Chapter 128: Devil's Training, Part 3

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Everyone, get up quickly! If you don’t reach the foot of the high platform within one minute, you’re automatically eliminated!"

Before dawn had fully broken, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed through the entire cavern, causing the whole cave to vibrate with a low hum. Those who had just fallen asleep scrambled to their feet in panic. The members of the Blue Shark Squad instinctively reached for their firearms, only to be stunned to find their weapons gone without a trace.

Needless to say, their firearms had already been stealthily taken by Lekai. Although the group was flustered, their long-standing training ensured they remained orderly, and each arrived at the designated meeting point within the allotted time. Except for Rambo, whose hair was disheveled and eyes glazed over as if half-asleep, the others looked alert and vigorous, which gave Lekai a measure of satisfaction.

"Since you’ve all agreed to participate in this brutal training, I won’t waste time with idle talk. Your only option is obedience. If you have any grievances or complaints, you can voice them now—but I won’t listen. From this moment on, not even your lives belong to yourselves," Lekai declared with a faint smile as he surveyed their indifferent expressions. Then, he shouted, "King Kong, come out."

King Kong’s towering form sprang from twenty meters away like a meteor from the heavens, stirring a fierce gust that nearly knocked everyone off their feet. When he landed, the entire cavern seemed to tremble as if about to collapse. Even Lekai, who was enjoying the instructor's role, staggered slightly, silently cursing the giant beast for lacking subtlety. He had only asked for a show of power, not to bring down the cave.

Seeing Lekai’s darkened expression, King Kong’s desire to boast was instantly crushed. He looked at Lekai awkwardly, grunting low and lowering his head.

Lekaigave him a sharp glare before turning to the others, who were struggling to suppress smiles, and waved his hand. "From now on, you will spend an unforgettable time under the guidance of Instructor King Kong. What King Kong says is what I say. If you’re unhappy, speak up—but whether he listens is another matter."

"King Kong as instructor?" The group froze. While Lekai as instructor was understandable, King Kong was a wild mutated beast! Traditionally, mutated beasts were known as ferocious, bloodthirsty creatures with red eyes. Though King Kong was somewhat humanized, having elite warriors take orders from a beast that couldn’t even speak was preposterous.

Lekaicoldly said, "What’s this? Already thinking of mutiny before we’ve begun? I’ve given King Kong full authority. Anyone who breaks the rules will face terrifying punishment. If anyone thinks they can withstand his wild attacks for ten minutes, they don’t have to obey his orders. Otherwise, if King Kong kills you by accident, it’s only because your fate was thin."

King Kong howled excitedly at this, clearly thrilled at the prospect of tormenting these humans.

The others shuddered. They had witnessed King Kong’s ferocity yesterday; in battle, he was as wild as Lekai himself. Though somewhat intelligent, no one believed he would show mercy. Surviving even a minute under his assault seemed unlikely.

Lekai, pleased with their reactions, casually flipped open his wristwatch. A virtual holographic map appeared. Tapping on it, he asked, "Where is our territory now?"

King Kong pointed at several spots with his massive hand. Lekai nodded, secretly amazed. Over the past six months, King Kong had expanded their domain exponentially—now spanning a thousand kilometers in radius. No wonder so many mutated beasts were encountered this time; King Kong truly was the undisputed king of beasts.

The group was bewildered. They didn’t understand why Lekai suddenly pulled up the map. Was he scouting for training grounds?

Lekai tapped the map again. "Downloading surrounding maps now. Your first training mission is to run a lap around our territory. Sounds easy, right?"

"A lap around?" The group was stunned. Looking at the map Lekai marked, they felt dizzy. A thousand kilometers radius meant running a full circuit of over three thousand kilometers! Even as supreme masters of the Unity Realm, with formidable physical strength, relying solely on their legs to run that distance was absurd and seemingly impossible.

Could this be the so-called ‘devil’s task’? Specially designed to break them down? The group doubted running would improve their abilities.

"Don’t say I don’t care about you," Lekai said. "Here’s a cultivation method for you to grasp on your own!"

He uploaded the "Frenzied Warrior" heart method along with its techniques for download. Once everyone had it, he commanded, "Now, begin!"

Ignoring their despairing looks, Lekai gave the order. As they moved toward the cave’s exit, his voice carried from afar. "If you run at your full Unity Realm power, that’s about 100 kilometers per hour. For this 3,500-kilometer journey, you have two days and two nights!"

At this, several staggered, nearly falling, sweating profusely. While it was true that masters of Unity Realm could sprint at 100 km/h in bursts, no one could maintain such peak performance nonstop for two days and nights. The very thought was terrifying.

"Lost confidence? Feeling hopeless? Good. Whether you despair or not doesn’t change the facts. Instructor King Kong will teach you what it means to break your limits," Lekai’s tone turned icy. "His big club will be ready to strike the slowest runner at any time. But don’t worry about being killed—I've prepared an enhanced ‘Resurrection Pill’ for you. It’s potent and rare; as long as your head isn’t severed and you still have breath, it will bring you back to life."

King Kong thumped his chest excitedly, eager to test the pill’s effects. This only deepened the group’s misery, making them tremble with dread, wishing to flee the dreadful place immediately.

Outside the cave, harsh gray skies greeted them. The ten of them wore grim expressions. Such brutal conditions were unforgiving. Previously, they’d only ever entered wearing gas masks and protective suits. Now, with no protection, they were expected to sprint 3,500 kilometers in this environment—a thought that crushed their spirits.

Almost instantly, the enthusiasm that had burned the night before was extinguished.

King Kong, furious that these weak humans still lingered admiring the volcanic entrance, roared and brandished his massive club. Leaping into the air, he slammed it down fiercely.

"My god, run!" Gun God, standing behind, turned pale upon sensing King Kong’s palpable killing intent. He knew if he didn’t dodge, King Kong’s blow would crush him into a pulp. Without care for appearances, he somersaulted down the slope. The others scattered chaotically like startled birds.

Boom!

The club struck the hard, dark-red ground, shaking the entire mountain and sending dust swirling with an earth-shattering force.

This was no game—they really intended to crush someone with that blow!

At that moment, no one cared about the distance ahead. They all sprinted as fast as they could.

King Kong stood laughing wildly, reveling in the moment. Once everyone had descended the hill, he leapt again, swiftly catching up to the last, Rambo. Startled, Rambo’s spirit wavered, but he summoned all his strength and soared forward like an arrow, shooting dozens of meters ahead to the front.

Even King Kong was momentarily stunned by this. Rambo seemed unremarkable, yet he had broken through right from the start. It was unexpected. It seemed he would not be an easy target. But King Kong was in no rush; there were many more ahead. The game had only just begun.

Faced with King Kong’s terrifying threat, the group of ten pushed themselves to their utmost speed, fleeing for their lives.

"Gun God, you’re off course. Speed back on track," Lekai, monitoring their every move from inside a stone cabin, was seated with Li Yan. They shared fruit from a spiritual herb as they watched the livestream, directing the runners.

With Xianxian plotting the route and sending updates to their wrist devices, even a one-kilometer deviation was promptly reported.

"Lekai, if someone runs too slow, will King Kong really strike them with his club?" Li Yan asked casually, her cheeks flushed as she ate the bright fruit.

Lekai bit into his peach-like fruit, savoring its spiritual energy. "Do you think I stayed up last night concocting those healing elixirs just for fun? Besides, King Kong carries a bottle of the Resurrection Pill. Don’t worry."

Li Yan’s eyes softened. "Don’t you think this is too cruel?"

Lekai’s expression turned serious. "Cruel now is better than being killed by the enemy later. At least here, I have the Resurrection Pill for them. The enemy won’t show mercy."

Li Yan sighed softly. "This is why I don’t want to learn martial arts. Once you step onto the path of conflict, harm is inevitable—either to yourself or others. I can’t do that."

Lekai chuckled. "In truth, power itself is neither good nor evil. It’s how you use it. You can save lives without harming others."

Li Yan pondered and said, "I believe in the innate goodness of people. No one is born bad. Some turn evil only because of their environment. If you can give them a chance, never hesitate."