Chapter 55
Han Li – POV
I double over the sink, hands gripping the porcelain so tightly my knuckles go white.
The taste of blood is sharp, metallic, acidic on my tongue.
I spit into the basin, watching it bloom red in the clear water. More follows. Thick. Viscous.
It's not the first time.
The system is getting desperate.
I flush the mess down and lean against the cold ceramic, chest heaving. My vision blurs, spots dancing at the edge of my eyes, pressure building behind my temples like something might crack open from the inside.
For a moment, all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears, the faint echo of the waves crashing outside this luxury villa. The aftershock of the system's punishment rattles through me like a second heartbeat—violent and unwanted.
I inhale. Once. Twice. Slow and steady.
Eventually, the pain settles. The tremors stop. My vision sharpens again, and the color seeps back into the world.
I exhale through my nose.
Still alive.
Barely.
