Han Meng pushed open the door and walked in. Liu Ying and Bai Shumo followed him, closing the door behind them.
The room was not large, about twenty square meters, but the furnishings were simple yet complete.
A wide wooden bed was made with a clean quilt, a warm yellow lamp sat on the nightstand, a desk and a chair were placed against the wall, and a simple wardrobe stood in the corner.
The windows were tightly shut, sealing out the sound of the wind and snow outside until it was almost inaudible.
What surprised the three of them most was the bathroom.
A sink, a toilet, and a showerhead were all fully provided, and hot water steamed out the moment the faucet was turned.
Bai Shumo stood in the middle of the room, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no listening devices did he set down his black wooden staff and sit in the chair.
Liu Ying leaned against the windowsill with her arms crossed. Her narrow, phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly, and she remained silent.
Han Meng sat on the edge of the bed and fell silent for a moment before lowering his voice. “What do you think?”
Liu Ying snorted coldly, her voice also very low.
“What do I think? A young woman who looks to be in her early twenties is running such a massive shelter in this Ruin Zone. She doesn't guard against three Level 4 Ability Users like us, and she didn't even leave anyone to watch us...”
“She's either completely naive, or she has absolute confidence in her backup.”
Bai Shumo pushed up his non-existent glasses and spoke unhurriedly.
“I've already sensed the area. In the entire building, other than her, the strongest are only one or two Level 3s. The rest can't even be considered Ability Users.”
Liu Ying chimed in, a trace of disbelief in her tone.
“Along the way, we didn't see a single Level 3 Ability User. They're all ordinary people and Level 1 or Level 2 Ability Users...”
“We can't see through Su Wan's strength, but even if she is a Level 4 Late Stage, she wouldn't gain any advantage facing the three of us at the same time.”
“Just what is she relying on?”
Han Meng was silent for a moment, his voice deep. “The Rot-Walker corpses outside, there are at least three to four thousand of them...”
“For a shelter to kill so many Rot-Walkers in a single battle, it's impossible that she did it all alone.”
“There must have been helpers in that battle,” Liu Ying said with certainty. “But all we see now is Su Wan.”
“That means...” Bai Shumo's voice was slow and steady, but every word fell clearly into the ears of the other two.
“Those combat forces are either not inside Terminal Station, or they are hidden somewhere we can't see.”
The room fell quiet for a few seconds.
Han Meng's fingers tapped twice on his knee, his voice dropping even lower.
“Do you think... that Level 4 Rot-Walker was killed by her?”
Liu Ying and Bai Shumo looked at him at the same time.
“If she really killed it,” Han Meng continued, “then that ring is highly likely on her person.”
Liu Ying's eyelid twitched slightly, her fingers brushing against the short blade at her waist.
“Then should we...” Liu Ying's voice carried a hint of eagerness, “make a move?”
Han Meng did not answer immediately.
He stood up and walked to the window.
The mist of the Death Tide had already enveloped this corner of the earth, turning the entire world into a chaotic void.
“In this shelter, she's the only one capable of fighting.”
“If we can take her by surprise, succeed in one strike, and control her...”
“Not only can we get the ring back, but won't this shelter also be ours for the taking?”
The corners of Liu Ying's mouth curved slightly, revealing a cold smile.
“No...” Han Meng stood before the window, his tone firm.
“To run such a large shelter in the Ruin Zone, kill a Level 4 Rot-Walker, and let three Level 4 Ability Users in without batting an eye...”
“Someone like that is absolutely not as simple as she appears on the surface.”
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Liu Ying and Bai Shumo. “We must absolutely not act rashly.”
“We should observe first. Once we figure out her background, we can make our plans.”
Liu Ying nodded, withdrawing her hand from the hilt of her blade.
“Then let's wait and see for now.”
What none of the three expected was that their conversation, which they thought was careful enough, fell clearly into Su Wan's ears, word for word.
Within the domain of Terminal Station, all speech, all thoughts, and all energy fluctuations could not escape her perception.
She already distrusted these three, so she naturally kept a close eye on their every move.
Su Wan leaned back against her chair in Room 102, playing with the dark silver ring in her hand as a smile slowly curved her lips.
“So they came for this.”
“A ring hidden inside the stomach of a Level 4 Rot-Walker, chased all the way from Glory City to Panshi City...”
“No wonder you made up a decent-sounding excuse about a mission in Tianshu City. It turns out you were chasing that Rot-Walker.”
If Han Meng and the other two hadn't harbored ill intentions and had just stayed honestly for a night before leaving, she might not have done anything to them.
But now...
“Since you are already discussing how to kill me, I don't need to be polite either.”
Su Wan stood up, stored the ring back into her system space, and turned to walk out of Room 102.
At the end of the corridor on the sixth floor.
Liu Ying was bending over to check the seal of the windowsill. Finding no issues, she prepared to stand up and sit back down.
To her surprise, her slightly bent waist could not straighten no matter what.
It wasn't just her body; even her fingers seemed unable to move!
Han Meng's body froze as well.
He tried to turn his head, only to find his neck felt as if it were cast in concrete, completely immobile.
“What is go—”
He couldn't finish his sentence because he couldn't even open his mouth anymore.
Liu Ying's body was frozen before the windowsill, maintaining her bent posture. One of her hands was suspended in mid-air, her fingers still holding the pose of touching the edge of the windowsill.
The eyes of the three rolled frantically in their sockets, their pupils churning with unbelievable horror.
They desperately mobilized their Ability Cores to resist, but that power was like the very rules of the world itself, completely irresistible.
Unhurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
With a creak, the room door was pushed open.
Su Wan stood at the doorway, looking at the three of them with a smile.
“You three are having quite a lively chat?”
Han Meng's pupils contracted violently, his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.
Su Wan walked into the middle of the room, her gaze slowly sweeping over their faces as she smiled.
“So, have you made up your minds on how to deal with me?”
Han Meng wanted to explain, wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but the Rule Power suppressed him, preventing him from uttering even a single syllable.
“No need to explain,” Su Wan waved her hand, her tone casual.
“I know you came for this thing.”
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