Fang Yue furrowed his brow and was about to speak when he suddenly spotted a blurry figure in the distance, flickering as it rapidly approached.
His expression changed. Fang Yue barked,
"It's coming! Let's go!"
The Soul Fire torch did have some power to ward off anomalies, but in this situation, whoever held it would probably become the target.
If Niu Niu wanted to die, Fang Yue couldn't stop him.
As Niu Niu stared in surprise, Fang Yue grabbed the guy sprawled on the ground and slung him over his shoulder.
The one who'd logged off had clearly given up hope. Fang Yue couldn't be bothered to deal with him, either.
"Move!"
With the man on his shoulder, Fang Yue charged toward the Chen residence at a swift pace without stopping for a moment, leaving a bewildered Niu Niu behind.
What strength...
Coming back to himself, Niu Niu lit the Soul Fire torch and hurried after him.
Whoosh!
The wind howled past Niu Niu's ears. But beneath it, he heard the anomaly's footsteps—and they were getting closer!
A chill crept up his spine. Niu Niu couldn't help looking back.
At the spot where they'd stopped, a figure had appeared beside the player who'd logged off. It held the player's head in both hands.
With a wet pop, it pulled the player's head out as easily as yanking up a radish.
At that moment, as if it sensed Niu Niu's gaze, the figure slowly turned its head.
In the darkness, Niu Niu suddenly had the uncanny feeling that their eyes had met.
His heart lurched. The figure abruptly bobbed up and down, then crossed more than ten meters in a single bound!
Holy crap!
Niu Niu was scared out of his wits. He turned and bolted, head down.
But before he'd run very far, a head suddenly shot past his left side.
Niu Niu got a good look. It was unmistakably the head of the player who'd logged off, its neck a mangled mess of flesh—much like Brother Yong's remains.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Niu Niu's breathing grew ragged, but the footsteps behind him quickened. It was as if the other thing could cover a great distance with one step, while he had to run flat out on his own two legs.
Without realizing it, cold sweat had already beaded across his forehead.
When those footsteps were almost right behind him, Niu Niu abruptly stopped and spun around. He raised the Soul Fire torch in his left hand, clenched his right fist, and slammed it down as he roared, "I'll fight you to the death!"
At that moment, time seemed to slow.
As Niu Niu spun around in a fury, he saw a woman dressed like a maid, black blood streaming from her eyes, right there in front of him. Her pale right hand was already almost touching his chest.
That palm should have struck Niu Niu in the back, but when he turned, it hit him square in the chest.
But before the maid could touch him, his fist had already slammed into her head.
Thump.
The maid's head took the punch solidly. A number floated up lightly.
-3.
What?!
That punch had only done 3 damage?!
As Niu Niu stared in shock, the maid's palm touched his chest and shoved.
With a wet pop, his heart burst out of his chest, leaving behind a palm-shaped hole.
Holy crap!
Niu Niu was terrified out of his wits, his face ashen as he stumbled backward.
But the massive damage he'd expected never came. Instead, a number appeared, light as a feather...
"-1."
-1?!
An even match?!
And I can't even feel any pain!
For one stunned moment, delight surged through Niu Niu.
Anomaly, my ass. You're nothing special!
You punch my heart right out of my chest, and that's all the damage you can do.
Right, I'm a player. My body's been turned into data. What does it matter if I don't have a heart!
He had no idea where the idea of his body being turned into data had come from, but Niu Niu was genuinely excited. His emotions shifted in an instant; he pushed down his fear, and his fighting spirit soared.
He roared again, charged over, and threw a punch at the maid anomaly's head.
"Take this—my Innate Divine Strength punch!"
Facing Niu Niu's punch, the maid anomaly stood quietly where she was.
Only when his fist was almost at her face did her right hand suddenly move, too fast for the eye to follow.
Smack!
The next instant, before Niu Niu could even react, his right cheek caved in. A terrifying force sent him flying, and the torch flew from his hand.
It felt like he'd been hit head-on by a train. He soared through the air, hit the ground, and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
Dazed and reeling, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Only then did a horrifying number slowly appear above his head.
-88!
"System notification: You have entered a severely wounded state."
Holy crap?!
One slap, 88 HP!
Niu Niu was completely stunned. He went blank and lay there without getting up.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He'd only lost 1 HP just now...
Could this be the anomaly's true strength?
Niu Niu stared up in a daze. The maid anomaly bobbed up and down, then appeared in front of him in a flash.
"It's over! I'm done for!"
Niu Niu was despairing when the maid anomaly pressed her left hand against his left shoulder and grabbed his right hand with her right. She gave a light tug.
With a wet pop,
his right hand came right off, just like Brother Yong's severed limb!
Holy crap! So this was how Brother Yong had been killed!
I don't want to die such a horrible death!
Niu Niu's face was full of fear. He was wondering whether he should just log off and call it a day when, from the corner of his eye, he saw a sudden flare of fire behind the maid anomaly.
Hiss!
The instant the flames flared, the maid anomaly's body paused ever so slightly.
In that brief opening, the torchlight drew closer, revealing a face. It was unmistakably...
"Brother Ye!!"
Niu Niu was so excited that goosebumps rose all over him. As he shouted, Fang Yue's fist slammed into the maid anomaly's forehead.
No! Don't hit her there!!
Niu Niu, who'd just begun to hope, let out a despairing wail inside.
He'd just punched the maid anomaly in the forehead himself and only taken off 3 HP. It clearly wasn't a weak spot!
But before he could finish the thought...
Bam!!
With an explosive bang, the maid anomaly's head was driven straight down, and she crashed to the ground.
As the floor cracked, a huge number appeared.
-99!
How much?!
Niu Niu's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
Holy crap! Same spot, same punch—why had Brother Ye done 99 damage with one punch, while I'd only done 3?
The gap was way too huge!
But while Niu Niu was still dumbfounded, Fang Yue didn't stop. He straddled the maid anomaly and, roaring, hammered both fists down on her head in a relentless barrage, giving her no chance to fight back.
"Muda muda muda muda!"
Thud thud thud thud thud!!
-35!
-71!
-83!
-33!
-37!
A string of numbers poured continuously from the maid anomaly's head, without a pause.
At that moment, Niu Niu thought Fang Yue had become the very embodiment of dominance and raw savagery—a battle maniac utterly unlike the steady, composed man he'd seemed before.
So this was Brother Ye's true personality!
What a savage way to fight!
I love it!
Before you continue