When the effects of the Death God's blood completely ended, Yun You's body had already undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Her once frail hands, which even found it difficult to move a few bricks, could now barely lift iron chunks weighing over a hundred pounds.
As for physical strength and running speed, the girl had also received a considerable boost.
Though she was unsure of the exact amount of enhancement, if she had to give an example, she might now be at the level of an ordinary female college student...
Perhaps the level of improvement wasn't huge, but for Yun You, who was as thin as a stick and often couldn't even eat enough, this was already quite a satisfactory result.
Moreover, more than the power she gained, Yun You was happier about the growth itself.
Why was her road to revenge so difficult?
The root cause was the vast chasm between humans and Apprentice Death Gods.
Humans are so fragile, a mere scratch from a piece of iron could cause a severe wound, and the slightest illness could claim half a life.
But Apprentice Death Gods are different; their life and strength are so formidable it's unimaginable.
The Apprentice Death God Yun You encountered wasn't considered strong.
Though he could kick half a building with a single blow, and the wind from his punch could shatter a girl's ribs from over ten meters away...
But even then, within the realm of Apprentice Death Gods, he was still just an unremarkable figure.
Yun You heard from those who talked about it that the top Apprentice Death Gods could physically withstand natural disasters, tear the sky and ground apart, and are true deities among mortals.
Wanting to kill them with an ordinary human physique is likely impossible.
And that's the reason Yun You's plan failed.
A mortal can't kill a God.
But now, for someone who continues to grow, it might not be so certain...
Yun You didn't care much about the principles behind this growth ability or its origins.
As long as it could bring power, it's worth using.
The current girl does not yet have the privilege of natural selection or the pursuit of truth.
"Huh..."
Feeling the unprecedented ease within, Yun You let out a long breath, and before she knew it, the figure of the Apprentice Death God, with his extremely arrogant gaze, appeared before her eyes again.
"Hmph...consider this drop of blood the interest."
"Next time we meet, I'll definitely take that hideously ridiculous head of yours and feed it to the flies..."
Some crude words came out of the girl's mouth, greatly disrupting her petite, pitiful...fragile image.
However, she herself didn't care about these things.
Her mind was entirely filled with the thought that she had indeed triumphed big time, making a full and plentiful profit.
Yun You is always so optimistic; no matter how big the predicament, as long as there's a bit of hope, she will lift her head and stride forward.
"So next, it's about continuously earning, hunting Apprentice Death Gods, and then endlessly eating! Getting stronger..."
The girl clenched her fists, seemingly seeing that brightly sunlit future.
"Doo——"
But at that moment, the sudden blare of a broadcast siren from the distant broadcasting station at the junkyard interrupted Yun You's fantasies.
[It is now NeST City's No. 3 time, 7 PM]
[The Bottom District will enter a nighttime curfew in three hours, residents and tourists, please return to your accommodations quickly. Vendors without a "Night Operation License" are prohibited from setting up stalls, thank you for your cooperation]
[Now broadcasting two urgent pieces of information]
[First, around 4 PM today, a nine-story vacant building on S7 Street in the Bottom District collapsed, as per the investigation, this is a premeditated murder case, and the victim is a Tier One Apprentice Death God]
[Currently, the victim is unharmed. Based on the clues provided, the Bottom District Patrol Team is intensifying the search in the nearby areas]
[It's reported that the Apprentice Death God has issued a personal bounty, seeking information on the assassin across all city districts. If you have a target "wearing a black robe," "under 1.5 meters tall," and with a "small stature," please contact the Apprentice Death God Headquarters]
[Do not harbor suspects, those who assist will be equally guilty]
Hearing this, Yun You was slightly dazed.
The building collapse incident on S7 Street, the murdered Apprentice Death God...
Wasn't this talking about her?
In fact, Yun You had known for a long time that after the Apprentice Death God returned to the city, he definitely wouldn't let her go.
A bounty against her was inevitable.
But she didn't expect it to come so quickly, so urgently...
The broadcast mentioned that the "Patrol Team" in the Bottom District had already begun to search for her.
And those guys are no pushovers.
Thus, in an instant, Yun You made a decision.
"Run!"
With that thought, the girl took off her black robe, bounced a few times lightly, and dashed down the garbage pile like an agile cat, escaping into the night.
At the same time, the broadcast continued to play the part that had just been left unfinished.
[Urgent information two]
[Today, a large-scale "Death Domain" energy fluctuation was detected in the Bottom District, significantly increasing the probability of a Death Domain event]
[Residents of the Bottom City, please minimize activities and go to sleep as soon as possible]
[If you encounter a Death Domain event, remain calm, seek all available materials and tools, protect yourself and your family's life]
[Apprentice Death Gods will endeavor to carry out rescue operations, ensuring citizens' safety]
...
Yun You, in full sprint, didn't catch the last part of the broadcast clearly.
Now she was utterly thrilled, running at the fastest speed of her life, with nothing but the rush of wind in her ears.
The girl just wanted to hurry home and open a long-preserved can of expired canned food for a good celebration.
Yet she seemed unaware...
Yun You's hand...the one that had held the blood of the Apprentice Death God earlier, was undergoing some unknown transformation at this moment.
Her originally short nails were slowly turning slender and smooth. And on her wrist, there appeared a tiny...Red Curved Scale, resembling an expensive Red Crystal.
This change should have been something to admire, but unfortunately, Yun You never noticed it from beginning to end.
The girl just kept running...excitedly running, fleeing towards the distant city beneath the silver-white moonlight.
...
Bottom District.
As the fringe area where the city's lower-class citizens reside, the Bottom District doesn't have as many skyscrapers as the Upper or Central Cities; most people live in old tenement buildings, dealing with the inconveniences brought by industrial fumes and faulty electrical appliances.
Due to the curfew order, the streets of the Bottom City aren't bustling at night.
Most shops closed early, only a few illicit underground shops were still operating.
The Bottom City people don't have a habit of chatting on the streets, at least not during curfew hours.
As a result, the only sounds people could hear in these alleys were the humming of patrolling drones and the occasional siren blaring at street corners.
And this desolate environment naturally provided an opportunity for some to stay hidden.
"Click~"
Yun You adeptly tossed a stone to attract the drone's attention, then darted into an empty alleyway.
At the end of the alley, an old neon sign casually hung on a section of clothesline, missing several large letters, it read: [R9 Street].
That was now Yun You's home.
After crossing four more alleys and climbing over twenty floors, she'd be home.
Thinking of this, the girl couldn't help but quicken her pace, swiftly passing through the first alley.
Next...came the spiderweb-filled second alley.
After that...came the siren-laden third...
Fourth...
Fifth...
"..."
"Something's wrong."
Suddenly, Yun You realized something.
The distance from her home to that neon sign was only four streets.
After crossing four streets, she should have arrived at a crowded residential area.
But now...why was the alley under her feet...still extending?!
She jerked her head up and looked around.
What she saw was still an alley filled with robotic remains...one without an end in sight.
"No, this isn't right..."
Yun You realized as she stared firmly at everything in front of her, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.
"This isn't an alley near my home."
She realized that in her entire life of sixteen years, she had never been to such an alley.
The windows on either side of this alley didn't have those familiar neon lights, there were no sounds of air conditioner fans blowing, no conversations or quarrels between people...
Not even the sound of drones or patrol cars.
All there was, was deathly silence and endless darkness.