novelGlobal #471 - Chapter 470: Steady Zhang Gu
#471 - Chapter 470: Steady Zhang Gu
In an inconspicuous corner, a wisp of unremarkable black mist surged within the shadows.
Upon closer inspection, one could discern a pair of narrow, gloomy eyes flickering within the heart of the black mist.
The owner of these eyes was none other than the fish Li Chenqiu sought to hook, the hidden Tenth-Order Awakened, whose name was Zhang Gou.
“The Mist of Submergence only teleported those two here, so this kid's protector is definitely not around. But as a direct descendant of a consortium, he's bound to have some life-saving trump cards. Let's wait a bit longer; it's always good to be cautious.”
Zhang Gou watched Li Chenqiu's painful struggles, muttering inwardly as he suppressed the urge to act immediately.
As a cautious individual, Zhang Gou had launched an investigation into Li Chenqiu as soon as he arrived in City 132. The method was simple: he borrowed an account to log into the Star Plucking Academy's forum and searched for Li Chenqiu.
Upon pressing the 'Confirm' button, he was greeted with a barrage of bizarre and grotesque memes and vulgarities. Zhang Gou endured the discomfort and skimmed through these posts, ultimately gleaning three somewhat useful pieces of information.
After causing trouble, the academy leaders openly shielded him, suggesting he was a core descendant of one of the three major consortia.
His ability to cross Orders is powerful; he can currently contend with Ninth-Order.
His speed of breaking through Orders is unreasonably fast, suggesting hidden strength.
Therefore, after Li Chenqiu arrived on the island, Zhang Gou, out of concern for his own safety, chose to follow his gut and observe. And this observation has continued until now.
The battle raged on, and the tentacle youth continued to posture.
“Li Chenqiu, don't say I'm not giving you a chance to live. Don't you like to talk? Just say one word praising me, and I'll let you go. How about it?”
The tentacle youth's lips curled upward, his eyes playful.
To trample a recognized genius underfoot, to crush their dignity, to make them submit – this form of entertainment was his favorite and most captivating.
Li Chenqiu ignored him, merely feigning pain while racking his brain for a way to force Zhang Gou out.
Since simply showing weakness wasn't enough to lower the other party's guard, he might as well stage a counterattack, change the situation on the field, and force him to act.
He couldn't possibly sit idly by while three Ninth-Order lives were at stake, right?
With that thought, Li Chenqiu's gaze shifted slightly downward, landing on the Ember stuck not far away, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.
Seeing that Li Chenqiu was ignoring him, the tentacle youth felt an inexplicable fire rising in his heart, and he shouted in displeasure, “I gave you a chance, but you're useless! I gave you a chance, but you're useless! You couldn't seize it, so don't blame me!”
As the words fell, the tentacles binding Li Chenqiu instantly tightened.
“Ahhh!”
Li Chenqiu cried out in agony, the chilling sound of bones grinding together sending shivers down one's spine.
“Li Chenqiu, hang in there!”
Luo Shan constantly shifted his form, charging towards the tentacle youth with his horizontal blade.
“Finish him off quickly, stop playing around!” The red-haired woman shouted loudly upon seeing this.
“Got it.” The tentacle youth responded, his gaze towards Li Chenqiu gradually turning cold. “Goodbye, great genius.”
Whoosh—
The tentacles binding Li Chenqiu rose high, lashing towards the ground like a long whip, aiming Li Chenqiu's head directly at a thick steel bar.
Luo Shan's pupils constricted violently at the sight. His exhausted legs erupted with power far exceeding their previous limits as he charged forward, but it was already too late.
“Xuan You, blast him!”
At the critical moment, Li Chenqiu shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Roar roar roar~~~”
A deafening roar echoed through the heavens and the earth.
Accompanied by howling winds, a shadow that blotted out the sky appeared behind the tentacle youth.
This shadow was none other than Li Xuan You, whose Order had reached Ninth-Order, but because Li Chenqiu hadn't thought of a reason to break through, he could only disguise himself as Eighth-Order.
“Not good!”
The tentacle youth's pupils trembled. He had been so engrossed in humiliating Li Chenqiu that he hadn't noticed the scythe Ember was directly beneath him.
Without any hesitation, the tentacle youth swung another tentacle, attempting to swat away Li Xuan You, but it was still too slow.
Bang!!!
The explosion was like a thunderclap, and the visible shockwaves, accompanied by billowing black smoke, surged in all directions, reducing everything visible, including the broken walls and rubble, to dust!
The tentacle youth, at the very center of the explosion, was slammed into the ground like a cannonball. Fresh blood mixed with minced meat splattered on the scorched earth, and the tentacles, broken into several sections, were embedded in the soil.
The tentacle youth, covered in a bloody mess and no longer resembling a human, lay on the ground. Dense clusters of flesh buds wriggled all over his body – this was the regenerative ability of an Awakened.
Clearly, the self-detonation of an Eighth-Order couldn't kill him, only severely injure him.
Bang!
Just then, a sonic boom tore through the black mist, and Li Chenqiu, gripping the Ember tightly in both hands, charged straight towards the tentacle youth.
For a moment, Luo Shan and the other two Ninth-Order Awakened paused in their actions, watching nervously in the direction of Li Chenqiu.
Whoosh—
The fierce wind was like a knife, cutting wounds into the tentacle youth's body. Li Chenqiu's gaze was icy cold as he raised the scythe high like the Grim Reaper, and swung it down.
“Leader!!!” The tentacle youth cried out in terror.
Just as the scythe blade was about to fall on the tentacle youth, a chill rose from behind Li Chenqiu, and then…
Bang!
Li Chenqiu flew out, his body arched close to the ground. Before anyone could react, he crashed into a rock wall not far away and was buried within it.
“Li Chenqiu!!!”
The veins on Luo Shan's neck bulged. He made a sharp turn,甩off the red-haired woman and the middle-aged man, and rushed to the collapsed rock wall, staring blankly, unsure of what he should do.
At the same time, at the location of the tentacle youth, a middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back and high cheekbones stood quietly, holding the scythe Ember, curiously examining it, his face full of joy.
“Thank you… Leader!” The tentacle youth staggered to his feet and respectfully nodded his thanks.
Zhang Gou ignored him, gently stroking the Ember, his lips trembling slightly.
“Greetings, Leader.”
“Greetings, Leader.”
The red-haired woman and the middle-aged man came to Zhang Gou's side and bowed slightly.
Only then did Zhang Gou react, raising his head and saying to the three, “Thank you for your hard work this time. You three can divide Luo Shan's corpse!”
Upon hearing this, the three were overjoyed and said in unison, “Thank you, Leader!”
Zhang Gou nodded faintly, turned sideways, and looked at Luo Shan standing not far away, who was also looking at him.
The two stared at each other quietly.
Luo Shan gripped the hilt of his blade with both hands, raising it tremblingly, aiming it at Zhang Gou, and taking steps backward, his dark eyes devoid of light, filled only with deep despair.