Chapter 73: War and Peace Talks

To be safe.

Yun Ruoxi and Lin Zhen didn’t act immediately, but instead turned the telescope in another direction, watching as they disappeared into the depths of the mist—only after confirming that they had truly left to go hunting did they finally put the telescope away and slide down from the tree.

The two of them hurried to the cave entrance.

Yun Ruoxi raised her hand and released a drone, letting it fly ahead to clear the way, and issued the command to return immediately upon encountering anyone.

The baseball-sized drone skimmed close to the ground, its flight utterly silent thanks to Gravity Repulsion technology, gliding through the dim cave like a shadow in the dark.

They followed the drone at a distance of ten meters, heading deeper in, dismissing two dead-end side paths along the way.

Suddenly, the drone doubled back, hovering in front of Yun Ruoxi, trembling slightly.

The girl pointed towards the rock wall ahead, signaling that someone was around the corner, and made a fierce throat-slashing gesture.

Though it didn’t look fierce at all.

Are they there?

Lin Zhen nodded to Yun Ruoxi, held up three fingers, and began to count down. The moment the last finger folded, he lunged forward!

***

In the dim passage.

A criminal, holding a Disc Gun, was leaning against the wall, dozing off in a stupor.

Tap tap tap!

Rapid footsteps suddenly echoed.

He snapped his eyes open, only to see two short, dark shadows rushing towards him.

He instinctively tried to raise the Disc Gun.

But a finger forcibly slid into the Trigger Guard, jamming his attempt to pull the trigger.

At the same moment, the shadow in front raised its empty right hand—a disproportionately large fist cracked with a light snap—then swung out and punched him in the head.

Bang!

The criminal’s head snapped back. He couldn’t even scream before his whole body went stiff and convulsed as he collapsed.

Swish!

Another shadow flashed behind him just in time, skillfully catching his limp body and lowering it gently to the ground.

The entire process was seamless, their coordination almost terrifying, taking less than a second.

This was the result of five days working together.

“Keep moving.” Lin Zhen didn’t rush to cut off the ear; the priority was to rescue the three cadets.

He gestured to Yun Ruoxi.

She nodded, released the drone again, and crept further along the cave wall.

It seemed the criminals were short-staffed.

Or perhaps they believed that just one man with a Disc Gun guarding a dead end was enough to secure the passage.

No other sentries were encountered along the way.

As they pressed on, Lin Zhen checked the Disc Gun and found it loaded with Chainsaw Discs.

In this cramped environment, if that criminal had fired, the Chainsaw Discs would have ricocheted off the cave walls—truly a malicious attack that would harm friend and foe alike.

A bit shaken, Lin Zhen slung the gun at his waist, but before he knew it, he bumped into Yun Ruoxi, who had stopped abruptly ahead.

He stepped back awkwardly and whispered, “Are we there?”

“Yes. There’s a big cave ahead—it’s probably their den where they live day-to-day.”

Yun Ruoxi pressed herself close to the rock wall and carefully peered inside.

At the end of the passage was a vast natural Cave.

The rock walls were studded with unknown minerals glowing blue, making the whole interior gleam.

Eight cadets were bound hand and foot and dumped in a corner.

A campfire crackled in the center. Around it, the Combat Master and the criminals sat opposite each other in a clear standoff.

The former sat cross-legged, seemingly meditating, while the latter clustered together, chattering.

Between the passage and them were only a few thick stone pillars—there was nowhere else to hide.

It looked nearly impossible to sneak in.

Lin Zhen took Yun Ruoxi’s spot and observed for a moment, then agreed with her judgment.

If they tried to sneak over, they’d probably be discovered halfway. Better to use their advantage now and act first.

After all, there was just one Combat Master and six criminals. With their combined strength, the two of them could take them down together.

He quickly whispered the plan to Yun Ruoxi. They nodded at each other in perfect understanding and set out immediately.

Yun Ruoxi stroked the floating drone beside her and pointed at the group of ordinary criminals, signaling for the drone to attack as soon as Lin Zhen opened fire.

She then activated a series of skills, crouched low, and shot towards the Combat Master like an arrow released from a bow!

A master of martial arts has acute senses, so unless it’s a high-speed laser attack, a sneak attack rarely works.

Therefore, Lin Zhen had always locked his aim on the regular criminals.

He emptied his magazine in one burst, then slapped his armored greaves and charged after Yun Ruoxi toward the Combat Master.

His fighting technique was certainly no match for Yun Ruoxi or his opponent.

But with his well-equipped gear, as long as the Combat Master made a mistake amid the chaos, Lin Zhen could use his equipment to swiftly subdue him.

Swoosh!

With the powered greaves, Lin Zhen shot forward, barely keeping pace with Yun Ruoxi.

The Combat Master was a well-built man with a sunken scar on his right cheek, a cold face, and cropped black hair.

The instant Lin Zhen fired, he snapped his eyes open, his sharp gaze shooting right at their hiding place!

“Bold!”

The man roared, slapped the ground with both hands, and somersaulted up, taking the initiative to meet Yun Ruoxi head-on, launching a storm of fists and kicks!

His attacks were vicious and lethal, yet left room for adjustment—smooth and fluid.

And his physical abilities exceeded Yun Ruoxi’s, making it hard for her to find an opening. All she could do was dodge as best she could, and when she couldn’t, she raised her right arm’s Shield to block.

Bang bang bang.

Dull collisions rang out endlessly.

The criminals, startled by the commotion, started to rise, but rapid-fire Gel Bubbles shot over.

Snap, crackle, pop!

The criminals, who had been chatting moments before, were almost wiped out on the spot by the gel.

Only two criminals still able to move scrambled for weapons, but the spherical drone shot over at lightning speed.

Bang bang bang!

With a few muffled thuds, the drone ricocheted rapidly between them, and in less than a second, both men collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Lin Zhen glanced over. Confirming there was no threat, he started looking for an opportunity to strike.

Soon, while the enemy was dodging a telescoping knife, Lin Zhen suddenly charged in.

The strong man reacted instantly.

The moment the knife extended, he sensed something was off, retreated, and twisted his head aside, dodging the suddenly lengthened blade—only his cheek was grazed.

As blood beaded from the wound, Lin Zhen came charging in from the side.

The man didn’t panic. He shifted his feet quickly, calmly watching for a chance to dodge.

But Yun Ruoxi’s eyes flashed cold, and she suddenly pressed a new button on her sword hilt.

Buzz!

A blurred bubble shot from the blade and slammed into the man’s abdomen at terrifying speed!

The man was struck by the bubble.

Though it caused no real damage, the sudden impact left him breathless, his movements slowing for half a beat.

Lin Zhen seized the chance and slapped his left hand forward!

The high-frequency vibration wave generator in his palm instantly activated, a milky-white halo exploding between the two.

Bang!

Lin Zhen was unscathed, merely taking half a step back.

But the man was blasted straight into the air, crashing heavily into the rock wall and sliding down like a picture falling off a hook.

He tried to push himself up, seemingly only battered, not seriously wounded—but suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

That’s the terror of high-frequency vibration waves—they bypass most defenses and attack directly inside.

Against cyborgs, they destroy cooling circuits.

Against ordinary people, they deal massive internal damage.

“You—”

The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice trembling with rage.

He didn’t even get to finish saying “shameless.”

Yun Ruoxi, never missing a beat, had already moved in for the kill.

His pupils contracted. He tried to block her, but the stabbing pain from his organs slowed him down, his strikes weakened.

In just a few exchanges, he was already covered in gashes.

“What a ruthless husband-and-wife team. This mini-boss is being kicked around like a dog.”

“This series is wild. Every fight’s a sneak attack, no shame in using all kinds of high-tech weapons.”

“Eat s**t, that’s how it is.”

Bang!

The man suddenly erupted, forcing Yun Ruoxi back with a desperate punch. Blood filling his mouth, he drew a deep breath, his chest and abdomen swelling visibly.

Then—

He exhaled two streams of bloody air from his nostrils.

His arms drew a circle; all his clothes shuddered.

“Secret Technique: Qi-Driven Shifting Sand Palm!”

He roared and struck at Yun Ruoxi with a palm.

At that moment, a strong sense of danger shot up Yun Ruoxi’s spine, making her shiver as if struck by lightning.

She instinctively aborted her charge and flipped backward.

In midair, she flung her Shield at the man with her right hand.

The Shield spun toward him with tremendous force, but as soon as it neared, an invisible airflow deflected it, knocking it away.

The man advanced relentlessly, right palm pushing forward, a visible white airflow sheathing his palm.

The sense of danger only grew stronger.

Yun Ruoxi retreated frantically, but slammed into a stone pillar.

Damn!

Her pupils contracted. At 1% bloodline activation, a faint yet tenacious force welled up inside her. She leapt, and despite having no foothold in midair, shifted half a meter sideways.

She narrowly dodged the palm.

“What?”

The man was stunned, but couldn’t stop in time. The palm he meant to land solidly instead slammed into the stone pillar.

“Six-six-six, here we go. Not even pretending anymore.”

“Newton must be rolling in his grave.”

“No ban? Must not be hacking, let’s just watch!”

Crack!

The light palm strike caused spiderweb cracks to instantly spread across the pillar, gravel raining down.

Lin Zhen, who’d just been terrified by Yun Ruoxi’s close call, was equally shocked by the power of this attack—but he still resolutely raised his right fist.

Crack—buzz!

Scalding steam hissed from his mechanical gauntlet, a layer of blue-gray muscle fiber covering it.

This was Amplifying Muscle Fiber from a cyborg!

With its boost, the force of this punch could shatter almost any living creature!

But just then—

Footsteps echoed from the far end of the passage, and a sharp whistling noise sliced toward the back of Lin Zhen’s head!

Fight or dodge.

In a flash, Lin Zhen made his decision and drove his fist at the man.

But the impact felt unreal—like popping a taut balloon.

The man was knocked flying, blood spraying from his mouth and nose in streams of red.

Like a deflating balloon?

Lin Zhen’s powerful punch had been completely absorbed by the airflow.

“Could this be… a true martial arts secret?”

Lin Zhen’s pupils shrank. He remembered what Sasin had said in class:

The Combat Flow School is the pinnacle of martial arts.

In the Old Era—

Though it didn’t let people break through their limits and become superhuman, it still granted terrifying combat power to its practitioners.

Now, with the merging of martial arts schools and certain Star Energy users, a new superhuman profession had emerged—

Combatant!

And the man before him was someone who had mastered martial secrets, but lacked Star Energy—a “Pseudo-Combatant”!

While Lin Zhen was still reeling, he didn’t forget to dodge the hidden weapon flying at him from behind.

He sidestepped, several stones zipping past like bullets, smashing to dust against the cave wall.

“Boss, we’ve been ambushed! Let’s get out of here!”

Three blood-soaked men burst from the end of the passage.

One of them still had stone dust on his palm—obviously the one who’d just attacked.

The burly man, called Boss by his comrades, wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly stood up.

He looked warily at the two young people in front of him.

His gaze then drifted to his battered companions in the distance, his expression complicated.

“You came for our ears, didn’t you? Of course, we set a trap for you, to hunt you in turn.”

Yun Ruoxi stayed silent, clutching her forehead—the pain from forcibly tapping into her Star Energy bloodline had yet to subside.

Fortunately, her willpower was strong; she’d recover soon.

Lin Zhen, on the other hand, said coldly, “At this point, what’s the use of talking?”

“What I mean is…”

The burly man suddenly raised his right hand, and the three men coming over stopped at once.

“Let’s call a truce!” he said gruffly. “Take their ears—let us four leave with four men, otherwise if we fight to the death, you’ll gain nothing.”

“Are you serious?” Lin Zhen frowned.

“Believe me—even if it comes to that, there’s an 80% chance you’ll die here, and we’ll escape with serious injuries,” the burly man continued.

“Boss, what’s there to talk about? They ambushed and hurt you! The four of us can just finish them off!”

The man who’d thrown the stones shouted loudly.

“Shut up!” the boss snapped, then turned to Yun Ruoxi, “What do you two say?”

Even as he spoke, he again assumed the starting stance for Qi-Driven Shifting Sand Palm.

“If you want a fight—come on!”

No one had expected things to go this far. Enduring her headache, Yun Ruoxi spoke slowly:

“You can leave—but the cadets stay. We’re not handing a single one over to you.”