Fierce Battle on the Bridge

Beneath Safe Zone City's walls, over a hundred people gathered below. Curses and pleas intertwined as they frantically vented at the guards atop the ramparts.

Within the city, all military Spirit Warriors unaffiliated with the Ji Clan had been dispatched elsewhere. Safe Zone City was now completely under the Ji Clan's control.

In an underground laboratory somewhere in the city, Ji Boxiao lay on an operating table, surrounded by food-type Spirit Warriors.

Li Yanan stood beside the bed. A strand of sword aura extended from her right index finger, aimed at Ji Boxiao's chest. At his command, she would use the sword aura to cut open his chest and remove the heart within.

Li Yanan's ability was metal-element—Gengjin Sword Aura.

This ability could be attached to weapons, making them more spiritual and vastly increasing their power.

It could also preserve the spirituality and vitality of substances with similar attributes.

She had been chosen as the surgeon to ensure that, when the chest was opened and the heart removed, the Golden Heart within both Ji Boxiao and the troll cub retained its vitality for a perfect transplant.

At that moment, an experimental chamber taller than a person was pushed inside by two military Spirit Warriors.

The troll cub was inside. To preserve the Golden Heart's vitality, it had not been anesthetized. Instead, its heart would be taken while it remained conscious.

"Begin."

Ji Boxiao, the instigator behind all of this, spoke only those words, his tone devoid of even the slightest mercy.

As though it were all perfectly natural.

Meanwhile, outside Safe Zone City's walls, Su Wuming and the others had nowhere left to retreat.

The Snowwhite Thunder Bear had already stepped onto the bridgehead and released a thunderous roar in their direction, as if issuing a warning.

Its steps became more urgent. At the same time, the two Frost Trolls outside the city grew increasingly violent, attacking the Spirit Warriors blocking them from all sides like mad.

The last-arriving troll even abandoned all defense, forcibly enduring the attacks as it charged into the city.

The enormous club in its hand swung repeatedly. With every swing, an ice spike like a towering pillar shot toward the Spirit Warriors pursuing it from behind.

The frigid aura emanating from the ice spikes also affected the Spirit Warriors' speed, layers of frost spreading over their bodies.

Yet the troll moved across this area as if walking on level ground, its speed instantly increasing by a great deal.

"Mo Lan! Use Psychic Wall to stop it!"

"Wuming! How are we supposed to stop it?"

Two completely different conversations rang out simultaneously from different locations.

The one questioning Su Wuming was Qin Ming. Although they had quite a few Spirit Warriors on their side, they had no Silver Tier Spirit Warrior holding the line. They simply could not break through the Snowwhite Thunder Bear's icy armor.

Not to mention that it possessed lightning-element abilities to boost its speed. If it rushed over, it would become a bloody and brutal slaughter.

"Wuming, keep being rubbery."

"Rubbery my ass, Pangpang! Is this the time for that?"

"Slip of the tongue. I meant, keep using Rubber Meatball Crash."

"I've digested everything! Where am I supposed to get meatballs, eat snow?!"

Even if Su Wuming could use Meatball Crash right now, it would be useless. He did not have enough distance to build up momentum.

It seemed this wave could only come down to fate.

"All earth-element users, turn the bridge into sand right now! Hurry!"

"You mean to..." Qin Ming guessed what Su Wuming was planning and was about to speak when Su Wuming interrupted him.

"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. Go organize them now. I can hold that thing back for thirty seconds at most—no, twenty seconds!"

[Opening Gate]—Open!!!

He had to go all out now. Su Wuming decisively opened the Opening Gate.

The next instant, Su Wuming shot forward, leaving behind only two arms spinning and twisted like ropes.

When he reappeared, he was already less than fifty meters from the Snowwhite Thunder Bear.

[Rubber Flame Spiral Bullet]!!!

That was right. After reaching Bronze, coupled with the speed boost brought by the Opening Gate, Su Wuming could now make the parts of his body covered in Armament Haki ignite through rapid friction with the air.

It was still somewhat weaker than Second Gear's [Fire Fist Pistol], but it was enough for now.

As his arms rebounded and spun, Su Wuming's fists, burning with two blazing flames behind him, smashed heavily into the Snowwhite Thunder Bear's abdomen. They directly broke through its outer icy armor and struck its body.

A small patch of white fur was immediately ignited by the flames on his fists, and a trail of white smoke visibly rose from its belly.

That blow successfully halted the Snowwhite Thunder Bear, but it also enraged it beyond measure.

Su Wuming's attack did not hurt it much, but it was deeply humiliating.

A mighty Battle General had actually been stopped by such a tiny insect. What a disgrace to bears everywhere in the Frost Forest—any female bear who heard about it would shake her head.

Thus, in its fury, the Snowwhite Thunder Bear unleashed a vast expanse of lightning, forming a bear paw made entirely of electricity that slammed toward Su Wuming.

Stupid bear! I don't conduct—

Su Wuming's inner complaint was cut off before he could finish it.

Rubber did not conduct electricity, that was true, but the impact was very real.

With the massive size of the bear paw and lightning's inherent speed, that strike sent Su Wuming straight into the bridge deck.

Still unsatisfied, the Snowwhite Thunder Bear struck him more than ten times in succession.

The people on the other side of the bridge only saw lightning flash more than ten times in an instant. The snow on the bridge exploded into the air, turning to powder amid the violent lightning.

"Pangpang, Wuming doesn't conduct electricity, right?"

Gulp—the sound of someone swallowing.

"Probably... right? I mean, if we go over now, we should still be able to roll him back up."

At that moment, the Snowwhite Thunder Bear stopped its assault and looked down with its huge round eyes.

In the next instant, its pupils visibly contracted, as though it had seen something unimaginable.

In its sight, that tiny insect had been flattened as thin as paper and was struggling to open his mouth and suck in air.

With a bang, Su Wuming replenished his air and instantly inflated back to normal. Before the Snowwhite Thunder Bear could react, he vanished and appeared in midair at the same height as its head.

Then he curled up both hands and extended his palms, swiftly wrapping them around the Snowwhite Thunder Bear's entire head while sealing its mouth to prevent it from using Frost Breath.

Immediately afterward, Su Wuming leaped backward, using spiral acceleration and leverage to unleash [Rubber Hammer].

This move could lift an opponent and viciously smash them into the ground, but the Snowwhite Thunder Bear was simply too massive. He could only barely topple it backward.

Then, the fallen Snowwhite Thunder Bear grabbed Su Wuming by the arm, yanked him down by force, and hurled him away, smashing him heavily into the barrier.

"Ah—!"

Su Wuming cried out in excruciating pain. A large portion of his back had been burned by the barrier, blood instantly dyeing it red. The flesh around his wounds flowed like melted rubber.