Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Counter-Kill

The winged humanoids chuckled as they discussed the scene.

"Those two humans!"
"Truly foolish!"
"They are courting death. The Model 707 laser pistol in Lady Taolu’s hand is a lethal Class-A weapon. A mere graze would leave them crippled instantly."
"Combined with Lady Taolu’s mind-control, not to mention her other two abilities—if she isn't causing trouble for others, they should be grateful. Instead, these two seem to be in a hurry to die."

Chai Guan and Zhen Shi had never understood why Taolu was appointed as the leader of the winged humanoids' operations at such a young age. It certainly wasn't because of her lineage—if coming from the Ninth District could even be considered noble. It was because of her strength. Having developed three major abilities, could Taolu really be defeated by Darren as easily as before? Impossible. Compared to her now, Darren was nothing more than an ant.

The four winged humanoids standing two kilometers away laughed to themselves. If these two humans wanted to die, they would be better off killed by Xia Yan. At least, if they had to choose between a blade and a laser, they wouldn't consider the former more terrifying. To have one’s mind controlled while one’s body was pierced by a laser—that was the ultimate torture.

"Pathetic," Taolu sneered. She quickly loaded a laser cartridge into the magazine and aimed the 707 at Zhen Shi.

A sudden, overwhelming sense of crisis washed over Zhen Shi; every pore on his body stood on end. Taolu unleashed her mind-control technique. Her neural development was no weaker than Zhen Shi’s, so her influence was guaranteed to take effect. Against a top-tier four-star ability user, standard firearms were of little use, but a Class-A weapon was lethal. Moreover, this was the most powerful laser pistol in the Class-A category.

She pulled the trigger, and at that very moment, Zhen Shi’s body seized up. That was the opening!

A multicolored laser beam surged toward Zhen Shi. The dazzling energy seemed poised to sweep up all matter and devour it completely.

"No!" In a panic, Zhen Shi’s body expanded rapidly, transforming him into a giant over four meters tall. This ability granted him immense defensive power, but he still failed to avoid the beam perfectly. The laser grazed his left arm, and with that mere touch, his entire limb vanished instantly.

A scream erupted from Zhen Shi’s throat. He fell to one knee, drenched in sweat, his face twisted in agony, unable to get any closer to Taolu.

Chai Guan had already caught up to Taolu. Without hesitation, he swung his combat blade toward her.

"What a miserable fellow," Taolu said with a look of disdain. Her body split in two; both versions of Taolu were identical, each wielding a 707 laser pistol. Simultaneously, both Taolus reloaded their weapons.

As Chai Guan attacked, red light flashed in the eyes of both Taolus. He froze in place, unable to regain control of his body for a full second. By the time he recovered, the golden opportunity for an attack had passed, and the two Taolus had darted off in opposite directions.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Chai Guan roared in a frenzy. Layers of fire erupted from his body, and like a man made of flame, he gave chase to one of the Taolus. One of his abilities was fire manipulation, much like Xia Yan’s. Since energy-based abilities could provide a degree of resistance against psychic attacks when manifested as a full-body aura, Chai Guan was desperate to protect himself, terrified that Taolu would target his mind again.

He caught up to one of the Taolus and slashed, but her figure dissipated into nothingness.

"Wrong one!" Chai Guan panicked. Meanwhile, the real Taolu, running at high speed, had already reloaded and cleared the weapon's cooldown. She aimed the 707 and fired another shot at Zhen Shi.

The giant-like man was pierced through the chest, leaving a horrifying, bloodless hole. The laser had consumed his bones, organs, and flesh entirely, leaving not even a drop of blood behind. Chai Guan and Zhen Shi had attacked together, yet within seconds, Taolu had already killed one of them.

"Damn you, you bitch! Die!" Driven mad and unable to control his reason, Chai Guan gripped his blade and swung, intending to cut Taolu in half.

By now, the battle was clear. The werewolf had been killed by Xia Yan. He had performed well, holding out against Xia Yan for nearly twenty seconds—a remarkable feat for the strongest of the group in his empowered state. But what did it matter? He was dead, and Xia Yan remained unscathed. His greatest achievement was merely delaying Xia Yan for twenty seconds.

Was his life worth only twenty seconds? He had lost everything for nothing.

"Even the strongest werewolf has fallen," Wenzhe remarked. His expression was calm, but he was inwardly stunned. It was hard to believe; the price Xia Yan had paid was nearly zero. These people hadn't even managed to wound him.

Only one person remained on the battlefield: Chai Guan. Could he defeat the combined might of Xia Yan and Taolu? Even Wenzhe knew it was impossible. This human’s fate was sealed.

Xia Yan sighed softly. Regardless of the werewolf's strength, his ability had been truly annoying, entangling him so tightly he couldn't even shake him off. He looked into the distance, his expression shifting sharply. He realized that Taolu could no longer dodge Chai Guan’s incoming strike, and he was too far away to intervene.

"How could this be?" Xia Yan remained calm, still trusting Taolu. This girl would never act recklessly; she must have a hidden trump card.

"Die!" Chai Guan’s blade was inches from Taolu.

At that moment, Taolu’s body dissolved into a black mist. The fog spread instantly, covering a hundred-meter radius, rendering anyone inside unable to see what lay ahead.

"She has already developed a third ability?" Wenzhe’s expression flickered. A person who could develop a third ability with less than fifty percent neural development possessed immense potential. That this girl, still so young, had achieved such a feat was truly astonishing.

This mist ability was a powerful defensive technique. It didn't just obscure vision; she had become the mist itself, and her location was impossible to track. In this form, how could she possibly be hit by Chai Guan’s attack?

Chai Guan was helpless. He couldn't find her, let alone land a killing blow.