Chapter 122: If You've Got the Skills, Don't Run! (Revised)

Perhaps because Qi Hengyu's charge was too terrifying, or perhaps because the energy really wasn't enough, those few shots went wild and misshapen.

Even one bullet, its energy visibly unstable upon firing, dim light, when it hit Qi Hengyu's protective aura it merely raised a faint ripple, causing no pain or itch.

"Is that all you've got?"

Qi Hengyu snorted coldly, and in the blink of an eye he had already rushed up to those few people.

He used no complicated move, just a side‑kick whip leg, wrapped in violent aura, sweeping the waists of the two teammates trying to provide cover.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two dull thuds, the two teammates felt a huge force strike them, their bodies flew sideways like a broken‑line kite, slamming hard into the passage's sturdy wall.

Intense pain swept through their bodies, their weapons flew from their hands; although luckily the defensive rune didn't light up, they lost combat ability in a short time.

Qi Hengyu's eyes turned icy; just as he was about to press the attack and finish off those energy‑depleted gunners, a glint in his peripheral vision caught a small, unassuming yet familiar metal ball that had somehow rolled onto the ground near the passage entrance.

Damn, he had really seen this thing before!

Almost on pure combat instinct, Qi Hengyu violently retreated sideways and backward, putting as much distance as possible between himself and that metal ball.

The next second——

"Boom!!"

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out at the passage mouth; fire and shockwave instantly engulfed the few assault team members who had just broken through the fire net and were howling as they charged in.

They didn't even have time to utter a scream before being flung away by the sudden blast, their runes flashing wildly, and they were out of the fight in an instant.

What the hell is this?! Would the school allow students to use such things in the assessment?!

Qi Hengyu felt both shocked and angry; had it not been for his keen intuition, he would likely have suffered as well.

Before his footing was stable, a flash of earth‑yellow light appeared, and a thick earth wall rose with a "boom‑rumble," precisely cutting him off from the several gunners who were retreating.

It was Luo Jinyou.

His face was pale, but his eyes were firm; he pressed his hands to the ground, resolutely standing in front of his wounded and energy‑depleted teammates, and shouted urgently.

"Hurry up! Follow the main force!"

The few who could still move didn't dare hesitate; they hurriedly helped up the comrade kicked away by Qi Hengyu and staggered toward the stronghold's interior to withdraw.

Qi Hengyu's eyes turned cold; his internal aura condensed again, preparing to forcefully break through this troublesome earth wall.

"Whoosh!"

A bullet, whistling with a sharp crack, took an extremely tricky angle, slipping past the edge of the earth wall and aiming with uncanny precision at his temple.

This shot was fast and vicious, terrifyingly accurate—nothing like the half‑assed gunners from just moments before.

Qi Hengyu's hairs stood on end; he quickly tilted his head, the bullet grazing his skull, kicking up a wave of hot air and a few strands of hair.

He snapped his head around, his icy gaze shooting like an arrow toward the bullet's origin—the same direction the exploding ball had rolled from.

Sure enough, in the shadow at the side of the passage he saw that patch of fluorescent green, glaringly bright even in the dim light.

Without the obstructive gunfire, the opponent's presence was unusually pronounced, yet he had just failed to notice Ying Duo's presence.

Ying Duo stood there silently, gripping a peculiarly shaped energy pistol whose barrel still emitted a blue‑tinged smoke.

Seeing Luo Jinyou and Ying Duo positioned left and right, forming a pincer, Qi Hengyu's mouth twitched uncontrollably and a bead of cold sweat even appeared on his forehead.

One is a tenacious defender who can also control the battlefield; the other wields bizarre tactics with seemingly endless ammunition—this combination is downright headache‑inducing.

Luo Jinyou had just taken a hit and was depleted; the real trouble was Ying Duo, whose tactics Qi Hengyu had seen before—bombs and bullets flung about like they were free, top‑tier escape skills, and a habit of smashing people's heads with his gun as if it were a brick.

He drew a deep breath, trying to save himself.

"Hey you two! How about we have a fair one‑on‑one?"

Ying Duo stared at him expressionlessly, said nothing, and silently produced another familiar metal ball from somewhere, tossing it casually behind him toward the passage entrance without even looking.

"Boom!"

"Ah——!"

A few screams and the flare of runes once again announced the "defeat" of several assault team members attempting to break through.

After doing all that, Ying Duo finally turned his head back; his dull‑looking eyes fixed on Qi Hengyu, his head tilting slightly.

"Fine."

Qi Hengyu had just let out half a breath of relief, fortunate that Ying Duo wasn't sharp‑witted enough to doubt such talk......

Then he heard Ying Duo continue in a flat, unchanging voice, adding:

"You one‑on‑one, us two."

Qi Hengyu: "......"

"???"

Luo Jinyou: "......"

He had just opened his mouth to retort when he heard Ying Duo's words, nearly choking on his own saliva.

Indeed, you can't count on this guy to act like a person.

"Ying Duo, are you even speaking human language?!"

Qi Hengyu exploded in rage, nearly jumping up, "What kind of bullshit one‑on‑one is this?!"

Ying Duo's face remained calm, even carrying a tone of "of course" in his rebuttal.

"Your so‑called 'one‑on‑one' is just that we happen to have two people on our side; if you had others, they could join in."

He paused, then, before Qi Hengyu could erupt again, he slowly added another jab.

"Or are you saying you're scared?"

"I'm scared of you......"

Before Qi Hengyu could finish his curse, Ying Duo, as if annoyed that the passage entrance wasn't chaotic enough, flipped his wrist and another round object appeared in his hand.

Now the remaining assault team members were utterly terrified of the explosions, shrinking back in fear, huddled together, nobody daring to advance even half a step.

The entire assault team was utterly intimidated by Ying Duo's one‑man firepower.

If you're so capable, then let people come in for me!

Qi Hengyu gritted his teeth silently, his mind racing, wondering how to fight this.

At the moment he was hesitating, he saw Ying Duo gripping a familiar small iron ball, making a throwing motion.

Again?!

Qi Hengyu instinctively thought he was going to block the passage again, immediately tensing up, ready to warn the passage's team members.

But this time, Ying Duo swung his arm, and that small iron ball actually traced an arc, flying straight toward him!

"You want to use the same move on me a second time?"

Qi Hengyu snorted coldly, instinctively pushing his protective energy to the limit, preparing to hard‑block the blast impact.

The explosion he had expected did not arrive.

As the small iron ball neared him, it burst with a soft 'pfft', not fire but instantly releasing a large amount of heavy white smoke tinged with a pungent odor.

This is actually a smoke bomb! And it's the kind that's been laced with something extra!

"Cough cough cough...... ugh......"

The thick smoke instantly engulfed Qi Hengyu; the smoke not only blocked his vision but also seemed mixed with some irritating, strange odor like expired chili powder.

It made his tears and nose pour out instantly, his throat burning, and he couldn't help coughing violently.

"Ying Duo, I @#$%......! What the hell did you throw?!"

Qi Hengyu frantically waved his hands to dispel the thick smoke while cursing angrily.

In this expanse of heavy white mist filled with irritating odor, Qi Hengyu barely opened his eyes, which were reddened from the irritation.

He could only vaguely see a flash of extremely bright Ying Guang Lu, like a ghost swooping in from the side with a 'whoosh', precisely touching the spot where Luo Jinyou had been.

Then that flash of Ying Guang Lu lingered not a moment, dragging the equally choking Luo Jinyou away at high speed toward the depths of the stronghold.

Only Qi Hengyu remained where he was, choking to the point of doubting life, and the assault team at the passage entrance, frightened by the blast and blocked by the smoke, dared not enter.

"Cough cough...... damn it...... if you've got the guts, don't run!"

Qi Hengyu endured the discomfort, wanting to pursue, but the thick smoke before him and his respiratory distress severely hindered his movement.