Volume 1 Chapter 26: A Surge in Strength

At Chen Hao’s camp at the foot of the mountain, Chen Hao watched the battle through his binoculars, his face twisted in a frenzy of sadistic delight.

"Hahaha! Good! This is perfect! The Anglerfish King is severely wounded, and that brat Li Hexuan is at the end of his rope! Heaven is helping me!"

He suddenly lowered the binoculars, his eyes filled with greed and cruelty, and roared:

"All forces, advance! Flatten Falling Leaf Mountain for me! Whoever takes Li Hexuan’s head shall be rewarded with a thousand catties of grain and a hundred blue source crystals!"

"Kill them all!"

Chen Hao’s main force, already poised for action, launched a tidal wave of a full-scale assault from both the front and the breach just torn open on the east side. The roar of battle shook the earth; countless grim figures flickered through the thick fog, murderous intent surging as they lunged toward the crumbling Thor Base.

"Brother Xuan!"

At the breach in the main defense line, Zhang Nan was locked in combat with the fish monsters. Seeing Li Hexuan collapse from exhaustion and hearing the war cries of Chen Hao’s approaching army, his eyes turned bloodshot, his rage threatening to tear him apart.

"Chen Hao! You piece of filth!"

He let out a thunderous roar like a wounded beast, pushing his "Titan Strength" to its absolute limit. His knotted muscles expanded, veins bulging and writhing violently beneath his skin. He slammed his shattered heavy shield into the final passage leading to the villa’s core area, standing firm.

"You want to get through? Ask me if I agree first!"

Zhang Nan bellowed, using his own flesh and blood and an indomitable will to block the surging tide of enemies.

At Chen Hao’s camp, Yin Jiu’s mouth curled into a rigid, eerie arc. His dead, lifeless eyes pierced through the fog, locking precisely onto Su Mengyi, who was desperately treating Li Hexuan, and Zhang Nan, who was guarding the passage.

Invisible mental waves silently encroached upon the pair.

"Give up... he is beyond saving..."

"It’s so tiring... your brother is about to die..."

Subtle, seductive whispers resonated deep within the minds of Su Mengyi and Zhang Nan, attempting to disrupt Su Mengyi’s healing and shake Zhang Nan’s iron-clad resolve.

"Get out!"

Su Mengyi bit the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain snapping her focus back. A cold, nauseating force tried to invade her consciousness, urging her to abandon the treatment. But looking at Li Hexuan’s pale face and feeling the faint yet tenacious spark of life within him, her gaze remained unwavering. The conviction to save him surpassed everything.

The life energy within her surged at an unprecedented speed, forming a faint, pale green halo around her that barely fended off Yin Jiu’s insidious mental assault. All her energy was focused entirely on Li Hexuan.

"Roar!"

Zhang Nan also felt the mental malaise, but he had long since been blinded by the bloodlust of battle; the fury and fighting spirit within him burned the interference to nothing.

Behind the makeshift fortifications on the hillside, Old Wang, his face smeared with soot, screamed himself hoarse as he commanded the few remaining survivors.

"Quick! Get the anti-cavalry stakes back up! Molotov cocktails! Throw them where they’re thickest! Don't let those bastards charge through!"

They used crude traps and remaining barricades, flesh and primitive weapons, fighting to the death against Chen Hao’s super-powered thugs to buy time for the core area.

"Hahaha! Li Hexuan is finished! Zhang Nan, you bear, you can go die too!"

The fire-element user, previously intimidated by Li Hexuan, saw him collapse and grew arrogant once more. He sneered, waving his arms repeatedly, hurling basketball-sized, searing fireballs at Zhang Nan and the line behind him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The explosions were relentless. Sparks showered off Zhang Nan’s heavy shield, leaving it charred black. The impact cracked the webbing between his thumb and index finger, blood streaming down, yet he stood with eyes wide and unyielding, not retreating a single step!

Thor Base was in dire peril; Chen Hao’s army was about to swallow everything whole.

Just then, in the water, the Anglerfish King—shattered and heavily wounded by Li Hexuan—erupted in a final, desperate, and frantic struggle. Its massive body thrashed and rolled in the water, whipping up towering waves that swept in every direction with crushing force.

"Oh no! Fall back!"

Chen Hao’s modified fishing boats, too close to the beast, had no time to dodge.

"Crack! Boom!"

Under the unconscious, violent thrashing of the Anglerfish King, the boats were instantly smashed to pieces. The thugs and super-powered individuals on board let out terrified screams.

Su Mengyi’s life energy poured into Li Hexuan. His tightly shut eyes suddenly fluttered and snapped open. He was exhausted, but a sharp, electric spark flickered in his gaze.

"Cough, cough..." Li Hexuan coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of clotted, metallic-tasting blood. His face remained pale, but it finally held a hint of life, no longer the deathly mask from moments before.

"Mr. Li, you’re awake!" Su Mengyi cried out in joy, tears streaming down her face.

"Help me up," Li Hexuan said, his voice hoarse but filled with undeniable resolve.

Su Mengyi hurriedly supported him. Li Hexuan stood shakily, his gaze like lightning as he swept it across Chen Hao’s men, who were frenziedly assaulting Zhang Nan’s line.

"A bunch of vultures picking at bones!" Li Hexuan scoffed, his killing intent chilling.

He forcibly channeled the last of his remaining source energy.

"Hum—!"

An invisible wave expanded abruptly from Li Hexuan’s center!

The men at the front of Chen Hao’s charge felt a sudden, explosive ringing in their heads; the world spun, and stars burst before their eyes. The simple battery-operated lighting equipment and communicators in their hands sparked instantly and died completely.

This was the technique Li Hexuan had grasped after advancing to "Electromagnetic Control"—a localized electromagnetic pulse! Though his current state greatly diminished its power and limited its range, it was enough to stun these common thugs.

"What’s happening?"

"My head is spinning!"

The momentum of the charge stalled, and many stopped in confusion and fear.

At the foot of the mountain, Chen Hao, who was directing his men to intensify the attack, keenly sensed the anomaly ahead. When he saw through his binoculars that Li Hexuan had managed to stand up again with Su Mengyi’s help and had unleashed some unknown attack, the sneer on his face froze.

"How... how could he still be standing?" Chen Hao felt a shock to his core, a chill creeping up from his feet. Li Hexuan’s abyssal gaze, even from such a distance, made his heart palpitate.

He looked toward the water. Although the Anglerfish King was still thrashing, it was clearly in its death throes; the waves it raised had capsized his own ships, and the fish monsters were scattering.

"Boss, the brat seems to have recovered a bit! The Anglerfish King is almost done for, we should..." Yin Jiu spoke softly beside him, his tone betraying a desire to retreat.

Chen Hao’s expression was dark and uncertain as he stared at Li Hexuan on the hilltop. He had thought victory was in his grasp, never expecting Li Hexuan to be this stubborn, like a cockroach that refused to die. If he pushed the attack, even if they took Falling Leaf Mountain, his own elite squad would suffer heavy losses. Moreover, Li Hexuan’s strange electric powers and that unknown method just now made him wary.

"Retreat!" Chen Hao gritted his teeth, finally squeezing the word out through his teeth in frustration. He was no fool; he knew how to read the situation, and preserving his strength was the most important thing.