Chapter 98: 98 A Desperate Fight
The speed unleashed by Super-Base Instantaneous Speed was so fast that Zheng Yan, also at Alloy Level, couldn’t react in time and could only watch helplessly as Death Powder pierced towards him, filled with utter terror.
Meanwhile, Wei Wufu’s purple carapace suddenly swelled, transforming the once thin shell into thick armor. With his formidable physique, Wei Wufu now resembled a humanoid mecha warrior.
Wei Wufu thrust his trident wildly, meeting the mutated black armored centipede head-on.
Sparks flew everywhere, and the powerful impact forced Wei Wufu backwards, his legs plowing two deep furrows into the ground, while the centipede was deflected onto the earth beside him.
The mutated Crystal-based Creature was surprisingly not gaining much of an advantage over Wei Wufu.
Almost simultaneously, a hand encased in a Red Jade Carapace grabbed Death Powder that was thrusting towards Zheng Yan’s face. It was Zheng Guyuan who had intervened, seizing Death Powder.
Zheng Guyuan tried to crush Death Powder with a squeeze but found the hard tip suddenly as pliable as boneless, like squeezing cotton, offering no resistance, and he couldn’t crush it instantly.
Death Powder took the opportunity to coil upwards, entwining around Zheng Guyuan’s arm as if it were silk winding around a finger.
“Fire, kill them,” Zheng Guyuan ordered, almost roaring.
As he dealt with the Black-Capped Mushroom Beast, he still found a way to block Death Powder for Zheng Yan. Distracted, his control over the Blade of the Heart weakened even further.
The rumbling sound of something monumental began to surround them, as if the earth and mountains were shaking; a large group of Mushroom Beasts was rushing their way.
Only then did Zheng Yan come to his senses, lifting his gun to aim at Lin Shen once more.
Lin Shen’s carapace had become as red-hot as iron, making him look like a metal man who had just climbed out of a high-temperature furnace, furiously charging at Zheng Yan.
“Die!” Zheng Yan screamed, his face twisted in a ferocious snarl as he pulled the trigger.
“Too late.” Lin Shen, who was now less than five meters away from Zheng Yan, suddenly accelerated to an inconceivable speed.
Before Zheng Yan’s finger could fully press down, Lin Shen, glowing with a brilliant light, was already in front of him, snatching the Angel Revolver from one hand, while pointing the other hand at Zheng Yan.
Zheng Yan’s eyes bulged in disbelief; he couldn’t understand how someone at Steel Level could burst forth with such speed. Even someone at Crystal Base Level wouldn’t have that speed, right?
Zheng Guyuan too noticed this unbelievable scene, and was profoundly shocked. He abandoned his struggle with the Black-Capped Mushroom Beast for the Blade of the Heart, pulling Zheng Yan behind him with his other hand, causing Lin Shen’s pointing attack to miss.
“You… must die…” Zheng Guyuan suddenly realized that if Lin Shen couldn’t be killed today, this young man could potentially become the Zheng Family’s greatest nightmare.
Therefore, he was willing to abandon the killing blow against the Black-Capped Mushroom Beast, which had put him in a life-threatening situation, to eliminate Lin Shen and prevent future threats.
Zheng Guyuan, like a phantom, appeared in front of Lin Shen. His other hand, not entangled by Death Powder, reached out like blood-red jade claws, aiming for Lin Shen’s chest.
It was too fast, it was just too fast. Lin Shen didn’t even have time to fire a shot empowered by the Seven Steps of Conflict before Zheng Guyuan’s hand was already at his chest. This grab threatened to tear his chest open and rip out his heart.
Wei Wufu was preoccupied with the mutated black armored centipede and couldn’t come to Lin Shen’s aid in time.
Even without the centipede, Wei Wufu’s speed would not have been fast enough to rescue Lin Shen. Even in a weakened state, an Ascender was still an Ascender, far beyond the capabilities of an Alloy.
As Lin Shen was on the verge of having his chest pierced through, anticipation of seeing Lin Shen cut open was alight in Zheng Yan’s eyes, eagerly awaiting the gruesome scene.
Zheng Guyuan was also full of madness. This was the strike he delivered with the last vestiges of his life force, seeking only to kill Lin Shen in one blow, consequences be damned.
Although his chest was flooding with blood, it couldn’t stop Zheng Guyuan’s resolute intent to crush Lin Shen’s heart.
Lin Shen desperately tried to retreat, but compared to Zheng Guyuan’s speed, his own was like that of a snail’s crawl.
In a critical moment, a small white figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of Lin Shen, landing on the back of Zheng Guyuan’s hand that was reaching out to grab him.
Zheng Guyuan’s hand, flashing towards Lin Shen like lightning, came to a sudden halt.
This momentary pause gave Lin Shen a slim chance at survival.
A gunshot rang out, and Lin Shen’s figure madly shifted to the left, evading the hand that Zheng Guyuan had reached out to grab.
The small white figure on Zheng Guyuan’s hand also took flight, perching on Lin Shen’s shoulder as if it had teleported.
Everyone stared at the white dove on Lin Shen’s shoulder, their expressions one of incredulous shock.
Even Zheng Guyuan was stunned for a full second. He couldn’t believe that an ordinary-looking dove, apparently flesh and blood, could pause his attack for an instant, completely beyond his comprehension.
Zheng Yan found it even harder to accept. A pet that looked utterly ordinary, not even a Base Variant Creature, could actually interrupt an Ascender’s attack.
Just moments ago, he had thought of it as a useless junk pet, and this dealt a dual blow to his psyche, completely breaking his mental defense.
Death Powder took advantage of the moment Zheng Guyuan was dazed to escape his grasp and returned to Lin Shen’s side.
Mushroom Beasts flooded in like a tide from all directions, among them the Blue-Cap Mushroom Beasts and Purple Crystal Mushroom Beasts.
Zheng Guyuan felt his strength rapidly fading, his vitality growing weaker, knowing his time was short.
But without killing Lin Shen, he found it difficult to be content. However, the situation was no longer in his control.
With a grit of his teeth, Zheng Guyuan grabbed Zheng Yan and shot straight up into the sky, attempting to flee the Blue Tree Sea with him.
But his current speed was far from what it used to be, not even matching the top speed of speed-type Crystal-based Creatures.
It was clear he didn’t lack the will to kill Lin Shen, but even with all his might, he could no longer do so. The earlier strike was his last desperate attempt, consuming his last bit of vitality.
Zheng Guyuan, now barely clinging to life, only wanted to use the flight advantage that remained to an Ascender to flee the Blue Tree Sea with Zheng Yan before his death, to allow Zheng Yan to return to the Wanderer Base and inform the Zheng Family of Lin Shen’s existence so they could prepare early.
Having made an enemy, such a figure must be strangled before he truly rose to power, or he would surely become the Zheng Family’s nightmare.
“Lin Shen, the next time we meet, I will surely kill you,” Zheng Yan roared madly, venting his inner rage and reluctance, as well as alleviating his fear.
With Uncle Er, an Ascender, on his side, they hadn’t managed to kill Lin Shen, and he had almost been killed by Lin Shen instead, this instilled an uncontrollable fear in him.
“You won’t get the chance. Even an Ascender can’t save you today,” Lin Shen said as he fired his gun.
At the sound of gunfire, Zheng Guyuan shielded Zheng Yan with his body, his carapace still hard, impervious to the Mutated Black Armored Centipede.
“Bullshit… what are you… you can’t kill me… I will return… next time I’ll kill you all…bang…” Zheng Yan’s crazed bellowing hadn’t finished when his head was penetrated by a Mutated Black Armored Centipede, his eyes bulging to the extreme, dying without understanding how Lin Shen’s shot had bypassed Zheng Guyuan to hit him.