The Duel

The A58 Gathering Place.

A deafening hubbub filled the area in front of the enormous square Combat Arena.

Everyone in the gathering place loved a fight. Whenever something seemed unfair, they preferred to settle it with their fists. That was how this distinctive Combat Arena had come into being.

Normally, duels in the Combat Arena did not draw much attention. Surviving in the apocalypse was hard enough; no one had time to watch someone else make a fool of themselves.

Today was different, however, because the man standing in the Combat Arena was Zerui, leader of the Lion Group, the strongest faction in the A58 Gathering Place!

Everyone knew that although the A58 Gathering Place was fairly large, its population was smaller than that of other gathering places. Gene Warriors were therefore relatively scarce.

Zerui, leader of the Lion Group, was the only Gene Warrior in the A58 Gathering Place.

The higher-ups had once sent several Gene Warriors down to lead them. Without exception, Zerui had thrown them outside the walls to feed the zombies.

That was how Zerui's reputation had spread.

Now Zerui, who held the title of "Strongest Warrior," had actually stepped into the Combat Arena. Everyone was curious about just who could have the ability to challenge him!

"Hey, who do you think Lord Zerui's opponent is?"

"I think... maybe Long Wu from the Black Tiger Party? He's been pretty active lately."

"Impossible! I heard today that Liu Honggou from the Cheetah Faction killed Long Wu this morning!"

"Holy shit, is that news reliable?"

"If it's true, Liu Honggou is the only one who could go toe-to-toe with Lord Zerui!"

"But I heard the challenger was some young guy. Liu Honggou is almost forty already..."

"Who could it be, then?"

"Bah! Lord Zerui is so strong that whoever it is will probably get the shit beaten out of him!"

"True!"

"You've got that right!"

At that moment, Liu Feng stood among the crowd, listening to their chatter with deep resentment.

He had not even shown himself yet, so why had everyone already assumed he would lose?

Still, it served as a reminder.

If everyone acknowledged Zerui as the strongest Gene Warrior, his strength had to go beyond what met the eye.

Watching Zerui loosen his wrists on the platform, Liu Feng slowly curled his thin lips into a mocking smile.

"Hmph. You might be the strongest warrior here, but against me, you'll have no choice but to admit defeat!"

With that, Liu Feng flexed his wrists and made to step onto the platform. Just then, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"The strongest warrior against the strongest young man! Who will win, who will lose, and who is truly the strongest? Nobody knows! The fight is about to begin, so seize your chance and place a bet on your favorite!"

"Don't push, don't shove! Everyone will get a chance. Just ten silver coins per bet, and you could become a millionaire!"

In the blink of an eye, silver coins covered the table.

His curiosity piqued, Liu Feng walked over as well.

"Strongest warrior, Zerui. Strongest young man, Liu Feng!" Liu Feng looked furious, as though he were barely holding back his anger. He raised his head to look at the grinning fat man before him, slammed his palm onto the table, and said, "Fatty, what are you doing?"

The fat man looked up at his voice. When he saw Liu Feng standing before him, a chill instantly ran through him.

"F-Feng... this..."

Scowling, Liu Feng pointed a trembling finger at the silver coins on the table.

"Why? Why hasn't a single person bet on me winning?"

"Uh... Feng, that might be because..."

Before the fat man could finish, a delicate hand suddenly slapped down on the table. A small bag filled with silver coins landed squarely on Liu Feng's name.

Liu Feng turned to find a lovely face wearing a tender, enchanting expression.

"Little Knife, what are you doing here?"

Little Knife's thin lips curved upward, a delighted smile on her face as she said softly, "I'm here to back you up, of course!"

Warmth spread through Liu Feng's heart at her words.

His relationship with Little Knife had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few days. Yet, by unspoken agreement, neither of them had taken that final step to make things clear. Perhaps they needed the right opportunity.

Just as the atmosphere between them grew increasingly intimate, a furious roar came from the Combat Arena.

"You little punk! If you're a man, get up here and quit dawdling!"

At the sound, Liu Feng turned his gaze toward Zerui in the Combat Arena. His face instantly darkened, his expression thunderous.

"Little Knife, wait for me below the platform. I'll be right back!"

Little Knife nodded.

With that, Liu Feng walked unhurriedly onto the platform from one side. Facing Zerui's bulging eyes, he arched an eyebrow and met the man's angry gaze with open defiance.

"What are you shouting for? In such a hurry—is there some embarrassing problem you can't talk about?"

Zerui's cold eyes were as sharp as a hawk's as he stared fixedly at Liu Feng. Then his thin lips slowly curved into a mocking smile.

"I'm getting more and more eager to see what you can do as a Gene Warrior!"

"Then let me show you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Feng swept his hand, and a full four hundred thousand silver Iron-toothed Insects appeared in midair. Like a dense silver cloud, they shrouded the entire Combat Arena.

At the sight, an inscrutable smile appeared on Zerui's face.

"Oh, so you're a summoning-type Gene Warrior. No wonder certain scents on you seemed familiar!"

Watching Zerui, Liu Feng's expression remained unchanged. He swept his hand again, and countless toads appeared beside him.

Liu Feng knew that Zerui was a Speed-Type Gene Warrior. Killing Liu Feng in an instant would be child's play for him.

Although Liu Feng could summon vast numbers of troops from the Zerg Army, he himself was just an ordinary person. Against a Gene Warrior whose power resided in his own body, Liu Feng had to be exceptionally cautious.

As long as I keep him from getting close, I'll have a thousand ways to make him lose! Liu Feng told himself silently.

Liu Feng kept close to the edge of the Combat Arena, because it was the only way he could avoid leaving his back exposed to Zerui.

"Iron-toothed Insects, attack!"

At last, on Liu Feng's command, nearly four hundred thousand Iron-toothed Insects surged toward Zerui in a massive assault.

Yet as Zerui watched them approach, the corners of his mouth rose slightly into a disdainful smile.

"Child's play!"

The instant he finished speaking, his figure flickered, and he vanished from the Combat Arena!

(End of chapter)