The Ultimate Meat Shield

Before Lu Chen had finished speaking, Tie Dun charged at him again like a maddened bull!

Muscles bulged all over his body, and his already thick arms swelled even larger, veins twisting across them like earthworms.

His skin began to change as well. A rough, rocky pattern emerged on its surface, as though he had donned a crude suit of stone armor.

This was Tie Dun's talent-F-rank Stone Skin!

Its rank wasn't high, but it could still provide a slight boost to his defense.

"Die!" Tie Dun roared, smashing a fist toward Lu Chen's chest.

The punch carried tremendous force. If it struck an ordinary person, it would likely shatter their breastbone and make their internal organs bleed on the spot.

Then a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring echoed through the warehouse.

Sparks flew!

Tie Dun's fist struck as though it had hit an indestructible slab of steel, producing a deafening crash.

Lu Chen didn't budge; his body didn't even sway.

He stood where he was, as immovable as a boulder.

Tie Dun's eyes went wide, his face full of disbelief.

He looked down at his fist. It throbbed faintly, and the skin over his knuckles had even split.

Lu Chen, meanwhile, was completely unharmed!

"That's all you've got?" Lu Chen grinned, baring his white teeth, his eyes full of mockery. "You dare call that F-rank talent of yours 'Stone Skin'?"

Lu Chen's words drove Tie Dun into a rage. He swung his fists wildly, raining punch after punch down on Lu Chen.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Metallic impacts rang out incessantly and sparks flew, as though the entire warehouse had turned into a giant forge.

Yet no matter how desperately Tie Dun attacked, Lu Chen remained where he stood, taking every blow like a statue of steel.

Just then, Old Lei, the gunner, finally snapped to his senses.

"Fuck! There's no way I can't blast you to death!"

With a roar, he quickly swung the armored vehicle's cannon around, aimed it at the area where Lu Chen stood, and pressed the firing button without hesitation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of shells screamed through the air and slammed into the area around Lu Chen.

The explosions were deafening, and the entire warehouse shook violently.

The heavy smell of gunpowder and the acrid stench of burning filled the air in an instant. Smoke and dust blotted out the sky, making it nearly impossible to see what lay ahead.

Everyone held their breath, staring tensely at the blast zone.

They wanted to know whether that monster of a man could emerge unscathed from such a fierce bombardment.

As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, a figure slowly walked out of the rubble.

Lu Chen was covered in ash, his hair disheveled, but his body stood straight as a spear and his gaze was sharp as a blade.

He casually brushed the dust from his body, revealing the metallic sheen of his skin beneath. Like a war god returned from hell, he radiated a chilling aura.

"This is your 'Steel Judgment'?" Lu Chen's voice was calm and cold, without a trace of emotion. "As for its power... it's nothing special."

In fact, while enduring the bombardment just now, Lu Chen had also been quietly conducting an "experiment" of his own.

As he felt the impact of the exploding shells, he concentrated on replicating Tie Dun's F-rank Stone Skin talent.

With the heaven-defying power of his SSSSSS-rank Infinite Replication, he instantly copied the Stone Skin talent, which automatically advanced to its peak SSS-rank version-Immortal Body!

[Immortal Body]: A peak SSS-rank talent. Its holder gained the defensive strength of steel, immunity to the vast majority of physical attacks, and a substantial boost to vitality and recovery.

With Immortal Body enhancing him, Lu Chen's physical toughness underwent a qualitative leap.

He could clearly sense the trajectory of every bullet and the speed of every fragment of shrapnel. He could even close every pore on his body at the instant of an explosion to resist the shock wave as much as possible.

Though the bombardment had been spectacular, it hadn't actually caused him any real damage.

"Now it's my turn." The corners of Lu Chen's mouth lifted slightly in a dangerous smile.

He slowly raised his hand and pointed at the soldiers who had been cowed by his appearance.

Taking advantage of the enemy's brief moment of shock, Lu Chen launched a surprise attack!

With a thought, he instantly activated another SSS-rank talent-Extreme Speed Storm!

[Extreme Speed Storm]: An SSS-rank talent. Its holder gained movement speed surpassing the speed of sound and could unleash astonishing strength for a short time.

With Extreme Speed Storm enhancing him, Lu Chen's figure instantly blurred, flashing through the warehouse like a bolt of lightning.

Moving too fast for the naked eye to follow, he circled around to the side of the armored vehicle.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out.

Lu Chen drove a fist into the body of the armored vehicle.

The steel plate, more than ten centimeters thick, was as fragile as tofu before his fist. He instantly punched a huge hole through it.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of steel plates twisting and buckling set teeth on edge.

Lu Chen reached inside, grabbed Old Lei, the gunner, and yanked him out of the vehicle.

Before Old Lei could even scream, Lu Chen hurled him away like a piece of trash.

Old Lei's body slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

He spat blood and struggled a few times before losing consciousness completely.

Lu Chen slowly walked to the front of the armored vehicle, raised his head, and coldly regarded the soldiers who had been cowed by his overwhelming strength.

"Your 'Steel Judgment' is nothing but a joke to me." His voice was deep and magnetic, yet it carried a chilling pressure.

He turned to look at Tie Dun, who lay on the ground, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes.

"Now, the game..."

His figure suddenly blurred and vanished from where he stood.

"Has begun."

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

She said through gritted teeth: Xiaoyu, the medic, rushed forward in a panic, trying to help Tie Dun up from where he lay sprawled like a ragged sack, but a large hand stopped her.

She looked up and met Lu Chen's unfathomably deep eyes. It was as if an ancient beast had fixed its gaze on her, and a chill shot straight to the top of her head.

"Wh-what kind of monster are you?!" Xiaoyu's voice was thick with tears. The man before her had utterly overturned everything she knew.

Lu Chen looked at the bulging medical kit on her chest, and the corners of his mouth curved into a meaningful smile. "A monster? No, I'm not a monster. I'm... the one who makes the rules."

As he spoke, he seized Xiaoyu and hauled her up without the slightest tenderness, handling her as roughly as if he were dragging a chick.

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Xiaoyu struggled in terror, but her strength was nothing before Lu Chen.

Lu Chen's gaze swept over her delicate face, as though he were appraising a piece of merchandise.

"Do you want to live?" His voice was low and husky, with a hint of enticement, just like the serpent that tempted Eve.

Xiaoyu froze. In Lu Chen's eyes, she saw ambition, ruthlessness, and... a glimmer of hope.

"Live...?" she murmured, as though she had found a lifeline.

Lu Chen didn't answer. He merely gave a meaningful smile, then pointed at Tie Dun on the ground and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Save him. Use everything you've got."

With that, he released Xiaoyu and turned toward the armored vehicle he had reduced to scrap with a single punch, leaving her with the sight of his tall, mysterious back.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and a faint, elusive hint of... a plot.