C9 Where Did This Fierce Person Come From?

"Lin Feng, are you okay?" Chiang Yu and Liu Fei hurried over, each carrying a body – the brothers Zhang Jun and Zhang Zhao.

"Move out!"

Lin Feng glanced at the crimson flare shooting through the sky.

He hadn't anticipated that Gu Chen, with his arrogant demeanor, would have the Zhang brothers set off a signal flare in advance.

Chiang Yu and Liu Fei wasted no time.

Being discovered for murder, even of Otherworlders' offspring, would lead to severe punishment.

Without hesitation, they bolted.

Fifty seconds later, a squad of five soldiers clad in black dragon armor, weapons at the ready, arrived on the scene.

"Sarge, no sign of the bodies!"

After a two-minute scouring of the ruins, they came up empty-handed.

"No bodies?" The sergeant's brow furrowed. "Eaten by some behemoth, or..."

"Let it go. If they're gone, they're gone. Fall back," the sergeant decided with a shake of his head.

In this Warzone, threats weren't limited to monsters; fellow competitors were just as dangerous.

There had been incidents of examinees killing each other before – over grudges or loot.

Such acts were unstoppable. As long as they didn't occur openly and the deceased weren't of significant status, they were generally overlooked.

...

After a ten-thousand-meter dash, Lin Feng and his companions finally halted.

Their stop wasn't voluntary; their clamor had drawn the attention of the beasts. A pack of over a dozen monstrous creatures emerged from the shadows – canine, feline, and bizarre in form.

"Attack!"

No further words were needed.

Unversed in the beasts' tongue, they each drew blades and struck.

Lin Feng took down one and paused, feeling near death as agony tore through his muscles.

"Is this the price of Mana Ignition?" Lin Feng winced.

Pain and weakness threatened to knock him unconscious.

Thankfully, Chiang Yu and Liu Fei were formidable allies. With each swing of their weapons, monsters were cleaved in half or had their heads burst open like watermelons.

Within a mere minute, the streets were awash with corpses, a scene of unspeakable carnage.

"Strip them of their gear," Lin Feng commanded through gritted teeth, bearing the pain.

Without a word, Chiang Yu and Liu Fei efficiently removed the equipment from Gu Chen, Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Jun.

"Move out!"

There was no point in lingering.

The pungent stench of blood was thick in the air; a simple gust of wind would be enough to draw hordes of monsters in minutes.

The remains of Gu Chen's trio would be devoured, leaving nothing behind.

In time, they would be reduced to mere excrement, their cause of death untraceable by anyone.

After covering another four or five kilometers, they found a building to take cover in.

"I'm going to pass out for a while. Keep watch over me," Lin Feng murmured, his consciousness ebbing away.

As the words left his lips, darkness enveloped his vision, and he collapsed, his body going slack.

Quick to react, Liu Fei caught him and gently laid him down on the ground.

"Gu Chen City is certainly not to be taken lightly," Chiang Yu remarked, still shaken from the encounter.

They had witnessed the fierce battle between Lin Feng and Gu Chen firsthand.

Liu Fei solemnly nodded in agreement.

Even as a First Level Warrior, he was under no illusion that he could withstand either Gu Chen or Lin Feng for more than three seconds.

A few swift strikes from them would be all it would take to end him.

"Thank goodness Lin Feng is so formidable! How did he get so powerful?" Chiang Yu wondered aloud, shaking his head in amazement.

Seeing his childhood friend transform into such a powerhouse was both inspiring and daunting.

Despite his usual playful demeanor, Chiang Yu was proud and the thought of being outpaced by his friend was unbearable.

"I'll have to consume more pills when I get back. No more taking them one at a time—I'll go for ten at once!" Chiang Yu resolved.

"Let's grab a bite and rest. We've been staking out for Gu Chen all night and fighting nonstop. I'm beat," Liu Fei said, tossing a few energy bars from his pack.

These were high-calorie compressed foods, designed to stave off hunger for extended periods.

Chiang Yu nodded in agreement.

In the darkness, the two chewed and swallowed their food in silence, eyes alert and watchful.

Less than a night had passed since their arrival in the Warzone, yet the brutality of this place had already left a profound impression on them.

Here, there were no laws—only the survival of the fittest.

The weak perished, the strong prevailed.

...

Day three.

Afternoon.

A neglected area overgrown with weeds and muck.

A growing black boar ambled by.

Bang!

Suddenly, three figures leapt from the earth.

Startled, the boar shuddered but quickly turned aggressive, its bloodshot eyes charging fearlessly.

Its tusks, sharp as scimitars, were chilling to behold.

Puff!

Yet, the trio confronting it were formidable, easily overpowering the boar. Within moments, it lay slain on the ground.

"Phew…" The figures exhaled, then set about extracting the boar's tusks.

Removing her mask, one revealed a rather delicate face—it was Lee Xiuping.

"Zhang Peng, have we gathered enough?"

"Plenty," replied Zhang Peng with a grin. "The key parts from twelve D5-grade beasts are more than sufficient."

"That's a relief," Lee Xiuping said, her smile reflecting her eased tension.

A thought then struck her, "I wonder how Chiang Yu and the rest are faring."

"Them?"

Zhang Peng scoffed, "Chiang Yu and Liu Fei are strong, but they've got Lin Feng with them. You know as well as I do that Lin Feng's merely a Third Level Trainee Warrior. Plus, he's crossed Gu Chen City; for all we know, he could already be dead at their hands."

Another classmate, who had shared the ride with Lin Feng and the others, nodded in agreement.

"That's exactly why I didn't want to team up with them. Lin Feng's weakness is one thing; I could overlook that for a classmate's sake. But offending Gu Chen City..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"This is sheer ignorance of one's own limitations," Zhang Peng scoffed. "I may not be fond of Gu Chen either, but what status does he hold that Lin Feng thinks he can afford to offend?"

"Someone who lacks such awareness is bound to meet a dead end sooner or later, even if they survive this time," Lee Xiuping concurred, with Wang Huan, another classmate, nodding in agreement.

Becoming a formidable warrior requires not just strength but also a sharp mind.

"Something's happening!" Wang Huan suddenly looked ahead.

Lee Xiuping and Zhang Peng quickly became alert, crouching low to the ground and peering through the brush.

Ahead, a succession of thunderous roars shattered the silence as formidable monsters emerged. Then, three fully armed figures burst onto the scene, causing chaos in the streets.

"Such brazenness. Are they asking for death?" Zhang Peng sneered.

But his words were cut short as his eyes nearly popped out in astonishment. The trio moved through the monsters like tigers among sheep, effortlessly slaughtering the powerful creatures without a hint of resistance.

"This is... unbelievable," Lee Xiuping gasped, "I wonder which school's powerhouse this is. They're incredibly strong."

Wang Huan nodded vigorously. "Indeed. I've never seen such audacity. They must be incredibly confident!"

Zhang Peng grumbled, "All this bravado could attract even stronger monsters."

But Lee Xiuping and Wang Huan paid him no mind.

Soon, the tumult on the street ceased, and the three figures swiftly set about harvesting the monster carcasses, stripping away valuable parts like fur, scales, teeth, and bones, while carelessly discarding the flesh and blood onto the street.

Minutes later, the trio approached their direction.

"Holy smokes, look at their backpacks. How many monsters must they have killed?" Lee Xiuping whispered in awe.

Zhang Peng and Wang Huan's eyelids twitched at the sight.

The backpacks of the three figures were bulging, nearly bursting at the seams, in stark contrast to their own, which lay deflated, as if they contained nothing at all.

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