"Brothers, let's take him together! Let's show this thing that's neither man nor ghost what we're made of!"
Liu Chuang roared, swung the dark God-Slaying Axe in his hands, and charged out first.
But Qilin had already fired the first shot from afar.
She lay prone on a raised platform at the edge of the training ground, her long black hair stirring in the wind, her gaze behind the scope calm and sharp.
The instant she pulled the trigger, flame spat from the muzzle. A god-slaying armor-piercing round shot from the barrel, tracing a straight trajectory through the air toward the Crab Shadowkhan's face!
The bullet moved almost too fast for the naked eye to follow, yet just as it was about to strike the Crab Shadowkhan's forehead, he unhurriedly raised his right arm.
His enormous pincer closed precisely in front of his face with a crisp click.
The god-slaying armor-piercing round was caught firmly between the jaws of the pincer. Its tip still trembled slightly, but it could not advance another fraction of an inch.
The Crab Shadowkhan glanced down at the trapped bullet and casually flicked it away. It landed on the ground with a clink.
Then his figure flickered, and his entire body melted into the ground like a pool of black ink, vanishing without a trace.
"Where'd he go?"
Liu Chuang's axe cleaved empty air, its momentum carrying him half a stumbling step forward.
He whipped his head around and looked in every direction, but the training ground was empty except for them.
They could find no trace of the Crab Shadowkhan.
By now, the Crab Shadowkhan had already used Shadow Stealth to move silently behind Qilin.
Qilin lay on the platform, anxiously searching for her target through her scope, completely unaware that the shadow behind her was quietly rising.
Only when she felt a rush of cold air across the back of her neck did she abruptly try to roll over, but it was already too late.
The Crab Shadowkhan raised the conical blade on his left arm and thrust it down without hesitation!
"Qilin!"
Ge Xiaolun happened to turn his head and saw the scene.
His pupils suddenly widened. With no time to think, he let out an almost instinctive roar.
"Silence!"
Before his voice faded, an invisible ripple burst outward from him.
The ripple instantly reached the Crab Shadowkhan's entire body. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, yet the Crab Shadowkhan's movements did not pause at all.
The conical blade descended with precision, driving squarely into the body of the sniper rifle in Qilin's hands.
The sniper rifle split down the middle under the impact of the pointed blade, fragments flying everywhere.
The force of the impact also sent Qilin tumbling off the platform, instantly putting her out of the fight.
"Qilin!"
Zhao Xin cried out in alarm and whipped his head toward the Crab Shadowkhan, fury flaring in his eyes. "Bastard! I'll avenge our girl Qilin!"
With that, he turned into a silver bolt of lightning and lunged straight at the Crab Shadowkhan.
But the Crab Shadowkhan remained completely unruffled. His enormous pincer closed with precision, clamping Zhao Xin firmly in its grip.
Zhao Xin was lifted into the air. He struggled twice but could not break free at all. With a turn of his wrist, the Crab Shadowkhan hurled him away.
Zhao Xin slammed into the protective wall at the edge of the training ground with a dull thud, slid down it, and lost consciousness as well.
Less than a minute had passed between Qilin firing her shot and Zhao Xin being thrown away.
On the training ground, Ge Xiaolun and the other three looked at their two motionless companions on the ground, their expressions grim.
Reclining on his throne, Qin Feng finally failed to contain himself at the sight. One corner of his mouth curled, undisguised mockery in his voice. "So this is what your Super Soldier Company can do? Two members down in less than a minute?"
At his words, Lian Feng looked somewhat embarrassed as well.
She pressed her lips together and turned to Rena.
Rena planted both hands on her hips and gave a dry cough, trying to salvage their dignity. "Well... Qilin and Zhao Xin only have the strength of first generation super soldiers to begin with. It's perfectly normal for them to be eliminated first. The real mainstays of our Super Soldier Company are Xiaolun and the other second-generation soldiers..."
"Heh."
Qin Feng answered with a meaningful chuckle. He said nothing more, but the implication behind that laugh was already clear enough.
In the field, the remaining four had gathered together on their own.
"Ge Xiaolun, this guy is far stronger than we are."
Qiangwei kept her voice low but spoke extremely quickly. "We can't fight separately anymore. We have to work together. Otherwise, he'll pick us off one by one sooner or later!"
Hearing Qiangwei call his name, Ge Xiaolun's ears abruptly pricked up, and he hastily straightened his back.
"Qiangwei, what should we do? I'll do whatever you say!"
But before Qiangwei could continue giving instructions, Liu Chuang interrupted impatiently.
"Why make it so complicated? Isn't he just some rat skulking around? All he can do is pick on Qilin and the others. Watch me split him open with one swing!"
He raised the God-Slaying Axe again and charged forward with long strides.
Faced with Liu Chuang's renewed attack, the Crab Shadowkhan did not dodge this time.
He raised his massive pincer to meet the swinging axe blade precisely, locking it in place.
Immediately afterward, his Cone Hand struck Liu Chuang's abdomen with three consecutive thrusts, each blow as heavy as a hit from a battering ram.
Liu Chuang endured all three blows before finally releasing the God-Slaying Axe's handle. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, clutching his abdomen and gasping for breath.
At the sight, Cheng Yaowen frowned.
He had had every opportunity to use his earth powers to pull the Crab Shadowkhan away or raise a stone wall between him and Liu Chuang.
But at the thought of Liu Chuang's attitude earlier, he simply stood there in silence and watched, doing nothing.
Qin Feng, watching from outside the field, saw the entire scene clearly.
He raised his eyebrows, a faint, intrigued smile crossing his lips.
Lian Feng's brow, however, furrowed ever more deeply.
She had originally intended to use this match to bring Liu Chuang and Cheng Yaowen closer together, but now the result seemed to be the complete opposite.
It seemed she would have to report this to the general afterward.
As she was thinking, the Crab Shadowkhan made another move on the field.
Leaving Liu Chuang kneeling on the ground, his figure flickered, and he lunged straight at Qiangwei like a bolt of black lightning.
"Bastard! I'm your opponent!"
Ge Xiaolun's eyes were bloodshot as he raised the Void Greatsword and intercepted him.
The enormous black blade swept horizontally, striking the Crab Shadowkhan squarely and knocking him several steps back.
After being driven back by that brute force, the Crab Shadowkhan steadied himself. Then his figure flashed, slipping past Ge Xiaolun's side and appearing beside Qiangwei in an instant.
His Cone Hand rose high, then stabbed viciously down toward Qiangwei's shoulder!
Qiangwei's pupils contracted sharply, and her figure abruptly vanished the instant she made contact with the Cone Hand.
Her Space Wormhole ability activated, teleporting her ten meters away. The Crab Shadowkhan's Cone Hand pierced only a patch of dissipating air.
The Crab Shadowkhan froze briefly. Before he could change direction, it suddenly grew dark overhead.
Cheng Yaowen braced both hands against the ground. Dark energy had already spread along the ground to the Crab Shadowkhan's feet.
A sphere of earth nearly five meters in diameter formed above the Crab Shadowkhan's head.
"Fall!"
At Cheng Yaowen's low shout, the earthen sphere came crashing down.
Boom!
Dust and smoke surged skyward, and the entire training ground shook.
The mass of earth shattered into countless fragments that scattered in every direction, completely engulfing the spot where the Crab Shadowkhan stood in a thick gray haze.
"Cough, cough!"
Ge Xiaolun fanned a hand in front of his face, squinting toward the center of the dust cloud. "Did we win?"
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