After swiftly dispatching one opponent, Qin Ming's expression twisted with fury as he reached out, clamping his other hand onto the neck of the second female assailant, hoisting her off the ground. Quick to react, she lashed out with her arms, revealing two steel claws that sliced into Qin Ming's hand, embedding themselves deep into his flesh.
With a pained yell, Qin Ming yanked her close and clamped his teeth down on her neck.
B-Rank Skill: Essence Drain! Activated!
As his skill took hold, the once-aggressive adventurer's body began to wither and shrink, her attributes forcibly drained by five points across the board. Though the Essence Drain hadn't killed her outright, the damage left her utterly helpless. Before she could even think of escaping, Qin Ming, now brimming with renewed strength, pulled out his revolver and fired multiple rounds into her body.
Two down.
While Qin Ming's kill was quick and ruthless, on the other side of the plane, Mary had also sprung into action with deadly resolve. This wasn't some delicate flower; she'd survived as a secret agent's daughter, having gone deep undercover in hostile territory to assassinate her father's killers.
The idea of dying in a plane crash made her merciless. Bracing her hands on a nearby seat, she launched a powerful kick at one attacker's neck, snapping it clean. Then she vaulted into the air, wrapped her legs around a second opponent's neck, and twisted with all her might.
A bone-chilling crack echoed through the cabin as his head turned at a ninety-degree angle.
Skill: Spiral Drop!
With lethal precision, Mary took down the second man, then kicked off his still-standing body to launch herself at her third target. Her first kick struck his chest, and a second kick to his temple twisted his head with a final, sickening crunch.
As she turned to face the last adversary, he stood, his face drained of color as he watched his teammates fall. Realizing the severity of the situation, he pulled out a grenade and was about to pull the pin.
Qin Ming's face paled as he dropped his latest kill. Desperately, he raised his hand to throw another Sonic Hand Slash, but it was already too late.
Suddenly, Mary dashed forward in a blur.
B-Rank Skill: Mary Typhoon!
In a streak of afterimages, Mary closed the gap in an instant, crashing her full weight into the last man. She struck his head, his ribs, his arms, and legs in rapid succession until every bone in his body was shattered. The grenade fell from his limp hand, and Mary snatched it out of the air, stopping just long enough to wipe the cold sweat from her brow.
The adventurer's broken body dropped to the floor like a sack of pulp, his bones entirely crushed. Mary and Qin Ming's earlier skirmish had been misleading; her locking moves hadn't worked on him only because Qin Ming's defenses were so high.
With his post-skill power boost, his constitution was at 40 points, strength at 38, and defense at 13. After his Essence Drain had taken five points from Mary, she had barely stood a chance at overpowering him.
Most adventurers were little more than paper targets to a story character like Mary. Holding the grenade, she brushed a hand over her forehead, relieved, and gave Qin Ming a cheerful thumbs-up.
Qin Ming didn't return the smile. Instead, he raised his hands to shield his face in alarm.
Confused, Mary barely had time to process his reaction before the sound of metal clinking reached her ears.
Behind her, the cockpit door had opened, and a grim-faced man tossed a live grenade at her, rolling it across the floor.
A powerful explosion roared through the cabin, sending shockwaves in every direction and tearing apart the aircraft's walls. Thrown forward by the blast, Mary hurtled toward Qin Ming before being dragged back by the roaring wind.
The ruptured cabin opened to the sky, and the powerful suction of the high-altitude air began pulling passengers out of the plane. Mary's body flailed helplessly as she was torn out alongside the other passengers, all plummeting toward the earth below like ragdolls.
As the aircraft lurched violently, Qin Ming clung to a piece of metal to avoid being sucked out. Gritting his teeth, he knew the plane was lost. He forced himself to crawl toward the cockpit, hoping to find a parachute and escape.
But…
Screech!
A piercing sound accompanied his attempt to pry open the door. The cockpit's windshield shattered, and several parachutes were sucked out, vanishing into the sky.
Standing by the broken glass was the last adventurer, the one who had thrown the grenade. He looked back at Qin Ming with a sneering grin, saluted, and then jumped out with the last parachute on his back.
His dive was smooth, his exit flawless… until he felt something strange.
Qin Ming's Sonic Hand Slash had flown straight for him. The blade didn't need to hit the man; it only had to hit the parachute.
As he plummeted, the adventurer's parachute shredded in two. Desperately, he fumbled with the remains, but it was no use. With a final scream, he spiraled downwards to the ground.
"I told you, you don't get to mess with me and walk away," Qin Ming muttered, glaring at the cockpit controls he didn't understand. Rifling through the cockpit, he found nothing of value—no more parachutes, only the broken bodies of the flight crew.
Then he looked out the window and spotted a glimmer of hope.
One of the parachutes that had been sucked out earlier was snagged on a piece of twisted metal outside the plane.