Chapter 3: Unexpected Reversal.

In the evening, Xing Yuanzhi returned to the Xing family and talked to her father about breaking off the engagement.

"Ah, how did it come to this, how did it come to this?" Xing Wenxing, a middle-aged man with a weak personality, wasn't entirely in favor of calling off the marriage – he felt guilty towards his old friend Cheng Qinghe.

However, his daughter was known as the "Xing Family's Clear Phoenix" and was already ranked among the ninth grade before reaching adulthood. Honestly, the son of his fallen old friend isn't worthy.

Let's be frank, how could a cold sparrow match the Clear Phoenix? Even if it was an agreement between the older generation, it's now become harmful, so why burden the children with it?

Seeing her father hesitating, Xing Yuanzhi mentioned compensation, mainly a monthly living allowance of 10,000 yuan.

So, Xing Wenxing's expression softened, and he nodded, leaving the matter to his daughter.

Since his wife passed away, Xing Wenxing hardly involved himself in family or clan affairs. Every day, he lounged on the sofa like a useless person, leaving everything to his daughter to handle.

Of course, Xing Yuanzhi was also very decisive and capable. Since she intended to dissolve the engagement, and the other party agreed, then so be it.

After bidding her father goodnight, she had her maids assist her with washing up and then dismissed them to rest in bed.

Closing her eyes, she suddenly remembered Cheng Jinyang's lifeless pupils.

For a moment, she felt a little unbearable, but it was quickly dispelled by rationality.

Marriage alliances are about being compatible in status. Since Cheng Jinyang's family background no longer matched hers, it was better to end it sooner rather than later.

Even if they forced it, without the support of the Cheng family, his position in the Xing family would be like an outsider. That would be a greater humiliation to the late Uncle Cheng Qinghe.

Thinking like this, Xing Yuanzhi soon rationalized and convinced herself, sleeping peacefully and contentedly.

Her consciousness gradually sank into the abyss.

...

Cheng Jinyang opened his eyes in the dream. He immediately rolled over and dodged any potential attack that might come.

He had experienced being killed as soon as he entered a dream before, making him extremely cautious in nightmares, anticipating any possible danger.

However, this nightmare was different from previous ones: it wasn't the night when Su Lili died, filled with blood, fire, monsters, and desperate humans running around.

Instead, it was a dark, enclosed room. Rolling away from his original position, Cheng Jinyang controlled his breathing and carefully crawled on the ground, making sure not to make any noise.

Then, he heard faint gasps, accompanied by suppressed sobs. To his right... about two meters away. Cheng Jinyang silently avoided the opposite direction, crawling to the left until he touched the wall, then began to feel around for a suitable weapon.

Suddenly, a flattering voice came from outside, sounding like a woman: "That bastard isn't my child. My dear master, you should know that you're the only one in my heart..."

"Then why did you marry Xing Wenxing?" immediately followed by a furious male voice, sounding hysterical. "It wasn't my choice either, it was my family..."

The woman started sobbing loudly, while the man mercilessly used all sorts of vile language to insult her, as if he wanted to completely break her dignity.

Then, there were delicate gasps outside, causing Cheng Jinyang's face to darken.

Nima, is this not a nightmare? What the hell!

Suddenly, a man's voice resounded: "No! Every time I think about you having a daughter with Xing Wenxing, I can't get myself motivated at all! I wish I could kill you right now, and then kill myself!"

The woman hurriedly begged for mercy and tried to please him, speaking in such a humble manner that it was almost unbearable to hear. Meanwhile, the man continued to insult her verbally and slapped her a few times, shouting, "You bitch, call your daughter out to serve me!"

So the woman reached for the door, started to turn the lock, and pleaded, "Azhi... Azhi, could you come out for a moment? Mom has something nice to show you..."

"Mom, please don't do this!" In the darkness of the room, not far from Cheng Jinyang, a panicked and tender voice immediately rang out, with a hint of suppressed sobbing, "Where's Dad? Why did you bring a stranger into our house? Quickly call Dad back!"

"He's not a stranger, Azhi! He's Mom's friend!"

A seemingly impatient male voice complained again, while the woman outside hastily tapped on the door, her tone becoming increasingly anxious and stern, "Open the door! Open it now, Azhi!"

"No, I won't open it!" The voice also began to protest, its tone strangely familiar to Cheng Jinyang, "Please, Mom. I know what you're going to do, please..."

She sobbed uncontrollably, desperately pleading with the woman outside to spare her, but the other party turned a deaf ear, still forcefully pounding on the door, constantly turning the locked handle, sometimes threatening fiercely, sometimes softening with gentle words, trying all sorts of ways to coax her into opening the door.

Until the man behind finally grew impatient:

"Move, let me do it!"

Then came a loud bang, as if something had smashed onto the door handle.

The girl in the room screamed with a sobbing voice, while outside, there was continuous violent banging on the door, mixed with the man's vicious insults and the woman's stern commands.

Cheng Jinyang cowered in the corner of the room, continuing to grope, finally feeling a small object on the floor, which seemed to be... an iron pellet?

At this moment, amidst the unbearable sound of fragmentation, the door was forcefully smashed open.

Light abruptly flooded into the room, and Cheng Jinyang saw two monsters standing at the doorway, two indescribable entities composed of massive flesh blocks.

As for the corner where the girl's voice had originated, Xing Yuanzhi remained in a kneeling position, her eyes bloodshot with veins bursting, her fair face streaked with crisscrossing tears, her pearl-white teeth clenched tightly. In her left hand, she held a slingshot, while in her right hand, she gripped two steel balls, pulling the polymer rubber band to its limit, firmly aiming at the two monsters at the door.

Throughout the dream, her teeth-gritting roar echoed: "Ten Zhus. Iron Shot!"

Following that, a certain enlightenment from the dream's owner entered his mind: "Ten Zhus. Iron Shot" was an extraordinary algorithm mastered by Xing Yuanzhi at the age of around ten, which amplified the mass of the 2g steel balls to 20g.

The steel balls, propelled by the rubber band, were subjected to the power of "mass effect" during flight, instantly increasing their mass by 10 times. Since the speed was considered constant due to inertia, according to the kinetic energy formula, the relative kinetic energy of the steel balls themselves also increased by 10 times instantly, more than enough to penetrate a person's skull.

Two monsters were immediately pierced by steel balls, and dirty flesh splattered everywhere, causing the entire room to explode. Unmentionable chunks of flesh collapsed to the ground.

Xing Yuanzhi stood dumbfounded for a moment, then grabbed the small knife hidden on her body, screamed, and rushed forward.

She knelt on the body of the flesh monster, tears flowing like a mad beast, hysterically screaming, gripping the small knife tightly in both hands, and once again activating the ability of "Mass Effect," rapidly increasing the mass of the blade.

Then repeatedly swung out chaotic flashes of blood.

.....

Cheng Jinyang suddenly woke up from his bed.

"Wow, that was terrifying! But thankfully, I'm okay."

He quietly touched his body to confirm he was back in reality, not still trapped in a dream.

"So, my nightmare has devolved from a VR game into a horror movie?"

With these thoughts, Cheng Jinyang didn't dare to lie back down but instead sat silently in the darkness for a few minutes before remembering another matter.

"Xing Yuanzhi... How could she appear in my dream? I'm not even close to her!"

"And in the dream, she was like a psycho killer!"

Feeling uneasy, he reached for his phone from beside the pillow and swiftly began gathering information about Xing Yuanzhi.

After scrolling through numerous fan websites, Cheng Jinyang confirmed that Xing Yuanzhi's mother did indeed pass away when she was in primary school, but the Xing family publicly claimed it was due to a sudden illness.

However, Cheng Jinyang was absolutely certain he had no prior knowledge of this.

So... why would he dream of such a scenario?

He quickly changed clothes, got out of bed, and turned on the light.

The electronic clock on the wall indicated it was 3:30 in the morning, the time when people are usually in their deepest sleep.

According to the previous pattern, he should have been battling monsters at this time.

Although he escaped tonight by luck, Cheng Jinyang didn't feel relieved; instead, he felt a strange sense of horror.

He went to the kitchen to make himself a bowl of instant noodles to calm his nerves, and he cracked an egg into it. After finishing the noodles in the living room, with the steaming broth warming his belly, he finally felt some relief from the shock.

Then the doorbell suddenly rang, nearly making him jump out of his chair.

"Who is it?" Cheng Jinyang asked cautiously as he walked towards the door, peering outside through the peephole.

"It's me, Xing Yuanzhi... I want to talk to you about something we didn't finish last time."

Through the peephole, Xing Yuanzhi stared back at him with bloodshot eyes, her gaze piercing straight through him, revealing a cold, stunning, yet chilling smile.