Chapter 88 - 87: I’ll Try My Best
Cao Wei was the first person Yang Shen noticed waking up.
But he wasn’t happy at all... because if Cao Wei was awake, that meant the others would be soon.
Their different ages, strengths, and levels of willpower meant they would wake up at different times, but it was obvious Cao Wei wasn’t the strongest among them.
But the black barrier, which not even Director Liu could penetrate, hadn’t vanished. They were still trapped like beasts in a cage.
With a few more people awake, the situation could become even more complicated.
It was true that Martial Arts flourished on Cyan Blue, but it was an exaggeration to think that a random group of people from a shop would all be combat experts.
There was no ruling out the possibility of quite a few "Chen Beiwang types" among them.
Meanwhile, this group of Exotic Strange Guests had strength at the Marrow Refining level at a minimum. They were seasoned fighters with their own weapons, and now that they’d gone mad, they were utterly fearless.
’The ideal situation: those who can fight, help. Those who can’t, stay down. Otherwise, we three experts will have to divert our attention to protect them.’
In Yang Shen’s mind, Cao Wei was undoubtedly a weakling. She might be able to act tough at school, but in a conflict like this, she would only get in the way.
Yang Shen placed Cao Wei in a corner and said in a low voice, "Stay down! Don’t move!"
Yang Shen had already moved almost everyone, so even when they regained consciousness, they would do so in the corners...
But if they started moving around, they might find a "Strange Guest" in their face before they could even react...
So now... he was the only target left in the pharmacy.
Yang Shen glanced down at his tattered suit, then ripped it off, revealing a lean, muscular torso.
He scanned the wreckage of the battlefield and spotted a black long spear embedded in a pillar. He immediately dashed forward, intending to use it himself.
But as soon as he pulled it free, the black substance turned into a viscous liquid and shot back to one of the Exotic Strange Guests, reforming into a tattoo on its body.
Director Liang saw this from a distance. After a moment’s thought, while fending off an attack, he suddenly exerted his strength with one hand.
He plunged his hand deep into a pile of rubble and pulled!
Brick and stone shattered and flew!
Using some unknown force-exertion technique, he had actually pulled out an intact, two-meter-long steel pipe!
Director Liang flicked the steel pipe a few times with his fingers, then threw it toward Yang Shen.
"Remember, defense is your priority. Don’t be reckless."
Yang Shen caught it in mid-air. It felt thick and solid in his grasp.
It was no worse in quality than the Standard Long Spear he usually practiced with!
’What an incredible technique... Is this the Martial Dao Will causing an Infection of the outside world? Just like my own Flame Fist...’
’Fist Intent is truly incredible... Director Liang’s methods are on another level!’
Yang Shen twirled the spear in a flourish and lowered his stance. His eyes sharpened, a faint Spiritual Light glimmering within them.
The Rising Sun Wheel inside him spun faster and faster, a sign that the "Source" within his body was becoming highly active.
During the earlier rescue efforts, he had already reached his peak condition!
Gradually, a faint steam began to rise from Yang Shen’s body...
This steam... didn’t dissipate immediately. Instead, drawn by the Rising Sun Wheel inside him, it coiled around his body.
It was like white Celestial Silk, circling him... ethereal and indistinct.
One hand braced on the ground, the other holding the spear behind his back, he was like a cheetah poised to strike.
"I’ll try."
Huo Jun always said Yang Shen was a genius, that his heart never wavered when it was time to kill.
Most of the time Yang Shen didn’t pay it any mind... but today...
He was truly itching to draw blood!
....
「Commercial Street. Outside.」
The commercial street had been in an uproar ever since the main Jinkang Pharmacy was suddenly enveloped by a black sphere ten minutes ago.
Countless onlookers had gathered. Some were amazed, some were calling the police, and others were hurrying to get away.
A panting figure ran up. It was Huang Gang, who had been chasing them this whole time, only to come up empty-handed.
He hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Yang Shen or Wu, having followed them by asking passersby for directions along the way.
After all, two Martial Artists recklessly fighting while on the run were hard to miss.
By now, two patrol officers were outside Jinkang Pharmacy, nervously reporting the situation to their superiors. They were just local beat cops, only at the Marrow Refining Realm, and after a few attempts, they too had failed to breach the black sphere.
When they questioned the onlookers, they were only told, "Two people rushed inside, and then that black dome just appeared."
Huang Gang pushed through the crowd, but an officer immediately moved to block him. "Get back!"
Huang Gang said urgently, "I think my classmate is in there! He went in chasing a wanted criminal!"
"What did you say?!"
Just then, two figures jogged over, pulling out their credentials.
"Criminal Investigation Division, Zheng Tao and Luo Sheng. What’s the situation here?!"
The patrol officer, finally seeing his superiors, said, "Sirs, the situation is still unclear, but this young man here says there’s a wanted criminal involved!"
Huang Gang didn’t recognize Luo Sheng, but he explained loudly, "It’s Martial Arts Psychosis! No... it’s the mastermind who’s causing the psychosis! Our school had a Training Camp... there was an instructor named Wu..."
After listening to his rambling explanation, Zheng Tao frowned slightly and immediately said to the patrol officer, "Disperse the crowd. Reinforcements will be here soon."
As the patrol officer ran off to clear the area, Zheng Tao said to Luo Sheng, "How come I always run into big trouble with you? We just got back from that mess out on the ocean, and I just wanted to grab a quiet meal in Jinshui District... Are you a jinx reincarnated?"
Luo Sheng replied without a change in expression, "Perhaps."
With that, he walked forward and placed his hand on the black sphere.
’A very strange sensation... but it’s undoubtedly some kind of special application of the ’Source’.’
’It can’t be destroyed by mere brute force... at least, not by most people.’
Zheng Tao waited until most of the onlookers had been driven away before asking, "Any ideas? Can you burn it down?"
Luo Sheng observed the size of the black sphere, which extended from the first floor of the pharmacy up to the second.
Moreover, since it was a traditional business, the facade of Jinkang Pharmacy was decorated with a large amount of wood, complete with carved dragons and painted phoenixes.
"It’s tricky. It could start a fire... Call the fire department, just in case."
Zheng Tao turned to make the call, while Luo Sheng, after a moment of quiet contemplation, glanced behind him.
In every window there, citizens stood watching the commotion.
But he stared intently at just one spot.
After a moment, he simply put his hands in his pockets and took a few steps back.
It seemed he had no intention of making a move...
——————
Inside the pharmacy, Yang Shen gripped his "steel spear," searching for an opportunity to strike.
The ones truly holding the line were undoubtedly Director Liang and Director Liu. Both were Late-stage Innate masters; one had mastered Fist Intent and its extensions, while the other possessed an official, Director-Level Cultivation Technique from Yanhua Country.
But Yang Shen wasn’t without his own opportunities. He was confident he could hold his own even against a Late-stage Marrow Refining expert, and besides, he had been observing the chaotic melee for a long time.
He had figured out most of the tricks these "Exotic Strange Guests" had up their sleeves.
Each one fought in a similar fashion. He didn’t know if everyone from the Exotic Realm was like this, or if they all belonged to the same faction and heritage.
Just then, dozens of black spikes shot through the air, compressing it with a loud HUM!
The "steel spear" in Yang Shen’s hand immediately spun with millimeter precision, sweeping them all aside with a series of CLANGS.
He had to admit, the "Madman Special Training Camp" was genuinely useful. Without the training he’d received in blocking bullets, he would have been virtually helpless against ranged threats.
These black spikes were terrifying, but they were much slower and larger than bullets.
Yang Shen’s eyes swept across the battlefield. In a chaotic brawl like this, there was no "picking your opponent." You attacked wherever you saw an opening!
Just then, seven or eight of the Strange Guests ganged up on Director Liu. With their palms pressed together, the black substance from their bodies morphed into solid iron chains, shooting out to entangle him.
Director Liu snapped one chain with a flex of his chest, but a second and then a third quickly flew in to take its place.
The group of seven or eight bound Director Liu tightly, constantly pulling as if they meant to draw and quarter him. They even began to spin, causing the chains to bind him even more securely.
Director Liu was undeniably powerful, but his strength was primarily immense and enduring, while his agility and speed were somewhat lacking.
At this moment, Yang Shen moved.
The coiling steam left a trail in his wake as a glint of cold light shot forward—the tip of his spear.
But the Strange Guest was no pushover. The tattoos on its body automatically converged on its back, forming a black shield.
However, having observed for so long, Yang Shen’s attack was methodical. He immediately dropped low, executing a spin that kicked up dust and steam, and appeared in front of the creature.
Empowered by the Rising Sun Wheel, his greatest characteristic was being "Harmonious and powerful." His changes of direction were utterly seamless, as if he were stepping on flywheels!
The spear tip aimed for the vital point over the creature’s heart!
The female Strange Guest abandoned its hold on Director Liu, attempting to grab the spearhead with both hands, but it was skewered through them. Yang Shen pressed his advantage, driving it back several steps and pinning it to a pillar.
The female Strange Guest’s eyes bulged as if they would split, the scarlet haze within them clearing for a moment!
It used all its strength to try and resist the long spear piercing the vital point on its chest.
But in the end, Yang Shen overpowered it, the tip of the spear sinking deeper and deeper into the creature’s heart.
The tip of the spear was scorching hot, a high temperature caused by the Infection of his Rising Sun Fist Intent.
A sizzling sound came from its chest as the flesh began to cook.