Stalling for Time

Thick smoke filled the first-floor shopping area.

The smoke detectors on the ceiling detected excessive smoke density and automatically activated the fire sprinklers.

Streams of water gushed out, quickly forming puddles across the floor.

Beside several burning garments lay a silent, charred human-shaped body.

Crack.

Suddenly, the charred body trembled. If someone had not been watching it the whole time, they might have thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.

The brittle sound of tearing was drowned out by the noisy splashing of water.

Ding-dong~

The elevator doors opened, and Peng Qi and the burly man walked out one after the other.

Looking at the wrecked shopping area, Peng Qi raised a hand and waved it, as though trying to disperse the smoke before him.

"Where is he?"

"He should be near the Monster."

As they spoke, the two headed toward the blast site.

After all, the explosion had occurred inside a Clothing Store. The bomb's shockwave had flung clothes everywhere, and with the smoke obscuring everything, it was not easy to make things out.

"Brother Bo, look." Peng Qi pointed at a charred body, sounding uncertain.

Brother Bo, the burly man, gave it a glance, decisively drew the bone cleaver from his waist, and walked toward the human-shaped charcoal.

Seeing this, Peng Qi instantly realized that it was the target.

He hurriedly turned around and stopped the burly man. "Hey, Brother Bo, don't. We agreed the kill would be mine."

Brother Bo neither confirmed nor denied it, but he did stop walking.

Knowing Brother Bo had tacitly agreed, Peng Qi chuckled. Yet before he could turn back around, a bout of urgent coughing came from behind him.

"Cough! Cough... cough!!"

Lu Bai slowly opened his eyes.

He felt as though he had been run through a hydraulic press. Compared to that, the pain from the burns on his body seemed utterly insignificant.

Yet despite his terrible condition, Lu Bai's mind was exceptionally clear.

The moment he sensed someone approaching, he instinctively tried to move. Unfortunately, his limbs felt as heavy as lead, while his Bones and joints seemed to have been coated in powerful glue.

No matter how hard he exerted himself, only harsh cracking sounds came out.

"Brother, you've got one tough life."

Peng Qi crouched beside Lu Bai and remarked in astonishment, "You actually didn't get blown to death."

"Cough... If I hadn't dodged in advance, I might really have undergone Feathered Ascension."

Lu Bai stared at the blackened ceiling, stubbornly forcing an arc onto his lips.

Peng Qi noticed Lu Bai's "relieved" smile and sighed.

Taking out a switchblade, he rambled on, "Sigh, don't blame me, brother. You came looking for us yourself. Next time you enter the Deathmatch Arena, be more careful."

Lu Bai pondered for two seconds, then abruptly changed the subject. "Last time, we spoke of a general in strange attire riding forth into battle. Clinton was startled. Taking a closer look, he saw that it was none other than the infamous scourge, Washington. The world spun around him as he thought, Damn it, I've run into this jinx.

"Washington, however, looked full of vigor. Holding his spear across his body, he said, 'You Englanders exiled us here. For years, we suffered and fought endlessly against the local savages, taking countless scalps before earning these fertile lands. Now America has guns and cannons. Why would we submit to you Englanders again?

"'If you want war, then war it shall be. I have my own clever methods. You won't escape. Only death awaits you!' With that, he spurred his horse into formation. The two armies spread out their lines, preparing to open fire."

Peng Qi: "..."

Brother Bo: "..."

That was weirdly captivating.

Though he had no idea what nonsense Lu Bai was spouting, Peng Qi somehow wanted to hear more. "Uh, and then?"

Brother Bo spat on the ground and walked over with the bone cleaver on his shoulder. "Quit dragging this out. If you don't do it, I will."

Peng Qi turned his head and smiled. "Alright, Brother Bo, I know this guy's stalling for time, but look at him. What danger could he possibly pose?"

Lu Bai smoothly tilted his head. "I still don't know your name."

"That's something I can't tell you." Peng Qi spread his hands.

Lu Bai rubbed his chin. "That's rather unfortunate."

The instant Brother Bo noticed that motion, veins bulged across his face.

Whoosh!

The heavy bone cleaver tore through the air and came crashing down toward Lu Bai's head without warning.

With a dull bang, the floor was smashed into a fist-sized crater.

"If that had hit my head, I'd probably be black and blue all over."

Lu Bai, who had rolled several times across the floor, stood up and casually tore the charred scraps of skin from his body. The smile on his face grew even brighter.

Peng Qi could not accept what he was seeing. "How is that possible?!"

After all, Lu Bai's injuries had clearly been real.

Brother Bo shot him a glance, making no effort to hide his contempt. "Such textbook thinking. I don't know why Guo Mi brought someone like you along."

"No Silver-level ability can have such rapid regeneration!"

Overwhelmed by shock, Guo Qi's voice sounded slightly distorted.

"The facts are right in front of you. Instead of doubting this and that, use that pig brain of yours and figure out how to deal with him."

Brother Bo's tone was icy, as though he wanted to deal with Guo Qi as well.

Clang~

Lu Bai picked up the Eight-Sided Han Sword. Its blade scraped over the ground, leaving a mark behind.

The warm smile on his face remained unchanged.

"This gentleman is right. Believe first, then question."

Lu Bai raised his sword, aiming its tip at Brother Bo as he bent slightly at the waist.

"Even if this were just a game, I've been a little too relaxed."

His right foot stepped back half a pace, and immense power erupted from his body.

Like a spring compressed to its limit, he suddenly launched forward.

Brother Bo had become alert the moment Lu Bai assumed an attacking stance, but being prepared was not always enough.

A point of cold light arrived first!

Brother Bo only had time to raise his bone cleaver before his head was separated from his body.

Everything happened too quickly.

Peng Qi had originally intended to rush in alongside Brother Bo. He had barely clenched his switchblade when he saw Brother Bo lose his head.

Horrified, he turned and ran upstairs without hesitation.

Lu Bai swept his gaze upward and hurled the Eight-Sided Han Sword at Peng Qi.

Empowered by superhuman strength and the Eight-Sided Han Sword's sharpness, it made the Crew-cut Youth open his heart.

[Points +2, Current Points: 5, Current Rank: 2/201]

Lu Bai walked over and pulled the sword from Peng Qi's back.

"That really was way too close."

To be fair, he had gone from being a little Taoist priest who believed in science to being reborn as a deathmatch contestant, forced into these so-called deathmatches.

With something like this happening to him, it was only thanks to his strong mental resilience that he had not gone insane.

But in this Deathmatch Arena, merely accepting reality was clearly not enough.

"I wonder which lord couldn't stand a heretic from my sect and actually tossed me into a place like this. But... never mind..."

Lu Bai trailed off, then looked up at the ceiling. "Seems there's another accomplice. Her name was... Guo Mi, right?"