"What ability?" Yang Bin asked.
"Earth Armor. It covers my body in a layer of earth-element armor and massively boosts my defense."
"Holy shit!"
Everyone who'd been ribbing Zhong Yuansen went dead silent.
"That ability is insane!"
They all understood - a defensive ability like that was basically an extra life. Everyone wanted one.
"How much force can it take?" Yang Bin asked, curious.
"No idea. Gotta test it."
"Come on, let me help you find out." Zhao Kun's eyes lit up immediately.
"Sure."
Zhong Yuansen stood up. A layer of earthy-yellow armor rapidly spread across his body.
"Looks kinda ugly." Chen Hao wrinkled his nose.
"It keeps you alive. I'd wear it if it looked like a trash bag." Old Hei was practically drooling.
"Here it comes."
Zhao Kun threw a casual punch.
Thud...
A dull impact. A dusting of dirt fell from the armor's surface. Not a single crack. Zhong Yuansen didn't even flinch.
"Holy shit, that's solid." Zhao Kun raised an eyebrow. "Alright then - I'm actually trying this time."
He wound up and slammed his fist in hard.
Thud...
Another dull boom. More dust shook loose, but the armor held.
Every pair of eyes went wide. This wasn't "pretty strong." This was fucking ridiculous.
Finally, Zhao Kun's arm shifted into Metal Arms, and he brought it crashing down with everything he had. This time, the armor shattered.
But Zhong Yuansen underneath was completely fine.
"Goddamn!" Zhao Kun breathed.
The others stared at Zhong Yuansen with naked envy. A walking meat shield.
"Not bad." Yang Bin grinned. "Looks like your average Yaoguang Realm fighter can't touch you. Anyone below Yaoguang? You could stand still and let them swing all day."
"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it." Zhong Yuansen thumped his chest. "From now on, I'll tank for you guys when we fight zombies!"
"Good. What about your original ability - what's the upgrade?"
"I think it's... Terrain Manipulation?" Zhong Yuansen said, sounding uncertain.
He pressed his palm to the ground. The earth beneath his feet surged upward, forming a small mound.
This wasn't like his old earth walls. Those vanished the moment he stopped channeling energy. This mound was solid. Permanent.
Zhao Kun punched it. Dust exploded outward and a chunk caved in, but the mound stayed standing.
Everyone's eyes lit up. In unfavorable terrain, they could literally reshape the battlefield.
"Haha, letting Ah Sen advance first was absolutely the right call." Zhao Kun laughed.
"Yeah. Ah Sen's abilities have serious utility." Yang Bin nodded approvingly.
"Oh - Ah Sen, that zombie smashed through the perimeter wall earlier. Can you fix it?"
"Easy."
Zhong Yuansen walked over and pressed his hand to the ground. The damaged section of wall rebuilt itself in seconds - and if anything, looked sturdier than the rest.
"Sick!"
"So if we ever lose our house, Brother Sen can just build us a new one on the spot?"
"No problem!"
"666!"
"Alright, today's been nothing but good news. Head back, get some rest. Up at nine-thirty, then we're back to killing zombies."
"Got it."
The group headed to their rooms buzzing with excitement. Whether any of them actually slept was another question entirely.
---
The next morning, everyone ate breakfast and headed out to continue the grind.
But the moment they reached the edge of the mountain, they stopped.
Figures. Hundreds of them. Gathered at the base of the mountain - at least one to two thousand people.
Everyone frowned. Since when was this place so popular?
While they were still trying to figure out who these people were, a sharp hiss cut through the air from below. Then they saw it - an object trailing fire, screaming straight toward them.
"What the fuck is that!?"
"Shit - ROCKET!!!"
Realization hit like a slap. Zhong Yuansen activated Earth Armor across his entire body in an instant, threw himself in front of the group, and raised an earth wall behind him to shield everyone.
Against modern heavy ordnance, even Yaoguang Realm fighters felt genuine fear.
Yang Bin locked his eyes on the incoming rocket. He knew. The wall wouldn't stop it. The armor wouldn't stop it. If that thing landed, the Yaoguang Realm members might survive - but Old Hei and Skinny Monkey would die where they stood.
This rocket could not land.
Yang Bin focused. Pushed his Telekinesis to absolute maximum output.
The rocket slowed.
Slowed further.
Stopped. Hanging in mid-air, its tail flame sputtering uselessly.
Then it turned around and dove back toward the ground below.
"Holy shit!!?"
Jaws dropped - but only for a second before they realized whose work it was. Relief and savage glee flooded their faces.
"Boss is a fucking monster!"
Down below, the smiles vanished. Replaced by raw terror.
"How is this possible!!?"
Wang Hui - the Wang family's man in charge - went white.
"SCATTER!"
The crowd below broke apart, people scrambling in every direction.
BOOM!!
The rocket struck earth. The detonation split the air. A massive crater punched into the ground, and everyone too slow to clear the blast radius ceased to exist.
"That firepower is no joke..." Chen Hao muttered.
"Thank god for Boss." Old Hei pressed a hand to his chest, lingering fear still written across his face. "Otherwise that would've been it for me."
"Some people just can't stop looking for death." Yang Bin's voice was ice.
"Let's go. Down."
"Right!"
Fury burned through the group. They charged down the mountainside.
Crack.
A sniper rifle. An Armor-Piercing Round cut through the air straight at Yang Bin.
At the last instant, Yang Bin snapped his head sideways. The round screamed past his ear.
"Sniper!"
"Watch yourselves!" Yang Bin's expression hardened.
Too far. He couldn't teleport that distance to take the shooter out.
But the distance was also what saved him - enough travel time for his reflexes to kick in. At closer range, that shot would've been impossible to dodge.
The gunshot was a signal.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-
A barrage opened up. Armor-Piercing Rounds tore through the air toward them from multiple positions.
Zhong Yuansen threw up another earth wall, shielding the group.
At Yaoguang Realm, his walls held. The bullets punched into the barrier and stopped dead.
"Boss, what's the play?" All eyes turned to Yang Bin.
"Haozi - Invisibility. Get down there and kill their sniper. I'll go destroy those heavy weapons. Ah Sen, Earth Armor plus earth walls - cover everyone on the way down. Once we close the distance, they're dead." Yang Bin's voice was calm. Absolute.
"Got it!"
Everyone nodded.
Chen Hao vanished. His footsteps were already racing downhill.
Yang Bin broke from behind the wall and sprinted down after him.