(The fact that today’s thunderstorm ended quickly was a relief, so I'm uploading this chapter an hour early to celebrate the cooler weather in Chongqing. As always, please consider favoriting and voting if you enjoy Infinite Terror!)

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The first shift belonged to Zheng Zha's trio. They sat in silence for a moment before Zhang Jie took out a pack of cigarettes, asking, "You seem troubled? Why did you get so angry at that little girl?"

Zheng Zha accepted the cigarette with a wry smile. "Not exactly troubled... I just don't want to see someone like Chu Xuan join our team again. Not because they're intelligent, but because they're heartless enough to discard teammates on a whim."

Mentioning Chu Xuan's name brought silence again. It was a taboo in their group. Lingdian changed the subject smoothly, "How did you get injured? Did Zhao Yingkong have a knife?"

Zhang Jie perked up too - during Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong's brief fight, the wound on his wrist had sealed rapidly, leaving only a pale pink line like it was sliced with a blade.

Zheng Zha showed them his wrist. "Believe it or not? My skin can't be pierced by metal, yet she opened it with just her fingernails - the nails of a sixteen-year-old girl!"

Lingdian's expression darkened as he examined the wound. After some time, he muttered, "Using only her fingernails... Could she be from an assassin lineage?"

"Assassin lineage?" Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie asked in unison.

"As killers have always existed across continents, but with gunpowder..." Lingdian explained how ancient assassins who relied on hand-to-hand combat had faded into obscurity. He speculated Zhao Yingkong might be from one of the two remaining assassin families still preserving those brutal techniques.

Zheng Zha recalled her unlocking gene locks through pain and fear. Her indifference to agony suggested she was accustomed to it - typical for someone trained in assassin lineages.

"She certainly seems arrogant, but if we get along..."

Meanwhile in their room, Jian Lan and Ming Yanwei were staring at Zhao Yingkong. After the fight with Zheng Zha had stained her clothes with blood, they watched as she tried climbing into bed without removing her shirt - until they forced her to take it off.

Beneath layers of cloth was a pair of full breasts bound tightly into boyish flatness. As Jian Lan and Ming Yanwei untied the bindings, two pristine mounds sprang free. The sight left Zhao Yingkong scrambling under the blanket as both girls started fondling them.

"Why did you wrap this up?" Jian Lan asked. "You'll get breast cancer! Let me buy a proper bra for you tomorrow."

"It gets in the way," Zhao Yingkong blushed, "and men would touch it intentionally."

They compared their own curves - Jian Lan's were small even by comparison.

Ming Yanwei leaned close. "Wrapping them makes it worse. Pick out a nice bra instead..."

"Really?" Zhao Yingkong asked skeptically.

Suddenly Ming Yanwei froze mid-sentence, her hand drifting to her mouth as she whispered, "...He left me after the car broke down in the countryside..." Her voice cracked into bitter laughter.

Jian Lan sighed, recalling the brave man from their last movie. Not all men were like that...

When the second shift arrived for duty, Zheng Zha handed each of them a can of iced coffee before sleeping off. The students huddled together whispering while Qitengyi opened his sutra...

"Crack!"

Qitengyi's head snapped forward as two hands clamped onto him from either side. Lurenjia and Junzhongding held up the bloodied ashtray, their faces pale with a mix of madness and relief.

"These fools don't know what 'that thing' truly is... All should die..." they hissed.

Ming Yanwei emerged from the hallway in her skimpy underwear, legs exposed as she approached them. "Let me come too? I'll rely on you forever..."

Zheng Zha slept soundly with the sutra nearby, but a chill crept into his dreams. Something white flitted past his head just before loud knocks jolted him awake.

"Zheng Zha! Get out now - the two students stole the sutra!" Jian Lan's voice came through.

They rushed to find Qitengyi slumped over with bloodied hair, and Lurenjia/ Junzhongding gone.

"The phone alarm went off," Jian Lan explained breathlessly.

Zheng Zha grabbed the iced coffee cans. "They haven't gotten far... Lingdian, did you bring your Gauss rifle in the military pack?"

Lingdian hesitated. "Yes - but I only have five rounds each of regular and spiritual bullets..."

"Go to the rooftop," Zheng Zha ordered coldly. "Break their legs with the sniper shot. I'll personally sever their arms."