Chapter 71: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind (Part 1)

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

Three Advanced Purifiers plus one suspected Advanced Purifier – these four powerful beings facing Medusa, the strongest Lord-Level Mutant, was like a comet colliding with Earth. As for who was the comet and who was Earth? That remained unknown. In any case, the battle scene could only be described with one word – spectacular!

Yes, at this moment, An Sheng’s mind contained nothing but awe! The superpower attacks from the three Advanced Purifiers of light, electricity, and ice were comparable to a sci-fi blockbuster with stunning special effects. Even that mysterious Purifier of unknown background demonstrated exceptionally formidable combat prowess.

Their movements were ghost-like, their saber techniques incredibly sharp. Even Xun Lili, who was also a Martial Artist, couldn’t help but sigh after witnessing that mysterious Purifier’s cunning saber techniques: even if she possessed the same strength and speed as that mysterious Purifier, she would absolutely be unable to defeat them.

Two long-range, one mid-range, and one close-quarters combatant – their coordinated aerial and ground attacks formed a comprehensive three-dimensional assault that left all spectators in awe. However, what was even more astonishing was Medusa, who remained completely unfazed against such powerful coordinated warfare.

It was only now that An Sheng finally understood just how vast the gap was between himself and Medusa! If An Sheng were compared to a tiger, then Medusa would be a Yao Beast from ancient mythology. Yes, the disparity was that enormous – if An Sheng were to face Medusa, forget about a desperate fight, he probably wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.

Some time had passed since devouring Baldy the Purifier, and the Demon Factor within An Sheng’s body was rapidly digesting the recently absorbed energy. The injuries to his skin and muscles had completely healed, while his internal organs and broken ribs had mostly recovered. Taking advantage of the fact that those terrifying Purifiers were all besieging Medusa, An Sheng used this opportunity to check on his companions’ injuries.

Nie Chong had completely lost his combat capability at this point – the shockwave from the explosion had damaged his internal organs and broken several ribs. However, An Sheng was relieved to find no fatal wounds, meaning there was no life-threatening danger. Helping Nie Chong up, An Sheng quickly moved to Pighead Three and Xun Lili’s side. When he saw Xun Lili crying her heart out, he immediately knew this little brother of his was probably beyond saving.

Instantly, An Sheng felt as if something was missing in his heart, leaving an empty void. His feelings toward Pighead Three were complex. From initial enemies to subsequent allies, it wasn’t until he saw Pighead Three’s stubborn back shielding him that An Sheng realized this non-human creature had unconsciously become a very important part of his life. Only now, that part was gone.

However, An Sheng knew this wasn’t the time for grief – there were still injured waiting for treatment. So he lifted the wailing Xun Lili from the ground, supported Nie Chong, and quickly ran back to the Bunker.

“Brother Zhang, have Zhou Xiaoxiao examine Nie Chong!”

“I’m here!” Before An Sheng’s words faded, Zhou Xiaoxiao squeezed through from behind the crowd.Just moments ago, the four strongest fighters of Yushan Fortress were battling desperately outside, while the remaining survivors watched the fight through the bunker’s firing ports. Many had died today, and it was likely everyone would perish. But what could be done? These fortress survivors had evolved from their initial terror and helplessness in the face of danger into seasoned apocalypse survivors who could calmly confront life and death.

After removing Nie Chong’s Full-Coverage Exoskeleton Armor, Zhou Xiaoxiao carefully examined his injuries. There were almost no superficial wounds, but five ribs were genuinely broken, coupled with internal organ damage – he’d need at least a month of bed rest.

Xun Lili was better off. Though she had some minor injuries, they were all superficial. Combined with her Captain America-like female physique, she would recover completely in three to five days at most. Among the three, An Sheng should have had the most severe injuries, but being a Mutant was different. With his Talent Ability, he had already fully recovered.

Old Zhang watched the occasional golden flashes and lightning outside, bewildered, and asked An Sheng: “Xiao An, what do we do now? Are we just waiting here to die?”

Today’s situation had already exceeded Old Zhang’s capabilities. Having witnessed so many loved ones and brothers fall in battle, he was nearly despairing. Old Zhang was the fortress’s spiritual leader, while An Sheng, Nie Chong and the other three were its security guarantee. But facing such powerful enemies, even An Sheng and the others could only await slaughter – how could Old Zhang not despair?

“Have we made contact with Kunlun Base?”

Nie Chong struggled to sit up and asked Old Zhang. Before going out to fight, he had instructed Ye Rong and the others to seek help from Kunlun Base.

“We’ve already made contact!” Ye Rong emerged from behind the crowd, continuing as she walked: “The base commander has dispatched a powerful rescue fleet that will arrive here soon.”

Hearing Ye Rong’s words, Nie Chong deeply exhaled and painfully lay back down. At least there was still hope.

Truthfully, Nie Chong didn’t really care whether Kunlun would send rescue. In his understanding, even if there were reinforcements, Kunlun Base was so far away that by the time they arrived, this place would have long been razed to the ground by the Purifiers. His asking was merely to give the survivors some reassurance. These ordinary people needed hope.

“Zombies! Damn it! It’s a Corpse Horde!”

Suddenly, Butcher at the artillery position shouted urgently. Everyone quickly gathered at the firing ports to look outside. Before the distant smelter, dense masses of zombies were slowly advancing toward the fortress bunker. The exact numbers were unclear, only describable as a black, overwhelming Corpse Tide.

An Sheng watched the approaching Corpse Tide outside the bunker and said bitterly to everyone: “The explosions probably attracted the surrounding zombies.”

An Sheng was right, but not entirely. The explosions from their battle were indeed one factor, but after Pighead Three’s prolonged rampage in the surrounding areas, how many zombies and Mutated Creatures could possibly remain? These zombies had actually been attracted by those three Purifiers!As for why the Purifiers lured massive hordes of zombies here, the reason was actually quite simple—for amusement, or perhaps out of sheer boredom. They wanted to witness the expressions of humans in moments of despair, to add fuel to the fire and pour oil on their hopelessness. That was all.

“Once I’m out, immediately seal the bunker exit. All firepower positions must stand ready—you must hold this place at all costs.”

With that, An Sheng was about to run outside, but Zhou Xiaoxiao grabbed his arm.

“What are you going out for? Do you still want to join the fight out there? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

An Sheng pushed Zhou Xiaoxiao away and shouted, “Medusa got dragged into this battle to save me! How can we hide here watching her fight alone out there?! Regardless of what happened before, from now on, she is our friend!”

These were An Sheng’s true feelings. Medusa’s declaration, “How dare you touch my man,” had deeply moved him. There was another reason An Sheng didn’t mention—he wanted to go out and reunite with Xiao Xiao. Perhaps, remembering their past romantic relationship, she might even leave this place.

To Zhou Xiaoxiao’s ears, An Sheng’s words tasted sour; to others, they sounded bitter; to Ye Rong, they were downright nauseating. But no one spoke further, allowing An Sheng to run out of the bunker and shut the iron door from outside.

Watching the bunker’s iron door slowly close, a cold glint flashed in Ye Rong’s eyes. She thought, “You alien scum going out there is just seeking your own death! Once the base’s fleet arrives, you and your mutated woman can fly off together to the next world!”

Medusa had indeed fallen into a quagmire. She had been overconfident—if it were just Fang Yi plus two other Advanced Purifiers, Medusa could still handle them easily. The problem lay with the mysterious black-robed Purifier.

Though this fellow had been engaging Medusa in close combat, it wasn’t just physical prowess. With each attack, his saber would emit a strange black glow, and it was precisely this eerie black radiance that was gradually suppressing the energy within Medusa.

Though each instance of suppression lasted only a moment, over time Medusa could clearly feel her internal energy being locked away bit by bit, as if being sealed. She suspected this might be this Purifier’s superpower.

Indeed, Medusa guessed correctly. This Purifier was named Murata Koichi, a samurai who had mastered the Second-Stage Heito Method to a grandmaster level. The Second-Stage Heito Method was an extraordinary saber technique that required cultivation of spirit and hypnosis to reach transcendent mastery. Murata Koichi was one of the few in the world who had perfected this martial skill.

Murata Koichi’s superpower resembled a form of telekinesis, known as “Restraint.” It could control any object but wasn’t particularly powerful—after all, his Deification Factor was limited, preventing omnipotence. Yet this fellow was a genius who forged his own path, combining his martial skill cultivation to develop an entirely new combat style.He referred to this combat style as the Heart Sword, where the blade moved with his thoughts, capable of both slaying enemies and suppressing them. He himself had already reached the rank of an Advanced Purifier. As his flesh transformed into pure energy, he could even channel his superpower deep into an enemy’s body to suppress and restrain their internal energy.

However, he was not faring well now, for this enemy was different—he was facing the currently most powerful Lord-level Mutant on Earth. Even with his terrifying strength that had attained the Heart Sword, he could only restrain a tiny fraction of the enemy’s internal energy, and it consumed a great deal of his own energy. He was already feeling overwhelmed.

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