When it comes to the Heaven List and the first place on the Earth List, combined with the name Zach, the woman immediately recalls it.
She turns to the man beside her and asks, "What should we do? Should we go to him?"
"If you want to die, you can go. Don't drag me into it," the man responds, his refusal written all over his face.
Being able to ally with someone of Zach's caliber could mean living comfortably. But failing to gain his favor? That would only lead to a dead end. He wasn't willing to take that gamble.
The woman says nothing more, but she gazes at Zach longingly and whispers in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "Why am I not his woman?"
"..." The man's face turns livid at her words, but he holds his tongue. He doesn't want to start trouble for himself. In case an argument catches Zach's attention...
On Zach's side, after acquiring nearly 20,000 cans, he prepares to leave the blood-soaked area. While he can tolerate the strong metallic stench, there's no reason to linger in such a hostile environment.
He starts the RV and begins driving, gradually leaving everyone's field of vision. However, after traveling only a few hundred meters, a system prompt appears before him:
[Player "Xu Yue" has initiated an arena challenge application for you. Do you accept it?]
"Huh?" Zach blinks, thinking he might have misread it. Someone dared to challenge him?
"Is this a joke?" he mutters skeptically. Still, there's no reason to reject an opportunity that comes knocking.
[Confirming the surrounding environment, host status...]
[Confirmation is correct! The arena is about to be teleported!]
He quickly turns off the engine, halts the RV, and informs Miriah that he'll return soon.
[Successful transmission!]
In the blink of an eye, Zach materializes in the arena. Once again, he declines the spectator option. He finds himself standing over ten meters from a figure identified as Xu Yue. Both are immobilized in the pre-fight setup, with a 60-second countdown above their heads.
Zach examines her closely, frowning slightly. Is this person even human?
Her body features numerous mechanical enhancements, especially concentrated around the waist. The most eye-catching part is a mechanical skirt armor, its black shell gleaming with metallic texture, while red and black warning patterns pulse along its connectors. Beneath the armor, she wears sports shorts, revealing crimson calves and thick-soled mechanical boots.
Still, her mechanical attire isn't the reason Zach questions her humanity. It's her blood-red skin.
Her upper body is adorned with a corset vest, leaving her toned midriff bare. She wears lightweight outer armor on her arms, with fingerless gloves reaching her elbows. However, her shoulders and much of her arms are exposed.
Looking up, her face remains obscured by a pitch-black ghost mask, its eye sockets glowing red. From the top of the mask protrude two red devil horns, completing her eerie appearance. Her hair is stark white, with two locks framing her face, reaching her chest. A massive, flowing ponytail—or something resembling one—trails behind her, as thick as her body and almost as long.
Or maybe... Zach ponders, Is her waist just unusually thin? It looks like it could be crushed with a single hand.
As he observes, the countdown above their heads rapidly approaches its end.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
The instant the countdown hits zero, Zach notices the eyes on Xu Yue's ghost mask glow brighter, radiating killing intent. She strides forward purposefully.
While running, her hand darts to her right hip, gripping a raised section of her black armor. With a press of a button, she draws a blood-red laser blade, its hum resonating as the two-meter-long blade extends.
Without hesitation, Xu Yue closes the gap and swings the weapon in a wide arc toward Zach.
"Hey, hey, no greeting? That's rude!" Zach says as he teleports behind her, dodging the blade.
Xu Yue doesn't falter. Reacting instantly, she pivots and swings the blade again. Zach, however, anticipates her move. He raises his leg and lands a powerful kick.
Boom! Boom!
Xu Yue's body is launched like a cannonball, slamming into the electronic barrier wall dozens of meters away. The wall absorbs the impact, repairing itself instantly.
Zach could have ended the fight in one strike. Yet he hesitates, intrigued by her abnormality. He decides to question her.
"Why are you challenging me?" Zach demands.
He doesn't recognize the name Xu Yue from either the Heaven or Earth List. By her skills, she should at least rank high on the Earth List—if not the Heaven List. Yet her attacks weren't directed at zombies or monsters. She had targeted him.
Before she responds, Xu Yue rises from the debris. She grips her blade with both hands, the mouth of her ghost mask partially opening. A mechanical sound accompanies the release of a puff of gray smoke.
Zach chuckles. "Normal humans don't exhale smoke that color."
"Answer me. Who are you, and why are you challenging me?" Zach demands again. His tone grows firmer.
Xu Yue remains silent. Instead, she teleports again, appearing in front of Zach, ready to strike. She raises her blade high and swings it down with all her might.
However, she never completes the motion.
With a single gesture from Zach, the air around her chills. Xu Yue's entire body—and one-fifth of the arena—becomes encased in thick ice. Even the audience seats are affected, the frost spreading farther as it reaches.
For those who refuse to cooperate, Zach's solution is simple: elimination.
Raising his hand, Zach flicks his middle finger against his thumb. The impact resonates like a cracking glacier.
Click!
The ice shatters, taking Xu Yue with it. Her frozen body disintegrates into shards of icy blood.
[Successful kill! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the E-level skill "Demon Transformation," automatically upgraded to the SSS-level skill "Demon Transformation!"]
[Successful kill! Congratulations on being the final winner!]
"Huh? No drops?" Zach mutters. "Or did she come with the intention of dying? What was her goal?"
Meanwhile, in a laboratory thousands of kilometers away, a white-haired old man pushes his glasses up his nose. Staring at the massive screen in front of him, he reads the notification:
[Reformed Body No. 122, The Red Ghost, has died.]