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Chapter 25: The Man by Her Side

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: The Man by Her Side

Yet after just a single exchange, Shen Ling’an was already gasping for breath.

Although he had only been testing the waters, he’d already used seventy percent of his strength.

Even so, he hadn’t managed to faze the two Mutants in the slightest.

He estimated that, even risking a berserk state, his absolute maximum strength was only one hundred and thirty percent of his normal capacity.

Against these two Mutants, he would be incredibly lucky to take down even one of them.

As he calculated his odds of victory, Shen Ling’an’s heart sank.

But he was already in the fight. There was no backing down now.

MREOOW~

The Mutant let out a screeching roar at Shen Ling’an, then kicked off with its hind legs and lunged.

The Mutant’s attack was ferocious. Shen Ling’an started to dodge, but a familiar figure caught his eye.

When Xu Qingsui arrived in the Eastern District, she saw two giant cats from a distance, each as tall as a three-story building.

The two giant cats, one male and one female, had pelts like needles forged from rebar, covering their entire bodies.

Their basketball-sized pupils glowed with green light, and countless fangs jutted from their mouths, dripping with foul-smelling saliva.

When they lifted their enormous paws, they could block out half the sky.

The female cat kicked off the ground, charging toward Shen Ling’an.

At that same moment, Xu Qingsui’s eyes met Shen Ling’an’s.

Their eyes locked for an instant. Shen Ling’an faltered, and a giant paw immediately slammed into him, swatting him through the air.

Shen Ling’an’s body sailed through the air like a kite with a snapped string, flying for several meters before crashing to the ground.

Seeing this, Xu Qingsui clicked her tongue in disdain.

’If he’d only fallen a little harder, maybe tumbled a few times on the ground, that would’ve been perfect.’

Lu Jingyu glanced at Xu Qingsui, shook his head, and sighed.

"What’s wrong?" Hearing his sigh, Xu Qingsui looked at Lu Jingyu in confusion.

"You have terrible taste."

Xu Qingsui rolled her eyes and stopped paying attention to Lu Jingyu.

Seeing Shen Ling’an sent flying, Xu Ruming showed no trace of concern.

The word "useless" was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back.

After the female cat swatted Shen Ling’an away, the male cat immediately followed, leaping into the air to bring its paw down on him.

If that blow landed, Shen Ling’an would be completely finished.

Lu Jingyu waved a hand. "Go help him. Don’t let him die in our Zone 9."

Several team members beside Lu Jingyu acknowledged the order and were about to join the fray.

"I don’t need help! I can still fight!"

Shen Ling’an roared as he scrambled to his feet.

Facing the descending male cat, Shen Ling’an’s body suddenly erupted with a dark green energy wave.

The male cat slammed into the dark green energy, and to everyone’s surprise, the two forces were evenly matched.

After a brief stalemate, the male cat shot backward, landing beside the female.

Once the male cat had retreated, the light surrounding Shen Ling’an gradually faded.

He turned, his gaze once again falling on Xu Qingsui.

’Seeing Lu Jingyu appear with Xu Qingsui just now had ignited a nameless rage within him.’

’That was precisely why he’d been flustered and failed to dodge the female cat’s attack.’

’He may have been the one to discard Xu Qingsui, but he’d always believed she could never find a man more outstanding than himself.’

’But now, seeing Lu Jingyu at her side had directly triggered his competitive streak.’

MREOOW~

The male and female cats roared again, preparing to attack at a moment’s notice.

Shen Ling’an straightened his back and faced the two cats once more.

His earlier anxiety had vanished completely, replaced by a single thought: he had to win.

With a flex of his arms, dark green patterns snaked up Shen Ling’an’s skin.

He stomped his feet and shot forward like a projectile.

By the time he reached the two cats, dark green Energy Balls had already formed around his fists.

Shen Ling’an hurled them forward, sending one Energy Ball toward the male and the other toward the female.

BOOM!

The Energy Balls collided with the two cats, instantly erupting into two blinding flashes of light.

For a moment, everyone was blinded by the light, unable to see what was happening.

Shen Ling’an stood ramrod straight, his expression calm, but inside he was on edge, his palms slick with sweat.

’He didn’t know what the result would be, but with Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu watching, he could only hope he’d come out on top.’

Waiting for the outcome was agonizing. In just a few moments, sweat beaded on Shen Ling’an’s forehead.

MREEOOOW...

Finally, a heart-wrenching screech echoed from within the light.

Hearing that roar—so full of anger and power—Shen Ling’an’s heart sank once more.

’From the sound of it, not only had his attack failed, but it had infuriated the two cats.’

’If that was the case, the situation was about to get much worse.’

Fortunately, despite the roars, the two cats didn’t press their attack.

Just as Shen Ling’an was considering whether to strike first and seize the initiative, the light quietly faded.

The scene within the light was finally revealed to everyone.

Seeing the result, a look of delight finally appeared on Shen Ling’an’s face.

Even the others looked at Shen Ling’an with expressions of astonishment.

Of the two cats, only the male still stood. The female had collapsed, her condition unknown.

The female cat had two severe burns on its body. One was so deep that it had burned through flesh and fur, vaguely revealing the organs within.

The male cat was hunched over the female, letting out heart-wrenching roars. It seemed the female was more likely dead than alive.

That Shen Ling’an had been able to defeat one of the giant cats was, to a certain extent, proof of his power.

’With this female cat’s defeat under his belt, no matter the final outcome, at least he wouldn’t look too pathetic.’

Shen Ling’an’s anxiety began to fade, replaced by a smug look.

But as the tension left him, the dark green patterns began to spread rapidly across his face.

The only reason Shen Ling’an had been able to defeat the female cat was by relying on the power of his berserk state.

And now, he was on the verge of losing control to it completely.

"Brother Ling’an!" Xu Ruming had been reveling in the joy of Shen Ling’an defeating one of the giant cats, bringing them one step closer to joining the Heiyu Alliance.

But when she suddenly felt the fluctuations in his power, she realized he was on the verge of going completely berserk.

’With one giant cat defeated, she could already see the Heiyu Alliance beckoning to them.’

’If Shen Ling’an lost control now, not only would her hopes be dashed, but she might get caught in the crossfire herself.’

Xu Ruming didn’t dare waste another second. She rushed to Shen Ling’an’s side and placed a hand on his upper back.

She released her own Spiritual Power to help soothe his emotions and calm him down.

’But she knew that the only reason he’d been able to defeat one of the giant cats was by tapping into the power of his berserk state.’

’If he could just take care of the other one, they would surely secure a higher position in the Heiyu Alliance.’

’And to achieve that, he would have to keep drawing on that same berserk power.’