Terrifying Potential

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Silver Hand roared, nearly breathing fire.

Gaoxin's words had been far too sarcastic.

Anyone would have exploded with rage in his place. Silver Hand regretted more than anything that he hadn't killed him back then.

He had clearly been nothing more than an ant he could crush with one hand!

And now he was really going to die at the hands of a Glass Person?

He had clearly wanted to kill him before. It had only been a moment's hesitation! Just a moment!

How could he accept this? His great revenge remained unfinished, and he hadn't risen to prominence yet!

"I'm SR! I'm SR!"

"I can't die here... I can't die at the hands of a Glass Person!"

Gaoxin said loudly, "We could have lived in peace, but you insisted on leaving us no way out."

"So what if we're Glass People? If you won't let us live, then even the Heavenly King himself will have to die!"

Sule and Meimei were intensely excited.

They were going to win. If things continued like this, they could win.

The mice in the room didn't dare make a sound, but their eyes were all opened wide.

Their faces were flushed, yet they didn't dare utter a word. They could only tremble on the floor, holding everything in.

But Silver Hand, who had clearly been enraged to the point of madness, suddenly calmed down.

He stopped pursuing Gaoxin and actually stood motionless where he was.

"What?" Everyone was startled. Had he reached his limit?

Silver Hand straightened his body and groped around beside him.

He soon found the pillar, then turned his head to the side, as if recalling something.

He continued muttering, "I can't die... I can't die..."

"I'm SR. I can become Elephant King's equal... I can take revenge... I can take revenge..."

Gaoxin's brows furrowed tightly. He immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Was this guy even human anymore?

His stamina had been depleted to the limit, leaving him skin and bones!

He had suffered a hundred wounds, some deep enough to expose bone, his flesh a bloody mess!

His entire body was still burning fiercely, his fat being scorched away bit by bit!

And under such circumstances, he could actually force himself to calm down?

"Come on! Why have you stopped chasing me? Don't tell me you want peace now? Isn't it a little too late for that?"

Although Gaoxin spoke like this, his expression was unusually solemn.

Silver Hand ignored him. After determining a direction, he charged over at a brisk pace.

It was the staircase...

He climbed upward with all his strength. Since Big Beard had smashed many of the steps, the staircase was uneven, and he tripped several times.

But he remained tenacious, pulling himself upward with one hand against the railing.

He soon reached the second floor and went straight into a room.

"He's going to find the bathroom!" Sule screamed.

The others' expressions turned ugly. It was hard to extinguish such a large fire by smothering it, but if there was enough water, it could still be put out.

The master bedroom on the second floor had a bathroom. Gaoxin and Sule had even gone there to bathe before.

Silver Hand had hunted nine people earlier, so he naturally knew something about the layout.

It was astonishing. At the final moment, he had actually calmed down.

He had even felt his way to the pillar and, through his memories, made his way to the bathroom.

"What do we do?" The mice panicked.

They had thought victory was practically assured, but Silver Hand's tenacity had exceeded their imagination.

"What else can we do? It's not like I can go stop him!"

As he spoke, Gaoxin immediately rushed over and pulled the Mechanical Giant Axe from the pillar.

He didn't even have a suitable weapon in hand. There was no way he could approach Silver Hand. If he dared to intercept him, he would only be walking right into Silver Hand's plan.

"Damn it, why is it so tight..."

Gaoxin pulled on the axe haft with all his strength, using both hands and feet. Only after bracing his foot against the pillar did he finally manage to yank it free.

It was far too heavy. The axe probably weighed forty or fifty kilograms!

Good grief, swinging this weapon was practically the same as swinging a young woman.

Gaoxin struggled to lift the axe and charged toward the upper floor.

But as soon as he reached the second floor, he stopped, his expression turning grim.

Everyone stared upward. A door on the second floor creaked open.

A terrifying humanoid monster emerged, steam and white smoke rising from its body, one hand braced against the door.

Silver Hand!

"Gasp!" Everyone in the room was so shocked that their hearts seemed to stop!

He had really found the bathroom and extinguished the flames.

His body was dripping wet. Water mixed with pus and blood flowed over his flesh, burned so badly that it no longer looked human. The sight was exceptionally grotesque.

He was skin and bones, covered in extensive burns, with hardly a patch of good skin left.

His face was a ruined mess. No one knew whether his eyes were blind as pus and blood streamed from them while he looked down at everyone.

Combined with the slash and chop wounds he had already suffered, when he slowly walked out like this...

He seemed like a fierce ghost from a nightmare.

"Is he even human anymore?" The mice were frightened to tears.

Gaoxin held the giant axe and repeatedly retreated.

Silver Hand did not rush forward in fury to pursue him. Instead, he slowly walked down the stairs, each step leisurely and unhurried.

"Human? I stopped being human long ago."

Silver Hand's voice was hoarse and unhurried, but that calmness was even more frightening than his rage.

He was even explaining things to them.

"From Glass People to Radiation Users, from N-Type to SSR-Class, they all possess reproductive isolation. According to human biological classifications, they're fundamentally five different species."

"N-Type are still ordinary flesh-and-blood beings, with double-helix DNA."

"But beginning with R-Class, Radiation Users all possess nanogenes. This form of genes has never existed on this entire planet, not since the first life emerged beneath the water..."

Silver Hand spoke indifferently. His words left the Glass People dumbfounded.

They knew about reproductive isolation, but they had never heard that beginning with R-Class, even the form of their genes changed, becoming something called nanogenes.

There was no such rumor among the common people. These members of society's lower class had never heard of it.

"As an SR, I possess tremendous potential. For the sake of revenge, I trained desperately and killed without mercy."

"Although I drove myself mad and cast aside my emotions... my progress was always slow. I never understood why."

"But now I understand. All this time, I never truly dared to let myself fall into that kind of near-total desperation..."

"Because I really... really can't die..."

Silver Hand's tone was filled with struggle and self-mockery. "The path to transcending for a Radiation User isn't about supposedly not fearing death. It's precisely about fearing death."

"Life grows stronger precisely because it fears death. The more one fears death, the greater the growth brought about by nearing it."

"But if you fear death, how could you dare challenge an expert many times stronger than yourself?"

"It's easy to be ruthless toward others, but far too difficult to be ruthless toward yourself..."

"Heh... If an ordinary person like you hadn't forced me into this state today, I probably would have needed a long time before becoming True Wolf."

Silver Hand slowly walked down the stairs. The terrifying wounds on his body actually began sprouting granulated tissue, sealing every injury.

He had already been reduced to skin and bones, yet he was actually healing himself again.

Could his body have adapted and developed a new function? Had he broken through again in the middle of battle?

Was this what being SR meant? Was anyone supposed to survive against this?

Everyone present felt an unprecedented despair.

Gaoxin was exhausted to his core. This was too difficult.

He had racked his brains and calculated desperately. If his opponent had been any ordinary Radiation User, he would have won.

But this guy was far too powerful, and his potential was absurdly high.

At the beginning, his combat power had been close to Sasaki's. Then, while dragging his heavily wounded body through a fierce battle with Big Beard, his combat power had broken through to Sub-Wolf Level.

And now, he had broken through again in the depths of despair, reaching True Wolf?

As far as Gaoxin knew, True Wolf was Tianshe's level.

Tianshe's ferocity had left a deep impression on the newcomers. Even with his heart shattered, he had forced himself to keep fighting, then quietly walked back to report his mission. He had remained standing for half an hour before and after the battle. It was simply absurd.

And Silver Hand... had he already become a monster like that?

How were they supposed to fight this?

"So... is that so? Without my plan, you wouldn't have become True Wolf either."

"You've already gained enough from this game. Why don't we end things here? Afterward, all the mice will give you their Redemption Vouchers."

Gaoxin attempted to negotiate. He had no choice. His opponent was simply too outrageous.

Silver Hand's grotesque face pulled into something that might have been a smile. "Oh?"

"You want to negotiate peace with me?"

Gaoxin said solemnly, "You've broken through, and you'll get your Redemption Vouchers. You've already taken everything. Do you really have to fight to the death?"

Silver Hand said indifferently, "Interesting. Meeting you could be considered a stroke of luck for me."

"Thanks to you, I was able to step into True Wolf Level. You and I can be said to have become acquainted through combat."

"Very well. Let's end things here."

When they heard this, everyone present felt as if they had been pardoned.

Wonderful. After experiencing life and death, this guy seemed to have gained enlightenment and become more reasonable.

Acquainted through combat? Everyone looked at Gaoxin in astonishment. They hadn't expected an ordinary person to force an expert like Silver Hand to acknowledge him.

Today's battle really had been Silver Hand's stroke of luck as well.

With Silver Hand's potential, if he dared challenge someone much stronger than himself and survive, he would definitely make enormous progress.

But he hadn't dared... It was easy to say, yet far too difficult to do, and the death rate was too high.

Once dead, even the greatest potential was useless, so he could only be ruthless toward those of the same level and toward weaker opponents like them.

He had seemed to defeat three opponents in succession, which looked incredibly crazy. But once they understood the kind of potential SR possessed, they would realize that it wasn't quite so insane.

Because his potential was high!

Even against an opponent of the same level, if he couldn't win, he could at least hold out for a long time. His body could slowly adapt. When he truly reached the point where he might be beaten to death, he would still have the time and opportunity to draw out SR's potential and make up the gap.

As a result, his odds of victory were actually quite high.

It was simply a much slower way to improve. That was why, before today, he hadn't even reached Sasaki's level.

Without Gaoxin, he wouldn't have challenged three opponents at once today, nor would he have fallen into genuine near-death danger just now and broken through a second time.

To be forced into such a state by an ordinary person—what incredible "luck"!

"Good, wonderful! Don't worry, we really will give you the Redemption Vouchers." Everyone hurriedly agreed, their minds relaxing.

But Silver Hand suddenly changed the subject. "However, I haven't taken everything."

"Hm?" Gaoxin stared at him.

Silver Hand said indifferently, "This axe is extremely precious. It's my spoils of war, so you should return it to me."

Gaoxin said, "Oh, I have no problem with that. It's on the pillar. Go get it yourself."

"No..." Silver Hand smiled. "Do you really take me for a blind man? Isn't it in your hands?"

Everyone looked at him. So he wasn't blind after all—or had he already healed himself?

He was truly tenacious. He was frighteningly powerful.

A newcomer mouse hurriedly said, "Brother Xin Ku, give it to him."

Gaoxin looked at him.

Meimei looked over as well. "Give him the axe? What if he goes back on his word again? It's not like he hasn't done that before!"

But the others said, "He already agreed to let us go. Didn't you see that he's acknowledged Brother Xin Ku?"

"That's right. He's gained enlightenment. He knows that being ruthless toward others is useless."

"Exactly. We only need to give him the rewards afterward. His gains will be the same, so there's no need for him to kill us."

Meimei growled, "If he really means it, then he shouldn't want the axe. Why insist on taking it?"

Silver Hand said indifferently, "This axe would cost at least a thousand Redemption Vouchers to buy. Why do you think I insist on taking it?"

Meimei said, "Don't believe him. He claims to agree to peace, yet he's demanding a weapon. Once we hand it over, we'll have no support left at all."

Gaoxin's brows knitted tightly.

Silver Hand said calmly, "This is what the weak are like. They rack their brains to fight for a sliver of hope, but when an opportunity appears before them, they lack the courage to seize it."

"I was once this weak as well. It wasn't until an angel risked her life to steal a Gene Protectant for me that my fate changed."

"But all I could do was watch helplessly as she was torn apart and fed to the radiation beasts."

"I swore to take revenge. I don't want to let a single gain slip away."

"So I must have this axe."

"You're a tenacious fellow. I truly don't want to kill you. If you trust me, put the axe on the ground."

"If you don't trust me, then we'll fight to the death."

By the end, he once again erupted with a terrifying aura. Everyone present got goosebumps and was overwhelmed with fear.

Gaoxin gripped the forty-plus-kilogram axe with both hands, sweat covering his forehead.

Several newcomers shouted desperately, "Give it to him! Give it to him!"

"You can't beat him even with the axe. He really wants peace. Give it to him."

"That's right, stop fighting..."

Gaoxin finally said, "Fine. I'll put it on the ground."

As he spoke, he lowered the axe and slammed it hard against the ground!

"Clang!"

Gaoxin said wearily, "Sigh, it's yours. I'm only a slave anyway. There's no use in me keeping this axe. It'll just benefit those Wa people."

Everyone around him widened their eyes, and Meimei covered her mouth.

Because they saw that Gaoxin had never let go of the axe from beginning to end. After the clang, he quietly lifted it back up...

He took two normal steps backward, his eyes blazing as he stared at Silver Hand.

Meimei realized what was happening and immediately glared at everyone, signaling for them to stay silent.

They were not fools. Although they desperately wanted to live and truly did not want to fight anymore, they did not expose what Gaoxin had done.

"You really are a clever man." As Silver Hand spoke, he stepped forward.

Sule and the others were startled. Good grief, he still couldn't see?

Silver Hand really was blind! He had guessed that the axe had to be in Gaoxin's hands, so he had deliberately pretended that he could still see.

The others were lying on the ground and only knew that Silver Hand was looking at Gaoxin. But Gaoxin was facing him directly, and he could feel that Silver Hand's gaze was drifting. Their eyes did not quite meet; it felt as though he was facing Gaoxin without actually looking at him.

After testing him like this, Gaoxin had confirmed it. Silver Hand really could not see.

Why had he lied? Everyone immediately realized that Silver Hand was actually at the end of his strength as well.

As for having reached some great enlightenment—perhaps he had, and perhaps he had not.

He might not have simply acknowledged Gaoxin. It was also possible that he truly was not confident he could deal with Gaoxin while he held the axe.

He was as skinny as a rake, and the energy inside him had probably been completely drained. Even if he had broken through to a higher level, that did not mean he still had the strength to fight.

On top of that, he could not see. Facing that enormous axe, the danger was immense.

Everyone had seen what the great axe could do. When Big Beard used it, it often released a burst of shockwaves, causing the great axe to accelerate abruptly.

This was a Mechanical Battle Axe with impact acceleration.

It was also incredibly sharp. No one had dared to take it head-on before, and Silver Hand in his current condition was even less capable of withstanding it.

"Hmm?"

Silver Hand walked forward several steps without touching the great axe.

After a few more steps, he had clearly entered Gaoxin's attack range.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gaoxin activated the great axe. A deep-blue radiance bloomed as air currents surged, and he swung it down viciously.

Hearing the sound of it cutting through the air, Silver Hand suddenly jolted and retreated one step, raising his arm at the same time to shield his head.

"Pfft!"

An arm fell away, bone fragments mixed with flesh and blood flying through the air.

This great axe truly was fierce. With Gaoxin's full-strength swing and the power-assisted acceleration, the blow carried tremendous force.

The weakened Silver Hand could not resist at all. If his reactions had not been fast enough, he would have lost more than just one arm.

"You!" His face twisted as he gritted his teeth and retreated.

At this point, the silver-handed youth no longer had any hands...

P.S.: Sorry.