Almost at the exact moment Lian Xiangyu threw his punch, Peng Zhen reached out from behind Cheng Xun and pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
Lian Xiangyu's ability had already earned him some recognition among the Players of the Nightmare World. He was nowhere near a legend like Feng Ling, but plenty of people knew how formidable his Beastification was. His physical strength after transforming had likely reached a level far beyond that of an ordinary person. Never mind a human-even the hotel walls couldn't withstand a full-force blow from him.
If a teacher like Cheng Xun, who didn't look particularly muscular, took a blow like that head-on, he would probably be left half-dead, if not killed outright.
But to Lian Xiangyu and the others' shock, although the punch had clearly struck Cheng Xun, the one who flew backward and crashed to the floor was Peng Zhen, who had just placed his hand on Cheng Xun's shoulder. Peng Zhen looked sturdier than Cheng Xun, but the bruising all over his right cheek and the way it instantly swelled up were horrifying.
"Is this Peng Zhen's ability?" Shen Dong'er murmured from the side. "Taking damage for someone else? Maybe reducing it, too?"
But regardless of who had taken Lian Xiangyu's punch, the instant that absolute deadlock broke was inevitably also the instant the fuse was lit.
No one had expected Lian Xiangyu to punch the opposing leader at a time like this, but once they recovered from their surprise, it hardly seemed strange. After all, once they learned they were merely experimental subjects Cheng Xun and his people kept in the hotel, like frogs being slowly boiled alive, how many of them could possibly be saintly enough to remain calm?
So every "experimental subject" standing behind Lian Xiangyu, every person Cheng