Bloodstained Long Street

The distance between the Warfire Squad and the beasts steadily closed. The Long-Tusked Green Ghost perched atop the bus also leaped onto one of the apartment buildings on either side.

It no longer looked down at the road ahead. Instead, it raised its massive head, its pair of sharp fangs aimed below as it opened its gaping maw, revealing a strange crimson interior.

"Awooo—roar!"

A howl that sounded both wolfish and tiger-like rang out. The sound waves were piercing and carried far into the distance. Nearby beast packs trembled upon hearing it and fled away.

Having received the command.

The endless sea of green figures began to surge. Every Long-Tusked Green Ghost seemed to have gone mad as they launched an attack on the Warfire Squad.

For a moment, gaping bloody mouths swayed from side to side, while rows of fangs reflected a cold gleam beneath the sun.

"Charge!"

At Zuo Xingyuan's command, he raised the broadsword in his hand, intending to cleave a Long-Tusked Green Ghost ahead of him in two. Yet the instant he lifted his blade, he froze.

A yellowish-brown figure flashed through his vision, darting past him and charging straight to the front.

It was even faster than his full-speed sprint—definitely over 200 m/s.

A flash of silver streaked out, and the longsword passed through the Long-Tusked Green Ghost's waist without resistance.

Only then did the sound of the sonic boom reach them.

"Boom!"

Like thunder exploding overhead, the roars came one after another without pause.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Streak after streak of cold silver Sword Light weaved through the Long-Tusked Green Ghosts, accompanied by thunderous roars.

In an instant, the Long-Tusked Green Ghosts ahead toppled over under their own momentum.

Still dazed, Zuo Xingyuan swept his broadsword out. Beast corpses were flung northward like scraps of cloth, and a dark red rain of blood fell before them.

Through the curtain of rain, they saw a figure moving as though shifting through shadows.

Afterimages lingered in the air. Sometimes he drew his sword in an upward slash, piercing through a beast's corpse with the blade pointing toward the heavens; sometimes he stepped through the air and thrust directly at a beast's eye; sometimes he swept his longsword across, severing a beast's neck.

He was like an unrivaled sword immortal descending upon the mortal world, annihilating all evil.

Because of the pauses between those kills, they finally saw the figure clearly. It was Ning Ze, the youngest member of the squad.

"Fuck!"

Zuo Xingyuan could not help swearing.

Their entire squad moved at the same pace. Yang Chao's strength was only 7,400 kg. At maximum speed while carrying a load, he could only run at around 80 m/s, and they had to leave some room to attack, so their actual running speed was only around 70 m/s.

Yet Ning Ze had suddenly erupted with a speed exceeding 200 m/s—three times faster than them!

Before they had even reached the enemy, he had already rushed over, slaughtered the first wave, and begun attacking the beasts behind them.

It was not only Zuo Xingyuan. Ma Yu, Yang Chao, and the others were all stunned. They had just prepared themselves for a desperate battle, only to find that their first wave of opponents was already dead!

"Don't stand there! Hurry up and charge!"

Ma Yu bellowed and hurried after Ning Ze.

"This brat!"

Zuo Xingyuan grumbled, gritted his teeth, and charged forward. This was not the time to ask why Ning Ze was so strong. Escaping was what mattered.

One layer... two layers... three layers...

The beasts came without end. As soon as one wave was killed, the next charged forward.

Ning Ze held the line alone, sweeping across half the street. His speed of over 200 m/s was three times faster than even an Advanced Warrior's, and the longsword he swung had broken the sound barrier. Every flash of sword light was accompanied by thunder!

Zuo Xingyuan and the others followed behind, picking off any missed Long-Tusked Green Ghosts or tossing corpses aside. By now, beast corpses lined both sides of the street.

After the Warfire Squad passed through, the entire ten-meter-wide street had become a dark red river of blood.

"Kid! If you can't keep it up, slow down! Fighting at full strength drains your stamina too fast!" Zuo Xingyuan shouted.

"Okay." Ning Ze gave a perfunctory, concise reply, but his speed did not decrease in the slightest.

How could he possibly slow down now?

Although most Long-Tusked Green Ghosts were only G-rank, merely Intermediate Beast Soldiers, the endless stream of beasts still placed considerable pressure on him.

By now, he did not even need to look at the System Panel. He could feel his strength, Sword Art, and Movement Technique proficiency rising rapidly.

He had already forced himself into the state of cultivating Gene Energy. Cosmic Energy was constantly replenishing his stamina, so he did not need to fear exhaustion at all.

After experimenting for some time, he had discovered that certain specific movements could speed up his absorption of Cosmic Energy. He had only just begun exploring it, though, and it only worked when he used certain sword moves.

Those fixed afterimages existed because of that. Otherwise, his movements while killing beasts would have flowed as smoothly as water, without the slightest pause.

Not only was he not tired now—he was becoming increasingly excited.

Stimulating his life potential could trigger Gene Evolution, and absorbing Cosmic Origin Energy could also trigger Gene Evolution. Those were improvements to his body.

Combined with the strength increases determined by the system, a single battle brought three kinds of improvement. He could not stop!

No one was allowed to steal his beasts!

"Roar! Roar!"

Piercing howls rang out again. Countless Long-Tusked Green Ghosts gathered in this direction. They were no longer coming only from the front; even the sky was filled with Long-Tusked Green Ghosts leaping down from the apartment buildings on both sides.

"Good!"

Ning Ze slowed down. It was not that his own speed had dropped, but that his forward momentum had decreased, because he also needed to attack the Long-Tusked Green Ghosts diving down from the air.

The fierce battle continued.

Ning Ze grew braver as he fought. Before he realized it, he was clothed in blood, and every flick of his longsword sent strings of blood droplets flying.

Zuo Xingyuan and the others were still in decent condition. They had only expended a little stamina running forward, while the beasts had barely killed any of them.

Ning Ze fought bathed in blood. Such combat power was comparable to an Advanced Warlord going all out. More importantly, he had been going all out the entire time!

The members of the Warfire Squad no longer knew what kind of expression they should use when looking at Ning Ze.

"Awoo!"

With a sharp howl, the beast leader that had leaped onto the rooftop finally could not endure it any longer.

Three Long-Tusked Green Ghosts with blue-and-white fur charged toward Ning Ze at the same time.

A faint smile appeared on Ning Ze's bloodstained face as he charged forward without fear.

"Hahaha!"

"The three of them are making their move!" Zuo Xingyuan was thrilled. Seeing Ning Ze erupt like that, he had truly worried that the kid would suddenly run out of strength.

But as long as they dealt with these three Beast Warlord-level Long-Tusked Green Ghosts, the other beasts would definitely retreat.

"Old Ma, let's go! Kill these three beasts!"

"Alright!"

Yang Chao and Zhang Chen exchanged a glance, then stopped advancing as well.

Zhang Chen and Xu Liang stood one in front and one behind, while Yang Chao positioned himself in the middle and raised his machine gun. Rat-a-tat-tat! Every bullet killed a Long-Tusked Green Ghost.

Swish!

A blue-and-white figure flashed past.

Ning Ze raised his sword and met it head-on.

The longsword and claws collided with a clang, like steel striking steel.

Strengthened by Cosmic Energy, even human bones could rival alloys. These claws, already naturally hard, were now even tougher than alloy, while their other properties surpassed alloy as well.

After their brief exchange, Ning Ze frowned. This Intermediate Beast General-level Long-Tusked Green Ghost was simply too fast.

After Force Generation, his own strength neared that of an Intermediate Warlord. With the assistance of Mental Power, his speed was only comparable to an Advanced Warlord's, yet this beast was still much faster than him. Their strength, however, was about equal.

But the beast refused to clash head-on with him. After every strike, it retreated immediately. It was extremely cunning.

"Die!"

Zuo Xingyuan shouted and raised his broadsword, hacking viciously at a Beginner Beast General-level Long-Tusked Green Ghost. Yet he faced the same problem as Ning Ze. He was just a little too slow, allowing his attacks to be dodged.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ning Ze.

I can't catch it, and Mental Power can't increase my speed any further. Then I can make it slower.

Mental Power can't attach itself to a living creature because of the beast's own mental force. But it would be different with a medium.

After their exchange, Ning Ze took a step back and reached for the warrior backpack on his back. Then he threw out a piece of yellowish-brown beast hide.

The Intermediate Beast General-level Long-Tusked Green Ghost was highly cautious. Upon seeing what he had thrown, it also backed away a few steps. When the beast hide landed on the ground without doing anything, it relaxed and pounced at Ning Ze again.

A hint of amusement shone in Ning Ze's eyes. Without hesitation, he charged forward. At the same time, the beast hide that had fallen to the ground suddenly moved. It was incredibly fast—faster than both Ning Ze and the beast.

"Clang!"

After another clash, the Long-Tusked Green Ghost tried to retreat. But at that moment, the yellowish-brown beast hide slapped directly onto its back, wrapping around its waist from beneath its belly.

"Aaargh!"

The Long-Tusked Green Ghost let out a panicked roar.

It felt a force acting upon its body. The force was not particularly strong, only a little over a thousand kilograms, but it slowed it down.

Especially while running or leaping through the air, the effect of that force became greatly magnified.

Seeing its speed greatly reduced, Ning Ze smiled faintly and rushed forward with his sword.

"Let's see how you run now!"

"Die!"

The beast hide was only from an F-rank beast. The Long-Tusked Green Ghost only needed one swipe of its claws to tear it apart. Even with the help of Mental Power, it could not restrain the beast for long.

Ning Ze closed in and thrust his longsword out. Watching the claw coming toward him, the smile on his lips deepened. He changed the trajectory of his sword, slipping around the claw and continuing forward, leaving a Sword Mark on the Long-Tusked Green Ghost's shoulder and neck.

The Long-Tusked Green Ghost wanted to flee but could not. The two began fighting at close quarters.

Ning Ze flicked his longsword upward, leaving another Sword Mark on the beast. Every sword strike left a wound on the Long-Tusked Green Ghost, while the beast's claws were always just a tiny bit short of reaching him.

The Long-Tusked Green Ghost grew increasingly violent. Its threatened life drove it into a frenzy. Its eyes, hidden within the narrow gaps of its long fur, gradually turned blood-red, like half a Blood Moon.

Ning Ze smiled disdainfully. It could not defeat him in a normal fight; now it was merely a trapped beast struggling futilely. The Sword Art in his hands became even sharper.

He raised his longsword and thrust forward. Silver light flashed as the Long-Tusked Green Ghost actually abandoned defense, intending to trade injury for injury.

The smile on Ning Ze's face deepened. With a turn of his wrist, he thrust the sword diagonally.

The claw brushed past his side, while his longsword had already pierced into that Blood Moon.

The Long-Tusked Green Ghost's movements came to an abrupt halt. Only its body continued forward under the force of inertia before crashing to the ground.

"Ahh—die!"

Zuo Xingyuan roared in fury, raising his massive broadsword and hacking forward. Although the Long-Tusked Green Ghost he was fighting was only a Beginner Beast General, its speed was faster than that of an ordinary Intermediate Warlord.

That attack failed again, and rage surged through his heart. This beast was far too cunning. It refused to clash with him head-on, merely circling and maneuvering, and its combat experience was exceptionally rich. Zuo Xingyuan had no way to deal with it.

Ning Ze only glanced at it before turning toward Ma Yu and shouting, "Uncle Ma, I'll help you!"

"Good kid, I've been waiting for you!"

Ma Yu was overjoyed. He had only reached Warlord-level strength through Gene Potions. His strength was inferior to this Long-Tusked Green Ghost's, and his speed was even worse. Only his Micro-level Movement Technique allowed him to hold on, but the pressure had been immense. At last, reinforcements had arrived.

With Ning Ze joining the battle, the two worked together in succession and swiftly drove this Beginner Beast General-level Long-Tusked Green Ghost into a dead end.

"Aaargh!"

"Aaargh!"

"Aaargh!"

At that moment, three sharp howls sounded in succession.

The crazed Long-Tusked Green Ghosts all paused, then retreated like a green tide.

Meanwhile, the Long-Tusked Green Ghost fighting Zuo Xingyuan began retreating beneath the protection of its many subordinates. For a time, Zuo Xingyuan could not get close at all.

Ning Ze turned and looked over. His gaze passed through the ruins of a collapsed apartment building, where countless green figures fled into the distance, kicking up clouds of yellow dust in their wake.

"These beasts are cunning enough to run away!"

A cold glint flashed in Ning Ze's eyes as he looked at the Long-Tusked Green Ghost being surrounded by two people. The other one had escaped, and they could not stop it—but this one was doomed!

He raised his longsword and thrust it forward, intending to finish the beast.

"Spare the beast under your sword!"

Zuo Xingyuan shouted from behind him. Ning Ze paused, his expression turning strange. However, he vaguely understood his captain's intention. The longsword in his hand shifted slightly, and he did not kill the beast.

Sure enough, just as he had guessed, Zuo Xingyuan rushed over and chopped down with his blade. Under the combined assault of the three of them, the Long-Tusked Green Ghost was brutally killed by Zuo Xingyuan's single slash.

"Ah!"

Zuo Xingyuan let out a long breath. "That felt good!"

Ning Ze loosened his grip on the longsword as well. Blood ran down the hilt and into his palm, thick and sticky.

He looked back the way they had come.

Half of the apartment buildings along both sides of the five-hundred-meter street had collapsed, smashed down by the beasts.

The ground where they had passed was covered in massive cracks, and bloody plum blossoms bloomed everywhere.

Corpses lay strewn along both sides, and blood flowed like a river.

Quite a few beasts still struggled to rise. Their brains had not been hit, but their vital points had been struck, leaving them unable to move.

Some of the remaining beasts clung to life, their blue fur rising and falling over their abdomens as they breathed. Some were even whimpering mournfully. The beasts' vitality was extremely tenacious, and they had not died yet.

This was different from the previous Rat Tide. Back then, they had only been pursued by a small portion of the Rat Tide. Ma Yu and Zuo Xingyuan had merely covered the rear, and they had never actually fought the Rat Tide.

But this time, they had fought head-on! They had been completely surrounded by countless beasts, with three Warlord-level leaders eyeing them like tigers.

Yang Chao and the others silently looked back at the road they had taken. Their hearts were filled with emotion and the joy of surviving a disaster.

Zhang Chen said softly, "If it hadn't been for Xiao Ze this time, we really would have been in danger."

Looking at the exaggerated scene before him, Xu Liang, who had followed every step of that path, could not help muttering, "Good heavens, kid. You killed over a thousand beasts this time, didn't you? Incredible!"

Ning Ze lowered his head and looked at his hands. Blood had soaked all the way down his arms. Each time, only a little had splashed on him, and he could not avoid all of it. After one battle, he did not know how many times he had been drenched.

Only the Light Swan Sword did not retain blood, though plenty of blood had accumulated on its hilt.

"I don't know how many beasts I killed either."

"Kid! How did you suddenly become so strong? You're actually faster than me?" Zuo Xingyuan asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind.

At those words, everyone turned toward Ning Ze. They were extremely curious as well.

Ning Ze did not speak. He slowly raised his sword-holding right hand, pointed the tip of the Light Swan Sword downward, and gradually released his grip.

The Light Swan Sword did not fall. Instead, it remained suspended steadily in midair.