Chapter 534: What—?

Sha Jin stared at San Yue Qi for three seconds, then shifted his gaze toward the building.

A thousand words gathered in his throat, finally turning into a soft sigh.

(Fine, this matches my impression of her.)

San Yue Qi looked at his expression, a bit indignant: "Then what do you think we should do?"

Sha Jin slipped the weight into his pocket, hands in his pockets, his tone light and breezy:

"Go in head‑on. Hit straight in."

San Yue Qi's eyes widened: "Are you crazy?! There are so many Monkeys! And there are those huge ones—look at that, three to four meters tall! One punch could smash through a wall!"

Sha Jin followed her finger's direction—indeed a Giant Monkey was loitering at the building entrance, its size like a truck, the ground trembling as it walked.

Sha Jin nodded.

"Indeed quite big."

San Yue Qi thought he understood and was about to continue, when Sha Jin, still in a light tone, added:

"But the problem isn't big."

San Yue Qi: "...?"

Sha Jin's face still wore that unruffled smile.

"The longer we delay, the more dangerous that lady becomes."

He looked at San Yue Qi, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth, "You don't want her to get into trouble, do you?"

San Yue Qi's words got stuck in her throat.

San Yue Qi looked at Sha Jin, eyes becoming a bit complicated.

This person... so kind?

Sha Jin noticed her gaze, the curve at his mouth deepening.

Don't misunderstand.

He just thought that getting along with the people of the Starry Void Train was a good principle.

Especially at his position, having one more friend is always better than one more enemy.

As for whether that lady lives or dies, to be honest he didn't really care— but if he could conveniently rescue someone, making San Yue Qi owe him a favor, the deal would still be worthwhile.

And those Monkeys—he also wanted to see up close what these things really were.

After all, during Pinokanni, it seemed he had seen something similar…

Memory was a bit vague, but intuition told him this wasn't simple.

He waved at San Yue Qi, set off, and walked toward the building.

His stride was dashing, his silhouette composed.

Sunlight filtered from the gray sky, falling on his golden hair, casting a faint halo.

San Yue Qi curled up behind the corner, poking half a head out to watch his back.

(Hmm… although this guy chased me before, now he looks… kind of handsome… )

Sha Jin walked along the empty street, surrounded by those reversed signs and dim buildings.

His hands were in his pockets, his face bearing an inscrutable smile, sunglasses covering his eyes, only a slight upward curve of his mouth visible.

The building grew nearer.

The Monkeys gathered at the entrance began to notice him.

A small monkey was the first to turn its head, its round black eyes fixed on the unwelcome guest.

It let out a "Jia!", and a few nearby Monkeys turned their heads as well.

Then more, more, more and more.

When Sha Jin reached within fifty meters of the building entrance, over a hundred Monkeys had already gathered before him.

All sizes, high and low, all stared at him.

Sha Jin stopped, looking at the troop.

"Yo, so many."

He said softly, his tone even a bit teasing.

The largest one in the Monkey Horde stepped forward, opened its mouth:

"Jia!"

Sha Jin tilted his head.

"That's all you can say?"

"Jiaojiao!"

"Seems you don't understand human speech," Sha Jin sighed, continuing forward.

Sha Jin stepped on something.

"Poozi—"

A crisp sound.

Sha Jin looked down.

His right foot landed on a banana.

The banana was smashed to mush, yellow flesh oozing from the split peel, sticking to his shoe sole, looking terribly messy.

Sha Jin's mouth twitched.

He slowly lifted his head, looking at the Monkey Horde before him.

The monkeys fell silent.

Each monkey stared at him, at the smashed banana under his foot, their gazes gradually turning dangerous.

The atmosphere suddenly felt off.

Sha Jin's heart gave a sudden thump.

(Not good.)

He hadn't decided his next move when a flash suddenly blossomed before his eyes!

A massive Black Shadow descended from the sky!

It was a Giant Monkey, five meters tall, its whole body rippling with muscle, its fist larger than Sha Jin's head!

It leapt out of nowhere, appearing directly before Sha Jin, its massive fist already roaring with wind as it came down!

The gust it generated blew Sha Jin's hair backward!

Sha Jin's pupils suddenly contracted!

But his reaction was even faster!

A flash of golden light instantly coalesced before him, and a shield made of weights materialized out of thin air!

Boom—!!!

The Giant Monkey's fist struck the shield, producing a deafening blast!

The shockwave spread outward, flinging the ground's broken stones into the air!

Sha Jin's mouth just curled into a slight smile—

Then he realized he was being propelled backward.

The impact was so strong that, although his shield blocked the direct damage, it could not dissipate the force.

He was blasted by that punch, his feet leaving the ground as he was hurled backward!

On that golden shield, a dense network of cracks spread rapidly!

Crack—

The shield shattered.

Sha Jin flipped his body in midair; before he could adjust his stance, he caught a glimpse of the Giant Monkey with his peripheral vision—

It leapt up!

Its massive body rose into the air, the wind it stirred blowing the surrounding little Monkeys into a chaotic tumble!

One of its arms began to spin wildly, like a helicopter rotor, whirring with wind!

"What—?!"

Before Sha Jin could finish speaking, that wildly spinning arm slammed onto him!

Bang—!!!

Another deafening blast!

Golden light erupted again, and another shield coalesced at the last moment, blocking most of the strike's force.

But the impact still sent Sha Jin flying sideways like a baseball hit for a home run!

Sha Jin frantically adjusted his posture in midair, trying to steady himself.

His mind raced, pondering how to land and how to Counterattack—

Then he saw a Black Shadow.

It burst from a street corner at astonishing speed, gripping a massive staff in its hand.

It was a black giant, radiating a ferocious aura, its eyes blood‑red, a wild grin curled at its mouth.

It leapt up, perfectly blocking Sha Jin's flight path, both hands gripping the great staff, raising it high—

Sha Jin's eyes widened.

He saw the staff drawing ever nearer.

He tried to dodge, but suspended in the air he had nowhere to leverage.

He wanted to raise another shield, but the two previous uses had already drained the magical energy of that instant.

He could only watch helplessly as the staff—

Bang—!!!

A deafening blast!

The sound was so massive it made the entire street tremble!

Sha Jin became like a golden meteor, soaring in a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye toward another direction!

He smashed through a building's wall!

Boom!

He burst out through the opposite wall!

He pierced a second building!

Boom!

Third building!

Boom!

Fourth building!

Boom Boom Boom Boom—!

A series of blasts roared, accompanied by billowing smoke, as the golden figure barreled through several buildings before vanishing a kilometer away, its destination unknown.

All that remained was a humanoid tunnel along its path, leaving a bizarre trace on the exterior walls of those structures.

San Yue Qi crouched there, his mouth forming an O.

His brain completely crashed.

(What... what just happened?)

San Yue Qi mechanically turned her head and looked at the building.

The Monkey Horde at the doorway had returned to normal, hopping and calling "Jiaojiao", as if nothing had happened just now.

The five‑meter‑tall Giant Monkey also vanished, its whereabouts unknown.

The black giant also disappeared, apparently having chased after it.

Everything… has returned to normal.

As if that scene had never occurred.

San Yue Qi's mouth twitched.

She glanced again at the building, then at the direction where Sha Jin had vanished, and then at the Monkeys that were calling "Jiaojiao".

She silently made a decision.

Climb the building.

Better to climb the building.

The main entrance… is indeed a bit dangerous.

San Yue Qi took a deep breath, crouched, and crept along the base of the wall toward the side of the building.

That person… probably… maybe… should… still be alive?

Probably.