Chapter 522: Are You Trying to Steal My Spotlight as the Boss?

"Ooooh, ooooh!"

Crack! The mutated zombie let out meaningless roars, swinging its withered arms—seemingly slow, yet not truly slow; such an attack could never harm Chen Hanzhou, but the reality was utterly unexpected!

Inside the black gas dome, filamentous matter flickered, its edges rapidly contracting; suddenly, Chen Hanzhou's fluffy down jacket embedded within the black gas tightened violently—as if vacuum-sealed, or wrapped in waterproof film and dropped hundreds of meters underwater, immense pressure crushed in from all sides at once.

"Ugh…"

Chen Hanzhou suddenly couldn't move—he hung suspended midair, trapped inside the black gas dome, half his body frozen stiff. The steel rod in his hand was pressed against the zombie's cheek, his arm heavy as if burdened by a thousand jin of weight—his situation was dire.

No one knew exactly how great the pressure was, but from Chen Hanzhou's growing terror and contorted expression, it was clearly not to be underestimated.

In plain terms, it felt like his shit was about to be crushed out! Everyone's hearts clenched; anyone with even a shred of empathy could feel the crisis and agony Chen Hanzhou endured, unconsciously hugging their own arms.

The mutated zombie's movements were slow, but against Chen Hanzhou, who couldn't move, it was as easy as pinning a dragonfly trapped in amber.

Boom, boom-boom…

At that moment, several fierce attacks slammed into the black gas dome—powerful enough to make the zombie's arm reaching for Chen Hanzhou freeze, and it instinctively turned to face the new threat.

If a human had the mutated zombie's ability, they'd know the priority was to crush Chen Hanzhou while he was trapped—but luckily, zombies had no judgment. Their actions were driven by something unknown, mindless, easily deceived…

The relentless assaults from Ju Wuying and Zhang Su forced the black gas zombie to abandon Chen Hanzhou entirely and turn on them both; the black gas dome swelled…

"Ugh… Phew!"

Chen Hanzhou felt his body suddenly light as air—he gasped deeply—but before he could land, a powerful force yanked him far away.

The speed was extreme; the flashlight bearer couldn't react in time, the beam chasing the retreating figure.

"Who the hell just jumped in? Looks like two people—get the light steady! Who is it?"

Zhang Su and Ju Wuying moved with lightning speed—the attack and rescue happened in a flash. Neither ordinary people nor combatants reacted in time; only when they recognized the two did everyone's faces shift to "This is settled."

Zhang Su had an impressive combat record, his strength leaving everyone in awe; Ju Wuying rarely fought, but when she did, her strikes were devastating—unforgettable to those who'd witnessed them.

If neither of them could handle this monster, then…

…we'd probably have to deploy something extreme. Ding-ding-ding, Zhang Su gripped Chen Hanzhou's waist and sprinted over ten meters in one breath, handing the battlefield over to Ju Wuying.

"Su… Su-ge…"

Chen Hanzhou stopped, stumbled, his ribs screaming, his organs burning—he'd clearly felt death approaching just now.

"How do you feel?"

Zhang Su held Chen Hanzhou's arm, locking eyes with him—everything seemed normal, no abnormalities.

"Feels… feels okay. A little medicine, I can still fight!"

Chen Hanzhou rubbed his chest and abdomen, guessing one or two ribs were broken—he'd need Qiu Nao to heal them.

"You did your best. You successfully probed the bastard's weakness. Now rest well—I'll take care of that thing. The credit's yours."

Zhang Su hadn't expected Chen Hanzhou to want to keep fighting. What was so alluring about this? What force was driving him? Seeing Chen Hanzhou gamble everything earlier had already felt wrong—and sure enough, it proved true. Everyone's understanding of the black gas zombie was just the tip of the iceberg; too many unknowns remained. Without overwhelming power as backing, the outcome would be gruesome.

"No, no, Su-ge. I can do it. Did you bring that Qiu… that medicine? Give me some—I can handle it. Please, let me!"

Chen Hanzhou pleaded stubbornly.

"You? You're going to do what? Are you trying to kill yourself? Pei Lan's still waiting for you back at Tianmayu—are you planning to make me carry back a cold corpse?"

Zhang Su's gaze hardened, rebuking sharply.

Hearing Pei Lan's name, Chen Hanzhou's fighting spirit dimmed slightly; he muttered bitterly, "But I… I really want to try one more time—I'm so close to succeeding!"

Succeeding?

Zhang Su didn't know what Chen Hanzhou meant by "success," but he knew if Chen Hanzhou kept fighting, he'd die.

Borrowing power from some mysterious source wasn't impossible—but your body had to be strong enough to handle it. Clearly, Chen Hanzhou's body was already at its limit.

The previous battle had already pushed him to his breaking point—like a water pipe with a pressure ceiling; keep increasing the pressure, and it explodes. "You really want to steal your big brother's spotlight today, huh?"

Zhang Su didn't expose Chen Hanzhou's inner thoughts—he joked instead.

Chen Hanzhou stiffened, then forced a smile: "N-no, Su-ge, I didn't mean that. Be careful—I think the black gas dome is basically its domain. Inside, resistance is huge, and that pressure afterward… it's unpredictable!"

Zhang Su patted Chen Hanzhou's shoulder. "I get it now. My speed's still not fast enough. But I think if I shoot it right when the black gas dome expands, I can kill it."

…

Chen Hanzhou fell silent.

Right—when it expanded, its defense weakened. A person could get in, so bullets could too. Why hadn't he thought of that? Chen Hanzhou clutched his chest, grimacing from pain. "I didn't even see something this simple. Su-ge, you're still the best. I'll… I'll go rest now."

"Xiao Wang, come help. Take him to Xinyu for medicine."

Zhang Su called Wang Xin over.

"Here, here—be careful. What's gotten into you today? Look, you almost got yourself killed!"

Wang Xin rushed over and supported the struggling Chen Hanzhou.

"How easy is it to die, huh? Cough… cough…"

"Don't talk, don't talk…"

The vanguard stepped back; combatants waited nearby, welcoming Chen Hanzhou's return—passing water, wiping blood, lighting cigarettes—all services rushed to him. Once your strength is recognized, people immediately fawn.

Even if he failed in the end, to everyone else, he was still a hero.

(End of Chapter)