Chapter 416

Wang Dashe was resting inside.

Suddenly, the wind, which hadn't been particularly strong, grew fiercer. Wang Dashe jolted awake.

He saw only a phantom before him. Wang Dashe was terrified.

"Y-you, who are you? What are you doing here!" Wang Dashe, still dazed, breathed rapidly.

The phantom did not answer him but flew straight at him, gripping his throat.

Wang Dashe immediately resisted, but could not muster any strength. He asked again: "Who are you really! What are you doing here!"

The phantom squeezed Wang Dashe's throat with force; just as he felt himself suffocating, the phantom released him.

Wang Dashe gasped for air. He had just thought he'd die fighting Luo En—not by some bizarre, meaningless death. It was unbearable.

The moment he was freed, Wang Dashe launched his counterattack.

The voice spoke slowly: "No need for futile struggle. I didn't come to kill you. But from now on, you will obey me."

Wang Dashe glared warily at the phantom, then said: "Obey you? What right do you have to command me! Hah!"

Wang Dashe rarely spoke with such disdain. He believed that though he hadn't ruled the entire world, he certainly wasn't someone anyone could easily threaten.

"Oh? Then I guess I'll have to go rough," said the phantom, and punched Wang Dashe.

This time, Wang Dashe had learned. He spun away instantly and dodged.

The phantom smirked, unleashing a powerful surge of energy that left Wang Dashe momentarily immobilized.

He reached out and gripped Wang Dashe's throat with crushing force—deadly force.

Wang Dashe instantly felt the breath of death.

He frantically blinked, signaling his willingness to obey.

Seeing this, the phantom achieved his goal and released him.

After being freed, Wang Dashe coughed several times, then gulped down deep breaths.

"Speak. What do you want? If I can do it, I'll do my best," Wang Dashe said, still pragmatic—he knew the wise man avoids unnecessary conflict.

The phantom stepped back slowly, then said: "You don't need to worry about that. I'll notify you when I need you. Don't try to play tricks. What I want is what you want too. I believe our cooperation will be pleasant."

With that, the voice and the phantom vanished from Wang Dashe's room.

He was still shaken.

At this moment, Luo En had no idea he had already been targeted by both Wang Dashe and that Cosmic God—and that they planned to join forces against him.

One Wang Dashe was easy enough for him, but with the Cosmic God added, the difficulty was no longer minor.

64, Strange

Luo En had been targeted before due to his overwhelming power; many had seized him to challenge him, but he had no desire to be admired or constantly pursued by challengers.

Wang Dashe rubbed his neck, the pain still vivid.

He understood this man was no ordinary person—he was more likely using him to eliminate the Hero Association.

So although Wang Dashe outwardly agreed, he had his own plans in mind.

These days, the Oddities Alliance had grown quiet, no longer provoking trouble as they once did—but this silence made Luo En and the others feel strangely uneasy.

Tornado kept believing she could surpass Luo En, so she continued training relentlessly in the courtyard.

Blizzard had given up entirely. She didn't care if she was strong—so long as no one bullied her. She believed Luo En would protect her, and since he was so powerful, protecting her was no trouble at all.

"Sister, you train all day and still haven't gotten stronger than Luo En. Why torture yourself like this?" Blizzard couldn't understand why her sister trained nonstop. She watched her every day—and saw no progress.

Tornado stopped mid-motion, furious. "What did you say? Say it again!" Her tone made it clear: say it once more and I'll kill you.

Blizzard instantly covered her mouth, signaling she wouldn't speak again.

Though this was her own sister, she knew Tornado wouldn't hold back.

At that moment, Luo En stepped out, strolling lazily, glancing around.

Tornado spotted him and shouted: "Luo En, come here! Let's spar! I've trained hard—surely I can beat you with just hand-to-hand combat!"

Tornado knew her raw power could never match Luo En's—he was born with it, while she had to train. She wouldn't challenge him on her weakness.

"Nah, I won't fight you. Losing looks bad, winning makes me look like I'm bullying a woman!" Luo En didn't even look at her, turning to walk away.

Tornado leapt in front of him. "Where are you running? Just train with me, can't you?"

Hearing Tornado's tone—almost pleading—Luo En's mood lifted. Fine, he'd give her some guidance.

"Alright, let big brother show you a thing or two!" Luo En joked.

Tornado, irritated by his rare arrogance, swung a punch at him.

Luo En dodged instantly. "Your punch is too slow."

Tornado immediately grew frantic, throwing another punch—but Luo En dodged again.

Frustrated, Tornado kept attacking Luo En relentlessly.

"You're too impatient. With this temper, you'll lose to anyone," Luo En said honestly—he truly meant to guide her.

Tornado ignored him entirely, growing even more desperate to defeat Luo En and prove herself.

Luo En spun swiftly, grabbed her wrist from behind.

"Enough. Your flaws are obvious. Don't blame me for refusing to spar—you're the problem," Luo En said, then released her.

Tornado's face darkened. "You didn't even throw a punch! How do you know I can't win? You weren't even serious!"

"You couldn't even land a hit without me throwing a punch—what makes you think you'd win if I did?" Luo En waved as he walked away.

Blizzard, watching from the side, knew both were angry—and neither was easy to soothe.

She glanced between them, considering whom to approach. After a moment, she decided to go to Luo En first. Men don't hit women, but Tornado? She might punch her dead.

Luo En walked over and sat at a round table, staring blankly.

Blizzard crept up quietly and sat beside him.

"Are you mad? Sister didn't mean it—she's just too eager to surpass you!" Blizzard, seeing Luo En's expression, thought he was upset.

Luo En turned his head and looked at Chui Xue. "No, I'm not mad at Long Juan. She's just like this—always rushing, always blaming others."

"You know she's like that," Chui Xue grumbled, frustrated with her sister. "She has to compete, has to prove how strong she is. Seriously."

What Luo En was thinking about now wasn't Long Juan at all. Though Long Juan always acted this way, it also showed how driven she was. Compared to her, Chui Xue was still worse.

Luo En turned to Chui Xue. "How can you even say that? Long Juan at least strives to improve. Look at you! You do nothing all day—don't you even practice?"

They were talking about Long Juan and Luo En, but Luo En stubbornly brought it back to Chui Xue herself.

Chui Xue pouted, speaking softly with rare grievance: "You protect me, so I don't need to practice."

"What?" Chui Xue spoke too unclearly; Luo En didn't hear a word.

Chui Xue glanced at him and quickly said: "No no no, I'll just go be alone."

After saying that, Chui Xue ran off by herself.

She hadn't walked this street in a long time. It had been ages since she last stepped out of the box, and these past few days had been utterly calm—no major disturbances.

What Chui Xue didn't know was that someone was following her from behind. That person was Wang Dashe—the ugly stranger they'd met inside the box.

The stranger crept silently behind Chui Xue, waiting for the right moment.

But Chui Xue remained completely unaware.

As Chui Xue walked, she began to feel this road had become strangely odd—no one around, utterly silent.

She grew alert. Just then, she heard a cry coming from an alley.

Chui Xue followed the sound, running toward it.

Far ahead, she saw an old woman fallen, struggling to rise but unable to get up.

She couldn't see the woman's face—the woman kept her head lowered.

Chui Xue rushed over and extended her hand. "Grandma, are you alright? Let me help you up."

The old woman didn't respond.

Chui Xue called again: "Grandma? Are you okay?"

At that moment, the old woman lifted her head—she wasn't an old woman at all, but someone Chui Xue had seen before...

65, Yiyu

The ugly stranger turned, his eyes glowed bright.

Chui Xue saw his gaze—and like she'd been drugged, she collapsed.

At this moment, Luo En remained completely unaware of Chui Xue's disappearance.

Long Juan had already forgotten about her sparring match with Luo En. She walked over, puzzled. "Where's Chui Xue? I haven't seen her for a while."

Luo En looked up. "I don't know. I scolded her a bit earlier—she ran off somewhere."