Shattered Hopes

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without using any weapons, the two fought in pure close-quarters combat. Every move landed with solid force. Tang Yu once again used the Prodigal Son Turns Back and Bone-Twisting Layered Palm from the Primordial Martial Way, mixing in the force techniques from the Shattering Heart Palm Qin Bo had taught him. Nearly every strike exceeded 2,500 kilograms of force, but it was useless. Dukavi was stronger than Tang Yu.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Dukavi noticed something was wrong. Normally, a martial artist with a gene count above one hundred could only go all out for around ten moves before the primal force in their body ran dry and their strength began to fail. Yet Tang Yu seemed like a tireless machine. More than a dozen moves had passed, but there was no sign of his primal force being depleted. Instead, he only grew fiercer with every exchange. That truly surprised Dukavi.

Talent and aptitude were certainly important for a martial artist, but perseverance was just as important. Looking across all of humanity's martial arts experts, many gradually neglected their martial path after attaining high status. Someone as resilient as Tang Yu was indeed rare.

"Spiral Force!" Seeing that Tang Yu was as tough and enduring as an old ox, Dukavi lost his patience and directly unleashed his trump card, the Spiral Force. Unlike the point-blank burst of the Shattering Heart Palm, this technique transformed force into a vortex of power and violently blasted it into the enemy's body. Its destructive power was no weaker than the Shattering Heart Palm.

Dukavi's arm snapped out like a whip. At the same time, he twisted his body, driving his entire arm into rotation. His fist became like a drill bit as it crashed head-on into Tang Yu's fist.

Bang!

Another dull impact rang out, and both men staggered back more than ten steps.

Drip! Drip! Beads of sweat the size of soybeans fell from their foreheads. What did it mean to sweat like rain? This was sweating like rain! Dukavi stared fixedly at Tang Yu. No one could still have strength left after taking that move of his, and the man before him should have been no exception. But clearly, he was disappointed.

Taking Dukavi's attack head-on had indeed left Tang Yu in pain. Violent primal force tore through his body, turning into countless drills that burrowed into his tendons and blood, ravaging them and damaging his body's structure. Even the black crystal seemed barely able to keep up with the conversion. But that was enough. Tang Yu could endure the remaining force himself.

His arm trembled violently. It was clear that the exchange had injured him badly.

"Die!" With a furious roar, Dukavi stepped forward and leaped more than ten meters. An iron fist smashed straight toward Tang Yu's face. There was nothing fancy about that punch. It came directly at him. Though ferocious, it was not particularly fast, like an ordinary person throwing a punch in a fight. Yet every hair on Tang Yu's body stood on end, because he discovered in horror that there was no way to dodge it. He could only take it head-on!

Crack!

Their fists collided, and Tang Yu's entire arm was dislocated by the blow. As for Dukavi, his face had turned deathly pale. He had clearly exhausted his strength.

From childhood until now, Tang Yu had never suffered such a serious injury. The primal force in his body's cells had been thrown into chaos by Dukavi's punch, becoming uncontrollable. At that moment, a warm current surged from the black crystal between his brows and spread throughout his body. The primal force in his cells, which had nearly gone berserk, immediately stabilized.

Bang!

One kick! A simple kick landed directly on Dukavi's lower abdomen, sending him flying backward. His previous punch had already drained the last trace of primal force from Dukavi's body, while Tang Yu still had plenty left. Although his right arm was dislocated and his strength had instantly dropped by half, it did not affect the explosive power of his legs.

"Pfft... How is that possible?!" Dukavi's face was filled with shock as Tang Yu kicked him away. His gene count had long surpassed two hundred, and the primal force in his cells had been completely exhausted. How could Tang Yu still possess such explosive power?

"A life for a life! Today, I'll avenge A-Long and A-Qiang!" Tang Yu charged toward Dukavi again, preparing to deliver the fatal blow.

Whoosh!

The sound of something cutting through the air came from beside his ear. Without even thinking, Tang Yu instinctively twisted aside to dodge. The one who had attacked was Xia Linlin!

"Xia Linlin, A-Long and A-Qiang's deaths really were connected to you!" Tang Yu's expression became terrifyingly grim as he watched Xia Linlin approach.

"What? Their deaths were related to her too?" Wang Meng, who was leaning against a bridge pillar, also revealed a shocked expression. Naturally, he knew Xia Linlin. She was the favored daughter of Xia Medical Technology, and she seemed to like Tang Yu. The two had often been together in the past. Was she also one of the murderers of his disciples?

"I deeply regret A-Long and A-Qiang's deaths, but they had nothing to do with me. Dukavi and Novich were the ones who did it!"

Hearing Wang Meng's words, Xia Linlin frowned slightly. After considering it for a moment, she spoke.

"Nothing to do with you? You were there at the time. How dare you say it had nothing to do with you?" Tang Yu was truly furious. Even now, she refused to repent and still tried to cover it up!

But Tang Yu had misunderstood Xia Linlin. She had indeed been present when A-Long and A-Qiang died, but she had not been the one to strike. Dukavi had done it, though she had not stopped him.

"Tang Yu, do you not even believe what I say anymore?" This time, Xia Linlin's voice was much gentler, but there was no longer any trace in her eyes or features of the Xia Linlin Tang Yu had first known.

"Believe you? Fine! Let me kill him, and I'll believe you!" Pointing at Dukavi, Tang Yu spoke to Xia Linlin. Even now, he still held onto the last shred of hope for her. He could not believe that the innocent and pure Xia Linlin he once knew had suddenly become so cold-blooded.

"Xia Linlin, your experiments can't do without my support!" Perhaps Dukavi truly feared dying here. He ordered the exhausted Mutant Corpsefolk leader beside him to help him up and shouted at Xia Linlin.

Hearing Dukavi's words, Xia Linlin frowned again. There was a trace of helplessness in her gaze as she looked at Tang Yu.

"I can't agree to that."

The last of Tang Yu's hopes shattered. This Xia Linlin was no longer the Xia Linlin he had once known. She had changed completely.

After speaking, Xia Linlin gave Dukavi a look, and the two left the broken bridge. Tang Yu watched them depart coldly, but did not stop them. He was no match for Xia Linlin now, and more importantly, he did not want to fight her.

By the time Tang Yu and Wang Meng returned to the Force Martial Arts Gym, it was already two in the morning. Compared with Tang Yu's injuries, Wang Meng's were far more serious. His flesh had split and curled back, with bone even exposed in some places, and there were already signs of infection.

"Brother Wang!" Seeing Wang Meng's eyelids drooping, Tang Yu called out. But Wang Meng seemed unable to hear him and showed no response at all. Tang Yu had initially wanted to take him to the hospital, but after thinking it over, he called Meng Xuanxuan instead. She was a pharmacist and would surely know how to treat such injuries.

When Meng Xuanxuan arrived at the Force Martial Arts Gym and saw Wang Meng's injuries, she was startled. "What happened? How did he get hurt so badly?"

"Cough, cough. Don't ask so much. Treat him first!"

"You're injured too?" Hearing Tang Yu cough softly, Meng Xuanxuan immediately became anxious. How had the two of them ended up like this after only one afternoon?

"Ugh... Don't touch me!" In her panic, Meng Xuanxuan grabbed Tang Yu's shoulder. His arm and shoulder had suffered the worst injuries today. Although he had reset his dislocated arm, the bones had been badly damaged by primal force. It was not something that could recover in a short while.

"Come back to the apartment with me. It'll be more convenient to treat you there." With that, Meng Xuanxuan helped both Tang Yu and Wang Meng onto her Angel's Wings.

After returning to Rainbow Bridge Campus, Meng Xuanxuan hurriedly brought a small silver metal case out of her laboratory. It was filled with bottles and jars.

"Take off your clothes. Let me check your injuries!"

"I'm fine. Check Brother Wang first. His wounds are already infected. I'm afraid there'll be lasting complications if we wait too long."

Hearing Tang Yu say that, Meng Xuanxuan glanced at him without speaking. She could also see that Wang Meng's injuries could not be delayed for even a moment.

Meng Xuanxuan treated Wang Meng's wounds in the living room while Tang Yu began tending to his own body. People said it took a hundred days to recover from damaged tendons and bones, but that was for ordinary people. For a martial artist like Tang Yu, whose primal force had awakened, such injuries were as commonplace as a meal and not a major problem at all.

He mobilized the primal force in his cells and had it all seep into his shoulder and arm. The cells in that area immediately became much more active. Then, he controlled his muscles and blood vessels, accelerating blood circulation and promoting the conversion of nutrients within his body. The right side of his body felt as though it were soaking in hot water. This was because accelerated local blood circulation had raised the temperature of the surface tissues.

After treating Wang Meng's injuries, Meng Xuanxuan was about to check on Tang Yu when she found him sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed. She knew he was healing himself. After thinking about it, she chose not to disturb him and quietly withdrew.

Early the next morning, Tang Yu opened his eyes and stretched his limbs. He discovered that his injuries had mostly healed, but the primal force in his cells was severely depleted. Every cell felt like a starving wolf, desperately needing food to replenish itself. But that was not urgent. What concerned Tang Yu now was Wang Meng's condition.

He left the room and entered the living room, where he saw Wang Meng still asleep. His complexion had improved considerably, and Tang Yu finally relaxed. Looking around, he did not see Meng Xuanxuan. Only then did he remember that she seemed to live on the second floor. Without thinking much about it, he headed upstairs.