have gone far.”
The survivors were all hardened veterans, many of them with powers, and it would not be easy for the sniper to pick them off.
Elsewhere, Zhang Jingzhi was curled up inside a wooden crate, having sneaked away while the gangsters were distracted.
She tugged at her torn blouse, arms wrapped tightly around her chest, biting her lip to stifle any sound as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.