"Are you just going to stand there and watch?!"
A sudden, furious roar erupted from the distance. Amidst surging crimson flames that scorched and cracked the ground beneath them, Hu Xiang and the Giant Lion clashed in a brutal struggle, sending waves of blistering heat rolling outward. The crimson spear and the massive lion claws intertwined in midair, erupting with the deafening boom of muffled thunder.
He was currently locked in a stalemate against the Alpha of the Azure-Scaled Lions, the two of them seemingly evenly matched.
However, the situation at the camp was clearly taking a turn for the worse. When comparing low-tier Professionals against low-tier Mutants, the latter inherently held the upper hand due to their sheer physical size.
If things continued like this, the camp would be completely routed, and Hu Xiang himself would eventually succumb to their attacks.
Unless... a decisive force intervened.
If Su Chen really had killed those two assassins, then his strength would undoubtedly be an incredibly powerful asset in a battle of this caliber.
Yet, the boy seemingly had no intention of stepping in.
The sudden roar left many of those fighting or fleeing completely dazed. They didn't understand what Hu Xiang meant, or who he was even talking to.
Su Chen remained unmoved, his face completely expressionless.
"After this is over, I will give you a proper explanation!" Hu Xiang roared through gritted teeth.
Su Chen still made no move.
"I swear it on my wife's life!" The voice rang out once more.
Su Chen's eyes flickered. He had heard Old Zhao mention that Hu Xiang and his wife shared a remarkably deep, widely-praised bond.
Unfortunately, his wife had been afflicted by something within the fog and remained comatose to this day.
Given the current situation, it was impossible for him to just stand by and watch. With the nest overturned, no egg could remain intact. Coercing Hu Xiang into revealing the mastermind behind the scenes was an acceptable outcome.
Having been at Nanfeng Academy for a while now, it was probably time to reveal some of his 'talent'.
Kicking away an encroaching Azure-Scaled Lion, Bai Fengxi's gaze frequently darted toward Su Chen. She had a vague premonition that Hu Xiang was somehow screaming at him.
'Just how much has he been hiding?'
With a forceful push off the ground, like a gust of wind sweeping up a cloud of dust, Su Chen's body abruptly glided forward.
The closest Giant Lion barely had time to flick the tip of its tail before Su Chen's figure transformed into a blur, bypassing its raised front paw entirely.
An iron thread slithered out from his chest, hugging his body tightly as it moved. It was virtually invisible to the naked eye as it effortlessly pierced straight through the Azure-Scaled Lion's skull.
To the onlookers, it looked as though Su Chen hadn't done anything at all, merely drifting past. Yet, the massive lion before him reacted as if it had suffered a devastating blow. One side of its head exploded, quickly followed by the other. Amidst a mist of blood and gore, the massive beast staggered and collapsed.
An instant kill!
Bai Fengxi's pupils contracted sharply, and she couldn't help but take a few steps forward.
Even she struggled fiercely when facing such a Giant Lion head-on. Its azure scales acted as a natural set of armor, possessing a defensive strength no less than that of a low-grade artifact; they were incredibly tough.
She knew Su Chen had been hiding his true capabilities, but her highest estimation was that he had simply managed to become a Professional. The scene unfolding before her eyes was utterly unimaginable.
Su Chen's body continued to drift through the camp like a wind spirit. One by one, the Azure-Scaled Lions fell, showing almost no ability to resist.
Liu Liang supported himself on the ground with both hands, his face ashen pale as he stared at the massive lion that had just collapsed right in front of him. Its bloody maw was wide open; he had been a hair's breadth away from being swallowed whole.
'What... what?! How on earth is he so powerful?!'
Zhou Zong lay sprawled on the ground, his face etched with pure terror as he stared in disbelief. The sight of the massive beasts continuously collapsing under Su Chen's hands violently impacted his brain, shattering his reality.
Suddenly, a low growl sounded behind him. Jolted by terror, he realized an Azure-Scaled Lion was charging toward him. It seemed to have been spooked by Su Chen and was fleeing in a blind panic.
Zhou Zong's reaction wasn't slow. He immediately executed a frantic defensive roll to dodge out of the way. However, a sudden, blinding pain pierced through his head, and his entire body froze in place as if struck by lightning.
Thud!
With a muffled crunch, half of his head was pulverized beneath the paws of the fleeing Azure-Scaled Lion.
Everyone's attention was hyper-focused on the gliding silhouette, so no one noticed his demise.
The camp gradually quieted down. In just a few short moments, over a dozen Azure Lions lay dead on the ground, with a solitary figure standing amidst the carnage.
"Is that... Su Chen!?"
Given the dire circumstances, not everyone had caught a clear glimpse of who had taken action. Combined with his blinding speed, it was only when he finally came to a halt that they recognized him.
Gazes filled with shock, horror, and profound gratitude converged upon him.
"Phew..." Su Chen let out a long breath, feeling a throbbing headache pulse through his temples.
His previous actions might have seemed like a leisurely stroll through a park, but in reality, they were the culmination of the perfect synergy between his 【Void-Rending Warrior】 attributes, his 【Mystic Artificer】 control, and most importantly, his 2nd-tier artifact, the 【Azure Iron Cable】.
These ordinary lions were merely 1st-tier Mutants. Naturally, their defenses couldn't withstand the lethal edge of a 2nd-tier item.
However, that sequence of high-speed maneuvers had taken a massive toll on his energy.
'He's actually that strong...'
In the distance, Hu Xiang distracted himself momentarily to observe the aftermath. His heart suffered a massive jolt, nearly causing him to take a claw to the chest.
'Could this kid actually be a 2nd-tier Professional?' he couldn't help but wonder.
"Roar!"
The Alpha of the Azure-Scaled Lions let out an agonized roar. Hu Xiang instantly refocused his mind, bracing himself to prevent the beast from launching a desperate death-struggle.
To his surprise, the Giant Lion merely cast a fleeting glance toward the camp before halting its assault and slowly retreating into the darkness.
"It's over..." Hu Xiang's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Within the camp, groans of "Ouch" and "Ah" rose and fell continuously. The survivors helped one another bandage their wounds, their minds still restless and unsettled. More than a few seemed distracted, their gazes repeatedly drifting toward the figure standing not too far away.
"...Twelve 1st-tier Mutants, and the rest were smaller lions. Good heavens, he's an absolute freak..." Liu Liang whispered to a companion.
"No wonder Bai Fengxi treated him differently. He's way too strong."
"I-isn't he supposed to be a refugee? How could he possibly be that powerful?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"How the hell should I know?" Liu Liang rolled his eyes. "Stop going 'refugee this, refugee that.' He just saved your life."
"I know, I know. I was just saying..." the person defended weakly.
"What are the casualties?" Hu Xiang returned, his deep, resonant voice instantly providing the group with a much-needed sense of stability and leadership.
"We got off relatively light..." a subordinate reported, his face tight. "Since they were mostly 1st-tier Mutants, our reaction speed was fast enough. And then Su Chen... followed up almost immediately. The students' physical fitness isn't too bad either, so mostly everyone just suffered some bumps and bruises."
"However, a few of our own guys took severe hits trying to protect them. I'm afraid they might end up disabled."
"This bunch of worthless trash only knows how to cause trouble during a fight. Otherwise, Old Liu and the guys wouldn't have gotten hurt," another subordinate grumbled furiously. "And that Su Chen guy! He's clearly so strong, yet he..."
"Shut up!" Hu Xiang swept a freezing glare over him. He, better than anyone, understood exactly why Su Chen had refrained from acting.
Not far away, Old Zhao couldn't help but look over, shaking his head and sighing.
Su Chen was resting with his eyes closed. Opening them slightly, he asked in a somewhat exasperated tone, "Is staring at me really that entertaining?"
Standing right next to him, Bai Fengxi didn't seem the least bit embarrassed, opting to ask directly, "You know what I want to ask."
"Since you know, then you should also realize that I'm not going to tell you," Su Chen replied, shaking his head.
"That's exactly why I'm just staring at you."
Su Chen choked on his own words, snapping back irritably, "Careful you don't fall for me."
"...Zh-Zhou... Zhou Zong! Zhou Zong is dead!"
A terrified shriek suddenly echoed from the distance.
Bai Fengxi paused slightly, speaking up once more, "Killing him will bring you a mountain of trouble."
"You should take that up with the Azure-Scaled Lion," Su Chen replied flatly.
The crowd gathered around, staring at the corpse on the ground. More than half of his head had been pulverized, leaving only a single, wide-open eye staring into the abyss, unable to rest in peace.
"Did anyone see what happened to him just now?" Hu Xiang's face was incredibly grim as he surveyed the surroundings.
"It looks like he was trampled to death by a lion," someone offered weakly.
"Trampled to death?" Hu Xiang took a long, hard look at the corpse before finally saying, "Bag him up."
Standing among the surrounding City Patrol guards, Tang Chen's face was ashen, his heart filled with unease. Fortunately, the person tasked with collecting the body merely gave it a cursory glance before stuffing it into a body bag.
'There's still a chance. There's still a chance.'
Hu Xiang pushed his way through the crowd and stopped in front of Su Chen, staring at the young man before him. "Care to chat?"