Four Split Personalities

"Ah?"

Ji Xiaoge was momentarily stunned, then chuckled as she wrapped her uninjured hand around Motan’s neck, smiling, "What are you talking about? I should be the one thanking you for rushing over to rescue me."

"Uh... you’re welcome."

"Could it be that you’re shy?"

"A bit, it would help a lot if you didn’t stare at me so intently."

"Wow, that’s honest."

"Cough, this distance should be about right, you should rest for a while."

In a few sentences, Motan had successfully carried Ji Xiaoge to a spot slightly farther away, less than ten meters from where Jadka had fallen, then gently set the girl down on the ground, and turned to face the astonished Sergei again.

The latter did not take the opportunity to pursue them; in fact, after those two breaths of Dragon Breath from Mo, Sergei had ceased any further movements. His expression was unsightly, his gaze filled with uncertainty, and a dark cyan Qi Force quietly spread all over his body, vigilantly observing every move Motan made.

The strength that could injure him, speed several times greater than before, tough protective scales, exceptional flying ability, and even fire breathing...

Powerful Half-Dragon Sergei had seen others before, but he had never encountered a Half-Dragon like Motan who could undergo such an advanced evolution, whether it was his ability to emit Dragon Breath or the faintly metallic dragon wings on his back, none were commonly possessed by ordinary Half-Dragon People. Add to that a certain imperceptible Dragon Might that had lingered ever since the opponent had erupted, Sergei immediately concluded that ’the opponent was indeed capable of contending with him.’

But that’s all there was to it, just capable of contending with him. This senior operative of the Viper Chamber of Commerce was very clear that the opponent’s current state can’t be maintained for long, and would likely suffer substantial repercussions afterward, otherwise he would have already transformed into this imposing Half-Dragon shape and combatted him earlier.

The more a secret technique could potentially increase one’s strength significantly, the more severe the consequences would be. Sergei, who had exchanged a few blows with Motan before, was very clear about the latter’s level, not exaggerating to say that now his strength had at least tripled, thus he must be prepared to pay a terrible price.

At best, a burst of exertion may revert him to his original state, severely injuring his vitality; at worst, it might even cost something like his life as a price—in any case, it was impossible to become stronger without reason.

As for that certain air that made him instinctively tremble, it must be the so-called ’Dragon Might,’ but that sort of thing could at most boost one’s air and attitude, and would not play a big role in the actual fight, so it was nothing to fear.

Sergei, gradually understanding the situation, quickly calmed down. He held his breath, focused his mind, and while approaching Motan step by step without revealing any flaws, he conjured two spiral Qi Forces around his arms and coldly asked, "Half-Dragon, you don’t really think such flashy yet empty tricks can scare me, do you?"

"Correct, and you’ve already been frightened by me, haven’t you?"

Motan gently flapped his wings twice, moving towards Sergei at the same speed, his voice deep and sonorous, "Clearly, you have thought it through, and came to the conclusion that although there is still a gap in strength, I am now capable of injuring you. Based on this, you’ve decided to play it safe. If possible, you’d prefer to outlast my ’current state’ while perfectly preserving yourself, right?"

Sergei stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes maliciously at Motan, "Being clever by half isn’t a good habit, kid."

"This isn’t being clever by half; it’s just a very simple deduction. Often, the more despicable the character, the easier they are to read. You should be thankful that I am in a relatively normal state of mind now. If we had met under other circumstances, not to mention conclusions that could be drawn just from your actions and expressions, ’I’ wouldn’t even let go of your... and would use very vicious remarks to slander you. Of course, I don’t like to do that now."

Motan’s intention was just to delay time, so naturally, he didn’t mind exchanging a few more words with his opponent, thereby coolly taunting Sergei before he too stopped walking, lightly gripped his right hand that had almost completely transformed into a dragon’s claw, and said calmly, "I won’t make the first move, so what do you plan to do? Would you like to get rid of me as quickly as possible, or stick with your original idea of waiting until my strength is exhausted?"

"If I want to kill you, I can do it at any time."

On the surface, Sergei remained composed, but inwardly he was filled with uncertainty because his initial plan was indeed to cautiously wait out the opponent’s transformation. However, after Motan’s confident inquiry earlier, he gradually began to hesitate.

If the opponent doesn’t mind dragging this out, would continuing this stalemate be disadvantageous to me?

Or could it be that the secret technique he is using grows stronger the longer it lasts?

If so, it would be wisest to seize the moment and finish him off now.

But perhaps, this person is just bluffing, deliberately misleading my judgment, trying to trick me into exerting all my strength during his limited time to fight him, intentionally shaking my ’play it safe’ strategy.