Hu Xiang's Terror: Why Was He Fine?

The other side seemed certain of his location. Once they both closed to within three meters of him, they paused briefly before suddenly lunging.

Whoosh—

The sound of something cutting through the air came from the mist.

Chen Xing was also a Strongman, but his build was well-proportioned. He had undergone a perfect class advancement, and his class ability, [Strengthen], had already been activated.

His muscles tensed, and his skin took on a faint reddish hue. Even though the other party was merely a refugee, he did not let his guard down. He sprang forward to attack in the safest, most reliable manner.

The target was already right before him. Perhaps because their ambush had been too sudden, the other party had not even reacted. There was not the slightest hint of terror on his face.

He really does have a pretty face... Chen Xing could not help thinking. He subconsciously held back some of his strength, afraid of killing him.

Their goal was abduction, not murder.

But at that moment, the target slightly turned his head and looked at him, without a shred of panic in his eyes.

"Hmm!" Chen Xing's expression changed drastically. Alarm bells blared in his mind as he realized something was wrong.

Su Chen boldly activated [Wind Erosion]. He had been secretly gathering strength for a long time. The muscles in his right arm tightened as he clenched his hand into a fist, twisting at the waist to drive his upper body forward.

The whirlwind coiling around his arm swept up the mist as his fist smashed toward the attacker on his left.

Bang!

Their fists collided, and ripples spread through the surrounding mist.

Rip!

Chen Xing's eyelids twitched wildly, and his face filled with horror. The sleeve around his arm tore apart inch by inch, while dense bloody cuts appeared across his skin as though he had been slashed by tiny blades. A piercing pain surged through him.

The attack actually carried elemental power. What the fuck kind of class was this?

A refugee? Refugee my ass!

The target's performance did not match the intelligence report in the slightest.

Luckily, there were two of them this time.

Luckily, he had always been cautious and attacked together with his companion.

This guy had chosen to stop him, so he would definitely have to take his companion's—

Before Chen Xing could finish the thought, his eyes suddenly bulged.

Behind the target, strands of fibers like green hair seemed to condense. They looked slow, yet rapidly formed into a green iron chain, stretched taut like a spear.

As if controlled by an invisible force, it shot out in an instant.

Squelch!

The fat man's face was full of terror. The momentum of his attack made it impossible for him to pull back, and it was as if he had run into it himself. His bloated body slid into the green rod with almost no resistance.

Chen Xing watched helplessly as his companion's eyes widened in fear, as if he still wanted to struggle.

But in the next instant, his body stiffened. Green fibers actually pierced through the surface of his skin.

Chen Xing shuddered. He could even imagine the horrifying sight of those hair-like things crisscrossing through his companion's body.

"You..." In the instant he was distracted, the target did not stop. A fist came crashing toward his head.

Chen Xing hurriedly raised an arm to block, but fear had already taken root in his heart. All he wanted was to escape.

Bang!

The corpse of his companion on the other side lost its support and crashed heavily to the ground. Chen Xing's heart jolted, cold sweat pouring over his body.

And at some point, the other party's arm had become wrapped in a layer of green arm armor. Sharp spikes like knuckle dusters protruded from the joints of his fingers.

Squelch!

This time, the attack pierced through his skin without obstruction, and agony instantly spread through his entire body.

Chen Xing's eyes widened as darkness swallowed his consciousness.

The pincer attack had ended in death in the blink of an eye.

"What impeccable timing. Old Zhao had barely left..." Su Chen withdrew his stance and looked at the two corpses on the ground, his brows tightly furrowed.

"They could even pinpoint my location so accurately... They were sure I was here. An inside man working with outsiders... Old Zhao?"

"No. If it were him, there would have been no need for him to leave. He could have stayed and attacked me with them."

"Hu Xiang was the one who assigned the night watch positions and times. Could it be..."

The thought made Su Chen feel troubled. If it was Hu Xiang, then things would be troublesome.

That guy was clearly not a first-tier class user.

"But since he did not make a move himself and merely arranged all this, it means he still has some reservations..." Su Chen crouched and searched the two corpses.

He quickly found a few items: wallets and several bottles of potions. He swiftly pocketed them, then dragged the bodies a little farther away.

After waiting a while longer, Hu Xiang estimated that the ambush had ended and said, "Let's go. We'll head to the scene."

Old Zhao remained silent. The two headed toward the night watch area one after the other.

"Why is there blood?" Hu Xiang stared at the bloodstains on the ground, his face darkening. "What idiots..."

Two class users attacking a refugee, yet they could not even control their strength properly.

Old Zhao's expression was tense. "With blood here, it'll be hard to make the Mist Nightmare story hold up. What if they investigate..."

Mist Nightmares were a special type of creature that was almost intangible and capable of possessing living beings.

He watched his captain warily, afraid that whatever new story Hu Xiang came up with would drag him into it as well.

Hu Xiang noticed Old Zhao's gaze and felt only sorrow. If not for the price the other party had offered this time—something he desperately needed—he would not have done this.

He sighed. "Then we'll say it was Corpse Beetles... Old Zhao, you'll need to leave some injuries on yourself."

City patrol guards leading students on patrols generally would not go anywhere too dangerous. Every student death required a detailed report.

Southwind Academy might even send people to inspect the site in person.

Based on his own experience, Hu Xiang arranged the scene well enough. Old Zhao clutched one arm, his face pale.

Hu Xiang looked at Old Zhao's ugly expression and was about to say something, but the locator he had been gripping tightly suddenly lit up with an urgent, dangerous red glow.

"The camp!"

Hu Xiang's expression changed drastically. Not daring to delay, he grabbed Old Zhao, roaring flames erupting around his body as he tore through the mist.

A few breaths later, the camp was right before them. There had been no attack by mutants, but every city patrol guard stood in an extremely vigilant combat stance.

"What happened?!" Hu Xiang demanded grimly.

"C-Captain..." Old Zhao clutched his arm and stared blankly toward the middle of the camp.

Hu Xiang followed his gaze. His composed expression nearly collapsed, and a flash of terror crossed his eyes.

Su Chen, whom he believed had already been abducted, was standing quietly in the center of the camp, looking at them.

"How could he..." Hu Xiang blurted out before abruptly falling silent.

"Old Zhao!" Su Chen hurried over, his face full of concern. "Are you okay? What happened to your arm..."

"I-I'm fine..." Old Zhao did not dare meet Su Chen's eyes and answered vaguely.

"Captain Hu Xiang, what happened to Old Zhao? Did you run into danger?" Su Chen turned to Hu Xiang.

Hu Xiang's gaze shifted uneasily. Guilt and unease made it difficult for him to answer for a moment.

"Su Chen, what's going on? What danger is there?" Zhou Zong demanded from afar. He had been abruptly woken from sleep by Su Chen and was naturally irritated.

The others were still bleary-eyed and confused. Bai Fengxi stood behind the crowd, looking thoughtful.

"Shut up!" Hu Xiang shouted in a low voice. "Old Zhao encountered danger. I scared it away. Su Chen was right—better safe than sorry!"

Zhou Zong found it utterly baffling. What was wrong with Hu Xiang? He had only complained once.

"It's good that you're okay..." Su Chen seemed to relax before speaking with a troubled expression. "Captain Hu... My legs are still shaking. I want to rest for a while."

He definitely would not stand watch again. Hu Xiang was a second-tier class user; one hand would be enough to kill him instantly.

Before Hu Xiang could speak, Zhou Zong jumped in and said coldly, "Your watch isn't over yet. If everyone were as scared of danger as you, then no one would stand watch."

"Fine. You rest first tonight." Hu Xiang did not hesitate. Then he pointed at Zhou Zong. "You'll take his place."

Zhou Zong was dumbfounded. Had Hu Xiang lost his mind?

The others were also confused. So little time had passed—why was Hu Xiang becoming more and more biased toward Su Chen?

Su Chen was equally surprised. He stared at Hu Xiang. That reaction did not seem like a deliberate attempt to frame him.

He had originally planned to tear off all pretenses if Hu Xiang forced him to keep watch.

He refused to believe this man had enough control to make so many people keep silent.

At the very least, he had some confidence when it came to Bai Fengxi.

But the situation now... had become even more confusing.

Zhou Zong went off to stand watch in anger. Su Chen returned to his small tent, while the others gradually went back as well.

"The situation is truly bizarre..." Su Chen muttered.

Temporarily setting aside the doubts in his heart, he took out the things he had found on the corpses. There were not many gold coins in the wallets, but there were two pale gold cards.

"...Southwind Currency Depository..." Su Chen stared at the words on them. "Bank cards?"

"I wonder if they need passwords..." His predecessor had never come into contact with anything so high-end.

He then looked at the remaining bottles of potion. They were clearly not Blood-Activating Potions. Their color was a deeper, richer red, with some black sediment inside.

"Blackflame Potions?" Su Chen was not entirely sure.

Ever since taking potions from Zhou Zong last time, he had made time to visit the library and cram a great deal of knowledge about potions, all to avoid snatching something valuable only to not recognize it.

He turned a potion bottle upside down. The black sediment seemed to receive some kind of stimulation and blossomed inside the bottle in fireworks-like flames.

"So it really is..." Su Chen could not help grinning.

Although this was also a first-tier potion, it was more precious than a Blood-Activating Potion. It was only used after one's class development had reached a certain point and advancement had begun to slow.