Jiang Junyi’s fists rained down on the massive energy silhouette. The colossal Earthbound Spirit opened its mouth, letting out a deep, muffled roar that couldn’t break free from within its own body.
Suddenly, two more tremors struck.
–Run! The other two are coming too.–
–Damn! We only pushed in this far and we’ve already stirred up three of them.–
The six of them crushed their ability orbs simultaneously. Their speed skyrocketed as they scattered and dashed into the various alleys.
A mocking voice came from the island’s edge: –Hahaha, the mighty Dragon Soar Team, scared shitless and running with their tails between their legs.–
–Wang Qianjue, if you’ve got the balls, you go. I’ll be waiting to buy your ‘Spirit Binding Core.’–
Wang Qianjue and his companions, who had just set foot on the island, watched as Jiang Junyi—originally running in the opposite direction—suddenly swerved and headed toward them, the three Earthbound Spirits hot on his trail. Their faces instantly twisted in panic.
–Hey! Don’t come over here! Ah, you old bastard!–
This group immediately crushed their ability orbs too, their figures darting away like the wind.
–Damn, we haven’t even warmed our seats yet, and we’ve already blown through two hundred years.–
The group shouted as they fled.
Every ability orb cost 10N in raw materials to make, plus the Chronos spent to buy them back. This single escape by seven or eight people had just cost over two hundred years’ worth of Chronos.
Just as everyone was being chased by the three great Earthbound Spirits, a thunderous roar exploded from deep within the isolated island. The three monsters halted in unison, turning to look inward. Then they reversed course and charged toward the island’s interior.
The fleeing group stopped and looked toward the depths of the island.
–What happened inside?-
–It’s so deep in there, who knows? Could it be Cheng Yunze and the others again? But why no notification?-
Jiang Junyi and a few others walked over. –I asked the Four Symbols Group this morning. They said they’re going to stabilize the A-level intersecting land for the newcomers this month and don’t plan to come.-
Their faces all changed at once.
–Could it be that someone else has managed to go deep into the island!-
A person beside Wang Qianjue spoke up: –Probably someone got lucky and went deep inside, but he likely won’t be able to come back out.-
Wave after wave of dense psychic pressure radiated outward—clearly someone had angered the powerful being deep in the island.
–Xiao Ahua has a point.-
–He angered a bunch of Earth-bound Spirits. He’s screwed.- said the person by the island’s edge.
……
Furious roars kept echoing through the night.
Hong Haocheng sprinted for his life along the route he had scouted earlier.
–Damn it, how did I run into that thing?-
The Earth-bound Spirit with faint, flickering lines all over its body—though not large—had detected him the moment he got within two hundred meters, and let out a thunderous roar.
The roars of other Earth-bound Spirits seemed muffled inside their bodies, barely traveling beyond. But its voice was piercingly loud, and its speed was not much slower than his own.
–Still chasing! Damn your mother! I didn’t even take a clod of mud from your house!-
Crack, crack, crack! Thump, thump, thump!
All around, countless buildings shattered with a crash as many earthbound spirits rushed toward the roar. Fortunately, their target was to protect the spirit that had bellowed.
Swish!
Behind Hong Haocheng, something slammed into him with a bang.
[I offset 30N.]
[I offset failed 350N.]
–Wh—what the hell!-
A fierce stabbing pain tore through Hong Haocheng, his body pierced through. His consciousness wavered, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus on running, ignoring the agony inside.
Blood dripped steadily, tracing a path on the ground—just like the dashed lines he had once drawn.
With a thunderous roar, at least a dozen figures rushed to the side of the howling monster. Fortunately, the arriving helpers blocked the way, and the creature that had been clinging to him finally fell behind.
Hong Haocheng spat out a mouthful of blood. The dim ring of light in his eyes flickered faintly. He bent his legs slightly to gather strength, grabbed a branch ahead, but stumbled and fell again.
[At least these, are, idiots.]
Staggering, Hong Haocheng scrambled into a house overrun with weeds, its foundation the only thing left. With a thud, he tumbled into the basement.
Then Hong Haocheng lost consciousness completely.
……
When he woke again, the young man heard the faint chirping of insects.
He checked himself—his body had recovered, as expected. No matter how many times he experienced this superhuman regeneration, it always amazed him.
–Forget it. I won’t thank you either.-
He patted his firm muscles, his gaze drawn to a blood-stained object on the ground. It was still emitting a faint glow.
As soon as Hong Haocheng bent down and touched it, he felt as if something had pricked his finger.
[I offset 30N.]
[I failed to offset 50N.]
Hong Haocheng stared blankly at his punctured finger, a hint of joy emerging amidst the pain.
This familiar pain instantly made him realize what this thing was—it was the very object that the Earthbound Spirit had used to shatter his body moments ago.
Initially, he thought it was a stone, but it turned out to be an iron implement.
–These edges are so sharp.-
He carefully picked up the fist-sized iron ball. What had just stabbed him were the densely packed diamond-shaped spikes on its surface, and the pain penetrated deep into his bones, as if the needling sensation was instantly transmitted to the depths of his soul.
Looking more closely, Hong Haocheng noticed an iron half-ring at the back, designed for attaching a chain.
–Could it be a meteor hammer?-
Hong Haocheng tore off some vines and branches, binding them to the ball to fashion a makeshift weapon. He thought for a moment, then his chest lit up with Moxel, and a broken line shot into the iron ball.
[This –Void Zero Chronos Weapon- does not belong to me, so I cannot perform a Chronos transfer on it.]
[My investment failed, but it taught me a lesson.]
After fiddling with weapons for a while, Hong Haocheng crawled out of the basement and returned to the edge of the island, only to find that the distant yacht was gone.
Hong Haocheng frowned. He had no way to contact the people of Silver White Moxel, so he had to search for Zhang Miao and the other two on his own.
–Come and see, everyone! This is the Dragon Soar Group, so shameless! They snatched the small earth-bound spirit we discovered.-
–Bullshit! We took it down first.-
–If we hadn’t rushed here, would you have even encountered it?-
Originally, hearing this argument, Hong Haocheng just wanted to take a detour, but he suddenly noticed a small boat that had been dragged ashore. The people inside were gone!
In an instant, a surge of anger rushed straight to his brain!
Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes in recollection, the young man let the combat knowledge taught by Feng Juguan and the others flash through his mind.
–How dare they touch my people.-
He quietly prowled around the area, but his heart grew more tense—Zhang Miao and the other two were truly all gone, yet the boat was still there! Could they have met with misfortune?
He secretly memorized the faces of those people and the names he heard in their quarrels and shouts.
–Wang Qianjue, huh? And that old man. You’d better not have done anything that pisses me off.-
He quietly dove into the water, approached the vicinity of those people from below, and carefully climbed ashore on the far side of the small boat under the cover of night.
Two groups of people were arguing fiercely about twenty or thirty meters away when they suddenly heard the hum of an engine roaring. Wang Qianjue and the others turned to see a yacht breaking through the water and speeding into the lake.
–Thief!-
–Damn, are you that broke? Stealing a boat too!-
Jiang Junyi’s eyes were sharp—he had spotted the sneaky figure in the darkness the moment the boat moved. But he was glad someone was teaching those who had snatched the Earth-bound spirits a lesson.
–Captain, that guy’s hairstyle looks kind of familiar,- a woman beside Jiang Junyi whispered, covering her mouth.
–Heh heh.-
……
On the boat, the furious Hong Haocheng drove it a mile or two out before his gaze landed on a pile of food, among which were a few homemade weapons and a pistol. Just as he was about to examine why the traces from grilling fish on the boat had vanished, a roar sounded from afar.
Lights and faint voices drifted across the lake.
As Hong Haocheng steered the boat closer, he looked bewildered at the three people on the opposite boat, who were staring back at him with equal surprise.
–Brother Hong, you’re finally back.-
–Mm.-
The two boats gently bumped on the lake.
–Your boat…-
–Well…-
Li Yongqin was the first to scratch his head and stand up. Zhang Miao said, –Brother, you didn’t just pick up someone else’s boat again, did you?-
–I… I was in a hurry to find you all, so I borrowed it from a friend.-
Hong Haocheng looked down—these two ships were so similar, no wonder he felt that the ship didn’t have the soot from grilling fish.
Seeing the contradictory expression on Hong Haocheng’s face, Cui Rong chuckled.
–Borrowed again… Forgot to tell you, Chairman. There are people in the city who can build ships. After building one, they let someone without Moxel stay near it for a day or two, and it turns into an Enightmare. Then they kill it, and it becomes an Enightmare ship. That’s why they look alike.-
–Kill? But these ships are in good shape—no wounds.- Hong Haocheng said.
His own aircraft Enightmare had been blown to smithereens by Ruan Jiancheng.
Cui Rong, wrapped in a blanket, said, –They have their ways. Oh, and Chairman, be careful of those with psychic attacks. They’re terrifying and unbeatable—Chronos can’t defend against them at all.-
Listening to him, Hong Haocheng’s expression shifted constantly. –So there are mental attacks? That scary?-
Zhang Miao and Li Yongqin furrowed their brows.
–As expected, this really is another world! This is the other world I imagined!-
Hong Haocheng said, quite astonished.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked around and spotted his iron ball on the deck. He had just casually set it down, but its spikes were already embedded in the hull.
–Let me show you something cool.-
Hong Haocheng shook the iron ball, which was connected by branches and a few vines.
–Careful now—some of the Chronos attacks this thing carries can’t be blocked.-
Before Li Yongqin could react across from him, Cui Rong suddenly looked at the ball with surprise.
–Undefendable?! Could it be… this has been reinforced by the Soul Binding Core? No way.-
Hearing this, Zhang Miao and Li Yongqin’s expressions shifted. Cui Rong looked at Li Yongqin. The standing man was stunned for a few seconds, then glanced down at Cui Rong, his gaze clearly saying: Looks like you called it.
Zhang Miao said with effort, –Brother Hong, you can’t be serious. You just went out for a stroll every day and… picked up this weapon?-
Hong Haocheng shook the iron ball in his hand. –You guys seem to know what this is?-
–Can I take a look?-
Li Yongqin picked up a wooden board, held it level, and had Hong Haocheng place it on top. He then touched a safe spot on the iron ball covered in spikes with his finger.
The man then looked at Hong Haocheng with a stunned expression.
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