"How do I want to die?"
The burly man let out a laugh, his thick face trembling with rage and mockery.
"Kid, you must be tired of living. Let's see if you can keep running that mouth when I feed you to the monsters outside."
Cracking his knuckles, he strode toward Zhu Jiu.
Behind him, the other thugs leaned back with smug grins, showing no intention of stepping in. Instead, they began taking bets.
"How many hits do you think he'll last?"
"One punch, tops."
"I bet he can hold out for a minute. He looks sturdy, and he's got those blades. He might surprise us."
"You're on. If he lasts a minute, you owe me that schoolgirl you've been hoarding."
"Damn you! You've already got one, and now you want mine? Fine, a bet's a bet! Kid, you better last longer than a minute, or I'll carve you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!"
Their laughter echoed through the cafeteria, callous and vile.
Zhu Jiu's expression darkened. From their crude conversation, he realized these men had been capturing female students, treating them as personal playthings—mere pawns and prizes in their depraved games.
Animals. Worse than monsters.
"I was only planning to kill one of you." Zhu Jiu's cold voice reverberated through the room. "But now I've changed my mind. None of you deserve to live."
Silver light gleamed off his twin blades as Zhu Jiu lunged at the burly man.
The students huddled in the corner, unable to watch. They knew how strong the burly man was—having seen him crush an awakened classmate into pulp with his bare hands.
To them, Zhu Jiu was just another lamb being led to slaughter.
"Drawing blades against me?" the burly man snarled, his face twisting with malice. "I've changed my mind too. I'm going to break your limbs and feed you to the monsters piece by piece. Let's see if you can watch them chew your guts and still act tough! Hahaha!"
He charged at Zhu Jiu, his speed faster than anyone expected—faster even than Zhu Jiu's initial rush.
The distance between them evaporated in an instant. The air grew tense as both combatants prepared to clash.
But just as the two were about to collide, Zhu Jiu unexpectedly flung his left blade at the burly man's face.
The spinning blade hummed through the air like a streak of silver lightning.
The burly man, however, reacted swiftly. Tilting his head to the side, he dodged the blade with ease and sneered.
"Is that all you've got—AHHHH!"
Before he could finish, his eyes were suddenly consumed with searing pain. He screamed, clutching his face.
Zhu Jiu surged forward, his remaining blade raised high.
Unbeknownst to the burly man, Zhu Jiu had hurled a handful of sand right after tossing his blade. Propelled by his immense strength, the sand shot forth like buckshot, embedding itself into the man's eyes and blinding him.
Seizing the opening, Zhu Jiu swung his blade in a brutal arc.
"Swoosh!"
A giant head flew through the air, landing with a dull thud. The burly man's massive body collapsed, lifeless.
System Notification:
Detected successful kill of a Tier-1 Evolver. Capturing dark energy…
Dark energy captured. Awarding 20 points.
Initiating extraction of evolution ability…
Extraction successful. Awarding "Scout" evolution serum.
Zhu Jiu ignored the system's updates, shifting his gaze to the remaining thugs.
They stood frozen, their faces pale as ash. The man they had viewed as unbeatable was now a headless corpse on the floor.
One of the guards, who had bet with a fellow thug, suddenly roared, "It was a trick! He used a dirty trick to kill the boss! There's four of us—we can take him if we're careful!"
The others hesitated but nodded in agreement. Over the past few days of chaos, they had grown numb to fear and death. Bolstered by their numbers, they regained some of their confidence.
"Kill him!"
"Let's avenge the boss!"
As the four rushed forward, Zhu Jiu shook his head, his expression cold. "A bunch of fools rushing toward death."
He activated Iron Cloth, his skin taking on a metallic sheen. His body swelled with muscle, radiating a bronze glow. He resembled an ancient war god, towering and indomitable.
"Let's see if you can handle one punch," he said, stepping forward.
One of the guards, who had awakened a basic strength-enhancing ability, lunged at Zhu Jiu with all his might.
"Boom!"
Zhu Jiu's punch connected first. The guard's skull shattered like a melon, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.
System Notification:
Detected successful kill of a Tier-1 Evolver. Capturing dark energy…
Dark energy captured. Awarding 20 points.
Initiating extraction of evolution ability…
Extraction successful. Awarding "Warrior" evolution serum.
Without missing a beat, Zhu Jiu grabbed the nearest man—a chef—and slammed him into the ground with a resounding crash.
The impact shattered the chef's bones, leaving his body limp like a broken doll.
System Notification:
Detected successful kill of a Tier-1 Evolver. Capturing dark energy…
Dark energy captured. Awarding 20 points.
Initiating extraction of evolution ability…
Extraction successful. Awarding "Farmer" evolution serum.
The two remaining thugs panicked, turning to flee.
"Run? Do you think I'll let you?" Zhu Jiu's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he charged after them.
Despite his massive build, he moved with terrifying speed, faster even than the scout they had just lost.
Catching them in an instant, Zhu Jiu grabbed each by the neck, lifting them effortlessly. With a sickening crack, he snapped their spines and tossed their bodies to the ground like trash.
System Notification:
Detected successful kill of a Tier-1 Evolver. Capturing dark energy…
Dark energy captured. Awarding 20 points.
Initiating extraction of evolution ability…
Extraction successful. Awarding "Assassin" evolution serum.
Detected successful kill of a Tier-1 Evolver. Capturing dark energy…
Dark energy captured. Awarding 20 points.
Initiating extraction of evolution ability…
Extraction successful. Awarding "Archer" evolution serum.
In less than two minutes, all five Evolvers lay dead.
Zhu Jiu stood amidst the carnage, his body gradually returning to normal as he deactivated Iron Cloth.
"Scout, Farmer, Assassin, Warrior, Archer." Zhu Jiu's mind turned over the new abilities he had collected.
"Human abilities seem to align with specific roles or professions, while beast Evolvers follow animalistic paths. Then there's Fatty, whose ability taps into natural elements."
"What do these paths mean? Are some inherently stronger than others?"
As Zhu Jiu pondered, the students in the room stared at him, dumbfounded.
Even Mr. Wang, who knew these men as powerful Evolvers, was utterly shocked. Zhu Jiu had just taken down five of them—alone.
Zhu Jiu turned to Mr. Wang, breaking the silence.
"Mr. Wang, what are you standing around for? Get the students and grab the food."