Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Awakened: Who’s Next to Die?
As the saying goes: the bird that sticks its head out gets shot.
The rafter that juts out rots first.
Stand taller than the bank, and the waves will surely crush you!
’I’m not asking for trouble, so do I really need to stick my neck out?’
Tang Wen stood at the back of the line, head bowed, feeling deeply reluctant.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out. General Zhou had arrived with his men.
"Everyone, do your best! If we win, every participant gets 300 taels of silver, their choice of six Cultivation Techniques from the camp’s collection, and six opportunities to comprehend the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist Visualization Image! Even if we lose, as long as we break their six-win streak, you’ll still get one-sixth of the reward!"
SWISH!
General Zhou’s sales pitch was a success.
The eyes of those preparing to fight lit up.
Tang Wen, too, raised his head, his gaze burning like a torch. ’I have to get one of those spots!’
’Yes, as the saying goes: when push comes to shove, you have to be bold.’
’A man who doesn’t seize his moment of glory is a waste of the fine physique he was born with.’
’I still remember the sky-high ambitions of my youth, when I vowed to be the best in the world!’
He hefted his bag of stones as if it already weighed 300 taels of silver.
Each person would demonstrate one move.
The first Archer stepped up and performed his move—a triple shot.
The arrows flew out in a triangular formation. THWACK, THWACK, THWACK! They embedded themselves in a tree, sinking more than a foot deep.
"Next," Commander Zhao said noncommittally.
Zhang Lin stepped forward and swung his blade. Sparks flew as the edge split a stone in two.
"Hmph. Next."
Tang Wen glanced at the long black blade in his hand. ’It feels just as good as my own,’ he thought. ’Just as you’d expect from a Second Generation Wu.’
Soon, only An Lei and Tang Wen remained.
An Lei’s spear moved like a dragon. With a skillful burst of force, she flicked a boulder weighing several hundred pounds into the air. Then, with a whip-like crack of her spear, she shattered the airborne boulder into several pieces.
Zhang Lin quietly lowered his head, muttering, "Who would dare marry a woman like that?"
"Not bad. Tang Wen, you’re up!"
Walking to the front, Tang Wen bent down and picked up a few stones.
’Throwing stones again?’
General Zhou frowned slightly.
Commander Zhao’s expression turned grim. ’Don’t tell me this kid hasn’t improved at all.’
Huh?
VWOOM! VWOOM! VWOOM!
A series of sonic booms erupted in everyone’s ears!
Three stones shot forward like meteors from beyond the heavens, slamming into a massive tree dozens of meters away.
An explosive sound echoed as the huge tree was blasted in half. The residual heat caused the wood to spontaneously combust.
The scene fell silent. Not far away, coal miners heard the commotion and came running with buckets to put out the fire.
This area was close to the coal mine; a fire here was no small matter.
Commander Zhao took a deep breath. "Kid, are you even human?!"
General Zhou snapped out of his daze. "It’s you! You’ll go last. Zhou Bing will be before you."
’Go last?’
’The grand finale?’
’That’s a lot of pressure.’
’General, having Sister Bing go before me is fine. It might even let me play to my strengths better.’
With the participants selected, the two sides met at the appointed time of 3 o’clock on the dueling platform.
They called it a platform, but it was just a flat, stone-paved area.
Tang Wen took off his outer armor and stuffed the food his sister had prepared inside his Inner Armor.
He followed Zhou Bing and the other four captains to stand before the middle-aged man from Black Mountain Camp for the age verification.
"Flame Camp certainly has a lot of young Martial Artists."
"23 years old... 22... 21... 23... 23... Hmm?"
The middle-aged man gave the cold and beautiful Zhou Bing a few extra glances, but he froze when he saw Tang Wen. "Seventeen?" he finally said.
"A 17-year-old Martial Artist?"
"Zhou Datou, your little Fire Camp has some tricks up its sleeve!" Black Old Ghost said with a humorless smile. His eyes flickered as killing intent stirred in his heart.
’A genius from Flame Camp is only a good genius when they’re dead.’
He didn’t have to give any explicit signals.
Because this time, they had come with the intention to kill from the very beginning.
A man walked out from the rear of the Black Mountain Battalion. He had an average appearance and a medium build. In one hand, he carried a Giant Shield half as tall as a man; in the other, he held a Blood-colored Short Spear.
General Zhou personally checked his bones to confirm his age. "Around 20. You’re following the rules, at least."
"Be careful. This spear thrower is strong, and there might be something strange about him. This is a life-and-death battle, so don’t hold back," General Zhou said, turning his head to send a voice transmission to Tang Wen and the others.
The two combatants took their places.
A man tossed a stone into the air. A moment later, it landed, and the duel began.
The Hunting Team Two Captain, wielding dual blades, charged straight at his opponent.
"Fall!"
As the opponent shouted, he simultaneously threw his short spear.
Something bizarre happened. The captain cried out and actually tripped, falling flat on his face.
SQUELCH! The Blood-colored Short Spear pierced through his back and into his heart.
An instant kill!
Everyone from Flame Camp felt as if a basin of ice-cold water had been dumped over their heads in the dead of winter.
"Black Old Ghost! You’re playing dirty with me?!" General Zhou roared, punching the air so hard it vibrated.
Black Old Ghost didn’t dare to take the blow head-on!
He leaped from his horse to dodge the fist.
But the stallion he left behind was blasted into a fine red mist.
"Motherfucker! Zhou Datou, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Are there no rules?! Prepare for battle!"
In an instant, the atmosphere between the two sides grew incredibly tense, like drawn bows.
Commander Zhao bellowed a warning, "Nobody move! Don’t you dare step onto that field without my order! Team Two, get your captain out of there!"
A captain had been killed in a single exchange.
A furious rage burned in Commander Zhao’s chest with nowhere to go.
Tang Wen came to his senses and secretly hoped the two sides would start fighting.
An all-out war was dangerous, but it was better than fighting that Awakened to the death.
Across the field, four hundred men fell into formation!
On the Flame Camp side, the eleven Hunting Teams, plus the hundred or so men guarding the coal mine—about three hundred people in total—also prepared for battle.
Both sides were elite forces.
Once a fight broke out, Flame Camp would clearly be at a disadvantage.
Moreover, after years of conflict, what little trust they had painstakingly built would completely vanish the moment they came to blows.
What would follow was endless war.
"Fine! This time, you have a point, Black Old Ghost! Continue," General Zhou conceded, not daring to lightly start a war.
Black Old Ghost gave a savage grin. "Then send your next person up and let’s keep fighting!"
"Damn it!"
Gritting his teeth, Commander Zhao quickly advised them, "The man on the platform either has Telekinesis—you can think of it as him having an invisible pair of hands that can pull your legs from a distance—or he has an even more troublesome ability. You need to be careful with your defense, try to wear him down, and if necessary, surrender in time. Don’t try to be a hero."
But surrendering outright was just running away.
Black Mountain Camp had produced such a monstrous genius. At only 20 years old, he not only had the strength of a Peak Martial Artist, but more troublingly, he seemed to have Awakened his abilities ahead of time! With that, his combat power was no less than that of a Martial Artist.
If they didn’t take this chance—while he was still young and his power not yet fully developed—to probe his secrets or kill him, what would they use to fight back once he fully matured?
The situation was grim. The Hunting Team Seven Captain, who was originally scheduled to go later, stepped up early.
He was short and stocky, covered in a 200-pound suit of Plate Armor. Carrying a Fine Steel Shield and gripping a Single Blade, he stepped onto the platform with the steady gait of a tank.
"Heh! You think I can’t kill you just because you’re dressed like an iron turtle?"
The Awakened strode forward, Blood-colored Short Spear in hand, and swung it in a sweeping blow against the shield.
CLANG!
Captain Seven took a step back to brace against the impact.
"Slip," the Awakened shouted.
THUD! Captain Seven suddenly lost his footing, his knee slamming onto the ground.
But his reaction was lightning-fast. He immediately ducked his head behind his shield, letting the massive steel shield and his armor absorb the opponent’s attack.
SHHNK!
Blood spattered.
The short spear had pierced the armor on his shoulder, leaving behind a bloody hole.
Captain Seven struggled to retreat.
"Do the splits!" the opponent shouted again.
As Captain Seven was backing away, his rear leg slid out from under him uncontrollably, as if he’d stepped on an invisible banana peel.
KRRR-UNCH! The armor strained.
His legs were forced into a full front split.
"I surrender!" Captain Seven dropped his Single Blade and rolled away, hugging his shield.
The opponent acted as if he hadn’t heard, his short spear striking out in a blur of afterimages.
A continuous clang of metal on metal rang out as the steel shield protecting the rolling Captain Seven was punctured through and through.
"That’s enough!"
"Stop! He already surrendered."
"Oh, really? Heh. Sorry, I didn’t hear him." The Awakened gave a nonchalant shrug, his face a mask of utter contempt.
He flicked the blood from his spear, spat in Captain Seven’s direction, and looked toward Tang Wen and the others. "Consider yourselves lucky, you cowardly turtles. Who’s next to die?"
