It was Tyler's ability, one Caroline had seen countless times before. Back in the storage space, she had already come up with a strategy. What she didn't expect, though, was that just as the thread in her hand shot out, Goldy lunged at her! Goldy, who had already been caught in the ability, was now trying to bite her. In that moment, Caroline saw something in those icy blue eyes—something different. Goldy—the snake—actually blinked at her. She suddenly remembered that when she first got Goldy, the storage space had mentioned that they'd share a kind of mental link. And in that instant, she truly understood what that meant. Just as Goldy's fangs sank in, Caroline intentionally deactivated the patch of metal skin on her arm. The sharp teeth bit into her flesh. It was shallow. But Caroline pretended it hurt—a lot. Her face twisted in pain. She stumbled back, flinging her arm, and quickly recalled Goldy into the storage space. But from Dyson's point of view, it looked like Goldy had bitten Caroline, and in a fit of rage, she'd killed the little snake without even leaving a trace behind. Caroline shook her head hard, as if struggling against some kind of venom. She gritted her teeth, eyes burning into Dyson. "Dyson, my snake is venomous. I'm not gonna make it ... and I sure as hell won't let you live. We're going down together!" The thread in her hand kept extending, whipping toward Dyson like a striking serpent. But Dyson didn't move an inch. He stood there with the same calm smile on his face. "Didn't expect you to use Tyler's ability. But sorry, if I'm planning to kill Tyler, of course I've come prepared," he said. The moment he finished speaking, Caroline's metallic thread had already reached him, and its tip transforming into a gleaming blade. But the tiny blade couldn't pierce Dyson's defense.At the same time, she saw him make a blowing motion with his mouth. Right then, she felt a wave of heat rush toward her. It was like an invisible person had exhaled right in her face. She instantly felt her metal skin start to burn, after all, metal conducts heat. So this was Dyson's plan to counter Tyler's ability—using a power that could superheat the air around the target, forcing the metal skin to overheat and injure the user from the inside out. She made a mental note to warn Tyler that he'd need to be careful about this kind of attack in the future. Caroline staggered, then collapsed to the floor. This time, the pain was real. She deactivated the metal skin and looked down—her skin was visibly burned. Some areas had even started to blister and peel. She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to drink any spring water—she still had a scene to finish. With the "venom attack" just moments earlier, the effects stacked perfectly. She tried to get up again, but her body gave out, and she fell back down. Clutching her head, she acted like she was in extreme pain, dizzy and disoriented. Then she dropped flat onto the ground, as if she'd passed out, or maybe even died. "Damn, Caroline, don't die on me now. I've been working my ass off, don't let it all go to waste," Dyson said. But even as he spoke, his voice still held a hint of amusement, like he was joking with her. Caroline's body twitched suddenly, just enough to let Dyson know: she wasn't dead. Not yet. Footsteps echoed through the room as Dyson walked toward Caroline. He had stepped out of his protective zone. And the moment he did, a small snake shot out from the corner—sinking its fangs right into his arm. "Ah!" Dyson screamed. Just as Caroline looked like she had no strength left and was on the verge of death, she suddenly sat up straight.She pulled out a bottle of spring water from her storage space and gulped it down. The burning pain all over her body finally began to ease. Caroline got to her feet and walked over to where Dyson had collapsed. Even though her body was still covered in burns, her face twisted and half-destroyed, her eyes were shining with a terrifying brightness. "Dyson, your ability is powerful, and you're smart too. But you never should've had that dream, and you definitely shouldn't have come looking for trouble with us." Dyson's eyes went wide. The venom was already spreading through his system. He stared at Caroline like he wanted to say something, but the words never came out. "Because I'm your daddy," Caroline said flatly. She reached out, trying to copy Dyson's ability. But to her surprise—it didn't work. Which meant Dyson's power came from a color of energy she didn't have access to. If she had to guess, it was probably ... just like Shane's—part of the "Transcendent Ability" class. But it didn't really matter. Caroline wasn't that desperate for his ability anyway. After all, hers could copy other things just fine.