THIP Chapter 45 V1

Of course, she wasn’t dead.

Jieyin’s pupils were dark and deep, unreadable. She let out a soft chuckle and asked, “Back then, when you all tried to do that to me, was it Xu Chi or Zhuo Yan who gave the order?”

Hearing this, Mu Liuyin’s heart clenched with anxiety. Even though she knew the original host had no memory of this event, who could guarantee this man wouldn’t spill something dangerous?

As Jieyin spoke, her dark eyes stayed fixed on the man’s gaze. In that instant, it was as if he was falling into a vast, starry abyss—his consciousness dimmed, and the only thing echoing in his mind was her question. In a daze, he muttered, “It was Zhuo Yan. Xu Chi just thought we were going to kill you.”

Mu Liuyin: !!!

She almost cursed out loud.

Her eyes flashed with murderous intent as she glared at the man, bitterly regretting that she’d brought him here for Jieyin to handle personally.

The man suddenly looked terrified. “You awakened a hypnotic ability?!”

That was the last thing he ever said. As soon as he answered, Jieyin made her move.

His body began to age rapidly, then wither, and in the end, only a pile of ash remained—like the remnants of something burnt to dust.

It was Mu Liuyin’s first time seeing Jieyin kill someone using her original power—ability stripping. She was momentarily stunned. The scene wasn’t bloody at all, but it was terrifying beyond reason.

Jieyin said with a hint of regret, “Too bad his ability was fire-based. I already have that one.”

Mu Liuyin forced a stiff smile. “Yeah… what a waste.”

She couldn’t help but think about how many unknown powers Jieyin had stripped when no one was around, especially after witnessing that hypnotic technique.

“After all the people from Chiguang who’ve died, someone’s bound to notice something’s wrong,” Jieyin said, turning to Mu Liuyin. “So…”

Mu Liuyin blinked. “So what?”

“So, I plan to take the opportunity to kill Zhuo Yan.” Jieyin’s lips curled into a faint smile. “You’ll help me, won’t you… Feng Yan?”

When she said “Feng Yan,” her voice lifted slightly at the end.

Mu Liuyin felt a bit guilty for some reason—she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some deeper meaning behind Jieyin’s words.

But how could she say no to something like this? With a huff, she replied, “Troublesome!”

In just three weeks, seven members of the Chiguang mercenary team had died, which finally caught Zhuo Yan’s attention. Truth be told, in the post-apocalyptic world, people died every day. Seven deaths over three weeks weren’t a lot. But the problem was, all the dead were from Chiguang, and they were all veterans who had followed Zhuo Yan before the team even arrived at the central base.

Unfortunately, aside from the last one, who disappeared mysteriously, the other six all appeared to have died by accident, no matter how she looked at it.

Zhuo Yan had no leads. It never even crossed her mind that the culprits were Jieyin, whom she believed long dead, and Xu Chi, who had seemingly left on his own.

After returning from dealing with affairs at Chiguang, Zhuo Yan was plagued by nightmares all night.

In the dreams, she became Jieyin, cornered by her teammates and nearly violated. But unlike Jieyin, who had escaped the temporary shelter, in the dream, Zhuo Yan never made it out.

She experienced, in full detail, everything Jieyin would have endured had she failed to escape.

She woke up drenched in cold sweat, and even opening her eyes felt like a struggle.

Fully conscious, she suffered through it all until the moment of her death in the dream—that was when she’d finally wake.

The most terrifying part? The nightmare repeated for four nights straight.

Even someone like Zhuo Yan, who didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, began to suspect Jieyin’s ghost had come back for revenge. Otherwise, why would she be trapped in the same nightmare again and again? Why were all the dead members of Chiguang the very ones who had nearly ruined Jieyin?

On the fifth day, Duan Qi was assigned a mission, and Zhuo Yan happened to be on the same list.

Mu Liuyin didn’t know Jieyin had already taken action against Zhuo Yan. In the original plot, Jieyin had never acquired any dream-related powers, so Mu Liuyin hadn’t thought much of what seemed like a useless ability. But she didn’t know that unless someone had an ability two tiers stronger than Jieyin’s, Jieyin would be the ultimate master in the dream world.

Delighted, Mu Liuyin brought the news to Jieyin.

Jieyin smiled and said, “Then I’ll make my move during the mission.”

And so, even after leaving the base, Zhuo Yan found herself haunted by the same nightmare. Within just a few days, she looked more and more haggard.

On the fourth night of the mission, Zhuo Yan went alone to relieve herself. Just after finishing and taking a few steps, she saw a tall, elegant woman standing in front of her.

When she saw the woman’s face, Zhuo Yan stumbled back in terror. The dreams flashed in her mind, draining the color from her face. She fled while stammering, “Jieyin—it wasn’t me! I didn’t hurt you!”

“Oh?” Jieyin blinked in front of her in an instant, smiling faintly. “If it wasn’t you, then why are you running?”

In the moonlight, Jieyin’s shadow stretched long on the ground. Zhuo Yan froze. “You’re not a ghost!!”

Jieyin’s smile deepened, but in Zhuo Yan’s eyes, it was the grin of death itself. In that moment, everything clicked—those nightmares were Jieyin’s doing, a product of her ability. Zhuo Yan immediately screamed for help and shouted Duan Qi’s name.

After all, she was just a healer with no combat power.

She wasn’t far from the tent, but not a single person came to help her.

That was because Jieyin had already used a poison-based ability she’d stolen—attacking from the shadows, knocking everyone unconscious, including Duan Qi. Naturally, no one could hear Zhuo Yan’s cries.

She had no grudge with the others and didn’t intend to kill them. But to ensure they didn’t interfere with her revenge, it was better to knock them out first.

Mu Liuyin was standing guard at the tent to make sure Duan Qi, the strongest among them, didn’t wake up.

Then, with her wood-based ability, Jieyin trapped Zhuo Yan in place with a “prison of roots,”—sealing her fate.

Zhuo Yan broke down. “Jieyin, please let me go, okay? All of those things were Xu Chi’s idea! I had nothing to do with it. And besides, he abandoned me, too!”

Jieyin’s lips pressed into a thin line, her pitch-black eyes radiating coldness.