Chapter 125: with translation of chapter title

Shen Zexi and Chen Mo Zhi's fight has already entered a white‑hot stage.

Lightning Chains swirl wildly in the air, each flash trying to rip the viscous ink‑green toxic mist.

Shen Zexi's assault rolls like a tide, seeking a swift, decisive victory, because he can feel that after the alarm at the outpost direction, the ground constantly reverberates with explosion booms, all indicating the dire situation.

But Chen Mo Zhi's poison is more troublesome than Shen Zexi had anticipated.

What unsettles him even more is that Chen Mo Zhi seems to be conducting some dangerous "experiment" during the fight; he is not merely defending, and sometimes even deliberately guides Shen Zexi's Lightning Chains to strike specific toxic‑mist zones.

Sizzle—hiss!

A dazzling electric whip sweeps across a clump of thick toxic cloud, but the expected scenario does not fully materialize.

The ink‑green toxic mist, upon contact with Lightning Chains, suddenly darkens, as if infused with activity, roiling more violently, even spawning several more condensed poison serpents that turn and bite toward Shen Zexi.

Shen Zexi's pupils constrict, lightning flashes erupt around him, scattering those few reinforced poison serpents, but his expression grows a bit more solemn.

He realizes that Chen Mo Zhi is using his Lightning Chains to temper, even transmute, his own toxin.

This method is unheard of and extremely bizarre, and the burden on the poisoner himself must be immense; the fine cold sweat seeping from Chen Mo Zhi's temples and his slightly pallid complexion are proof.

If time were ample, Shen Zexi is absolutely confident he could drain the opponent to death.

But the problem is that time is exactly what he lacks right now.

Moreover, he must split part of his mind to stay alert to his surroundings, especially that pink figure that once made him daze.

She drifts like a ghost at the battlefield's edge; although she does not strike again, her faint presence still feels like an invisible needle pressed against his crown.

This prevents Shen Zexi from fully committing to the fight with Chen Mo Zhi, and he must also constantly guard against Meng Kexin's ambush.

Just now, a momentary distraction caused him to be bitten by that bizarre spider; although he treated it promptly, a lingering numbness in his left arm still makes his movements half a beat slower than usual.

Rumble—!!!

At that moment, the ground beneath their feet shuddered violently.

Shen Zexi's heart tightened sharply, and he instinctively looked toward the outpost direction.

Was the outpost being...?

But as soon as the thought rose, he forced it down.

No, that's wrong!

When it comes to handling Explosives, the expert is on their side; this disturbance is ninety‑percent likely Ying Duo's work.

Thinking of this, Shen Zexi's mouth twitched slightly, and he silently mourned Qi Hengyu and the others for a half second.

It seems the chaos at the outpost may not be a bad thing.

After the explosion sounded, Chen Mo Zhi also furrowed his brows, recalling the message Meng Kexin had transmitted earlier via a mental link.

"Hold him, at any cost."

He can only suppress his distracting thoughts for now; the toxic mist around him churns again, clearly intent on a relentless, dead‑locking pursuit, never letting Shen Zexi escape.

"It seems your teammates have prepared a 'big gift' for you."

Chen Mo Zhi rasped, trying to interfere with words.

Shen Zexi merely met his gaze with a cold stare, his fingertip Lightning Chains coalescing again; he trusts Ying Duo's knack for setting traps, and rather than worry about that side, he'd rather resolve the trouble before him first.

"Instead of worrying about others, you'd better worry about yourself."

——————————————

Qi Hengyu lets the survivors of "Death" rest in place, tend to their wounds, while he himself suppresses his fury and asks a squad leader in charge of the outer ambush.

"Where are the others? Which direction did the Manufacturing Department people run?"

That squad leader, having sensed the tremor here, rushed over at once and now reports with lingering fear.

"We set ambushes at several possible exits as planned, indeed captured a portion, eliminated seven or eight, but... there are a few tough ones among them, and they scattered especially widely."

"About ten people fled toward the deep woods in the northeast direction; our men have chased them, but they're slippery, and for a while..."

Qi Hengyu nods; the situation is slightly better than his worst expectation, at least a portion was cut down.

Under this relentless pursuit, it is extremely difficult for them to calm down and complete the Manufacturing Department's task.

But just thinking of that Ying Guang Lu figure makes Qi Hengyu's eyelids twitch.

"No, I have to chase it myself!"

Qi Hengyu resolves that if he doesn't eliminate Ying Duo, he can't swallow this grievance; that guy's very existence is the biggest variable.

"Classmate Qi, the young master asked me to invite you to go over first."

Just as he prepares to set off, a pink figure, like a fawn in the woods, peeks out from behind a tree and arrives at their temporary rest spot; the newcomer is Meng Kexin.

"Why are you here? Over at Chen Mo Zhi's side..." Qi Hengyu says, surprised to see her.

Meng Kexin puffs lightly, a hint of urgency on her pretty face.

"Classmate Qi, the young master got into a fight with that 'Child of Destiny'; he is the Security Team's Core, and the young master alone can't quite handle it, so I'm here to ask you to go over and help."

Qi Hengyu furrows his brows; he certainly knows how troublesome it would be to face Shen Zexi, but letting Ying Duo escape would cause endless trouble.

He hesitates, glances at Meng Kexin's determined eyes, and then recalls that Shen Zexi's side indeed needs swift resolution; otherwise, if he breaks through and meets up with Ying Duo, it would be even more troublesome.

"Fine!" Qi Hengyu grits his teeth and says to the teammates resting nearby.

"You continue searching for and pursuing the remnants of the Manufacturing Department, especially the one with the Ying Guang Lu atop its head! Once found, send a signal immediately!"

"Got it!"

The squad members respond, still a bit shaken by that Ying Guang Lu, but just now the opponent only benefited from the terrain.

If a real fight breaks out, could they still not even handle a single Manufacturing Department unit?

Qi Hengyu, finally unwilling, casts a lingering glance at the completely collapsed outpost, then turns and rushes toward the direction Meng Kexin indicated, where Shen Zexi and Chen Mo Zhi are battling.

Not long after, he smells the lingering burnt odor in the air.

He signals Meng Kexin to slow her steps; the two move silently closer, and through the gaps in the trees, they see Shen Zexi and Chen Mo Zhi locked in fierce combat.

Although Shen Zexi's assault remains fierce, Qi Hengyu keenly notices his movements are half a beat slower than usual, and his left arm's motion is slightly stiff, clearly a drawback from the battle.

But Chen Mo Zhi's complexion is pale, the battle with Shen Zexi has drained him greatly, and now he is hanging on solely by will.