"The one who’s here to kill you!"

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted. The opponent reacted swiftly, raising his palm to block.

The muffled sound of fist meeting palm vibrated the eardrums, but Qiu Shan’s arm trembled and he slid back half a step.

His expression shifted slightly. He realized he had actually lost the exchange of strength.

But just then...

WHOOSH!

Another fist came roaring in. Lu Chao’s eyes were calm, like blades reflecting a person’s soul.

Qiu Shan frowned and met it with another punch.

BOOM!

It was like two steel hammers colliding head-on. The dull thud echoed out once more.

A ring of white vapor dispersed in all directions. His hulking, two-meter-tall frame actually slid back another step.

’Elite Level?’

Qiu Shan’s expression changed again, a flicker of shock and doubt crossing his face.

He could fully sense the upper limit of that ferocious power.

In his Frenzy and Bronze Flesh states, Lu Chao had completely crossed the threshold into the Elite Level. The force of each punch approached one and a half tons.

There was no reply.

Lu Chao just seized the opportunity to step forward and throw another punch.

BOOM!

He was like a humanoid beast, utterly berserk.

Another punch sent Qiu Shan reeling back, followed immediately by a continuous barrage of rock-hard fists.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The muffled impacts resounded again, exploding in a constant stream.

In just a few short seconds, the two threw over a dozen punches, creating a series of afterimages.

Silver metal fists and White Ash Fist Seals clashed violently, continuously shaking everything around them.

The steel-frame platform on the second floor trembled nonstop. Steel plates rattled with a CREAK-CREAK sound as flakes of rust rained down.

The three hostages in the corner of the platform looked on, shocked and increasingly terrified. Even the burlap sack in a corner on the ground seemed to contain someone whimpering and struggling inside.

"So... so strong..."

The only one free to move, a middle-aged male doctor, stared down from the steel frame, his face pale.

In the dim environment, he could barely see the fight below.

But the trembling of the steel plates beneath his feet and the swaying of the entire platform made him widen his eyes and hold his breath.

THUD!

Down on the battlefield, another pair of fists collided.

Qiu Shan’s body and arm shuddered. He slid back again, dragging two long marks on the ground.

Unconsciously, he had already retreated a full six or seven meters. Oil drums, chains, and steel bars in his path were knocked aside, and the CLANG-CLANG-CLANG of objects hitting the floor rang out intermittently.

And before him, Lu Chao pressed forward step by step, completely suppressing him.

WHOOSH!

Another punch flew out. The White Ash Fist Seal, like the hardest rock in the world, tore through the air and came crashing down again.

His expression changing slightly, Qiu Shan chose to sidestep and dodge for the first time.

CLANG!

The white-ash fist that grazed past his shoulder missed its target, smashing into the black silhouette of a large piece of equipment.

A crisp sound echoed through the factory, like a steel hammer striking metal, causing a violent tremor.

The piece of machinery, weighing over a ton, was shoved an inch across the floor by the immense force.

Paying it no mind, Lu Chao merely sensed a faint chill.

He suddenly raised his coiled left arm, lashing out in a diagonal uppercut like a cannonball being fired.

BOOM!

He blocked the surprise attack from the silver fist.

Following the motion, he saw that the dodging Qiu Shan now had icy eyes. He had recklessly switched from a fist to a claw, clamping onto Lu Chao’s fist like a vise.

At the same time, the man’s mouth opened slightly, as if brewing some kind of killing intent.

A chill ran through him as the intelligence report on his opponent flashed through his mind.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his power.

The veins on his trapped left arm bulged. Using a single Stacked Force technique, he violently shook off the metal claw’s grip and slid backward.

SHOO!

Instantly, a stream of eerie green liquid shot through the air, landing right where he had been standing.

With a SIZZLE-SIZZLE-SIZZLE sound.

He could vaguely see the dust on the ground corroding away, and a shallow pit appeared in the filthy concrete layer beneath.

The eerie green liquid seemed to possess an extremely strong corrosive property. It continued to eat into the ground, and a faint, pungent, acidic smell wafted from it.

’Highly acidic liquid?’

His expression hardened. Lu Chao’s gaze was calm as he looked at the now-motionless Qiu Shan.

According to the intelligence report, the man had modified his glands, implanting a special Acid Spit module in his body that allowed him to spew highly acidic liquid to corrode and kill enemies at critical moments.

"You’re a cautious one."

The sour taste in his mouth vanished in an instant. Qiu Shan’s face was grim, and he narrowed his eyes, clearly not expecting Lu Chao to have escaped unscathed.

Immediately after, the sound of rapid, dense footsteps—thump-thump-thump-thump—came from the top of the ramp outside the factory, mixed with the battle cries of many approaching patrol officers.

Qiu Shan gritted his teeth, abandoning his last shred of hope for an easy escape.

"Kid, if you’re going to stand in my way, then don’t even think about walking out of here alive!"

VMMMM!

His eyes turned vicious, and his heart suddenly began to pound violently.

Like a roaring engine that vibrated the eardrums, several fluorescent patterns lit up on his neck and arms.

Even on his legs, beneath the black pants, a silver light could be faintly seen flashing. He had clearly activated some kind of special ability.

’Force Recovery, is it...’

A gleam in his eyes, Lu Chao watched his opponent’s every move intently.

He wasn’t surprised at all, as this was in the intelligence report.

Just like the Acid Spit, it was a special skill belonging to Armored Transformers. It could stimulate the user’s heart function, allowing them to recover most of their strength in a short period.

However...

"Isn’t it nice to be alive?"

BOOM!

Stomping the ground, Lu Chao charged forward to kill.

All his defensive measures were for the sake of killing his opponent. Now that he had forced out his trump card, there was no longer any need to hold back.

VWOOM!

Instantly, his Martial Arts Power began to circulate wildly, surging through his entire body.

And on the other side, Qiu Shan activated his module in an instant, seeming to return to his true peak.

An eerie green light flashed in his eyes. His face filled with killing intent, he also stomped the ground and charged.

BOOM!

The two men, who had both lunged off the ground, threw punches that collided in mid-air.

Amidst the dull thud of impact, a shockwave billowed out, sweeping in all directions.

Having returned to his peak, Qiu Shan was no longer at a disadvantage. A murderous glint even flashed in his eyes before the fluorescence on his left arm suddenly flared.

VMM! BOOM!

The silver prosthetic arm vibrated violently.

He had actually implanted another special modification module, using a unique vibratory technique to smash Lu Chao’s fist aside.

Then, he planted his feet.

His momentum unchecked, the fluorescent light on his neck and legs flowed rapidly, as if all his energy was converging into his coiled right arm.

WHOOSH!

As he spun and swung his arm, the energy-infused right arm came down like a War Axe, aiming straight for Lu Chao’s neck.

The two fatal attacks came one after the other, unavoidable and about to land!

And yet...

"ROAR!"

The Fierce Roar erupted again, the explosive bellow echoing everywhere.

It was as if a Wild Beast King had once again arrived in the Rhombus Ring City Circle. In his Frenzy State, the power of the Fierce Roar Skill was doubled, no less potent than if an Elite Level expert had used the technique.

VMMMM!

In that instant, the many patrol officers outside the factory were all jolted. Shock and doubt filled their eyes as they subconsciously halted.

Qiu Shan, being the closest, felt his pupils contract. His head felt like it was about to explode, as if every single nerve was being shredded by brute force.

Affected by this, his movements slowed, just for a fraction of a second.

And that was the only opening needed.

Lu Chao dropped low and sank into his stance, clearly feeling a vicious gust of wind slice over his head.

The swinging right arm, which seemed capable of shattering steel, was perfectly dodged.

Immediately, he took a lunging side step, closing the distance with Qiu Shan once more.

THUMP!

With that firm, powerful step, his legs tensed. Both his Martial Arts Power and his muscle strength converged, channeling into his waist.

His spine, like a great dragon, straightened inch by inch. His upper body went from a lunge to an upright posture.

CRACK!

His clenched right fist was already coiled at his waist. His shoulder and elbow simultaneously pulled back, as if drawing a bow.

Until the very last moment. Just as Qiu Shan’s eyes flickered, on the verge of recovering his senses...

VWOOM!

Vaporized sweat erupted, shrouding his right fist and forearm.

Veins bulged like coiling flood dragons. At the very instant the "bow" was drawn to its limit, Lu Chao unleashed the punch.

BOOM!

The air cracked!

The power of the Secondary Overlapping Force, amplified by his Frenzy State, exceeded two tons.

It was like a raging storm carrying the force of a tidal wave, overturning even the thick, viscous air. It broke through all obstacles, heading straight for Qiu Shan’s most vulnerable point: his jaw.

"You—"

BOOM!

His furious cry, barely formed as he regained his senses, was instantly cut short. A cloud of vaporized sweat exploded in mid-air.

Qiu Shan’s eyeballs bulged. The flesh of his face rippled like water as his head snapped back.

Just as he was about to fly backward off his feet, Lu Chao’s coiled left fist, powerful enough to shatter stone, followed up.

BOOM!

The other Secondary Overlapping Force punch smashed into his temple, as if it had detonated something inside.

A great cloud of blood mist sprayed from Qiu Shan’s eyes, nose, and mouth. His hulking body, which had been on the verge of flying backward, froze in place.

KABOOM!

At that exact moment, the chains on the factory’s main doors were finally blasted apart, and the doors were forced open.

Patrol officers rushed in. The sound of their dense, urgent footsteps filled the air as aimed gun muzzles and flashlight beams swept around before finally settling on Lu Chao.

THUD!

Qiu Shan, like a human-shaped bear, dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Amid a final, gurgling rattle, he seemed to be trying to say something.

In the end...

THUMP!

He fell face-first to the ground, collapsing at Lu Chao’s feet.

At some point, the splattering blood had dyed his patrol uniform crimson.