"Clang—!"
The shrill clash of metal rang out across the mountaintop, sparks flying everywhere!
The captain was an experienced warrior. Though Su Zhe's sudden change had startled him, he quickly recovered. Su Zhe's strength wasn't especially great!
At least, it wasn't strong enough to be unstoppable.
He estimated Su Zhe was only at the Intermediate General Level.
"Roar!"
Before the captain could attack again, the burly man with the giant shield came charging in from the side.
The door-sized shield swept through the air with a heavy whoosh, slamming toward Su Zhe's waist with tremendous force!
The two Intermediate Generals had Su Zhe surrounded.
Faced with the oncoming blow, Su Zhe showed no intention of dodging. The burly man's face lit up, thinking he was about to land the hit—but then Su Zhe's hand transformed as well, becoming another savage Silver Wolf Claw. He spread his fingers, five sharp blades, and raked them straight at the giant shield!
"Riiip—!"
The grating sound of metal tearing rang out!
The alloy shield, strong enough to withstand an Intermediate Beast General's charge, was as flimsy as paper before Su Zhe's claws. He ripped a huge gash through it with ease!
"How is that possible..."
The burly man stared in disbelief. Even an Advanced War General couldn't destroy a Series 5 Shield so effortlessly.
Under normal circumstances, something like this would, of course, be impossible.
But after devouring the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, Su Zhe had gained a new ability in addition to Wing Speed Form: Super Muscle!
This ability was passive.
As the Blacklight Virus continued to grow by devouring monsters, the genes within its host would constantly recombine and optimize, eventually reaching the most perfect arrangement. Naturally, this made its strength different from that of other warriors at the same level.
In the game, this manifested as the ability to learn various skills. But reality had no such limitations—instead, it could directly raise one's Life Gene Level!
Although none of the monsters on Earth had a Life Gene Level twice the normal level, after devouring so many different kinds of monsters, Su Zhe's Life Gene Level had to be at least 1.1 times normal.
Combined with the explosive boost in strength from Super Muscle, Su Zhe's strength in this single swipe was already on par with an Advanced War General.
"Boom!"
Su Zhe didn't pause. His claw kept moving, tearing through the giant shield and raking straight into the burly man's chest!
"Pfft!"
Blood and fragments of organs sprayed out!
Su Zhe crushed the man's heart in his grasp. The burly man stared down in disbelief at the gaping, bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with shock and despair. His massive body crashed to the ground.
"Zhang!"
Another Warrior Level fighter roared in fury and swung his blade at Su Zhe's back.
Su Zhe didn't even bother to defend himself. The flesh around his shoulder blades rippled, and a pair of massive black-and-red wings unfurled. They collided with the blade in the warrior's hand with a metallic "clang!"
Devour.
In less than two seconds, Su Zhe had completely devoured the burly man's flesh and blood. His clothes, armor, and even the shield were swallowed up along with him, leaving nothing behind!
[Devoured a fifth-stage Apprentice Level human, gained 0.5 Devour Points] [Acquired new form: Charged Shield]
His first kill!
Though this was the first time Su Zhe had killed a human, he felt nothing.
The shield-bearing man's memories flooded into Su Zhe's mind, crashing against him, but his movements didn't falter in the slightest. Did that dead man really think he could distract him?
"Whoosh—!"
Su Zhe beat his wings. In his terror, the warrior's head was crushed in his claw.
In an instant, only the captain and one other warrior remained. Even Xiao Hua, the sniper in the distance, hadn't yet found a chance to aim at Su Zhe.
The captain's expression darkened. He knew it was too late to say anything. Since they had stumbled upon Su Zhe's secret, none of them would make it out alive.
They had no choice but to fight—to battle Su Zhe to the death!
Su Zhe's icy gaze swept over the last Warrior Level fighter charging toward him.
Under Su Zhe's gaze, the warrior felt like a prehistoric beast had fixed its eyes on him. The color drained from his face, leaving only boundless terror. He turned and tried to run.
"Pfft!"
Su Zhe's claw form vanished in an instant, and his right hand returned to normal. He drew the Series 6 Combat Blade from his back in a lightning-fast motion, flicked his wrist, and sent it flying in a flash of cold light!
The blade pierced the warrior's chest. He looked down in despair at the tip protruding from his back, then collapsed to the ground, full of regret.
"You're the only one left."
Su Zhe looked up at the captain, wearing an innocent smile. To the captain, though, he looked no different from a demon in hell.
The captain clutched his bleeding arm, his face as pale as paper. All greed had vanished from his eyes, replaced by deep-rooted terror and disbelief.
He stared fixedly at Su Zhe, his voice hoarse and dry. "You... What kind of monster are you?!"
Su Zhe calmly watched the captain. He had a feeling the man still had another trick up his sleeve.
Thermal Vision activated, confirming there was no one else hiding nearby. But Su Zhe still didn't know what the captain's backup plan was. This ability was honestly of little use; he had gained it after devouring a few snake-like monsters.
"Xiao Hua! Do it!"
At the captain's roar, he burst into action, breaking free of gravity and rising into the air!
"Bzzz—!"
An immense, invisible force of psychic energy erupted!
Mental Shock!
It was one of the basic uses of Psychic Power. Su Zhe's willpower wasn't weak; after fusing with the Blacklight Virus, it was naturally strong.
If his willpower were weak, simply devouring other humans and experiencing their memories and emotions would likely drive him insane.
The captain hadn't expected this move to have no effect on Su Zhe. But it gave him a chance to put some distance between them. After what had happened to the shield-bearing man, he didn't dare fight Su Zhe at close range. And with those wings on Su Zhe's back... there didn't seem to be any chance of escape either.
He certainly didn't believe those enormous wings were just for show.
"A Psychic?" Su Zhe raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing in his eyes before giving way to even greater interest. "And your Psychic Power is at the Advanced War General Level? Interesting."
I wonder if devouring a Psychic will let me acquire Psychic Power too? Su Zhe wondered to himself.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The moment the captain made his move, Xiao Hua, lying prone in the distance, also pulled the trigger.
Three bullets shot toward Su Zhe's head, heart, and spine. Their angles were tricky, their timing vicious!
At the same time, a fierce glint flashed in the captain's eyes. Ignoring the wound on his arm, he charged straight at Su Zhe and swung his blade.
"Nine-Layered Thunder Blade! First Layer!"
As he swung, the two throwing knives hanging at his waist, controlled by his psychic power, locked onto Su Zhe's brain and heart. Combined with his Mental Shock, they formed a four-pronged assault, striking Su Zhe all at once!
This was the captain's trump card, the ultimate skill he had kept hidden—and the greatest reason he had survived in the Wilderness Zone for so long!
The squad's second-in-command had never been the burly shield bearer, who only seemed strong because he was an Intermediate General. It was Xiao Hua, who had long worked in perfect coordination with the captain!
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