Chapter Thirty-One: The Battle Begins!

Zhou Jian looked at Shi Jiu and the others with disdain. “You must have a death wish! Surrounded as you are, you still dare to fight back?”

One of the men beside Zhou Jian had already drawn his weapon, his grin widening in excitement. “Captain, since they’re so eager for a beating, why not oblige them?”

Zhou Jian shot him a glare. “Put your weapon down.”

There was an unspoken rule in the settlement—never point a weapon at your own. Conflicts were to be resolved with fists; weapons were reserved for true enemies.

The man scratched his head. “I forgot for a moment—habit, I guess.”

Zhou Jian said, “Enough, just remember next time.”

In no time, the man’s excitement reignited. “I can’t wait to see them begging for mercy.”

Lu Sheng moved over to Wei Liang. “Liang, stick close to me, all right?”

In Lu Sheng’s eyes, since Wei Liang had just awakened, even with his decent combat experience, he’d barely had time to grow stronger. Facing off against these upgraded opponents would put him at a disadvantage.

Wei Liang didn’t refuse Lu Sheng’s suggestion. “All right.”

Lu Sheng shot him a curious look. Why did this guy seem almost uncontrollably excited? Wasn’t fear the usual response in a situation like this?

But there was no time to dwell on that—the brawl erupted.

Four men strode toward Lu Sheng and Wei Liang, excitement gleaming in their eyes. The wicked sneers on their lips made it clear they envisioned the two’s impending misery.

“If you kneel and beg now, I might spare you, for the sake of our shared settlement.”

“I’ll return those words to you. Kneel now, and you might still have a chance.”

Their faces froze. “You’re facing death and still don’t know how to repent. You must really want to die!”

Lu Sheng had no patience for their bluster and charged straight in.

Wei Liang was equally decisive, following the moment Lu Sheng dashed forward. He didn’t flinch at all in the face of such odds.

“You dare make the first move? So you really do underestimate us—or think you’re some kind of big shot—hey, hey, stop, you’ll break it!”

One of them swung a punch at Lu Sheng, jeering even as he attacked, but the next instant his jeers turned to howls of pain. As soon as their fists met, Lu Sheng seized his opponent’s arm and twisted hard, sending a jolt of agony surging through the man’s body.

Then Lu Sheng drove his knee into the man’s stomach, a force like a hammer reverberating through his whole frame.

With a guttural cry, the man’s insides spewed forth in a filthy stream.

Lu Sheng had held back—otherwise, with a single blow like that, the man wouldn’t have survived or would be left half-dead. As it was, he simply lay curled on the ground, unable to rise.

Lu Sheng’s savagery from the outset stunned the remaining three. But only for a moment. These were men who lived by the blade—who was afraid of whom?

They exchanged glances and charged as one.

Wei Liang took on one of them without hesitation, while the other two closed in on Lu Sheng.

No more arrogant boasts—Lu Sheng’s instant takedown of one man was fresh in their minds, weighing heavily on their spirits. All their focus went into the fight; there was no time for empty words.

Lu Sheng measured his strength, trading blows with one adversary but careful not to use his full power. Killing someone by accident would be troublesome.

A scream rang out. Accompanied by a crisp snap, the man’s arm twisted grotesquely.

Broken.

The last man’s courage instantly evaporated. Seeing both companions incapacitated in quick succession, he dared not continue and turned to flee.

Lu Sheng curled his lip. “That’s all? Really?”

He looked down at the two groaning on the ground, showing not a shred of sympathy. They’d attacked him, and only the fact that they’d followed the rules and not used weapons had spared their lives.

He glanced over at Wei Liang’s fight. At first, Wei Liang and his opponent were evenly matched, both fighting fiercely. But the moment his opponent caught Lu Sheng’s gaze, he bolted without a second thought.

Since when had a single look from him been enough to send someone fleeing?

Still, he had to admit, the feeling was exhilarating. Would he have the chance, in the future, to say: “Do me this favor—let’s end it here”? The thought was thrilling.

“Damn, Lu Sheng, your strength has grown way too fast.” Wei Liang looked at the fleeing man, exasperated. He’d just started getting into the fight, and now it was over. But more surprising than that was Lu Sheng’s strength—how could he be so much stronger, just for awakening a dozen days earlier?

“Just a bit of good fortune.” Lu Sheng didn’t explain further, and Wei Liang didn’t press.

The battle raged on, and the two joined other fights, easing the pressure on their companions.

Shi Jiu was holding off two enemy squad leaders alone, and the strain was clear. Lu Sheng immediately moved to assist.

Shi Jiu glanced warily at Lu Sheng as he approached; after all, he still thought of Lu Sheng as a fresh awakening.

“Go help the others. I can manage here.”

Lu Sheng reassured him. “I’ve already had a breakthrough. Plus, my life card enhances my strength. When it comes to trading blows, this is my specialty. Don’t worry, Captain.”

Shi Jiu thought it over and didn’t insist—he was struggling enough as it was.

“Just be careful.”

Lu Sheng flashed a grin, his teeth gleaming white. “Don’t worry, I’ll be ‘careful’.”

Their opponents were the two squad leaders, Zhou Jian and Niu Ming.

Zhou Jian eyed Lu Sheng’s arrival with displeasure. “What are our men doing? Letting someone slip through to help here?”

Niu Ming, however, had noticed Lu Sheng’s earlier performance. “Save your complaints. This one’s strong—you see our guys still sprawled over there?”

Zhou Jian looked where Niu Ming indicated, and his brow twitched. Two of their men were on the ground—one curled up motionless, the other clutching his arm and wailing.

“Seems he does have some skill.”

If he wanted to take down two men quickly himself, it would take some time—and even longer if both attacked together. He wasn’t sure whether Lu Sheng had fought them both at once or taken them down consecutively, but either way, it spoke to Lu Sheng’s strength.

The tension among the four of them was palpable; the next instant, the fight erupted.

Lu Sheng faced off with Niu Ming—a hulking man with dark skin, his appearance truly reminiscent of an ox.

Lu Sheng held his strength to about fivefold, not daring to go higher. Too much power, and he’d risk killing someone.

Strength, in theory, cut both ways—if Lu Sheng exceeded his natural limits, he’d suffer backlash. But with the Temporal Ant inhabiting him, that problem was solved. The ant generated a protective layer within him, ensuring that using its abilities would never result in harm.

Niu Ming swung a punch at Lu Sheng’s abdomen. Any ordinary person would have dodged.

Lu Sheng didn’t dodge at all. If he could withstand it, why bother?

He lashed out with a punch of his own, their fists crashing together. Niu Ming winced in pain.

Gritting his teeth, Niu Ming looked at Lu Sheng in disbelief. How could the man seem completely unscathed? He was a squad leader, after all—didn’t he have any pride?