Chapter 17: Shadows Emerge, Crisis Lurks

Ji Chen put away the ancient badge, and the sense of unease in his heart grew like weeds.

He and Ceng Yue exchanged a glance; no words were needed to understand each other's thoughts.

This badge was definitely not a simple object; behind it, a shocking secret must be hidden.

"Let's go, let's see what's really behind this rat hole." Ji Chen took the lead, his tone carrying a hint of excitement, as if he were about to face a treasure rather than a crisis.

"These guys must think they're well-hidden. Today, we'll wipe them out completely!"

Following the clues, the two tracked them all the way to an abandoned factory.

The outer walls of the factory were covered in dark green vines, like a giant beast baring its fangs and claws, swallowing the surrounding light.

The air was filled with a musty smell, gloomy and damp, making one shudder.

"How come this place feels like a horror movie set?" Ji Chen rubbed his arms, looked around, and complained, "If I weren't so brave, I really wouldn't dare come in."

Ceng Yue remained expressionless, merely sweeping a glance around before walking in first.

She maintained her cold demeanor, as if she didn't care about anything. Only when Ji Chen occasionally looked at her would she frown slightly, as if blaming him for talking too much.

The interior of the factory was even darker. The dilapidated roof cast mottled light and shadows, and the surroundings were piled with rusted machines and discarded parts, like silent ghosts.

Every step taken produced a creaking sound, which sounded particularly harsh in this quiet space.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue slowed their pace, carefully avoiding the traps on the ground, as if entering a giant maze.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound rang out, and several hidden weapons shot out from the dark corners like venomous snakes.

Ji Chen was quick-witted; he pulled Ceng Yue behind him and narrowly dodged the incoming hidden weapons himself.

"Damn, playing dirty?" Ji Chen cursed, his face instantly darkening.

However, this attack was clearly not that simple. The ground began to shake, and the surrounding scene began to distort.

Strange illusions flashed before their eyes like a revolving lantern, making them dizzy and unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.

"Careful, it's an Illusion!" Ceng Yue whispered a reminder, her voice still cold but carrying a hint of worry.

Ji Chen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began to concentrate, trying to see through these fake illusions.

"Don't just stand there, find where the mechanism is." Ceng Yue's voice came from behind him, still icy but seemingly carrying a hint of blame, "Be careful next time!"

Hearing this, Ji Chen's mouth twitched, but he nodded obediently.

He knew Ceng Yue was worried about him.

"Fine, I owe you one again." Ji Chen shook his head with a bitter smile and stopped talking, beginning to search everywhere.

They continued deeper, and the surrounding darkness seemed to become thicker, as if it wanted to swallow them whole.

Just then, Ji Chen vaguely felt movement behind him. He turned around abruptly, only to find nothing there.

Ceng Yue frowned, about to speak.

Just as Ceng Yue's words were about to leave her lips, more than a dozen figures suddenly darted out from the darkness. They were surrounded by strange energy fluctuations, silent as ghosts.

These Ability Users were clearly not comparable to the small lackeys from before.

"Damn, playing group combat, huh?" Ji Chen spat, his eyes instantly turning sharp, "Today, I'll let you know who the real boss is!"

The mysterious Ability Users didn't respond and launched an attack directly.

Their movements were as fast as lightning, and their Supernatural Abilities were extremely bizarre.

Some could manipulate the air to form invisible blades, some could release corrosive toxic mist, and others could create illusions, making them hard to defend against.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stood back-to-back, working together to resist.

Ji Chen's fist wind was fierce; every punch carried powerful force, forcing back the enemies trying to get close.

Ceng Yue held an Ice Blade, and every swing left cold traces in the air, freezing the enemies' momentum.

However, the enemies' offensive was too fierce, and they coordinated well, like a single entity.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue soon fell into a disadvantage, both adding several wounds to their bodies.

Blood seeped from the corner of Ji Chen's mouth, but he still gritted his teeth.

"These guys actually have some skills!" Ji Chen panted heavily while dodging the enemies' attacks, "If I don't beat them down today, I'll write my name backward!"

However, the situation became even worse.

As the battle continued, Ceng Yue's face began to turn pale, and her eyes gradually became dazed.

Her movements also began to slow down, as if she were affected by some kind of Supernatural Ability.

"Ceng Yue, what's wrong with you?" Ji Chen asked anxiously while blocking the enemies' attacks.

However, Ceng Yue did not respond to him. She raised her head and looked at Ji Chen's...

"Ceng Yue! What are you doing?" Seeing this, Ji Chen felt as if his heart were being cut by a knife. He never expected that Ceng Yue would actually attack him.

"Who are you?" Ceng Yue's voice became exceptionally cold, as biting as ice, completely devoid of her previous coolness.

She swung her Ice Blade and launched an attack at Ji Chen.

"Ceng Yue, it's me, I'm Ji Chen!" Ji Chen said painfully while dodging Ceng Yue's attacks, "Wake up!"

But Ceng Yue's attacks showed no sign of stopping, each one carrying powerful killing intent.

Ji Chen knew that Ceng Yue must be controlled by some powerful Illusion right now.

He didn't want to hurt Ceng Yue and could only be forced to dodge. The entire battlefield was filled with sadness and helplessness.

Looking at Ceng Yue's eyes, Ji Chen felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Suddenly, a fatal attack came his way. He raised his hand to block instinctively, only to find there was no pain as he had imagined.

He looked ahead in surprise, only to see Ceng Yue's Ice Blade stopping half an inch away from him.

Ji Chen's heart tightened. Looking at the Ice Blade so close, his hair stood on end.

He instinctively wanted to counterattack, but seeing Ceng Yue's dazed eyes, he held back.

Just at this critical moment, the Supernatural Ability within him erupted like a volcano. A powerful energy surged from his body, instantly forming a transparent Energy Shield around him.

"Damn, what the hell is this?" a mysterious Ability User exclaimed, his face full of disbelief.

The Energy Shield not only blocked Ceng Yue's Ice Blade but also rebounded all the surrounding Supernatural Ability attacks. Those mysterious Ability Users who had been arrogant just moments ago were instantly hit by their own attacks, flying backward like kites with broken strings. Wails rose and fell, and the once gloomy factory instantly turned into a chaotic battlefield.

"This... this kid is actually this fierce?" Ji Chen looked at the Energy Shield around him, also dumbfounded, but he quickly reacted—this was the perfect time for a counterattack!

"Get lost!" Ji Chen roared, charging toward the enemies hit by the rebounded attacks like a beast released from a cage.

His fist wind was fierce, every punch carrying powerful force, making those mysterious Ability Users howl and scream.

He was like a human bulldozer, knocking those enemies to the ground one by one, leaving them with no power to fight back.

Soon, those mysterious Ability Users were beaten to a pulp, lying on the ground and groaning in pain.

Looking at their miserable state, the depression in Ji Chen's heart was swept away, feeling refreshed!

He turned to look at Ceng Yue and found that the dazed look in her eyes had faded, replaced by a hint of worry.

"Ceng Yue, are you okay?" Ji Chen walked quickly to Ceng Yue's side and asked with concern.

Ceng Yue shook her head, hugged Ji Chen, buried her head in his chest, and her body trembled slightly.

"I'm fine, thank you." Ceng Yue's voice was a bit choked, but it carried a hint of imperceptible tenderness.

"It's okay as long as you're fine." Ji Chen patted Ceng Yue's back gently, his heart filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

The surrounding air also seemed to become fresher.

Just as the two were embracing, Ji Chen's phone vibrated, and he received an anonymous message that read: "Watch out for your family, they might be in danger."

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

"Not good, let's go home!" Ji Chen grabbed Ceng Yue's hand and rushed out of the factory. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====