Chapter 20: Fighting to the Death

Lin Xian’s heart pounded wildly as he stared, eyes wide and chilling, at the fallen Liu Wei.

The scent of blood and the pain seemed to ignite a madness within him.

I can’t die. I don’t want to die!

The instinct to survive sent his blood surging; the agony across his body instantly numbed. Having landed the first strike and felled Liu Wei, he didn’t pause for half a breath—he spun, raised his hand, and fired a Wind Cannon straight at Liu Wei’s face!

Puff!

A bloody hole suddenly appeared on Liu Wei’s face!

“Ahh!”

Liu Wei roared in fury, his four tentacles snatching up pebbles from the riverbed and hurling them wildly at Lin Xian—the force so great the stones whistled through the air.

Lin Xian didn’t dare underestimate him—he quickly dodged sideways.

“I’ll smash you to pulp!”

Now backed into a corner, Liu Wei’s liver and gallbladder felt like they’d shattered—he wildly seized more stones and hurled them at Lin Xian.

He realized: this guy was agile-type. Aside from firing some kind of projectile, he seemed to have no other threat.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be alive.

In truth, Liu Wei’s mind may have been simple, but he’d guessed right: right now, Lin Xian had nothing but a Wind Cannon and a useless Ice Shield—everything else meant close combat with Liu Wei.

And Liu Wei was now on guard; Lin Xian had little chance to close in again. Two hands against six—should the other dare come near, Liu Wei couldn’t imagine how he’d lose.

But he also feared Lin Xian’s ranged attacks. After pulling back, both stood breathing heavily, neither moving first.

Beep. Beep.

At that moment, the watch on Lin Xian’s wrist suddenly chimed.

Both men’s gazes shifted—they both realized it.

Night was coming!

“Brother, night’s falling. Let’s call it off and head back?” Liu Wei’s face was caked in blood, his eyes glowing emerald green—he looked like a demon risen from a sea of blood.

Lin Xian sneered.

“Do you think that’s possible?”

What kind of idiot believes that crap in a post-apocalypse?

Liu Wei’s eyelid twitched slightly—this young man wasn’t an easy mark. He wasn’t fooled by his bluster.

“Fine. Then let’s see how many times you can aim.”

Liu Wei’s gaze burned as he scanned Lin Xian’s body.

As an ability user, he knew using powers drained the body severely. This guy’s ranged attacks must drain him even more—otherwise, he’d have riddled Liu Wei with bullets like an automatic rifle long ago. Why bother waiting for openings?

He might be fat and bloated, but Liu Wei considered himself sharp—he’d spent his whole life in small business and prided himself on his cunning.

“Fine.”

Lin Xian’s expression didn’t change—he ignored the other’s tactics entirely and raised his right index finger, aiming it straight at Liu Wei’s face.

Liu Wei reacted instantly—raising his tentacles to block. But if he blocked his face, he couldn’t see Lin Xian’s next move—and that was the worst part.

So he shifted his focus: two tentacles guarded his face, while the other two kept snatching pebbles from the ground and hurling them at Lin Xian.

Seeing this, Lin Xian’s eyes turned icy. He stood still, merely tilting his head slightly to dodge one stone, then slowly lowered his finger—aiming for Liu Wei’s crotch.

Puff!

The Wind Spear pierced through!

Liu Wei jolted violently—a searing pain exploded through him. Lin Xian had always intended to blow his head off, so Liu Wei never imagined he’d target his… little head…

“AHHHH!!!”

His crotch exploded. Liu Wei screamed with his mouth wide open, momentarily stunned—only to realize Lin Xian had already appeared like a ghost right before him. The breath of death rushed at him—he unleashed a desperate survival instinct, all four tentacles lashing out!

“You die, you bastard!”

Boom!

But his full-force strike slammed into a wall of ice—the ice shattered instantly, shards flying everywhere. Yet in that instant, he saw no trace of Lin Xian. Only when he realized it did he see… a finger.

A finger aimed at his eye.

“Wait!”

In that moment, he was filled with unbearable regret.

Puff!

Liu Wei’s eyes trembled violently—his words cut short, his left eye became a bloody hole, and his body collapsed backward.

He never dreamed that with a boss-level ability like “Octopus Doctor,” after only a few days as a local tyrant, he’d die so senselessly at the hands of a kid.

Cough… cough~!

Seeing Liu Wei fall, Lin Xian spat out several mouthfuls of clotted blood—but he didn’t pause a second. He picked up a large pebble from the ground, stepped forward, and smashed it down onto Liu Wei’s face!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each strike made his tentacles twitch grotesquely.

Until… they stopped moving entirely.

Only then did he sit down, gasping for breath. Huh~ huh~

Adrenaline faded, and intense pain surged through him. From the fight, he was lucky no bones were broken—but some organs were injured, and his external wounds were numerous.

At that moment, a flash of mysterious light streaked across the sky—Lin Xian’s eyes widened.

“Shit!”

…

On the train, Chen Sixuan leaned deep in the aisle, tense eyes fixed on the violently rattling cockpit door.

“Open up! Open now!!!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A yellow-haired kid with a pistol climbed onto the windshield and smashed the glass with the gun butt.

But aside from the initial cracks Liu Wei had made, the windshield didn’t budge.

“Get the hell out of my way!”

Another man, armed with a submachine gun, kicked the yellow-haired kid aside, cigarette dangling from his lips, and stood at the front of the train, firing a full burst straight at the windshield!

Taptaptap!

Sparks flew instantly, bullets ricocheting everywhere.

!

“Holy shit, is this bulletproof glass?!”

“Watch it, Dafei! Bullets don’t care who they hit!”

“This door won’t open either—unless we’ve got a cutter.”

“Fuck you, where the hell am I supposed to find a cutter right now…?”

“Forget it. Let’s just go. Night’s coming.”

Hearing that, the thugs’ faces changed.

“That guy’s dead. This woman’s canned meat—we’ll bring tools tomorrow and drag her out.”

“Heh, I’ve got some rocks on the tracks—this train ain’t going anywhere!”

“Hey Dafei, Zhao’s family car’s blocking the way. No room left in the convoy—what do we do? Make them squeeze?”

“Squeeze? Fuck them. Tell them to get lost. They didn’t contribute anything, and they brought their whole damn family.”

“Then just leave them…”

The group cursed as they left. Chen Sixuan watched the clock inside the carriage tick second by second—her heart rose to her throat.

Is he dead?

Night’s coming. What now…?

Chen Sixuan remained tense, gripping the door handle tightly, forcing herself to stay rational.

After several minutes, a frantic knocking sounded. Chen Sixuan thought it was Lin Xian—she was about to call out—when a woman’s desperate voice came from outside.

“Is anyone in there? Please, can we come in?”

“Hey, miss!” At the window, a bespectacled, scholarly man climbed up. Seeing Chen Sixuan, he shouted immediately: “Can you open the door? Let us in—night’s coming!”

“Please!” The woman outside sounded like she was crying. A baby’s wail echoed at the same time—waaah, waaah—heart-wrenching.

“Miss, please—we won’t eat anything, won’t take anything. Just let us hide inside…”

“Our car’s destroyed. We have nowhere else to go.”

“Waaah…”

“Please, please, have mercy!”

“This—this,” the woman screamed hysterically, “if you’re afraid, can you just save my child? He’s so small—he won’t eat much…”

“Please.”

The woman’s wailing, the man’s pleading, the baby’s crying—each sound bombarded Chen Sixuan’s ears. She curled in the corner, clutching her ears, silent tears streaming down—her heart tore apart in silent agony.

Stop crying. Please stop…

The clock inside the cockpit turned slowly.

Gradually, the cries faded. The pounding on the door stopped.

Night fell!

New book, please follow!

(End of Chapter)