Chapter 22

The X Field was originally developed by the World Government military as a specialized field for countering superpowered individuals. Within the X Field, a superpowered person's abilities are heavily restricted, and it also causes adverse effects like limb weakness.

However, after Zero and a large number of superheroes appeared, this X Field gradually faded from people's memory. Nowadays, it's generally only used in prisons holding superpowered criminals.

"I didn't expect you'd actually use something like this!" Dong Xiaoye fell to one knee under the effect of the X Field. The field's range wasn't large—only about five or six meters in radius.

"Ouyang Rui got it for me," Hunter said.

"I can't believe that guy let you use this kind of thing." Dong Xiaoye spoke while struggling to move her body toward the edge. "You're a hero too, aren't you? Do you know what Ouyang Rui is doing?"

"I know," Hunter said. "But so what?"

"This isn't what a superhero should be doing!" Dong Xiaoye said. "He's conducting a dangerous drug trade with the super-criminal organization Evolution Company! And you're helping him attack us at a time like this!!"

"I said, so what?"

"Aren't you a superhero?" Dong Xiaoye asked. "Helping a criminal do something like this—don't you feel any shame?"

"Heh heh heh." Hunter let out a few laughs. "I was never really a hero. The only reason I registered as a superhero is purely for the money. Ouyang Rui is willing to pay me a large sum, so I do his bidding. It's only natural."

"You scumbag," Dong Xiaoye cursed.

"Say what you will." Hunter raised the Light Energy Gun in his hand and aimed it at Dong Xiaoye inside the X Field.

"To hell with you." Glasses appeared behind him at that moment, swinging his electric baton hard at Hunter. But the next instant, he took a solid kick to the stomach.

"You underestimating my close-combat skills?" Hunter glanced contemptuously at Glasses, who was writhing on the ground. Then he looked back at Dong Xiaoye.

"How much is Ouyang Rui paying you? I'll give you double!" Dong Xiaoye said.

"Sorry, I have professional integrity." Hunter raised his gun.

By then, Dong Xiaoye was very close to the edge of the field. She used all her strength to roll toward the outside, but the next moment, Hunter appeared beside her.

"You think I'd let you leave this field?" Hunter kicked her, sending her tumbling back into the X Field's range.

"Time to say goodbye." The Energy Gun in Hunter's hand lit up.

A pair of glasses flew to his feet. The next moment, Glasses appeared beside him, grabbing hold of Hunter, and the two tangled together.

"Run, Glasses!!! You're no match for him." Dong Xiaoye shouted at Glasses, who was trying to drag Hunter into the X Field with him. Their close-combat abilities weren't even on the same level. Glasses couldn't push him at all, and in no time, he was covered in injuries from Hunter's beating.

Fortunately, the Energy Gun in Hunter's hand was knocked away by Glasses' desperate tugging.

"I told you, I'm not the type to abandon someone and run." Glasses spoke while clinging tightly to the man in front of him, and then the two vanished from where they stood.

The next moment, they reappeared on a peach tree not far away.

"You bastard." Hunter and Glasses both crashed to the ground. The next instant, Hunter pulled out a Laser Dagger and slashed at Glasses.

Glasses had just scrambled to his feet and barely leaped backward, dodging Hunter's dagger strike.

Watching this scene, Dong Xiaoye hurriedly crawled toward the edge of the X Field.

Hunter saw this too and immediately ran toward her. Just then, Glasses grabbed him from behind in a tight hold.

"You damn flea." With his arms pinned, Hunter angrily flipped the dagger in his hand and stabbed backward hard. The blade sank into Glasses' waist.

"Ah!" With a pained groan, Glasses' grip on Hunter began to weaken.

Hunter broke free from Glasses' hold and ran toward Dong Xiaoye. But after just one step, he felt someone grab his pant leg.

"You annoying damn flea!" Hunter stomped hard on Glasses' hand, but Glasses had no intention of letting go.

"You annoying flea! Let go!" Hunter kicked Glasses' hand again with brutal force, knocking his grip loose.

But when he looked back toward the X Field, Dong Xiaoye was already standing outside its range.

"Cross Execution!!"

That was the last sound Glasses heard before his consciousness faded.

The next moment, a massive Ice Cross rose up in the peach grove, with Hunter frozen at its center.

In a clearing within the peach grove, Lin Jie looked at Ouyang Rui and said, "As long as I take him down, that's it, right?"

"Yes." Dong Xue'er nodded. "He's A-rank strength. Neither of us can handle him alone. I'll try to restrain him in a moment, and you need to use that chance to break his Protective Golden Light."

"No need for all that trouble! I'll just go straight up and take him out!" Lin Jie said.

"Now isn't the time for you to play the hero." Dong Xue'er's expression was unusually serious.

"...Fine, whatever you like." Lin Jie glanced at Dong Xue'er's face and said.

"Done discussing?" Ouyang Rui said from the side. "You don't actually think the two of you can beat me, do you?"

"Won't know until we try." As Dong Xue'er spoke, a flurry of snowflakes began swirling around her. In an instant, the surrounding scenery seemed shrouded in a layer of mist.

"You think a trick like that will work on me?" A faint golden light emanated from Ouyang Rui's body, and the next moment, he vanished from where he stood.

While moving at high speed, Ouyang Rui's Flying Pens shot out in all directions.

"Dong Xue'er! I gave you a chance. Since you didn't appreciate it and insisted on making trouble for me, then even if I kill you here today, the Dong family will have nothing to say." Ouyang Rui spoke toward one direction. "You think this kind of move can limit my movement?"

With that, Ouyang Rui's full force exploded outward from his center, dispersing the Ice Mist Dong Xue'er had created in moments. He then turned nimbly and reached out, precisely grabbing Dong Xue'er by the neck as she tried to attack him from behind.

"Is that all you've got?" Ouyang Rui glanced contemptuously at the Energy Gun in Dong Xue'er's hand. "If Dong Xiaoye were attacking, it might be somewhat effective against me. But an Energy Gun like that? It's completely impossible for it to hurt me."

"I know." Dong Xue'er said with difficulty. Then, her other hand, clenched into a fist, slowly opened. In her palm, a lotus formed of frost slowly bloomed.

"What's this?" Before Ouyang Rui could finish speaking, a layer of frost simultaneously froze both his body and Dong Xue'er's.

"Trying to freeze me? Impossible." Ouyang Rui channeled his inner energy, and the frost began to flake off his body.

"Now!" Dong Xue'er shouted loudly.

The next moment, Lin Jie had somehow already leaped to their side.

"Impossible! My Flying Pen should be concentrating its attack on you!" Ouyang Rui said.

"Those little toys? I knocked them all away!" Lin Jie said as he swung the Wolf Fang Club fiercely at Ouyang Rui.

Ouyang Rui was knocked back several steps by Lin Jie's strike, his blood and energy churning throughout his body. He had just concentrated all his golden light into a single point to withstand Lin Jie's blow, but his Protective Golden Light was completely shattered by it.

Without giving Ouyang Rui a chance to catch his breath, the Energy Gun in Dong Xue'er's hand shot straight through his stomach.

Ouyang Rui clutched his stomach and fell to his knees with difficulty.

"So that's it, an A-Class Strength Enhancer. No wonder you went to such lengths to restrict my movements." Ouyang Rui said.

"You've lost, Ouyang Rui." Dong Xue'er walked over and said.

"Do you know what the consequences of this will be?" Ouyang Rui asked. "Even if you win, you'll bring a huge mess down on yourself."

"That's none of your concern," Dong Xue'er said with a smile.

"True, I didn't expect this E-Class brat to be an A-Class Strength Enhancer, but you haven't won either." Ouyang Rui said as he pulled out a syringe and stabbed it fiercely into his own neck.

"That thing looks pretty familiar," Lin Jie remarked from the side.

"It's T-3 Evolution Fluid!" Dong Xue'er exclaimed in shock.

The next moment, red stripes appeared on Ouyang Rui's body, and the wound on his abdomen began to heal.

"I admit, I underestimated that kid's strength." Ouyang Rui slowly stood up, and a powerful gust of wind surged outward in all directions from him, sending Dong Xue'er, who was closest, flying backward to slam hard into a peach tree.

"So this is S-Class power? Even you can't hurt me now," Ouyang Rui said, looking at Lin Jie, who was still standing before him.

"How do you have that? Wasn't your deal still incomplete?" Dong Xue'er spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Haven't you heard of inspecting the goods?" Ouyang Rui's body suddenly appeared beside Dong Xue'er. "Let me think, how should I deal with you now?"

Dong Xue'er glanced at Lin Jie and gave him a look that said run.

"You think he can escape?" Ouyang Rui said, throwing a punch in Lin Jie's direction from a distance.

The punch carried a faint golden light, carving a trench straight across the ground toward Lin Jie.

When the force of the punch dissipated, a straight trench stretching all the way beyond the peach grove appeared before them. The soil and peach trees above the trench had vanished under the attack. The trench was also ten meters wide. And of course, Lin Jie had vanished.

Seeing this, Dong Xue'er couldn't help but close her eyes.

"I never thought a casual punch could reach the intensity of a High-Level Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon. If I threw a full-power punch, I could easily destroy a large district. No wonder S-Class heroes generally don't fight in cities," Ouyang Rui said in amazement. "But this drug is really useful—letting someone temporarily rise a whole rank with a powerful healing effect. No wonder even SS-Class heroes can't wipe out the Evolution Company."

Just as Ouyang Rui was marveling at the power he'd gained, Lin Jie's voice came from behind him: "Tch, another one relying on drugs. By the way, it's a real shame you destroyed so many peach trees all at once."