Chapter 88: Unstoppable

A dark flame abruptly burst from Yuan Qingyu’s black-clad arm, shaping itself into the form of a long sword. With a diagonal flick of his flaming sword backward, he instantly stopped his momentum, gouging a deep trench into the earth.

Shen Lie’s pointed face shifted slightly. He had not expected this man named Yuan to also command two distinct abilities, both of which appeared quite extraordinary. Although he could not feel the temperature of the flame sword in the opponent’s hand, the black flame itself was a sign of danger.

"There must be no chance for a counterattack!"

Strike while the iron is hot. Since enmity had already been established, he could not afford to give the opponent any opportunity to turn the tables. Before Yuan Qingyu could steady himself, Shen Lie raised his left hammer high, smashing down a full-version Hammer of World Annihilation straight at his head.

The modern Hammer of World Annihilation was vastly superior to its past iterations. The gleaming golden silhouette of the hammer, wreathed in sweeping bolts of lightning, transformed the space directly above Yuan Qingyu into an ocean of electricity.

"What the hell is this ability?"

Yuan Qingyu’s soul nearly left his body at that sight. The sheer might of the skill sent chills down his spine. He knew with absolute certainty that he could not take this attack unscathed. He immediately prepared to shout his surrender; dignity meant nothing now, and if all else failed, he would have to order his subordinates to intervene.

Yet Shen Lie refused to give him a chance to call for help. The moment the hammer’s projection materialized, it smashed down fiercely, sending Yuan Qingyu tumbling over and over several times before he finally managed to struggle to his feet from the ground, his face flushed red and blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.

By this point, everyone could see that Yuan Qingyu was no match for Shen Lie, and it was equally clear that Shen Lie had murder on his mind. Seven or eight of Yuan Qingyu’s subordinates immediately lunged forward—some rushed to support Yuan Qingyu, while others dashed toward Shen Lie. However, intimidated by Shen Lie’s overwhelming display of power and lacking true loyalty to Yuan Qingyu, they did not dare to launch a direct assault.

"Die!"

Shen Lie’s eyes turned terrifying, a murderous intent flashing through them. Ignoring the other approaching Awakeners, he unleashed a Savage Charge, driving ruthlessly into Yuan Qingyu, who was still half-kneeling on the ground.

"Don't!"

"You wouldn't!"

Shen Lie’s reckless posture elicited several gasps of alarm from the crowd. Even Xia Ke wore an expression of worry, her eyes filled with hostility as she looked at Xu Ruobing.

After all, whether or not this blow killed Yuan Qingyu, Shen Lie would instantly find himself surrounded by a dozen or so of the enemy's Awakeners. No matter how strong Shen Lie was, could he really handle so many people at once?

Of course, Shen Lie had anticipated this scenario. But the others did not know his true strength. Having ignited three nodes and wielding the black spear, these people might not pose a true threat to him.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Shen Lie’s body slammed into Yuan Qingyu once more. Yuan Qingyu did not even have a chance to raise his arms before he was sent flying into the air.

The impact was even more brutal this time. Everyone nearby heard the snapping of Yuan Qingyu’s bones. Launched high into the sky, he was already at his last gasp by the time he plummeted back down to the earth.

"Ah, Captain! Brothers, get him! Kill this bastard!" One of Yuan Qingyu’s confidants cried out in a hoarse, desperate roar upon seeing that their leader was about to die at Shen Lie’s hands.

Though it sounded complex, the battle between Shen Lie and Yuan Qingyu had transpired in the blink of an eye. Weaker Awakeners and ordinary people had barely had time to react before Yuan Qingyu was lying on the ground dozens of meters away.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

The Awakeners closest to Shen Lie unleashed their respective abilities, while those farther back opened fire with guns. Countless bullets poured wildly toward Shen Lie in an attempt to halt his advance.

Yet Shen Lie remained entirely unfazed. He occasionally dodged the abilities of the Awakeners, but he practically ignored the bullets. Any round that struck him bounced harmlessly off his golden skin; far from being fatal, they could not even break the surface of his skin.

This was why this era belonged to the Awakeners. Once hot weapons were weakened, they might still retain some utility against ordinary Awakeners, but against the likes of Yuan Qingyu and Shen Lie, they were utterly useless—barring heavy weaponry of immense destructive power, of course.

Before the dumbfounded gazes of everyone present, Shen Lie flicked his wrist, and the black spear left his hand. A streak of black light zipped with lightning speed straight toward the top of Yuan Qingyu’s head, piercing ruthlessly down through his skull!

"Ah! You butcher! You monster! You have to die, ahhh!" Upon witnessing this scene, a few of Yuan Qingyu’s subordinates let out cries of grief and fury, while several others quietly took a few steps back.

Shen Lie flicked his hand, and with a whoosh, the black spear flew back into his grip. He then spun around and delivered a backhanded Hammer of World Annihilation, engulfing the remaining Awakeners who were still charging forward.

These Awakeners were far inferior in strength to Yuan Qingyu, and in front of Shen Lie, they were weaker still. A single execution of the skill directly crushed two of them to death. The remaining two dared not shout threats or utter another word; they spun around and fled.

Shen Lie glanced at the fleeing pair and chose not to pursue them. His mind was consumed by thoughts of news regarding his cousin. If anything were to happen to Xu Ruobing during the time he spent chasing them down, he would regret it to his dying breath.

"Does anyone else want to come?" Shen Lie raised the black spear, looking coldly at those gathered.

Silence descended.

Everyone, including Elder Long, fell silent. Aside from Xia Ke’s nonchalance and Xu Ruobing’s expression of inexplicable awe, the rest of the crowd looked on in a mixture of disbelief and lingering fear.

Especially those of Yuan Qingyu’s subordinates who had backed away earlier—they neither dared to leave nor advance, standing awkwardly in place, trembling.

Seeing the posture of the crowd, a surge of exhilaration welled up inside Shen Lie. Was this the feeling of being invincible? Was this the feeling of holding the power over life and death? Was this the feeling of controlling everything? Indeed, strength was the absolute foundation of everything. It felt magnificent!

His mindset had shifted without his conscious awareness, though Shen Lie remained entirely oblivious to it. He walked calmly over to Xu Ruobing and stared at her in silence.

Xu Ruobing felt a prickle of unease under Shen Lie’s gaze. Initially, she had intended to use this information as leverage to make demands of Shen Lie, but seeing his eyes and the three corpses on the ground, she lost her courage. Stammering, she began, "I—I’m actually from Yangcheng University as well."

Shen Lie did not speak, continuing to wait for her to continue. If she failed to provide the information he wanted, he would not hold back simply because of her beauty.

Elder Long and his group retreated slightly. A dozen Awakeners surrounded Elder Long in the center, seemingly fearful that Shen Lie might be swept up in a killing frenzy and turn on them next.

"I am a special researcher at Yangcheng University. After the space fissures appeared, I was originally supposed to return to the capital, but I was delayed by some matters, though—"

"Get to the point. Where is the person I'm looking for right now?" Shen Lie interrupted before Xu Ruobing could finish. This was no time for long-winded explanations.

"I don't know that. I only know that the person you're looking for was doing volunteer work at one of our research institutes. Around the second month after the cataclysm, she was dispatched elsewhere and is no longer inside Yangcheng."

"Not in Yangcheng anymore?" Shen Lie paused. If this news was true, regardless of where his cousin had gone, it had to be considered good news.

"Come with me!" Shen Lie still had many questions to ask, but the threat of the nuclear bomb remained overhead. He dared not waste any time here. He grabbed Xia Ke by the hand, motioned for Xu Ruobing to follow, and resumed running forward.