Steel Judgment, the Ultimate Meat Shield

The giant hammer weighed several hundred jin, and it came down with a howling rush of wind, like a small mountain bearing down on him.

A Jie was scared out of his wits, and Xiaobai was trembling as well. They both knew that if the hammer landed, Lu Chen would be gravely injured, if not killed.

Incredibly, however, Lu Chen stood rooted to the spot, completely motionless, with no intention of dodging.

"You're courting death!" Tie Dun roared like a raging bull.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the giant hammer slammed into Lu Chen's chest.

Yet the expected scene of flying flesh and blood never came.

Lu Chen's body was as hard as meteoric iron. He had actually taken Tie Dun's full-strength blow head-on!

Everyone was stunned!

Tie Dun stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He was an SSS-rank strength-type awakened one, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks with a swing of his hammer. Yet he couldn't budge the young man before him an inch?

Ripples spread across Lu Chen's skin as his SSS-rank [Vajra Indestructible Divine Art] took effect, completely absorbing and neutralizing the hammer's impact.

He stood there without moving an inch, as immovable as a boulder, a scornful smile curling his lips.

"That's all the strength you have? It's not even enough to tickle me." Lu Chen spoke softly, but his voice was full of mockery.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze cold and sharp, like two unsheathed blades.

The corners of Lu Chen's mouth lifted slightly as he stepped forward. With a crack, the ground split as though struck by an earthquake, fissures spreading like a spiderweb.

He casually raised a hand and grabbed the handle of Tie Dun's heavy war hammer. The thing weighed at least several hundred jin, but in his hand, it was like a toy.

"You said the fortress would never fall?" Lu Chen's voice held a teasing note, like a cat playing with a mouse. "Then I'll show you what true immortality looks like."

His five fingers suddenly tightened. "Crack! Bang!" Amid a series of grating metallic noises, he twisted the hammer's handle like a strand of dough. The head burst apart as well, sending fragments flying. They clattered onto the ground, trailing wisps of smoke, while a pungent smell of scorched metal filled the air.

Tie Dun was dumbstruck, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

His hammer was forged from alloy steel and supposedly capable of withstanding a rocket, yet someone had just crushed it into scrap with his bare hands?

What the hell was he, a man or a ghost?

Lu Chen casually tossed the pile of scrap onto the ground with a tremendous clang that made the earth tremble.

He clapped his hands as though he had done something utterly insignificant. Then he raised his head and fixed his gaze on Tie Dun, his mouth curving into a dangerous smile. "Now, it's your turn..."

"Roar!"

Tie Dun let out a beastlike roar, like an enraged bull. Throwing all caution aside, he lunged straight at Lu Chen.

The muscles in his arms bulged like two thick pythons, and the surface of his skin began to change. Rocklike patterns appeared, as though he had donned a crude layer of stone armor.

"Stone Skin!" A Jie cried out. It was the defensive talent Tie Dun relied on to survive.

Although it was only F-rank, it was still a fairly good life-saving skill in the early days of the apocalypse.

Tie Dun's fist whistled through the air as it slammed toward Lu Chen's chest.

He would use his greatest strength to crush this arrogant bastard completely.

"Clang!"

A sharp metallic ring sounded, and sparks flew.

Tie Dun felt as though his fist had struck an indestructible block of steel. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger went numb, nearly splitting open.

Lu Chen, meanwhile, remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch. He even wore a faint smile.

"You've got the nerve to call that F-rank talent 'Stone Skin'?" Lu Chen grinned, showing a row of white teeth, his eyes full of disdain. "Haven't you ever seen a real tough guy?"

"Old Lei, blow the fucker up!" Tie Dun roared. He knew his close-range attacks were useless against Lu Chen, so he could only pin his hopes on an artillery barrage.

Old Lei, the gunner, had long been simmering with anger. At Tie Dun's command, he immediately swung the armored vehicle's cannon toward the area where Lu Chen stood and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Deafening cannon fire instantly rang out through the street, sending flames soaring and thick smoke billowing.

Countless shells rained down, completely swallowing Lu Chen.

A Jie and Xiaobai fled in terror with their hands over their heads, then huddled trembling behind cover.

They knew that under such a barrage, even a tank would be torn to pieces in an instant.

Dust and smoke filled the air, blotting out the sky.

Everyone held their breath, watching the center of the bombardment anxiously, wondering whether the arrogant young man could still walk out alive.

A few seconds later, the dust and smoke gradually cleared, and a figure slowly emerged from the ashes.

Lu Chen came into view.

A thick layer of ash covered him from head to toe. His hair was disheveled, and his face was smeared with grime. He looked somewhat worse for wear.

But his gaze remained sharp, gleaming coldly like frosty stars.

Even more shocking, his skin shimmered with a faint metallic sheen, as though coated in a layer of silver armor.

"Th-this... how is this possible?" Tie Dun's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Under such a fierce bombardment, this guy had come out completely unscathed?

And his body seemed to have grown even harder!

"God of war... has the god of war descended?" A Jie murmured.

Lu Chen slowly raised his head and swept his gaze over his surroundings, a cold smile curling his lips.

"Your 'Steel Judgment' is nothing but a joke to me." His voice was low and magnetic, yet filled with a chilling killing intent.

In fact, when the bombardment began, Lu Chen had not chosen to withstand it head-on.

Although his [Vajra Indestructible Divine Art] could withstand some of the damage, such a dense barrage would still have caused him considerable trouble.

So, just as the shells were about to land, he had quietly activated his SSSSSS-rank talent [Infinite Replication], locking onto Tie Dun as his target.

"Replication successful! F-rank talent [Stone Skin] acquired!"

"Talent ascending... Ascension successful! SSS-rank talent [Immortal Body] acquired!"

In an instant, a powerful force poured into Lu Chen's body. He felt every cell rejoicing, greedily absorbing the energy.

His skin became incomparably hard, like diamond, capable of withstanding any form of physical attack.

His bones also became denser, as though cast from steel, capable of bearing tremendous impacts.

Even his muscles grew tougher and stronger, filled with explosive power.

At the same time he acquired [Immortal Body], countless pieces of information surfaced in Lu Chen's mind.

He could clearly perceive the trajectory of every bullet and the speed of every piece of shrapnel. He could even close every pore on his body at the moment of an explosion to minimize the damage from the shock wave.

That was the power of an SSS-rank talent!

"It's time to end this," Lu Chen murmured.

He slowly lifted his foot, then stomped hard on the ground.

"Boom!"

With a tremendous crash, the ground instantly collapsed, leaving a massive crater.

Using the resulting force, Lu Chen shot toward the armored vehicle like an arrow loosed from a bow.

He moved so fast that he nearly became an afterimage, impossible for the naked eye to follow.

"Extreme Speed Storm!"

Lu Chen pushed his SSS-rank speed talent [Extreme Speed Storm] to its limit. His figure left trails of white air in its wake, accompanied by a piercing howl.

Old Lei, the gunner aboard the armored vehicle, saw a blur before his eyes. Before he could react, he saw a fist crash into the side of the vehicle like a meteor.

With an earth-shaking boom, Lu Chen punched a huge hole through the armored vehicle's thick steel plating as though it were made of paper.

The entire vehicle shook violently, emitting a piercing screech of grinding metal.

The tremendous impact sent Old Lei flying. He traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth, his fate unknown.

Lu Chen didn't pause for an instant. With a flash, he appeared at Old Lei's side.

He slowly crouched down and stared coldly at the gunner who had once unleashed a fierce barrage against him, a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Your 'Steel Judgment' is nothing but a joke to me," Lu Chen repeated. Then he slowly raised his hand and seized Old Lei by the neck.

"Crack!"

With a crisp snap, Lu Chen twisted Old Lei's neck until it broke, and his head fell limply to one side.

After dealing with Old Lei, Lu Chen stood up and clapped his hands as though he had done something utterly insignificant.

Then he turned around and fixed his gaze on Tie Dun once more.

By now, Tie Dun was completely stunned with fear.

He simply couldn't believe that the young man before him possessed such terrifying power.

Crushing an alloy war hammer with his bare hands, withstanding an artillery bombardment, punching through an armored vehicle...

Was he even human? He was a demon straight out of hell!

Lu Chen walked slowly toward Tie Dun. Each step seemed to land on Tie Dun's heart, filling him with a suffocating pressure.

"Now, it's your turn..." Lu Chen's voice was low and magnetic, yet filled with a chilling killing intent.

Xiaoyu, the medic, rushed forward in a panic, trying to treat her older brother, but Lu Chen stopped her.

She spoke through gritted teeth: Xiaoyu's delicate face was full of stubbornness. She bit her lower lip and glared at Lu Chen as though she wanted to carve a piece of flesh from him with her eyes.

"What kind of monster are you?" Her trembling voice held a trace of despair.

Lu Chen studied her with interest. His gaze lingered for a second on the bulging medical kit at her chest, and a meaningful smile curled his lips.

"A monster? No, no, no, little sister, I'm no monster." His voice was low and magnetic, like a whisper between lovers, yet carried an unquestionable authority. "I'm the one... who makes the rules."

With that, he casually dragged Xiaoyu away from her half-dead brother as though picking up a chick.

Caught off guard, Xiaoyu cried out. The medical kit fell from her hand, and the bottles and jars inside rolled out, giving off a pungent medicinal smell.

"You..." Xiaoyu tried to struggle, only to find that Lu Chen had her wrist in an iron grip, holding her fast as though it were caught in a pair of tongs.

She looked up at Lu Chen in terror and found his eyes deep and cold, like an ancient well whose bottom could not be seen.

"Do you want to live?" Lu Chen's voice sounded beside her ear, carrying a hint of enticement.

He lowered his head, leaned close to Xiaoyu's ear, and whispered, "Follow me, and you can stay alive. You can even live a better life."

He paused and looked at Xiaoyu with a playful expression, as though waiting for her answer.

Then he slowly reached out and gently lifted Xiaoyu's chin... "I assume you're already prepared for this, right?"