Chen Xiaolian looked at Tian Lie. Without hesitation, Chen Xiaolian summoned out Bone Crusher Axe and howled as he pounced forward. As he was soaring through the air, the axe in his hand flashed out and he unleashed Demon King of Confusion’s Three Axes skill! At the same time, Chen Xiaolian also summoned out his Four-Eyed War Cat!
Garfield split out into three doppelgangers!
One human and three cats soared through the air, pouncing toward Tian Lie!
Keng!
Bone Crusher Axe struck Tian Lie’s shiny, bald head and a clear sound rang out, following the resulting burst of sparks.
The axe struck Tian Lie’s head, but Chen Xiaolian felt his hand going numb instead!
Tian Lie sneered and spread out both his arms, each facing left and right respectively. Then, his arms shot out through the air to grab hold of the neck of two incoming Garfield doppelgangers. At the same time, he raised his left leg and lashed out at the third Garfield doppelganger, sending it flying through the air!
Tian Lie then turned his gaze toward Chen Xiaolian, who was wielding the Bone Crusher Axe. Tian Lie sneered and asked. “Can you cut through?”
“…” Chen Xiaolian’s heart sank!
Tian Lie suddenly revealed a grin. Next, he raised his head and slammed his head forward!
A loud bang rang out as Tian Lie’s forehead struck Bone Crusher Axe! Then, a loud cracking sound followed.
Bone Crusher Axe was shattered into broken fragments! The enormous power behind the headbutt carried over to Chen Xiaolian and he was thrown backward, the handle of Bone Crusher Axe still held within his hand.
Chen Xiaolian was directly thrown a distance of seven to eight meters backward and his body smashed into a wall beside the road. The wall was a simple wall made for a shop and Chen Xiaolian’s body was thrown through the walls and into the interior of the shop!
Tian Lie sneered, both hands grabbing tightly onto the two Garfield doppelgangers. The two Garfield doppelgangers struggled against Tian Lie with their [A-] class strength. However, they were unable to break free from Tian Lie’s hold.
Then, Tian Lie raised up his hands and slammed the two Garfield doppelgangers forcefully down the ground!
Two “bang” sounds erupted and the two Garfield doppelgangers burst apart, transforming into a clump of light before disappearing!
As for the third Garfield doppelganger that was kicked away by Tian Lie, he got up and roared out. After that, he unleashed his Cat’s Roar skill.
The shockwave brought by the Cat’s Roar skill shot forward, striking Tian Lie and causing his body to shake. However, Tian Lie did not falter. Instead, he smiled. “You can shout, so can I!”
Tian Lie suddenly opened his mouth. His mouth transformed into liquid metal and it suddenly enlarged to become as big as a hippotamus. A loud roar boomed outward and a shockwave blasted out from his mouth. The shockwave struck Garfield head-on and he was sent flying. The attack also caused a distant fire hydrant to splinter apart and water sprayed out from it to form a towering column of water with a height of over ten meters!
The attack left Garfield on the brink of death as he lay on the ground!
In but moments, an [A-] class pet was defeated!
Chen Xiaolian had already crawled out of the rubble. Seeing Garfield on the ground, Chen Xiaolian quickly summoned Garfield back into the system.
“What other tricks do you have?” Tian Lie slowly stepped toward Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian gasped for breath and felt his whole body aching in pain as blood trickled down both his mouth and nose.
The Bone Crusher Axe he was holding in his hand had been broken, leaving only the handle. The [B] class weapon had been utterly shattered.
“Son of a bitch,” Chen Xiaolian cursed out in a low tone.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew forward from Tian Lie’s left.
Roddy held the door of a car that he ripped out and descended, slamming down together with the door!
Tian Lie turned his head and observed as Roddy soared through the air toward him. Then, Tian Lie suddenly delivered a kick at Roddy!
With a “thud”, the car door positioned before Roddy was deformed inward and his forward trajectory was propelled backward by the immense power behind the kick. Roddy who was still holding onto the car door was sent flying backward and he slammed down onto a metal fence beside the road. The resulting impact caused the metal fence to deform into the shape of a concave!
Roddy climbed back up and spat out blood from his mouth.
“Roddy!”
Chen Xiaolian shouted out loud, both his hands trying to prop himself up. However, he was unable to get up.
He quickly tried to think of a method.
What other methods are there left? What methods?
Do I have any other trump cards?
Exemption Card?
Exemption Card only works to exempt me against the system’s attacking monsters. It does not affect other participants…
In that case…
Chen Xiaolian clenched his teeth!
He propped his upper body up.
The final resort! At any rate… I will die if I use it, but the same applies if I do not use it…
Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath and stared at Tian Lie decisively.
There was a complicated expression on Tian Lie’s face. He stepped forward slowly toward Chen Xiaolian. Then, with a flash, he arrived beside Chen Xiaolian. He then used one hand to catch Chen Xiaolian, raise him up and pin him to the wall.
“Before I kill you, there is one thing you need to do.”
“…” Chen Xiaolian had his neck held and he stared at Tian Lie.
Tian Lie suddenly extended one hand and pressed it onto the wall. Streams of data instantly appeared from the hand to flow into the wall.
“Hey! My little pet! Can you hear me?”
…
Nagase Komi was in a dazed state as she slumped by the side of a street. Suddenly, she heard Tian Lie’s voice coming from a loudspeaker atop a roadside electrical shop.
“Hey! My little pet, can you hear me?”
Nagase Komi. “… … …”
…
“Guess what, I am now together with the Guild Leader that abandoned you,” Tian Lie curled the corners of his lips. “I told you before, I detest people being abandoned the most! That is why, before he dies, I will get him to apologize to you, my little pet!”
Tian Lie laughed loudly and he stared at Chen Xiaolian. It was as though there was a clump of flames deep within Tian Lie’s eyes and he spoke softly. “In times of danger, you did not hesitate to abandon your own companion in order to ensure your own survival. Ignoring the responsibility that a companion should carry and instead pursuing your own survival? Does such a kind of selfish behaviour not warrant being spit upon? What do you have to say?!”
Chen Xiaolian gasped and struggled for breath.
Tian Lie continued. “As someone who abandons others, have you ever thought about the feelings of grief felt by those that were abandoned? Their feelings of hopelessness, their feelings of despair! You have probably never bothered considering all those, right? Or perhaps you were only focused on your own survival! As one who abandons others, you probably did not even think about those factors! With such a character, how could you be fit to be a comrade? How could you even be fit to be a Guild Leader?”
The tone of Tian Lie’s voice was intense and it appeared to be carrying a faint sense of grievance.
Then, Tian Lie finally took a deep breath and stared at Chen Xiaolian. “Now, take advantage of whatever time you have left before you die, and apologize to the one you abandoned! Hmm, that girl you abandoned… what was her name again… Nagase Komi, right! That is her name, my new pet!”
After saying that, Tian Lie suddenly released his grip, allowing Chen Xiaolian to fall onto the ground. “Say it! Say it loudly! Apologize loudly! Let her hear it!”
Chen Xiaolian lay on the ground.
At the same instant, the streams of data flowing through the wall brought Nagase Komi’s voice over.
“Guild… Guild Leader?”
…
“Guild… Guild Leader?”
Nagase Komi stood up, ran toward the electrical shop by the street, and shouted loudly into the loudspeaker. She clenched her fists and cried loudly. “Why? Why did you abandon me? Back when we were underground, you promised me! As long as I listen to you, obey your orders, do the things you ask of me, you will protect me! You will bring me out alive! But why? Why did you abandon me in the middle of the street?
“Back when we were underground, I was feeling so scared! So much so that I kept on crying! Even so, I chose to trust you. Thus, no matter how fearful I felt, I kept of doing my best to do whatever you ask of me!
“Back when we were escaping, I was the one who found the underwater equipment! But why did you toss me onto the street and leave?
“Could it be it is because I am a new member who cannot fight, thus making me someone of no value? Does that mean you can abandon me? Does that mean you can toss me away like I am some sacrificial chess piece?”
Sitting on the ground, Nagase Komi cried and held her head. “I… I had originally chosen to believe in you. I thought that you are a good leader. I… I am so scared! Wu wu wu wu…”
…
Hearing the crying sounds of the girl, Chen Xiaolian was startled!
He gasped for breath and raised his head to look at the sneering expression on Tian Lie’s face.
Chen Xiaolian suddenly took a deep breath and spoke out in a slow and calm tone of voice. “Nagase Komi, can you hear my voice?”
“… can!”
“All right, then. I will tell you now, I did not abandon you,” Chen Xiaolian smiled bitterly. “I will neither abandon a comrade nor let them become cannon fodders like a sacrificial chess piece!
“You are a new member of my guild. However, I have indeed chosen to accept you. After going through my test, your performance has been satisfactory. Thus, as the Guild Leader, I will certainly keep my end of the bargain: To let you live!
“Nagase Komi, the reason I left you on the street is because I am clear that the one Tian Lie wants to kill is not you. The one Tian Lie is aiming for is me and my group.
“If I have the ability to protect you, I would never leave you back there. However, I am clear that I do not have this ability. Under such circumstances, letting you leave my side would be the best way to protect you, do you understand?
“Even if you were to stay by my side, like me, you would end up being caught by Tian Lie. There would not be much of a difference. Thus, allowing you to go alone would make it safer for you.
“At the very least, if we were together, the chances of being caught by Tian Lie is a 100 %. But, by leaving alone, your chances of living is around 50 %.”
After saying that, Chen Xiaolian smiled. “Now, do you understand?”
…
Nagase Komi was still seated on the ground, but her hands were no longer holding onto her head.
The bald headed girl raised her head and looked with a dazed expression at the loud speaker before her. “Is… is that true?”
…
“At the very least, you are still alive, are you not?” Chen Xiaolian forced out a smile.
…
Nagase Komi. “… Guild… Guild Leader…”
…
“Enough!” A flicker of hostility abruptly flashed through Tian Lie’s eyes. He then retracted his hand, causing the streams of data to disappear back into his body and the connection was lost.
Tian Lie lowered his head to gaze upon Chen Xiaolian and he said. “Lies!”
“What did you say?”
“I said, lies!” Fury was evident within Tian Lie’s expression. “You people who abandon others will always have a way with words to justify your actions! In the end, you just want to hide the shameful selfishness within your mind!”
Chen Xiaolian quietly regarded Tian Lie and suddenly gave a faint smile. “You… you must have had to suffer through some terrible experience before, haven’t you?”
“… what did you say?!” Tian Lie was immediately enraged. Tian Lie raised his leg and delivered a kick, which sent Chen Xiaolian flying away!
Chen Xiaolian’s body flew all the way from the inside of the shop onto the ground outside and his body rolled over twice before stopping, blood trickling down from his head, face and body.
“Xiaolian!”
Roddy was lying on the ground, blood seeping out from his mouth. Seeing Chen Xiaolian sent flying, Roddy attempted to crawl up but was incapable of doing so.
Tian Lie walked out from the shop and stared at Chen Xiaolian coldly. “Hypocrite! Liar! But that is fine, after all, you are going to die here! Now, before you die, is there anything else you want to say? Do you want to beg for mercy? Or do you want to cry?”
Chen Xiaolian pursed his lips and smiled. “Just now, you asked me if I have any other tricks. If I am not mistaken, I still have one that I have yet to use.”
“Oh?” Tian Lie sneered. “So, are you going to use it now?”
Chen Xiaolian stared at Tian Lie and took a deep breath.
“Overwhelming Sunlight Puri-“
However, before Chen Xiaolian could finish his last word…
At that instant…
BOOM!
A pillar of light descended from the skies!
It struck Tian Lie’s body!
The upper half of his body burst apart from the damage taken while his lower half was thrown far away, a distance of over ten meters!
The ground was covered with silvery liquid metal.
Shocked, Chen Xiaolian raised his head and saw a tall metal figure floating above the skies.
Hovering beneath the sun, the figure spread out both its wings, seemingly blocking the descending rays from the sun and shrouding the figure in the shadows.
The figure was a metallic mech weapon resembling a humanoid mech armour!
Floating… Angel!
…
Nicole’s entire body was enveloped within the layer of metal.
The visor of the sleek metal armour was opened.
This was the complete form of the ‘Floating Angel’!
Behind Nicole, both wings were spread wide open and she resembled a metal angel hovering in the skies.
Nicole’s right hand was extended outward and there was a clump of silvery light glowing on her palm. Clearly, it was some form of blast weaponry.
“Guild Leader, are you all right?”
Nicole’s voice was very serious.
…
The Floating Angel quickly landed on the ground. It was then that Chen Xiaolian noticed there were two person holding onto the back of the Floating Angel. Those two were Qiao Qiao and Soo Soo!
Qiao Qiao did not appear to be in a good condition. Her hair was dishevelled and there were bloodstains on her face. As for Soo Soo, the protective suit she was wearing had been damaged.
After landing, Qiao Qiao quickly rushed over toward Chen Xiaolian and helped him up.
“You… how did you all…”
“I received your message and hurried over,” Qiao Qiao quickly answered. “The Floating Angel’s flying speed is very fast. Thankfully, we were able to make it in time.”
“Where are the others?” Chen Xiaolian felt shocked. “The rest of them…”
Qiao Qiao’s eyes relayed a certain bitterness within them. However, it was not from loss. She answered. “Lun Tai and Bei Tai are badly injured. We temporarily placed them by the road to let them recover. Xia Xiaolei is there with them to help protect them.”
After saying that, Qiao Qiao suddenly produced something, which she stabbed into Chen Xiaolian’s arm!
Chen Xiaolian lowered his head and saw that it was a transparent syringe. Inside it was a faint aquamarine coloured liquid.
“This is…”