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Thank you again, Melonpan, for the sponsorship
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On Tang Xuhai's side, things were tense, while Fu Shiwu encountered a sudden issue.
Li Jixian found himself unable to handle Tang Xuhai, and with Horn Ting sealing off one side, he stealthily moved towards Fu Shiwu from another direction, making his way through the barriers by the roadside.
Fu Shiwu wasn't actively sensing, but his reflexes were sharp. As Li Jixian lunged at him with a dagger, Fu Shiwu swiftly dodged, countering towards his wrist.
Focused on observing Tang Xuhai without diverting attention from the car, Fu Shiwu was at a disadvantage facing Li Jixian, who was now outside the vehicle.
Wen Zhaoming was also monitoring the battle outside. Li Jixian's sudden appearance from a different angle startled him, causing Wen Zhaoming to instinctively launch a fireball.
Surprised and frightened, Li Jixian quickly withdrew the dagger from Fu Shiwu's defense. He hadn't expected another fire manipulator here.
Fu Shiwu, sensing danger, opened the car door and got out as Li Jixian, seeing Fu Shiwu's frail appearance, lunged at him, planning to use him as a shield.
Though Fu Shiwu had toughened up during this time, close combat remained his weakness. With Li Jixian attacking up close, Fu Shiwu was flustered and confused.
Fu Shiwu couldn't afford to draw his pistol amidst the struggle and ended up with cuts on his arm and shoulder from Li Jixian.
Seeing blood, Li Jixian's eyes reddened, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"Shiwu!" Wen Zhaoming yelled anxiously. They were too close for Wen Zhaoming to use his abilities without harming Fu Shiwu.
Wen Zhaoming's cry immediately triggered Tang Xuhai's taut nerves. With a quick series of backflips, he evaded the fire manipulator's attacks, rushing back to look.
Amidst the blazing firelight, Fu Shiwu, in his thick coat, had blood oozing, instantly enraging Tang Xuhai.
Without much thought, Tang Xuhai hurled his Dragon Bone Blade!
With an angry throw, the Dragon Bone Blade, whistling through the air, pierced Li Jixian's abdomen, leaving him frozen in disbelief, staring at Fu Shiwu with a cold, wounded face before collapsing.
Gasping for breath, Fu Shiwu turned to look at Tang Xuhai.
"Watch out!" he shouted.
Tang Xuhai immediately leaped onto the engine hood of the modified car.
In a flash, a jet of fire shot past as Tang Xuhai jumped from the hood, his hand pressing against it.
The hood seemed stuck to his hand, and he lifted it effortlessly from the car body.
Slowly, the metal hood in Tang Xuhai's hand transformed, gradually shaping into a shield-like object!
Since dual blades weren't an option, he'd fight with a shield!
With a shout, Tang Xuhai focused on the colossal fire entity, forcefully blocking its fiery arm swings with the car engine hood-sized shield firmly protecting him.
Feeling the force lessen on the shield, Tang Xuhai used it to push against the fire entity, staggering it.
"Ah!!!" Tang Xuhai roared, swiftly reshaping the scorching-hot shield into a massive sword-like structure, aiming it at the fire manipulator's midsection.
The audible crack of bones echoed as the flames extinguished, the fire manipulator split in two by the immense force.
"Heavy breaths" Tang Xuhai panted heavily, the huge sword in his hand pointing at the ground at an angle.
With the fire manipulator's death, darkness enveloped the surroundings.
The remaining would-be robbers immediately scattered and ran for it.
"They can't get away!" Tang Xuhai shouted sternly.
In the dark night, the headlights of the modified car illuminated a distant area. The figures of those fleeing were faintly discernible. Hearing the fierce shouts, they sprinted as if they had grown four legs.
Fu Shiwu hesitated briefly, then pulled out a handgun and coldly aimed at the fleeing figures.
Sharp gunfire pierced the night sky. With his enhanced perception, Fu Shiwu swiftly left these people lying on the road.
Tang Xuhai, still uneasy, went over alone. Fu Shiwu, despite his first-time experience of killing, chased after him without hesitation.
"Xuhai!" Fu Shiwu rushed to Tang Xuhai's side, watching as Xuhai kicked these people over, checking if they were alive or dead.
"Why the rush to wipe them all out?" Fu Shiwu asked, puzzled.
He wasn't sympathetic; they were just a bunch of road-blocking thugs. Was it necessary to put so much effort into exterminating them all? Killing the fire-controlling leader should disband these mutants.
Tang Xuhai, holding a blood-dripping huge sword, grabbed Fu Shiwu's arm and said, "We'll talk later."
He cautiously scanned the surroundings, finding nothing.
Observing Xuhai's caution, Fu Shiwu grew wary, occasionally glancing at him under the car's light.
When they returned to the parking spot, Horn Ting and the others stood there. Even Wen Zhaoming was in his wheelchair.
"We must be extra cautious on the road ahead. We can't go to Pingnan City! Detour," Tang Xuhai said solemnly.
"Huh? Why?" Miao Jia widened her eyes, "We're running out of gas!"
"Even if we push the car or walk, we have to avoid it!" Tang Xuhai asserted firmly.
Pushing his glasses up, Fu Shiwu patted his back, saying, "Calm down, Xuhai. Even so, you need to tell us why."
Tang Xuhai's agitated mood eased slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "These robbers aren't ordinary. They're under the notorious gang leader Shi Zheng! I caught him during my military days. He's a well-known arms dealer in East Asia, ruthless. If Pingnan City falls into his hands, I can imagine what kind of place it would be. In any case, we can't go!"
"What?!" Miao Jia blinked in shock, "Arms dealer?!"
Others were equally shaken, a moment of uproar.
In the previous peaceful era, the sudden appearance of arms dealers was unthinkable.
"But if this person was caught, why wasn't he executed?" Fu Shiwu wondered. "If it was when you were in the army, it's been over two years now. Isn't this kind of criminal usually sentenced to death?"
"I think it was to eliminate his remaining power," Tang Xuhai said with an unpredictable expression. "We caught him, but the second-in-command of the Wild Wolves Gang is still at large."
"I see," Wen Zhaoming nodded. "He could have been used as bait and leverage at crucial times."
Tang Xuhai didn't respond, but likely, that was the real reason Shi Zheng was still alive. No one had anticipated an apocalypse, letting Shi Zheng, the once-captured kingpin, not only escape confinement but also take control and become a threat!
It was a twist of fate and a frustrating reality.
Not to say whether they could safely pass through Pingnan City, but if Shi Zheng found out who was responsible for his imprisonment, he'd surely seek revenge. It's no wonder Tang Xuhai insisted on not letting these people go.
Everyone looked uneasily at Tang Xuhai, truly at a loss about what to do.
"Are there survivors?" Wen Zhaoming asked after a moment.
Horn Ting hesitated briefly, then nodded, "Yes."
His water-based technique wouldn't instantly kill; it would create a blood hole in the body, leaving them to struggle until they bled out.
Facing mutants, they could calmly deliver the finishing blow, but these were humans. It pained them; they could only allow these robbers to bleed out slowly and await their inevitable end.
"I'll find someone and get detailed information," Tang Xuhai said coldly.
Liu Zhao, Wu Shan, Ma Dong, and the others stepped back. They couldn't bear to witness people dying and then be interrogated. Olande, Horn Ting, Wang Dan, and Liu Peiqi followed along.
Miao Jia pushed Wen Zhaoming forward, while Fu Shiwu walked behind Tang Xuhai.
Tang Xuhai strode through the blood, and as Horn Ting suppressed a dying groan, Tang Xuhai grabbed one of the robbers who hadn't been fatally struck.
"I'll ask you some questions. Answer truthfully. If you do well, I'll give you a quick end!" Tang Xuhai said coldly.
He knew these desperados well. At a time like this, a swift release from their impending death was a significant temptation for them.
"You ask," the man, a fellow loner, responded cheerfully.
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