Chapter 97: Battle (I)

Under the scorching midday sun, Liang Jing felt an unprecedented sense of reality and tranquility. He felt refreshed and at ease, as if his connection to the world around him had grown intimate and his mind had become exceptionally clear.

At that moment, his soul was undergoing a rapid transformation—vibrating and purging itself of impurities and unnecessary dross. Suddenly, Liang Jing shuddered. His mind grew even sharper and calmer; his spirits lifted, and his senses became acute. Elated, he quickly opened his status window:

Liang Jing: Strength: 32 (1), Agility: 29 (1), Constitution: 29 (1), Spirit: 27 (1).

In an instant, his soul had experienced an unknown sublimation, boosting his Spirit stat by five points. What did this mean? He had spent so long specifically training his physical strength, yet it was only three points higher than his Agility and Constitution. To gain five full points in Spirit at once was a profound and miraculous effect. While Liang Jing was overjoyed, he was also filled with questions, though he was quickly distracted by a new discovery.

He found that the internal energy within his body felt more familiar and easier to manipulate, flowing with a fluid, seamless harmony. Previously, his internal energy had been growing too rapidly, making it difficult to control, but now it was perfectly integrated and responsive to his command. Its circulation speed had also increased. Just as he was about to explore this further...

"Kill him! Kill him! Anyone who doesn't fight will be dealt with by military law!"

Political Commissar Gong’s eyes were bloodshot. Like a gambler who had lost his fortune or a rabid dog that had lost its reason, he waved his hands frantically. No one had ever dared to provoke him like this, let alone threaten them. Who did he think they were? How dare someone break the "heavenly laws" in front of so many people! He felt his dignity and face had been trampled upon. The man was nothing but a common laborer who had stumbled upon some luck. Giving him any regard at all had already been a favor, yet he dared to act this way? He was courting death!

Hearing the Commissar’s words, the soldiers’ expressions shifted. Military law was no idle threat; resisting would surely lead to a miserable end and a ruined future.

They quickly shook off the psychological pressure of Liang Jing’s aura, feeling instinctively humiliated that so many of them had been cowed by a single word from one man. Their faces flushed red. As for Liang Jing’s words? Who cared? In this day and age, everyone got insulted; did a few harsh words really change anything?

Off to the side, Wu Yong shook his head. Watching the Commissar’s behavior, he realized the man was no worthy leader—petty, vindictive, and unworthy of his position. Now that Liang Jing had stripped away his facade, he looked truly hideous and despicable.

Observing the Commissar’s gestures, Liang Jing found it all laughable. Everything was a sham; only one's own strength was real. These people, with all their power and influence—once their masks were shattered, they were nothing but gold-plated trash. Without the backing of their factions, they were fools, perhaps even worse than ordinary people, capable of nothing but petty schemes.

As long as he had strength, he would fear nothing, be confused by nothing, and worry about nothing.

Suddenly!

Liang Jing’s hair stood on end for no reason. His newly sharpened soul sensed two immense threats directed at him, as if he were trapped in the jaws of a beast. Instinctively, his legs surged with power, and he lunged toward the wall of a nearby building.

*Rat-tat-tat! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A fierce barrage of gunfire erupted. The spot where Liang Jing had been standing was shrouded in dust, smoke, and debris, accompanied by violent explosions. Had he not reacted instantly, he would have been struck directly. Even with his armor, the sheer kinetic impact of such a sudden volley could have severely wounded or even shattered him.

Even more terrifying were the two 25mm autocannons mounted on old tanks. Amidst the clanging, they spat out chilling tongues of fire accompanied by white mist. Where the shells struck, the earth erupted in dust, flames, and flying shrapnel, leaving behind craterous pits.

The shells raked the area like machine-gun fire, plowing through everything in their path. The explosive power of the grenades was brutal; anything they hit was shredded.

*Ding! Dang!*

Because of his acute senses, Liang Jing had dodged in time, avoiding the direct path of the autocannons. However, some stray bullets and flying debris struck his metal armor, ringing out with metallic pings. Fortunately, even heavy machine-gun fire couldn't cause him significant damage through his multiple layers of protection, and his physical stats—twenty to thirty times that of a normal human—rendered the kinetic shock negligible.

Liang Jing darted through the ruins, primarily to evade the autocannons. Although their rate of fire was slower now—likely due to a lack of power—their destructive potential was immense. They were tools of slaughter. Fortunately, the slower rate of one shot per second gave him room to maneuver.

He leaped continuously, the walls behind him being pierced and demolished by cannon fire. Moving from building to building, he closed the distance, seeking an opportunity to strike back. Liang Jing was never one to just take a beating.

*Boom!*

As he leaped toward a more distant building, he was finally clipped by a cannon shell. The massive kinetic energy sent him flying into the structure, where he instinctively rolled behind a wall for cover.

"Haha! Die, Liang Jing! How do you like that? How dare you treat me this way!"

"Liang Jing, you finally met your end! Die! I won't have peace until you're dead!"

Seeing Liang Jing struck by the cannon and sent flying, Commissar Gong, Tu Gui, and Wu Jinghui cheered with arrogant excitement, completely oblivious to the impending danger.

"Damn it..."

Inside the house, Liang Jing continued to evade the cannon fire, his movements appearing slightly sluggish. He had indeed been struck by a grenade; however, relying on his keen senses, he had caught the impact on the back of his greatsword, "The Sorrow of Baroque." The massive blade had absorbed the blow, but the resulting shockwave had left his body numb and caused him to cough up blood.

Listening to the taunts outside, a cold glint appeared in his eyes. *Courting death!* The only reason he had been closing the distance was that his "Violent Throw" lacked accuracy at long range. Now that he was within two hundred meters, these people were finished.

He gripped two silver-white metal balls, each the size of a ping-pong ball. Their surfaces were faceted and rough—crafted by Jia Yujin using the material from a "Short Blade." Each weighed over a pound; delivered with a "Violent Throw," they would be devastating.

Dashing into another room to break the autocannons' line of sight, Liang Jing suddenly bolted through a window and dived into another one two meters away. Simultaneously, he hurled the two heavy metal spheres with explosive force.

*Whoosh!*

Carrying the whistling sound of death, the metal spheres erupted into the sunlight, their blinding glint dazzling the onlookers as they shot toward their targets like cannonballs.

Seeing Liang Jing’s move, Commissar Gong and the others sneered. In the shadows, Dai Wu’s eyes flashed—*as expected.* They already knew from Dai Wu that Liang Jing possessed this hidden weapon ability, so they had prepared their defenses.

They had known he would counterattack; even Jinghui had calculated as much. As they moved to activate their defenses, Liang Jing, hidden behind his helmet, offered a cold smile. His "Violent Throw" was "enhanced" this time—not the simple steel bearings of before, but something far more destructive.

*Enjoy this.*