Chapter 64: The Attack (2)

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

“You actually possess Chen Mu’s abilities—it seems you’ve devoured that fellow. As expected, aberrations remain aberrations. I warned him repeatedly not to use the Deification Factor to enhance his physical body. He deserved his fate.” Gu Qingshui, hovering mid-air, observed An Sheng’s sharpened form and immediately connected it to Chen Mu’s recent disappearance, deducing that this peculiar mutant had consumed him.

The moment An Sheng completed his defense, the Wind Blades breaking the sound barrier collided with his body. The black flames surrounding him hissed violently under the razor-sharp wind, while his metal-coated frame sparked brilliantly under the assault. Then, with a deafening sonic boom, the Wind Blades finally succumbed to resistance and exploded before An Sheng. The tremendous pressure forced his body backward over ten meters through the snow, carving two trench-like trails with his feet.

Though somewhat disheveled by the Wind Blades attack, An Sheng now understood the power of his opponent’s Move—his defense could completely withstand it. The time for counterattack had arrived.

Beating his Demon Wings, An Sheng ascended into the air. Two black fireballs formed from flames shot toward Gu Qingshui as he swung his arms. This was an imitation of the Mutant Zombie’s attacking Move, though the original black light ability had transformed into hellish black flames after An Sheng absorbed it, naturally turning the original light spheres into condensed black fireball attacks.

An Sheng had tested his new ability’s power—it undoubtedly surpassed the Mutant Zombie’s Black Energy Balls. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful an attack, it must first hit its target. Gu Qingshui moved through the air like a dancing butterfly, his seemingly slow but erratic movements incredibly peculiar, deftly evading An Sheng’s fireball assaults.

Having not yet acquired the ability to make attacks track enemies, An Sheng opted for quantity over precision. Dozens of black fireballs materialized behind him, then shot forth like an incoming black meteor shower, instantly covering all possible escape routes and completely sealing Gu Qingshui’s retreat.

“Interesting! Storm Tornado!” Gu Qingshui roared as air currents whirled madly around him, forming a tornado dozens of meters in diameter within moments. The violent wind pressure whipped up snow, soil, and debris from the ground, sending them spinning wildly through the air. The powerful gales even made it impossible for An Sheng to maintain stable flight, forcing him to land temporarily for refuge.

The ferocious tornado created massive defense, rendering An Sheng’s fireball meteor shower utterly ineffective against Gu Qingshui. The black fireballs succumbed to the tremendous winds, detonating around the tornado’s periphery. Dozens of consecutive explosions reverberated, shaking the entire Yushan mountain as if from tremendous blasts.

The thick snow accumulation on the mountaintop, disturbed by the massive sonic vibrations, began rolling downhill—triggering a minor avalanche!When the tornado dissipated, the entire smelter was in complete disarray. The destructive power of the hurricane was not to be underestimated, and coupled with the explosive force of An Sheng’s fireballs, the area within several dozen meters had been flattened. The worst off was Pighead Three—the factory building couldn’t withstand the combined force of the tornado and An Sheng’s fireballs and completely collapsed, burying him in the rubble.

This enraged Pighead Three. He struggled free from the debris, picked up a chunk of concrete, and hurled it at Gu Qingshui in the air. Seizing the opportunity, An Sheng launched several more black fireballs. Without any communication, the two mutated creatures executed a perfectly coordinated attack.

Gu Qingshui, who had just unleashed the tornado, naturally couldn’t use a move of that magnitude again in such a short time. However, relying on his elusive movements, he managed to evade the combined assault from An Sheng and Pighead Three. But just as he thought he had dodged the attacks from the two mutated creatures, dozens of laser beams suddenly shot toward him.

Nie Chong had already donned his exoskeleton armor and immediately instructed Ye Rong to contact Kunlun Base for support, though he wasn’t sure if any rescue would actually arrive. Xun Lili followed closely behind Nie Chong, gripping her electromagnetic oscillation battle blade. They had all heard An Sheng’s descriptions of the Purifiers, and Xun Lili had even witnessed one firsthand, which had granted her abilities akin to a female Captain America. Thus, none of them dared to let their guard down—they had to fight with everything they had.

Gu Qingshui was struck by dozens of laser beams. Although the laser rapid-fire cannon wasn’t as powerful as the particle cannon, it was still an energy weapon, and Gu Qingshui wasn’t a Purifier focused on defense. Caught off guard, he was thrown into disarray by the explosions caused by the laser cannons. However, a Purifier was still a Purifier—no matter how embarrassed he appeared, he would never lose his combat effectiveness.

Gu Qingshui swiftly ascended, stopping only when he reached a height of seventy or eighty meters. He looked down at his white clothes, now slightly charred from the laser cannon explosions, and glared furiously at the four “vermin” below. But then, his eyes fell on Xun Lili, whose eyes were as pitch-black as his own. This astonished him—how could there be another Purifier here?

“As a Purifier, how dare you live alongside these filthy vermin? Have you forgotten the Emissary’s teachings?” For a Purifier, associating with these lowly creatures was nothing short of an insult to their entire kind!

“Bah! You’re the vermin! If you have the guts, come down here! I’ll chop you to pieces!” Xun Lili was never one to back down. Whether she could win the fight or not, her aura was always fiercely intimidating.

Xun Lili’s words thoroughly enraged Gu Qingshui. If being blasted by human technology was merely a minor annoyance, the appearance of a traitor within their proud ranks—one who betrayed their beliefs and the Emissary—was an unforgivable transgression that no Purifier could tolerate.

“Stubborn and unrepentant! On behalf of the Purifiers and the great Emissary, I strip you of your title as a Purifier. At the same time, I will reclaim the Deification Factor within you, you wretched traitor!””You talk too much nonsense!” This time it was Nie Chong who spoke. As he did, twelve micro-tracking missiles hidden on his shoulders all launched. These missiles, no thicker than a signal pen, tore through the air with long trails of exhaust flames, flying toward Gu Qingshui in mid-air.

Gu Qingshui snorted coldly, a blue glow flashing around him as dozens of wind blades, solid as if tangible, surged forward. Twelve of them intercepted the incoming tracking missiles, while the rest charged toward the four enemies on the ground.

“Everyone, take cover behind me!”

An Sheng had witnessed the power of these wind blades before. While Pighead Three, with his thick skin and tough flesh, might manage, Xun Lili certainly couldn’t withstand them. So, An Sheng immediately activated all his defensive abilities, shielding Xun Lili and Nie Chong behind him, ready to face the impending wind blade assault.

Pighead Three and An Sheng truly lived up to being advanced mutants. Although there was still a gap between them and the Purifier, their physical resilience far surpassed his. Only two wind blades targeted Pighead Three, but he stood his ground, swinging his massive cleaver to clash head-on with them. The collision of forces created a significant explosion, yet Pighead Three, relying on his bulky frame, didn’t budge an inch, firmly withstanding Gu Qingshui’s wind blade attack.

An Sheng’s situation, however, wasn’t as smooth. Although the wind blades couldn’t harm him, the explosive force they generated pushed him, along with Nie Chong and Xun Lili behind him, flying backward. After all, a single wind blade had once forced An Sheng back over ten meters—now, he was facing nearly ten of them!

The three of them suffered from their smaller builds. If An Sheng had Pighead Three’s physique, he wouldn’t have been so disheveled either. But even while being thrown back, neither An Sheng nor Nie Chong remained idle. An Sheng hurled two black fireballs, while Nie Chong raised his hand and fired dozens of laser beams. Moreover, the two particle cannons on his back had finished charging and were ready to unleash an attack on the opponent at any moment!

Naturally, their attacks missed. With his guard up, Gu Qingshui didn’t hover motionless, waiting for the enemy’s assault. After a few elusive movements, he easily dodged their strikes.

“Nie Chong, this isn’t working! I’ll try to get close and restrain that guy. You watch for the right moment and hit him with a particle cannon!”

As soon as he steadied himself, An Sheng urgently shared his plan with Nie Chong. After all, he excelled at close-quarters combat. Although he now possessed some ranged attack capabilities, they were utterly useless if they couldn’t hit the target. An Sheng intended to engage the enemy in close combat, seize an opportunity to pin him down, and then let Nie Chong strike with the particle cannon. He had tested his ability to withstand energy weapons and was confident in it.

Although the cannons on Nie Chong’s back were even more powerful, An Sheng’s own abilities had also improved. He believed it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, if it meant taking down this Purifier, An Sheng was willing to risk severe injury without hesitation.

Once his mind was set, An Sheng didn’t hesitate any longer. His demon wings spread wide behind him, and he swiftly charged toward Gu Qingshui in mid-air.This was An Sheng’s first actual aerial combat. Lacking experience, he only realized after taking off that the difference between imagination and reality was vast. In the air, An Sheng couldn’t even track his opponent’s movements. Gu Qingshui’s speed wasn’t particularly fast, but his footwork was extraordinarily elusive—like a goose feather, he would elegantly evade every time An Sheng closed in to attack, as if riding the airflow disturbances caused by An Sheng’s strikes.

Unable to hit from a distance and failing to even graze his enemy in close combat—how was he supposed to fight? An Sheng grew increasingly frustrated, feeling like all his powerful punches were landing on soft goose down, leaving him unable to unleash his full capabilities.

Just then, dense gunfire erupted from the bunker. The fortress was well-stocked with ammunition, and most survivors had received military training, making weapon handling second nature. Seeing An Sheng and Nie Chong fighting desperately outside, those inside couldn’t just hide in the bunker and wait. At Old Zhang’s command, all firing positions in the bunker opened up, launching attacks against the Purifier in the sky. At this moment, the aged military fortress once again transformed into a terrifying war beast, baring its sharp fangs at the invading enemy!