An Acquaintance

"Hiss~"

For a moment, the Blood-tongue Lizard felt unprecedented fury.

Its eyes glowed red as it roared and charged forward. It wanted to tear the man before it apart, then swallow him whole.

Mo Ye caught sight of the severed tail nearby and the battle axe glinting coldly from the corner of her eye.

She immediately felt somewhat relieved, and the baseball bat in her hands swung with even greater force.

With no more threat of being attacked from both sides, Mo Ye's martial arts skills finally had room to shine.

Wielding her baseball bat and following the principle of retreating when the enemy advanced and harassing when the enemy retreated, she actually managed to hold her ground.

The one who had severed the tail was Wang Changle. Thanks to his information advantage, he had arrived early.

When he saw the three lizard monsters pass through the corridor and enter the bathroom, he lay in ambush behind the basketball court's door.

The moment Mo Ye drew their attention, Wang Changle suddenly rushed out from the shadows. He had intended to split the lizard in two with a single axe blow, but unfortunately, he only managed to sever one tail.

Though he hadn't ended the fight in one strike, the tailless lizard's balance had been greatly compromised.

It could no longer adjust its direction flexibly while moving and was even stiffer than the Iron Skin Zombies from before.

After injecting the One-star Evolution Potion, all of his attributes had increased by one to two points.

Though he had yet to Transcend Mortality, he was already several times stronger than before.

After fighting his way here, Wang Changle had realized that attributes stacked multiplicatively rather than additively.

Greater speed, greater strength, and a stronger body resulted in exponentially increased combat power.

Setting everything else aside, the changes brought by six points of strength alone had greatly boosted his confidence. The steel battle axe in his hands was no longer limited to simple chopping and slashing.

With sufficient strength, he could flexibly unleash far more attacks!

Wang Changle swiftly turned sideways to evade the tailless lizard's claws. With an upward sweep of his axe, he sent it flying, exposing its pale, soft belly to the air.

His hands tightened around the battle axe as he suddenly exerted force, twisted his waist, and spun rapidly.

Axe Skill—Whirlwind Slash!

The axe blade tore through the air with a series of "whoosh" sounds. The cold glint it drew connected into a single sheet in the air, forming a crescent moon.

"Hiss~ Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft~"

In an instant, the cold flash split the tailless lizard in two. Blood sprayed outward, and the air filled with a thick stench of blood.

[You killed a Level 2 Blood-tongue Lizard. You gained 0.1% World Origin.]

[You obtained a Treasure Chest (White).]

[You obtained a Level 2 Magic Power Crystal.]

Glancing at the Blood-tongue Lizard, Wang Changle indifferently withdrew his battle axe, dug the crystal out of the lizard's forehead, and began washing the blood off himself with water.

Just as Wang Changle was cleaning the blood from himself, Ye Zhongming rushed in with Dihuang Wan.

The moment he entered, Ye Zhongming noticed the changes on the basketball court. Mo Ye was locked in battle with the lizard leader, while another lizard had actually been chopped into three pieces.

A Level 2 Blood-tongue Lizard had been killed so cleanly. This person was dangerous!

Ye Zhongming slowly retreated with Dihuang Wan and stopped at the entrance to the basketball court.

He stared at Wang Changle warily, his hand involuntarily reaching for the gun tucked in his clothes.

He looked again at the three neatly separated sections on the ground. The cut at the severed tail was smooth, while the cut across the chest and abdomen was a tearing wound!

That battle axe was at least White Equipment, on the same level as the combat blade in his hand.

Looking at the calm, handsome youth before him, bathed in blood, Ye Zhongming found no information about this person in either of his two lifetimes' memories.

And this person was an Evolver, which made it even harder for him to believe.

Someone had actually evolved successfully like him and possessed White Grade equipment.

But strangely, the youth before him didn't carry the killing intent of the nasal-voiced man he had encountered earlier.

This person hadn't killed anyone, yet possessed such powerful combat methods. A hidden expert?

With suspicion in his heart, he looked at Wang Changle again, only to see the other party smile at him and take two steps back. Was he showing goodwill?

"That policewoman looks like she can't hold on much longer. Aren't you going to help her?"

Mo Ye was not an Evolver, after all. Against the Level 2 Blood-tongue Lizard leader, she had initially managed to exchange blows with it, but after its underling was killed, the leader's attacks became increasingly fierce.

As he spoke, Wang Changle retreated another four or five meters and sat down.

"Dihuang Wan, let's go."

Ye Zhongming also saw Mo Ye's predicament and immediately put aside the strange feeling in his heart.

Holding his combat blade, he charged forward, while Dihuang Wan rushed at the giant lizard from behind.

With one punch, Ye Zhongming struck the giant lizard hard enough to make blood seep from the corner of its mouth, giving the imperiled Mo Ye a chance to catch her breath.

Dihuang Wan's harassment from behind also diverted part of the giant lizard's attention, allowing Mo Ye to escape danger.

The Blood-tongue Lizard Ye Zhongming had punched immediately flew into a rage.

It suddenly let out a roar. The sound wasn't loud, but it was incredibly penetrating and made everyone feel extremely uncomfortable.

Wang Changle, who was farther away, covered his ears and kicked off the ground, charging fiercely toward the Blood-tongue Lizard.

With the assistance of his Power Boots, he rapidly closed in.

Just as Mo Ye, an ordinary person, staggered back two steps in a daze and Ye Zhongming hastily dodged the Blood-tongue Lizard's claws, a scarlet tongue shot toward him.

Ye Zhongming pushed off with the tip of his foot and executed a tactical backward lean, holding Zhan Yue horizontally before him with its edge facing outward.

In an instant, a cold flash streaked past. Empowered by speed and strength, the sharp axe blade sliced the tongue in two with a sharp clang.

The Blood-tongue Lizard immediately let out a heartrending wail and rolled endlessly on the ground in pain.

The severed tongue barely retracted back into its mouth, but blood continued to pour from the Blood-tongue Lizard's jaws.

Ye Zhongming gave an almost imperceptible nod, but his blade did not hesitate in the slightest. Its tip plunged directly into the giant lizard's throat, then twisted violently, tearing the wound open again.

A large amount of blood sprayed out, quickly pooling beneath it.

Dihuang Wan took the opportunity to bite the giant lizard's tail and drag it backward with all its strength.

The repeatedly wounded giant lizard's icy eyes filled with endless rage, but before it could rise—

A steel battle axe chopped into its head while a long blade slashed across its neck.

[Story Character Ye Zhongming's Favorability +1. Current Favorability: 1/100. Neutral.]

Hearing Paradise's notification by his ear, Wang Changle was delighted. It worked.

He had supported Mo Ye once, supported Ye Zhongming once, and finally killed the Blood-tongue Lizard alongside Ye Zhongming. After three battles, Ye Zhongming's wariness had finally been dispelled.

Ye Zhongming was the chosen son of fate in this Derivative World.

If Ye Zhongming remained wary of him, it would be terrifying. Forget carrying out his later plans—whether he could even leave this world alive would be a problem.

Now, not only had he removed Ye Zhongming's wariness, he had exceeded his goal and activated the favorability system.

Though their relationship was still merely neutral, activating favorability meant there was a possibility of becoming friends.

The first step of the plan had succeeded!