"Youâd best stand right there and not move," Xie Ning said coolly, her gaze fixed on the manâs advancing feet.
Of course, the bare-chested thug wasnât going to listen to her. He lunged forward, reaching out to grab the young womanâs shoulder.
CHK. A sharp Metal Spike shot with incredible speed toward the bare-chested thugâs palm.
But the expected piercing didnât happen. A thick layer of earth materialized over the manâs hand.
The Metal Spike managed to pierce it, but only enough to leave a shallow indent on the thugâs palm.
Even so, the thug was startled. A strange glint flashed in his eyes. "Youâre a Superpower User, too."
Xie Ning didnât answer. Seven or eight hard Metal Spikes shot from her hand, all aimed at the bare-chested thugâs throat.
"How can you control so much of your superpower at once?" The bare-chested thug was shocked, and that shock quickly turned into terror.
âThis girl is way too ruthless! She goes for the neck at the slightest disagreement. With that many spikes, itâs a death sentence, isnât it?â
The bare-chested thug quickly wrapped his neck in a layer of earth, but he was a step too slow.
A Metal Spike suddenly shot toward his temple.
"Wait!" A man in a large gold chain burst out from the main gate. He was holding a little girl who looked about two years old high above his head. "Girl, youâd better think carefully before you kill him. If you kill him, I kill her."
"Qiqi! Qiqi!" Zhu HuiZhen came stumbling out. The moment she saw Xie Ning standing there, she lunged forward, crying, "Miss Xie, please donât! Iâm begging you, donât hurt my Qiqi!"
Xie Ningâs brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
âIs this woman an idiot?â
"So, you know each other." The man with the gold chain smirked. "Miss Xie? You must be that âHedgehogâ Superpower User my cousin was talking about."
"Bro, thatâs her! Itâs her!" Xiao Huang Mao ran out from inside the building, pointing at Xie Ning and shouting, "Bro, this woman is extremely dangerous. Be careful!"
Xie Ning narrowed her eyes, focusing on Xiao Huang Mao. At the same time, she extended her senses toward his hand.
She discovered the residual presence of metal inside Xiao Huang Maoâs finger and an idea sparked in her mind.
She tried to manipulate those scattered bits of metal. Suddenly, a thin, sharp spike burst out of Xiao Huang Maoâs thumb.
It erupted from the inside out. The sharp, piercing pain made Xiao Huang Mao look down and let out a strangled cry.
âHuh?â Even Xie Ning was a little surprised. âSo as long as I can sense the metallic presence, I can control it, no matter where it is.â
âThis could be very useful. Itâs quite effective for scaring people when they least expect it.â
âJust like now, for instance...â
"AHHHH!" Xiao Huang Mao collapsed to the ground in terror, his body shaking uncontrollably. "Donât kill me! Donât kill me!"
Xiao Huang Mao must have remembered Xie Ningâs earlier threat. The thought of the metal fragments teleporting into his head and blowing it to pieces made him pee his pants on the spot.
In reality, the metallic residue was just under his skin. It hadnât entered his bloodstream, so there was no way for it to travel through his body.
Xiao Huang Mao had thoroughly terrified himself.
"Do you want to live?" There was no light in Xie Ningâs eyes; they were as dark and still as a pool of frigid, stagnant water.
Xiao Huang Mao gulped. "Yes."
Xie Ning gestured with her chin toward a corner. "Get that rope and tie him up."
Seeing how calm she was, the man with the gold chain let out an exasperated laugh. "You really donât give a damn about this kidâs life, do you?"
"Whatâs it to me?"