Chapter 142 - 141: Fire-Tipped Spear
In Building 14, the faint sounds of a fight were mostly muffled by the generous spacing between the villas.
Ye Qingyao’s closest neighbor was nearly a hundred meters away. Furthermore, tall trees had been planted between the two yards to ensure privacy.
Of the six members of the Rebel Species, two were posted as lookouts on the perimeter. Their job was to eliminate any security guards who came to investigate and to sound an alarm if they encountered a Martial Arts Practitioner from the neighborhood they couldn’t defeat.
Although they were an organization notorious across all of Cyan Blue, so infamous their reputation couldn’t possibly get any worse, they still understood a simple principle: the bigger the commotion, the greater the pressure.
The best outcome would be to successfully kill everyone, take everything, and burn all the evidence before making a clean getaway.
Of the other four, Long Jiu was intercepted by Yang Shen on the second floor, while the remaining three were all on the first floor.
Inside the training room, the Black Doctor and Black Nurse tried to flee at the first opportunity but were quickly finished off by the Rebel Species members blocking the door. The Black Doctor seemed to have some rudimentary Martial Cultivation, but he still didn’t last more than three moves.
After finishing off the small fry, the two of them turned their attention to Xu Bamboo, who was blocking the stairs.
Xu Bamboo heard the fighting upstairs but could only choose to trust Yang Shen for now.
As for the last member of the Rebel Species... he was trading blows with Jin Wu.
He was an unremarkable, 30-year-old man who looked like an office worker, armed with a pair of bladed Finger Tigers. When he first confronted Jin Wu, the pressure was so immense he almost cried out in alarm.
Because Jin Wu was actually an Innate Martial Artist!
But after a couple of exchanges, his tone turned mocking. "Well now... turns out you’re just a meat chicken. Gave me a real scare there. With all that blubber, I bet you haven’t been in a fight for twenty or thirty years, have you?"
Jin Wu leaned against the corner, forcing a friendly smile. "My friend, why don’t we sit down and talk this over? Are you here to rob me? I can give you money! Is there anything money can’t solve these days?"
The man with the Finger Tigers chuckled. "Oh, there is... Your life, for instance. Money can’t solve that."
Jin Wu’s face darkened.
Though he had been cautious, all his recent snooping and scurrying about couldn’t have possibly left no trace.
’Some bastard must have sold me out!’
He knew the object was cursed and came from a shady source, but human greed is truly limitless. Even now, Jin Wu didn’t think he’d made the wrong bet.
He only felt that he’d *lost* the bet.
’Besides, it’s not over yet... I’m an Innate Martial Artist, after all...’
Before he could finish the thought, the man with the Finger Tigers lunged forward, his fist, sheathed in gleaming metal, striking out.
Jin Wu let out a furious roar. With a burst of immense strength, he hoisted a surgical chair weighing hundreds of pounds and swung it violently forward.
’I’m safe! If this hits, it’ll definitely shatter his bones!’
But somehow, the man with the Finger Tigers had appeared at his exposed flank, watching Jin Wu’s antics as if enjoying a circus show.
With both hands occupied, Jin Wu was left completely defenseless. He could only stare, dumbfounded.
"A meat chicken is a meat chicken... I called you useless, and you still wouldn’t admit it."
With that, he landed a solid punch on Jin Wu’s side. The finger-length blade plunged deep into his ribs. Jin Wu screamed, dropped the chair, and clutched his wound as he staggered away.
The man with the Finger Tigers followed tauntingly. "Useless trash like you gets to make big money, while a brilliant person like me struggles at every turn because I’m broke. This damn Cyan Blue is completely rotten!"
Every one of the Cyan Blue Star People who joined the "Rebel Species" had their own reasons for hating society.
He was no exception.
Blood gushed from Jin Wu’s side; he had no idea how many of his internal organs were damaged. He scrambled out of the room, and the moment he saw Xu Bamboo holding her own against two enemies, it was as if he’d found a lifeline.
"Miss! Miss, save me! It’s me, Jin!"
Xu Bamboo did recognize his face. He used to come around occasionally, shamelessly sucking up to her mother. But to say they knew each other well was a complete lie.
She had been holding her own against two mid- and late-stage Marrow Refining practitioners. But then Jin Wu burst out, becoming a liability and letting the young man with the Finger Tigers follow him. It was now three against one, and she was carrying dead weight!
Jin Wu could hear fighting upstairs, the way down was blocked, and for all he knew, more enemies were lying in ambush outside the windows.
There was truly nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
In a desperate move, he pulled the "sandalwood box" from his coat.
"Stay back! Don’t you believe I’ll destroy it!"
The three Rebel Species members looked at Jin Wu, their eyes glinting with mockery.
"Go ahead and try!"
The Moon Gu was a source of mutation. It was currently housed in a human bone, but that didn’t mean it could be destroyed.
It couldn’t be destroyed in a crematorium furnace; what did he think crushing it would do?
On the contrary, if Jin Wu actually crushed the bone, they could simply use a Secret Technique to draw the Moon Gu to them. It would actually make things easier.
Jin Wu realized his threat was useless. But handing the box over would mean giving them all the leverage. Could he really expect them to take the Moon Gu and then let everyone go on their merry way?
Recalling the information he’d found, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Miss Xu! This is what they’re after! It’s a great restorative! If you eat it, you’ll have endless power!"
His words were one part truth and nine parts lies. While eating the Moon Gu directly did have some effect, the side effects were so extreme that the person wouldn’t live for more than three days.
Jin Wu, of course, didn’t care. He likely wouldn’t even live for another three hours.
But Xu Bamboo completely ignored Jin Wu. ’Does he think I’m Huang Gang?’
’As if I’d just eat some weird, random thing!’
Just then, a tremendous crash echoed from the second floor!
"HAH!!"
The sound was as deep and resonant as a temple bell, making the entire villa hum.
It was followed by another deafening crash.
The floor above shattered, sending fragments of concrete and rebar flying as a figure plummeted down in a miserable heap.
Xu Bamboo’s first thought was that it was Yang Shen, but she realized it was an unfamiliar girl, about her own age.
The next moment, a figure wearing a strange black helmet dropped down after her.
Ever the slice-of-life, cat-loving high school boy who never forgot to secure a kill, he plunged his black spear directly toward the center of the rubble, aiming straight for the unfamiliar girl’s eye socket!
An advantage is meaningless if you don’t press it.
Yet, by a hair’s breadth, Long Jiu managed to dodge, rolling aside to evade the blow.
’This opponent is seriously tough!’
Seeing the strange black helmet and the bizarrely out-of-place, bright red scarf, even the members of a subversive organization like the Rebel Species flinched and took a step back.
Only Xu Bamboo was unfazed. She immediately moved forward to form a pincer attack with the helmeted man, whispering at the same time, "Where’s my mother?"
Yang Shen replied, "I saw her run into the safe room in the bedroom. She should be fine for a little while."
Xu Bamboo breathed a sigh of relief. "The safe room has an alarm system that can’t be jammed... My mother is smart..."
’I’m not so sure about that,’ Yang Shen thought. ’It felt more like she was just scared out of her wits.’
Meanwhile, Jin Wu had overheard them. Believing it was now safe upstairs, he clutched his wound and scrambled up the stairs.
Yang Shen paid him no mind, even though he was technically still Jinkang’s representative.
His Array sense told him all remaining enemies were right in front of them. "Be careful," he said. "This woman is very strong... she’s an Innate Martial Artist."
Xu Bamboo’s eyes narrowed. "But it looks like you’re even stronger?"
Yang Shen shook his head slightly. "It took a toll on me, too."
This was his first time in a head-on fight with an Innate Martial Artist. He was already running his Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique at forty percent capacity, just a hair’s breadth away from his entire body seizing up in cramps.
He had only gained a slight advantage by using the versatile, bizarre nature of his Curse Engraving weapon combined with a few unexpected Minor Magic spells to land a vicious blow.
But it wasn’t a fatal wound.
In terms of pure Martial Arts, he was probably no match for this girl at all. Her combat experience far exceeded his, making her extremely dangerous. Yang Shen even suspected she felt neither fear nor pain.
Once he used his tricks, she would be on guard against them. If the fight dragged on, Yang Shen would find himself at a disadvantage.
Everything about this girl was unsettlingly strange.
If Ye Qingyao hadn’t hidden in the safe room, the best option for him and Xu Bamboo would have been to flee, or at the very least, retreat to a more open space.
If Ye Qingyao had half a brain, she would have already called the police. As long as they kept moving, this gang couldn’t possibly chase them through a crowded city. The police would arrive before long.
No one could stand against the Yanhua police force; Yang Shen was very confident about that.
Assuming they arrived in time...
Unfortunately, Xu Bamboo would never agree to leave. This was her home, and Ye Qingyao was still upstairs.
’This is a huge problem...’
Yang Shen raised his pitch-black spear, leveling it to point forward.
Of the four Rebel Species members, three took a step back. Only Long Jiu remained motionless, her pretty face completely devoid of expression.
HUMMM.
The next moment, swirling flames erupted from the tip of the black spear.
’The problem is huge, but thankfully, so is my cheat!’
The temperature around him shot up. Faint steam began to rise from his body, constrained by an invisible force and forming into a Celestial Silk that swirled behind Yang Shen.
Long Jiu’s hollow eyes stared at the flaming spear. "Anomaly... Tattooed Guest... has new ability."
Through her hidden earpiece, an old, gravelly voice echoed in shock and disbelief, "What?!"
The fire on Yang Shen’s black spear was no ordinary flame.
This was a fire fueled by "Source," the "Fist Intent Infection" that allowed a Martial Artist to alter reality through sheer will.
The moment that flicker of flame appeared, a scorching heat washed over the entire first floor of the villa.
Yang Shen had never used this ability in a real fight, or even in sparring. Much like Director Liang’s principle of "Overstiffness is easily broken," it was extremely dangerous.
Xu Bamboo could feel her tracksuit rapidly drying out as if it were baking under a scorching sun. Still, she moved closer to Yang Shen, her three-foot blade also emanating a dangerous light. "What’s the plan?"
From within the helmet, Yang Shen’s voice was low and carried a slight reverb. "We kill the weak ones first..."
’Besides these four, there are still two outside...’
Yang Shen didn’t want to expose his identity, and he certainly didn’t want to get on the Rebel Species’ radar.
’So today, every single one of them has to die!’
Yang Shen added, "Be careful. I’ll cover you."
Xu Bamboo simply held her sword level across her chest. "I’m not so weak that I need you to protect me."
Beneath his helmet, Yang Shen smiled to himself.
The next moment, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, his red scarf leaving a crimson afterimage in his wake.
Long Jiu instantly moved to intercept him, her scythe swinging to meet the black spear.
The immense power behind the strike was even greater than before, but it was still within her ability to handle. She angled her scythe downward, deflecting the dangerously flaming spearhead toward the ground.
But in the instant their weapons clashed, Long Jiu saw a black substance rapidly solidifying on Yang Shen’s left hand.
Spreading... hardening... igniting... It formed a second black spear!
’Who said I could only have one?!’
Time seemed to slow, reflecting the scene in Long Jiu’s large, beautiful, yet hollow eyes.
With his right hand checked, Yang Shen used Long Jiu’s own force to twist his body violently, hurling the spear from his left hand with lightning speed.
The immense force of the throw made the already loosened, expensive floor tiles beneath his feet spiderweb with cracks.
The three Rebel Species members in the rear, who had—whether intentionally or not—let Long Jiu take the front, never expected the real killing blow was aimed at them!
One of them managed a desperate leap, trying to let the spear pass beneath him, but he was too slow. The immense force of the projectile pinned him directly to the wall three meters away!
"ARGH!!!!"
He let out a pained scream. The flames on the spearhead were completely buried in his flesh, but instead of going out, they spread rapidly, igniting his clothes and skin.
It wasn’t just burning him; his flesh quickly began to char and dehydrate, like the crackling skin on roasted pork.
"Help me! Help me!"
He frantically tried to pull the spear out, but his hands sizzled the moment they touched the shaft, as if he were being branded!
’This fire isn’t normal!’
’It can’t be put out!!!’
==Portal==
[Monthly Ticket]