Forbidden Zone of the Human Race

Xiang Ning pulled out the Devourer, sensing the pleased satisfaction within it. He could clearly feel that it had grown a little more powerful. Putting it back into his dimensional ring, he turned to return to the truck. 

Passing Li Zihao and the rest, he asked, “Are you able to continue?”

They were appalled by Xiang Ning’s nonchalance, none of the exhaustion from the battle showing. How could the gap between them be so huge?

“If you can’t, call for help. Leave the truck with me, I’ll continue the journey,” he continued without letting them reply. 

Li Zihao, who was planning to say that he was fine, felt his cheeks burning red. He recalled the way Liu Yi had chided them, then Xiang Ning’s words. It was a complete embarrassment. 

“I’m… I’m fine. We can carry on.” Li Zihao scrunched his features up into a smile. This was a true boss, the kind of boss that could solo challenge, then kill, a Grimclaw must not be provoked. 

“Are you really fine? You don’t have to force it. I’m serious. Your wounds look serious. Don’t worry, I won’t blame you. You can leave the truck with me,” Xiang Ning chuckled. He felt like he was being kind as he recalled how strong the bear had been during the fight. 

Li Zihao’s wound really did look serious. Xiang Ning didn’t specialize in medicine, though, so he couldn’t tell if it was truly serious. All he knew was that it looked serious and it was better to return to the fortress for treatment. Although Xiang Ning had given him a vial of healing potion, recovery wasn’t guaranteed. Plus, he didn’t know if the Grimclaw was venomous. 

Liu Yi, who was in the truck, was listening to the conversation and almost burst into laughter. If he didn’t know Xiang Ning, he would have thought that he was insulting them. But knowing him, he was actually speaking the truth. He indeed wanted Li Zihao to seek treatment; it wasn’t sarcasm. 

No matter what, it was still such a delight to witness this conversation.

Liu Yi was amused, but Li Zihao and the rest were blushing red. Especially the ones who had shunned Xiang Ning; they had nowhere to hide themselves. 

Xiang Ning was puzzled by their strange expressions. “What’s the matter? The color of your complexions is getting strange, maybe the Grimclaw is venomous?” It was common knowledge that when a beast was of a certain size and power, it would release venom and overpower its opponents with it. That was the case with most beasts. Only smaller beasts would evolve specific organs to serve as weapons. 

However, it was obvious that the Grimclaw was a bear. How could it have been venomous? 

Xiang Ning’s question was another slap to their faces. Were they angry? Well, they were unable to get mad, because they had nothing to counter his words. 

“I’m fine, I really am. It’s just a surface scratch. Thank you for the medicine, Brother Xiang, I feel alright now. Let’s not waste any more of your time." As he spoke, he hurriedly waved for everyone to enter the truck and hopped in the driver’s seat so he completely cut off contact with everyone in the back. He was humiliated... utterly humiliated. 

Upon entering the truck, Xiang Ning was confused when he saw Liu Yi holding back laughter. 

“What’s up? You look happy?” Xiang Ning asked, puzzled. 

Liu Yi looked at the team. Whenever their eyes met his, they would immediately look away. It was best they didn’t look at him at all. 

In the next ten-plus kilometers, every time they encountered a beast, they would first ask if Xiang Ning wanted to fight it. If he didn’t, they would kill the beast for points. If he agreed, they became his lookouts. Five tier three martial artists watched as Xiang Ning swiftly killed the beasts. 

They looked like his lackeys, but they had no choice. Having witnessed the violent battle between Xiang Ning and the Grimclaw, none of them thought they could do the same. 

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

Most of the time, Xiang Ning agreed. It was a win for him no matter what. Along the way, many gasps of admiration for his ability could be heard. 

The rest were in utter disbelief. Xiang Ning slaughtered a tier three, four-star beast in just one strike like it was nothing. If it were them, they would have to pay a price, even if they managed to kill it. That was why the rest of the journey was considerably smooth, their arrival much earlier than planned. 

Within Fortress One, Fang Rou was already up and about. Her body had healed well, only some discomfort remained. It was a huge impact, after all, so achieving full recovery would take some time. 

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine,” Fang Rou said with a smile, putting on her combat suit. 

“No way! You’ve recovered, but it only just healed. And you aren’t completely well yet, so you can’t fight now,” interjected Liu Ruoxue. She definitely didn’t want history repeating itself. 

“It’s fine, really. What if I tail you guys in a support role with Liu Ruoxue? I’m quite good with my Mental Power, I can harass the beasts as a sniper, like her.” Fang Rou insisted on going to battle. 

Lei Zhongyuan was standing nearby. They had just received a report that three tier four beasts were heading toward the area they were responsible for. There were more than a hundred soldiers fighting there; if three tier four beasts arrived, those soldiers would die. 

But why not order them to retreat? 

That would mean all of their prior sacrifices and effort would be for nothing. That was why the commander immediately arranged for teams from three cities to stop the beasts. They must surround and kill them by a stream two kilometers away from the fortress. 

“Alright, let Liu Ruoxue take care of Fang Rou. Remember, take care of your safety. If you realize you can’t hold off a beast, don’t force yourself to death,” said Lei Zhongyuan. Admittedly, even one person could make a difference to a team. It would be a battle against tier four beasts, after all. Also, with Wu Rui present, they should be fine. 

“Yes, sir. I’ll take good care of Fang Rou.” Liu Ruoxue grinned, holding Fang Rou’s arm and pinching her cheek. 

“Alright, there’s no time to waste. We leave now!” 

Once the order had been given, the Marsh City teams left for battle once again. After yesterday’s battle, most soldiers had gotten to know each other better. They were powerful elites after all, and their long-suppressed emotions were finally being released. There was nothing more satisfying than killing beasts as effortlessly as drinking water. 

“Tsk, perhaps it is fate. Why’s it always you guys?” Charotis smiled, looking at Wu Rui and the rest on the starting platform.