Don’t ask how she knew.
The answer was that she had just used a Third-stage spirit skill to rummage through Zhang Zhennong’s brain, capturing a few fragments of his thoughts.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her to grasp the entire situation.
Ever since her rebirth, she believed she had always walked her own path, minding her own business and never provoking any faction or group.
She had persistently trained her body, diligently practiced her Cultivation, and consistently gathered supplies bit by bit each day, finding a tiny, sliver of joy in the process.
She had always tried so hard to live, to fight against this apocalypse, to struggle with all her might!
But there were always people like that—born as princesses, looking down upon the common folk from their lofty perches.
They always thought they could use their status to oppress and enslave others, always finding some inexplicable reason or acting out of jealousy, wanting to meddle in and ruin other people’s lives.
’So, on what grounds?’
’Because they’re noble? Because they were born princes and princesses?’
Zhang Zhennong actually thought he could humiliate her by "marrying" her, just to please his princess of a sister, the one they had doted on since she was a child?
’Just because I, Xie Ning, was born with a worthless life?’
’So I can be trampled upon by anyone as they please?’
The young woman pressed her lips together and stood up. She brought her foot down, viciously shattering Zhang Zhennong’s neck bones, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
As for Zhang Biyun, that pampered, noble princess adored by all—Xie Ning was determined to kill her!
...
An hour and a half later, Zhu Yong rushed into the room in shock. "What happened? Uncle Song, Aunt Song, are you all right?"
"Dad." Little Zhu Nanxing, clearly quite frightened, got up and threw himself into Zhu Yong’s arms.
Song Yaoguo pulled him down to sit, briefly explaining what had happened. "Ningning said we have to leave ahead of schedule. We’ll have Tai Xian help you pack up the things in your cabin later. It’s a good thing you came back early today."
Zhu Yong nodded.
Ever since he learned the Song Family was leaving the base, he had spoken to his foreman and switched to the day shift. Indeed, he had returned even earlier than usual today.
Xie Ning, having changed into a sleek black tracksuit, descended the stairs and walked over to the long sofa.
"How is he?"
"A Third-stage Superpower User’s strength is too great. We’ve stopped the bleeding for now, but the shock to his internal organs won’t necessarily be easy to heal right away," Yu Tianfeng said with a frown.
Xie Ning gripped Wang Zongxuan’s hand, which was dangling to the side. "He’s awakening a superpower. He should be fine."
She took out a few Crystal Cores, placed them in Wang Zongxuan’s palm, and squeezed his hand firmly.
"What?" The worried crowd turned to look at Xie Ning, their expressions a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise.
Xie Ning nodded with certainty. "Zong Xuan mentioned it to me yesterday on our way down from the mountain. He already showed signs of awakening back then, he just hadn’t reached the right trigger point."
Ji Taixian reached out and touched Wang Zongxuan’s burning forehead. "So, should we still try to lower his temperature?"
Xie Ning nodded. "We don’t want his brain to get fried. You guys watch him. I’m going out for a bit, I’ll be right back."
Hopping into her little golden van and slamming on the gas, Xie Ning sped straight toward Fengting Garden, her face an icy mask.
She, Xie Ning, was never one to take a loss lying down.
Others had barged into her home and bullied her entire family. To not fight back would be utterly spineless.
In that hour and a half, she had been upstairs, frantically absorbing the Second-order Energy Balls in her Space to restore her spiritual power, before forcibly pushing her Space Ability to the Fourth Rank.
That’s right, a Fourth-tier Space Ability User.
She was no longer just a Space Ability User who could only store and retrieve items.
This base was a lost cause anyway. Before leaving, she would make that Zhang Defan pay the heaviest price.
Meanwhile, Zhang Defan, who had rushed home after receiving the news, was greeted at the door by his weeping daughter, whom he promptly slapped twice across the face.
"Do you have any idea that you got your older brother killed?" Zhang Defan’s expression was one of utter heartache and fury.
"I warned you all! Don’t provoke that crazy woman!" Zhang Defan roared as he paced around the living room. "Did you listen to me??"
"What were you thinking? Actually wanting to marry a crazy woman into the family?"
"That Zhang Zhennong just threw his own life away!"
Zhang Biyun clutched her face, her whole body trembling, her fingers twisting together. "Dad, you have to avenge Big Brother, Dad! What was wrong with him wanting to marry that bitch? She’s just from a common family, without a single drop of noble blood in her veins!"
"It was her good fortune that Big Brother even looked at her. But she had to be all pretentious and play hard to get. On what grounds?" Zhang Biyun shrieked.
"How about I give this ’good fortune’ to you, then?" A cold, crisp voice drifted in from outside.
Then, a small golden van came crashing through their main gate, barging right in and sending two guards scrambling away in terror.
A round object shot like a cannonball toward Zhang Biyun.
"AHHHHHH!" Zhang Biyun was knocked to the ground by Zhang Zhennong’s head and scrambled backward in a panic.
Staring at her brother’s head, his eyes wide open in death, Zhang Biyun’s hands trembled as she shrieked in terror, "Dad! Dad!"
"Someone, get the young miss out through the back door! Quickly!" Sensing the dire situation, Zhang Defan quickly drew a gun from his waistband and fired two shots toward Xie Ning’s golden van. BANG! BANG!
But before the bullets could even get near the van, they were forcibly twisted in mid-air by a strange power, clattering to the ground. CLANG.
Zhang Defan’s eyes widened. He never expected a Gold Ability User to be so invincible that they weren’t even afraid of bullets at close range.
Xie Ning slammed the car door, her eyes brimming with murderous intent. "Miss Zhang, didn’t you appreciate this ’good fortune’ so much? Simple. In a moment, I’ll grant you a forty-year-old man as your good fortune."
"You like controlling my life, don’t you?" Xie Ning let out a cold laugh.
"Get Yun’er out of here!! Now!!" Zhang Defan blocked Xie Ning’s path, waving his hands frantically.
Two Superpower Users had intended to rush forward and intercept Xie Ning, but after Zhang Defan’s repeated urging, they gritted their teeth, hauled the paralyzed Zhang Biyun up from the floor, and dashed toward the back door.
Xie Ning launched several golden cones, which flew after them.
Zhang Defan fired several more shots at Xie Ning, yelling, "Miss Xie Ning, calm down! Do you have any idea you’re breaking the law right now??"
"Base Chief Zhang, you’re quite the hypocrite. Was your son not breaking the law when he barged into my home?" Xie Ning smiled and raised her hand, and a humming sound immediately filled the air.
Zhang Defan was terrified. A profound sense of crisis washed over him as he roared, "Protect the young miss and get her to the Capital! You must protect her! Go, go now!"
"Dad!" Zhang Biyun screamed as a Speed Ability User suddenly threw her onto his back and sprinted toward the door behind the staircase.
The moment she turned her head, she saw her father’s body, as if sliced by a machine, silently break into several pieces in mid-air.
Several, perfectly clean-cut pieces.
This was an image Zhang Biyun would probably never forget for the rest of her life.
From beginning to end, even now, she still didn’t understand why simply encouraging her brother to deal with that woman named Xie Ning would bring such disaster upon her entire family.
"Xie Ning! Xie Ning, I’ll kill you! I’LL KILL YOU!" Zhang Biyun howled as the Speed Ability User carried her away at a frantic pace.