?
Yang Bin watched the man suddenly change direction and sprint toward them. A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
This guy was running straight to his own funeral.
"Old Hei, your Ability just arrived."
"Ability? Boss, you're saying he's an Ability user?" Old Hei's eyes lit up instantly.
He was the only one on the entire team without an Ability. He'd been dying for one.
"Yep. The man's delivering himself right to our door. Be rude not to accept, wouldn't it?" Yang Bin smiled.
"Hell yeah! What type of Ability, boss?"
"Fire-type."
"Fire-type! I love fire-type!" Old Hei stared at the approaching man like a kid eyeing a wrapped present.
Su Ming, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to his situation.
Seeing that Yang Bin's group hadn't fled, he grew even more delighted.
"Brothers! Give me a hand here - let's take on these zombies together!" Su Ming shouted as he ran toward them.
Anyone out here had to be an Evolver. As long as they held the zombies off for a moment, he could slip away.
"Sure thing, sure thing." Yang Bin smiled.
"Go help him clean up those zombies out back."
"On it."
The squad nodded and charged the six pursuing zombies without hesitation.
Six people. Six zombies. Start to finish - under a minute.
They dug out the crystals and handed every last one to Old Hei.
After days of sweeping the area, everyone else in the Star Fall Squad had already hit Tier-5 peak. Old Hei was the only one still a few crystals short. These topped him off perfectly.
"Brother, you really are my lucky star." Old Hei grinned at Su Ming.
The guy shows up and delivers both an Ability and the crystals to push him to Tier-5 peak. If that wasn't a lucky star, what was?
Watching the group dispatch six Tier-5 Zombies that effortlessly, Su Ming's brain short-circuited.
He'd thought he'd stumbled onto a few easy marks. Turns out he'd wandered into a wolf den.
His expression shifted several times. In the end, he concluded that alone, he probably couldn't take all seven of them.
He was an Ability user, sure. But judging from what he'd just witnessed, these people were nearly all Tier-5 peak - and the kind with terrifying combat strength.
If it came to a fight, he'd most likely end up dead.
With that thought, Su Ming quickly plastered on a smile.
"Brother, it's my honor to be your lucky star."
"Haha! Then you really are a stand-up guy," Old Hei laughed.
"You flatter me. Thanks for the help, brothers. I've got business elsewhere, so I'll take my leave." Su Ming cupped his fists and started backing away.
He needed to get out of here. The way these people looked at him - like a lamb on a butcher's block - made his skin crawl.
"Don't leave, brother. You walk off now, how are you gonna keep being my lucky star?"
Old Hei stepped directly into Su Ming's path. Like hell he was letting the first Ability user he'd found just stroll away.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Su Ming frowned.
"Nothing. Just stay put."
"Brothers, I really do have somewhere to be."
"What kind of business does a tool have? Sit your ass down."
"What the fuck did you just say!? You think you've got me cornered!?"
"Yes." Old Hei nodded, perfectly sincere.
"......"
Su Ming's face went dark.
He'd always been the one doing the bullying. Never once had someone dared humiliate him like this. Did they really think Su Ming was a soft target?
Su Ming raised his hand. A tongue of flame erupted from his palm.
He shaped the fire lazily, arrogance spreading across his face.
"Still think you've got me cornered?" Su Ming sneered.
Ability users held a natural advantage. Ordinary Evolvers typically froze up the moment they saw one.
What left him speechless, however, was that these people didn't show a shred of fear. They started critiquing him.
"Boss, does this thing actually do damage? I feel like you couldn't even grill meat with it." Old Hei squinted at the flame in Su Ming's hand with open disdain.
"Should be decent. Fire-type ranks near the top for damage among elemental Abilities."
"Whatever. Grab it first, figure it out later. Winter's coming - worst case, it'll make a nice space heater."
"......"
Listening to their casual discussion, Su Ming's face turned an ugly shade of green.
"Fine. Fine! You look down on me? I'll fucking kill every one of you!"
He hurled the flame from his hand. The moment it left his palm, it condensed into a fireball and rocketed toward Old Hei.
"Heh. Let me feel how hard this thing hits. If it's too weak, I don't even want it."
Old Hei showed zero fear, swinging his club straight at the fireball.
The club passed clean through. No resistance whatsoever. The fireball slammed into Old Hei's chest.
Boom.
Old Hei flew backward. The clothes over his chest disintegrated to ash. His skin charred black, and the smell of cooked meat wafted through the air.
If his constitution hadn't been as monstrous as it was, that single hit would've burned him alive.
The gap between ordinary Evolvers and Ability users was no joke.
Both were Tier-5 peak, and Old Hei watched the stars every night - his raw stats far exceeded Su Ming's.
Yet even so, one fireball nearly put him out of commission.
Hu Wenliang sprinted over to heal him, terrified that another second's delay would leave Old Hei medium-rare.
"Hmph. Ignorant trash who dared look down on an Ability user. Know your place now? Get the hell out of my way!" Su Ming barked, drunk on his own superiority.
"Solid Ability." Yang Bin nodded, satisfied.
"Haozi. Break his limbs. Don't kill him."
"Got it."
Chen Hao strolled toward Su Ming, smiling.
"You still dare!?"
Su Ming snarled. Another flame materialized in his hand, instantly becoming a fireball that shot toward Chen Hao.
But before it reached him, Chen Hao vanished.
The fireball cratered the ground, scorching a blackened pit.
Su Ming stared at the empty space where Chen Hao had been. His face drained of color.
"A special Ability user!"
He swung his Tang Saber wildly in every direction, desperate to keep Chen Hao at bay.
It was pointless.
Crack.
A dull, heavy impact. The arm holding Su Ming's Tang Saber snapped like a twig, dangling uselessly. The blade clattered to the ground.
Cold sweat poured down Su Ming's face. Through the agony, he hurled a fireball toward where the strike had come from.
Chen Hao was already gone.
Su Ming's eyes darted in every direction, wild with terror. In this moment, genuine fear consumed him.
Special Ability users really were more terrifying than elemental ones.
Crack.
Another impact. One of Su Ming's legs buckled and broke. He dropped to his knees.
Teeth clenched, he flung another fireball. It hit nothing but air.
Two more strikes followed in quick succession. His remaining arm. His remaining leg.
"AHHH-!"
This time, Su Ming couldn't hold it in. A raw scream of agony tore from his throat.
Chen Hao materialized, shaking his head.
"Pathetic."
".....!"
Su Ming glared at Chen Hao with murderous hatred, as if he could tear him apart with his eyes alone.
"Kill me if you've got the balls! Otherwise, the second I get free - you're all dead!"
"Relax. You won't be getting free." Chen Hao smiled.
By now, Hu Wenliang had finished healing Old Hei's burns. Old Hei pulled a fresh set of clothes from his pack and changed on the spot.
Far from looking injured, his face was practically glowing with excitement.
"Haha! This Ability's solid. I'll take it!"
Su Ming's expression was beyond ugly. How the hell did he run into a group of freaks like this?
Is this retribution?