Chapter 109
Wen Xin’s expression turned icy as he stared down Ding Pingle before suddenly breaking into a smile.
That casual smile sent a chill down Ding Pingle’s spine, who had thought himself in control of the situation. A sense of foreboding crept over him.
Now that Wen Xin had lured the schemer out into the open, he had no intention of giving him the chance to recover.
With a swift turn of the dagger in his hand, Wen Xin shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for Ding Pingle.
“Ah Zi, Ah Lü, take him alive! I still have questions for him!”
Having witnessed Wen Xin’s combat prowess in the alternate space, this bold, head-on assault caught Ding Pingle completely off guard. His face turned pale, and he reflexively stumbled back two steps, only to grow furious at his own fear. “You think you can capture me with those low-level beasts?! Get them!”
In response to Ding Pingle’s command, the zombie horde snarled and howled, baring their grotesque teeth as they charged forward.
But his smug expression lasted no more than a second.
The next moment, his widened eyes reflected the horrifying sight of zombies falling en masse. His pupils dilated in disbelief.
Ding Pingle, enhanced with a physical ability, could perceive the faint rustle of leaves and the fine cracks on a wall ten meters away. His hearing picked up the most subtle of sounds.
Yet now, he couldn’t track the movements of the green viper or the purple squirrel. All he could see were streaks of green and purple cutting through the zombie horde like a scythe through wheat.
Within the span of two breaths, half of the densely packed zombies lay motionless on the ground.
Their combat strength was terrifying.
Staggering backward, Ding Pingle realized he was entirely out of his depth. His earlier bravado collapsed into sheer panic.
“This is impossible! They’re not even B-rank—how can they be this strong?!”
Ah Lü let out a mocking hiss. “B-rank? Those weaklings are hardly fit to be a snack.”
Ding Pingle’s eyes widened further.
Even in his dazed state, he knew that only A-rank and above mutants could speak human language. To completely evade biological scanners and mask their presence, one had to be an S-rank Perfected Form.
An S-rank Perfected Form! Not some weed growing by the roadside but the rulers of their respective domains. There was no way such beings would submit to humans.
Wen Xin… Wen Xin…
Wait.
Wen… Xin?!
A name flashed through Ding Pingle’s mind, triggering a tidal wave of realization. This was the name of a figure once at the center of a global search, only to vanish without a trace.
Before he could fully process the thought, his enhanced senses detected a gust of wind tearing toward him. He whirled around.
Somehow, Wen Xin had broken through the zombie horde and was now only a step away. The gleam of a dagger’s tip was aimed squarely at Ding Pingle’s throat.
“Stop him!!” Ding Pingle roared.
But his order came too late. Only a few zombies were close enough to respond.
Though second-tier zombies boasted combat capabilities equivalent to B-rank mutants, Ding Pingle underestimated Wen Xin. Months of grueling training, combined with the enhancement of the blue pearls, had pushed Wen Xin’s speed and strength far beyond that of an ordinary human.
Ducking under a zombie’s claws, Wen Xin pivoted, his lean muscles exuding explosive power. Reversing his grip on the dagger, he drove it into the base of the zombie’s neck, severing its spinal cord.
Black, putrid blood spurted out in twin arcs, following Wen Xin’s rapid movements but failing to touch even the hem of his pants.
When Ding Pingle regained his senses, the blood-streaked dagger was already pressing against his throat.
Moments ago, Ding Pingle had been arrogant and domineering. Now, he was trembling with fear. “Don’t—don’t be rash. We can talk this out…”
Wen Xin’s face remained impassive as he stared at him.
Without a word, Wen Xin brought his hand down in a decisive chop, knocking Ding Pingle unconscious.
The moment the ability user lost consciousness, the controlled zombies collapsed like a syrupy black sludge, slowly seeping back into the ground.
Ah Lü slithered closer and watched as Wen Xin hoisted Ding Pingle onto his back. “You’re taking him with us?”
Wen Xin cast a glance back. On the black Tyrannosaurus’s spine, the bulging cocoon had split open, revealing glistening, damp wings quivering as though ready to take flight—like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
When Ding Pingle launched his attack, most of the survivors had already escaped through the vortex. A few stragglers, drawn back by the commotion, had turned in time to witness Wen Xin and his two companions dismantling the zombie horde. They stood frozen, mouths agape, in utter shock.
Wen Xin’s hopes for a low-profile departure were thoroughly dashed.
He ignored the stunned onlookers and spoke decisively. “Xiao Hei told us to leave immediately. Let’s go. We’ll question him later in a safer place.”
Neither of his companions objected. They leapt onto Wen Xin’s shoulders once more.
Ah Lü, sensing Wen Xin’s determined expression, paused. Its tiny head nudged affectionately against his ear, rubbing softly as if savoring the moment.
Carrying Ding Pingle, Wen Xin approached the vortex.
The surrounding people hesitated, wanting to speak but too awestruck to intervene. They stepped aside, bowing their heads in deference to let him pass.
Stepping into the vortex felt no different from entering the black rift. The world spun wildly before Wen Xin’s eyes, and when he opened them again, the scenery had completely changed.
He stood amidst crumbling modern buildings, streets stained with brown-black filth, and storefronts with their shutters smashed to pieces. They had left the vast chasm with the dinosaur skeleton behind and returned to the heart of City G’s devastated urban center.
Wen Xin looked over the desolate, broken landscape. His pupils trembled faintly as he took it in.
In less than a year, the bustling, vibrant city had turned into a silent, ravaged wasteland. The laughter and vitality it once held were now nothing but a distant memory.
Ah Lü and Ah Zi were equally heartbroken but didn’t know how to comfort the somber Wen Xin.
Ah Zi tried to console him in a soft voice: “Don’t worry, Wen Xin. Xiao Hei must’ve avoided our home when it lost control. It’ll be fine.”
Having already seen Xiao Hei’s true form and its colossal skeletal frame spanning the entire city skyline, there was no use hiding the truth any longer. To try would be to treat Wen Xin as a fool.
Both companions acknowledged that Wen Xin now knew the truth, though they weren’t sure how much he understood. Their voices were tinged with uncertainty.
Ah Lü nodded, pointing its tail tip toward a distant high-rise. “Yes, I remember home being in that direction. See, nothing’s happ—”
Before it could finish, a thunderous explosion erupted from the direction it pointed. Flames roared upward from the ground, followed by thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
The sound alone was enough to suggest a violent clash between ability users and the military.
Ah Lü froze in place, stunned, before letting out an enraged hiss. “I’ll bite those idiots to death!”
In an instant, the roles reversed, and Wen Xin found himself trying to calm the furious little snake.
“Ah Lü, stay calm. Stay calm. A home is where the people are. If the house is gone, we can rebuild it. Let’s get out of here first.”
The entire City G was in chaos—explosions, screams, and clashes erupted all around. The turmoil was omnipresent, and each street bore the marks of conflict.
Various heavily armed factions vied for dominance, unleashing their full force to capture the ability users who had just escaped from the black rift, all in a desperate attempt to uncover the secrets of human evolution.
At such times, people were no longer seen as individuals but as resources to be collected and controlled.
The survivors who had entered the black rift earlier and gained abilities had already begun mastering their powers. Many of them could evade capture or even turn the tables on their pursuers.
But the newly emerged ability users were like infants handed loaded guns. They had the power to harm or threaten but lacked the combat experience to wield their abilities effectively.
Carrying Ding Pingle on his back, Wen Xin ran for a while before the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.
Startled, he stopped instinctively and ducked behind a wall. The footsteps halted soon after—stopped by an abrupt command.
Wen Xin had moved quickly, his steps nearly silent. With the surrounding chaos, he was confident he hadn’t been detected.
Peeking carefully from his hiding spot, he caught sight of a group of armed personnel in uniform. His heart sank as he recalled the First Base blockade outside the city.
The group stood still, their commander seemingly uncertain of what lay ahead.
In that fleeting moment, a figure surrounded by chunks of earth appeared at the far end of the street, pursued by a large group of muscular men.
The armed personnel grew agitated; they, too, had spotted the fleeing ability user.
But instead of showing fear, the ability user laughed maniacally at the sight of the crowd. “Perfect timing! You can all die together!”
He mimed a throwing motion with his hands, and the chunks of earth orbiting around him flew forward at lightning speed—not at the people but at the two tall buildings flanking the street.
A deafening explosion resounded as the projectiles struck. The load-bearing walls crumbled, and massive cracks snaked up the structures. The buildings swayed precariously, groaning as if on the verge of total collapse.
Wen Xin could no longer stay hidden. He leaped out of cover and was shocked to see a familiar face.
Wen Jinfeng.
His brother’s pupils shrank in recognition as his expression froze.
The two brothers stared at each other in disbelief, each blurting out the same question simultaneously: “Why are you here?!”
Before either could process the encounter, shattered concrete rained down like a torrential storm.
Seeing a chunk of debris heading straight for Wen Xin’s head, Wen Jinfeng felt his breath catch. Acting on pure instinct, he lunged forward, shouting, “Get out of the way!”
But Wen Xin had already noticed the falling debris. With practiced ease, he spun around and scooped up his panicked brother in one arm.
Wen Jinfeng, still mid-leap, suddenly found himself tucked under Wen Xin’s arm and sprinted away at full speed.
“???”
Stunned and humiliated, Wen Jinfeng, who had never in his life experienced such an undignified escape, roared in indignation, “What are you doing? Put me down! I have legs!”
Wen Xin silenced him with two curt words: “Stop fussing.”
Wen Jinfeng: “…”
As if to emphasize his control, Wen Xin pivoted sharply, causing his brother’s head to spin.
Clutching his throbbing head, Wen Jinfeng opened his mouth to demand once more to be let down but froze at the sight of Ding Pingle’s pallid face. His lips twitched uncontrollably.
Behind them, the two towering buildings collapsed with a thunderous roar, sending waves of dust several meters into the air. Wen Xin’s swift pace saved them from being caught in the destruction.
Reaching a safer location, Wen Xin set down his coughing brother. “I’m going to save people.”
“Save who?! Get back here!” Wen Jinfeng protested, still coughing.
Before he could finish, Wen Xin tossed a person at him. Caught off guard, Wen Jinfeng nearly toppled under the weight.
Ding Pingle’s body was heavy, easily 70 to 80 kilograms.
Realizing that Wen Xin had carried both him and this man effortlessly while dodging falling debris, Wen Jinfeng felt a profound sense of shock.
Wen Xin had already turned back.
The earth-wielding ability user was clearly one of the earliest entrants to the black rift, his mastery over his powers nearing perfection. Using minimal force, he had leveled two buildings, and now he was still able to control the rubble. The debris swirled in midair, forming massive fists that he sent crashing down onto the rubble, aiming to finish off any survivors beneath. All the while, his maniacal laughter echoed through the chaos.
A green scaled mutant darted forward unexpectedly, positioning itself between the ability user and its target.
“A snake!” The ability user recoiled in shock, abandoning his attack as he hastily retreated.
The stone fist crumbled into fragments, scattering across the ground. Wen Jinfeng’s soldiers seized the opportunity, rushing to rescue the trapped survivors and lead them to safety.
The little snake slithered back to Wen Xin’s side. Watching this unfold, the ability user fumed with rage. “It’s you, messing things up!”
“Steelhead—”
A distant shout rang out. Moments later, a young man appeared at the ability user’s side.
Upon seeing Wen Xin, the young man paused briefly before his face lit up with joy. “Boss, it’s you!”
Sensing the tension between Wen Xin and the ability user, the newcomer tugged at his companion’s sleeve and spoke in a low voice. “He’s the one who helped us break through the black rift when the First Base soldiers were hunting us down.”
The ability user’s scowl softened slightly upon hearing this.
Wen Jinfeng arrived quickly, tossing Ding Pingle to one of his men before striding up to stand protectively beside Wen Xin. His eyes narrowed with caution as he scrutinized the two strangers.
He was about to speak when Wen Xin calmly broke the silence. “You can kill those pursuing you to vent your anger. But the First Base is still outside, waiting for the right moment. Their methods are leagues ahead of what these small factions can muster.”
“Do you really want to waste time here and wait for them to catch up?”
The weight of Wen Xin’s words darkened the expressions of the two ability users.
The young man, still seething with resentment toward the First Base, hesitated, visibly uneasy. Meanwhile, his companion frowned, his gaze still lingering on the battered pursuers. Though the desire to kill remained in his eyes, he eventually reined it in.
With a deep voice, he said, “Fine. Out of respect for what you did for Xiao Ji, I’ll give you this one.”
Wen Xin half-expected his brother to lose his temper at this sudden confrontation, but to his surprise, Wen Jinfeng remained composed. His hand rested on his sidearm, his dark eyes fixed on the two ability users as they departed. He made no move to stop them.
Once the pair had left, Wen Jinfeng turned to Wen Xin with a peculiar expression. “Weren’t you supposed to be heading south to search for family? What are you doing here?”
The phrase searching for family sounded innocent enough, but coming from Wen Jinfeng, it carried a strange tone that made it hard to interpret.
Wen Xin sighed. “It’s a long story.”
He noticed his brother’s scrutinizing gaze, his eyes bright as if he were witnessing a caterpillar transforming into a phoenix.
Wen Xin had a gut feeling that Wen Jinfeng had concocted another outlandish theory in his head. Wisely, he chose not to probe.
“Let’s set that aside for now. Are the First Base forces still stationed outside? Do you know what they’re planning, and how much of their movements have you tracked?”
Wen Jinfeng’s expression shifted subtly. “And why are you so interested in the First Base?”
