Chapter Thirty-Three: Fury (Second Update)

The sky was growing brighter, and it looked like the two suns were about to rise above the horizon...

After giving Jia Yujin half a bottle of the life potion, Liang Jing watched as Jia Yujin's complexion improved. He knew that as long as nothing unexpected happened, Jia Yujin would soon awaken, becoming one of humanity's awakened ones—a future powerhouse.

Only now did Liang Jing begin to pay attention to the situation among the people present. In truth, he had been on guard all along. After more than ten years apart from his closest brother, and with him now in mortal peril, nothing else could distract him. He maintained a vigilant mindset, ready to strike with violence at the slightest sign of trouble.

It should be noted that Liang Jing was now wearing the Ferocious Ghost Mask. With a mere thought, he could unleash a wave of psychic blades. How fast is the transmission speed of psychic power? Almost instantaneous. Remember, it was the red-haired stinger fly that caught him off guard last time; had his psychic value not been high, and had his opponent possessed the capacity for a second attack, his survival would have been in question. As long as the target was within a ten-meter radius, with a single thought, he could attack and deliver a brutal blow. That was why he hardly cared about the people around him.

But now that Jia Yujin was out of immediate danger, Liang Jing could finally turn his attention to the situation here. What exactly had happened? Who had injured his brother so grievously? At this moment, he heard the curses of the Black Serpent's men, and saw the green, wolf-like gaze of the man with triangular eyes, who watched him warily.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three of the Black Serpent's men, those who had been the most eager to curse Liang Jing and compete for credit, were struck by the exploding steel balls within the radius. Their heads burst like watermelons smashed by iron hammers—one moment they were standing, the next, their heads above their necks were almost completely shattered. White and red, fur, bone, all flew in every direction in a terrifying spectacle. Aside from Black Serpent and two men who stood closer to Liang Jing, the rest were splattered all over with fragments from the exploded heads.

"Ah! Bunny, how could you—"

"Ah, it hurts! My God!"

"Help! Boss!"

"No, please—"

...

For a moment, chaos reigned. Black Serpent's men screamed in terror, those nearby were struck and wounded by fragments of bone and flesh, and they quickly fled, seeking safety far from Liang Jing. They looked at him as if he were a demon, trembling like drenched chicks in a cold rain. They had seen the silver light shoot from Liang Jing!

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle...

Black Serpent, having witnessed the force of Liang Jing's attack, felt a chill in his heart. He recalled how close he had been to Liang Jing just moments before; had the attack been directed at him, he would not have escaped. He lacked the masked man's combat ability; he was merely a thug, only slightly stronger than ordinary people. The steel balls Liang Jing used now were far more powerful than before; if the masked man had come, it wouldn't have been just minor injuries. Reacting, Black Serpent involuntarily stepped back, widening the distance between himself and Liang Jing. He feared death, as all men do. Who wants to die if there is any choice?

Phew...

Having retreated to what he considered a safe distance and seeing that Liang Jing had not launched another attack, Black Serpent finally relaxed a little. He looked at the headless corpses, at his trembling men, and remembered his own retreat like a beaten dog. His face darkened even further; he felt humiliated and frustrated. His dignity had been trampled—by Liang Jing! He regarded Liang Jing with vigilant gravity, and seething hatred and anger caused his cheeks to twitch.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Black Serpent took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts and questioned Liang Jing again.

"What happened here? Who hurt Jia Yujin like this?" Liang Jing, once again, paid Black Serpent no mind. He disliked the man and saw no reason to feign politeness or exchange pleasantries. His question was light, as if unaffected by the ruthless killing of the three men moments before.

Silence! The scene became utterly still; even Black Serpent, ignored once more, seemed distracted.

Though Liang Jing spoke lightly, the terror contained within his words was palpable to everyone present. He was suppressing his rage, ready to erupt at any moment, waiting only to find a target. If psychic energy were a magnetic field, Liang Jing's was twenty times that of a normal person (his own psychic value of 11 plus the mask's 9 points). His anger boiled and the field fluctuated violently, oppressing the much weaker fields of those around him, so that everyone felt the suffocating horror.

Liang Jing, furious at his brother's injury, could not imagine the consequences had he arrived just a bit later. He was no longer the man he was before the mutation; even prior to that, anyone daring to harm Jia Yujin would have faced his deadly vengeance. Now, in this mutated world, everything was more direct, fierce, and selfish—he was fiercely protective. At this moment, only one thought burned in his mind: anyone who harms my brother must die!

He would find the culprit and uncover the truth.

"We... we know..."

"It's like this. We and Boss Jin (Jia Yujin), just out of prison, received news and came to Jiangnan Province to look for Boss Jin's good brother Liang Jing. Unexpectedly, Black Serpent's gang somehow got wind of it and intercepted us, seeking to kill Boss Jin for revenge. At first, they weren't our match... but Black Serpent suddenly showed poison abilities... monsters kept attacking... to protect us, Boss Jin was badly hurt... bribery... betrayal and assassination... then... you should be careful of Black Serpent. He has strange poison bomb abilities and is extremely cruel and ruthless..."

At this point, the Rat and several others finally responded. With Liang Jing's arrival, new hope rose in their hearts. Having witnessed his ruthless killing of three men, their desire for survival was stronger than ever. Hearing Liang Jing's questions and recalling his rescue of Boss Jin, they felt enlightened and immediately recounted everything they knew about the cause and course of events.

Hmph!

Black Serpent's face was livid and more grave than ever. He had considered killing the Rat and the others to silence them, but he and his men had retreated far from Liang Jing, while the Rat and his group, protecting Boss Jin, were close to Jia Yujin. His poison bomb's attack range was limited; though farther than Liang Jing's psychic blade, it was still a condensed sphere of poison, which would burst automatically at a certain distance—thirty meters at most. So, even if he wanted to, he was powerless.

Moreover, his caution toward Liang Jing was immense; he feared that any action might provoke Liang Jing to strike first. He hadn't figured out how to deal with Liang Jing yet, his mind racing for a solution to break the deadlock. His expression kept changing as he watched the Rat and the others finish their story.

Fury!

Liang Jing was enraged, especially after hearing of Black Serpent's gang's relentless pursuit, conspiracies, and cruel torture. He now knew that the triangular-eyed Black Serpent was an awakened one. Liang Jing understood that for such a person, killing Jia Yujin and his group wouldn't have required so much trouble—killing a few ordinary people was easy, no matter how brave they were, for absolute power cannot be resisted. The enemy had been playing with Jia Yujin and the others as if they were lab rats. Unforgivable! Black Serpent must die, and not easily; he must taste what it feels like to be toyed with, his life at the mercy of others...

Through the Rat's account, Liang Jing deduced that his opponent's ability was poison, with an attack range that would automatically burst into toxic smoke at a certain distance. Though he and Black Serpent were far apart, Liang Jing had no intention of risking close combat; he remained vigilant, unwilling to test the power of the poison bomb with his own life.

"Boss!..."

Just then, Ling Qinghe, Zhang Hu, and the others arrived, led by the mutated black-backed dog (zombie). Liang Jing's spirits lifted. Compared to ordinary people, it was impressive that these few had persisted and made it here. His trust and goodwill towards them rose significantly.