Chapter 807: Instant Force
Qi Xia stood up and slowly took a step back, calculating that the timing was about right. If he didn't move back a little—
He felt like something was about to splash onto his face.
The two men struggled and pulled backward for a long time, exhausting their last ounce of strength, only to find that the rope remained completely motionless. The last shred of their competitive spirit was worn away.
"Damn it... Did that bitch nail herself to the ground or something..." Brother Wang gritted his teeth and said.
"No way... We saw her lie down with our own eyes..." Fatty also said, "What kind of weight is this exactly..."
As they spoke, their voices gradually grew weaker, and they were practically lying completely on the rope.
"Can't... can't do it anymore..." Brother Wang slowly let go of his hand, "Don't pull back for a while. This rope of mine is too tight... If we keep pulling from both ends, I'm having trouble breathing..."
As he spoke, he looked down at his hands—there was hardly any intact skin visible.
"Alright..." Fatty nodded, and his straining hands also slowly relaxed, "Why didn't you tie a dead knot around your waist like I did, instead of just wrapping it around your waist?"
Since only one side was exerting force now, once the tension was released, the rope went from taut to slack again, hanging limply.
"What do you mean, not tie it around my waist? The hell are you talking about..." Brother Wang said, "This rope has two ends. One end is with you, the other is with Earth Ox. What was I supposed to tie a dead knot with?"
As he spoke, he felt something was off. The rope still seemed to be tightening.
"Ouch... Hey... Don't pull anymore..." Brother Wang felt his abdomen tighten, "Why won't this stop?"
"It's... it's not me pulling..." Fatty said, "Something doesn't seem right..."
The two had just relaxed, but before they could even bend down to grab the rope, they saw Earth Ox in the pit, tightly hugging her own legs, curled up like a ball.
The next second, her entire body suddenly stretched out, and like a spring, she launched herself out of the pit.
At the same moment, the two men were yanked forward by the immense pulling force, stumbling a couple of steps as they lost their balance.
But Earth Ox's movement wasn't over yet. In mid-air, she twisted her waist violently—her upper body turned to the right, while her legs swung to the left, as if she was building up power.
When she reached the critical point of rotation, she instantly unleashed an astonishing amount of strength. Her entire body spun continuously in the air like a top.
It was clearly not a movement any normal human could perform, but after her extreme physical enhancement, her body completely defied common sense.
In an instant, the two men were sent flying forward like bullets, blood spraying everywhere as they shot off with a "whoosh."
Qi Xia barely heard the man called "Brother Wang" let out a soft cough before going silent. Since the rope had been wrapped around his waist, tightening one end of it was equivalent to cutting him in half.
Everything happened within two seconds. Earth Ox, like the spool on a fishing rod, wound the rope tightly around her own body, and in the blink of an eye, she had dragged both men right in front of her.
By the time the dust settled, not a single scream had been uttered.
Blood overflowed from both men's mouths. Under such a high-speed pull, it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to survive.
Moreover, since the rope was now entirely in front of Earth Ox, there was no doubt—she had won the competition.
Seeing this, Qi Xia walked over slowly and found the scene before him rather gruesome. Brother Wang still had the rope wrapped around his waist, but it was pulled so tight that his midsection was as thin as a calf.
His eyes were bloodshot, bulging out unnervingly, and his tongue was hanging out of his mouth.
He was definitely dead.
The fat man, on the other hand, was in relatively better condition. His waist was clearly broken, and he lay on the ground at a right angle, his upper and lower teeth chattering nonstop. He couldn't utter a single word; blood trickled out of his mouth with a "clattering" sound.
"I won. You were right—instant force really can win the match." Earth Ox stood up, untied the rope from her waist, and walked over to the fat man. She said softly, "You survived. You don't have a 'Path,' but you're free. Go."
The fat man lay on the ground, his eyes slanting in Earth Ox's direction. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
He seemed both terrified and horrified, having even forgotten the pain.
"Or... I could help you out," Earth Ox said. "Your back is broken now. Even with the best medical treatment, it'll probably take months for you to stand up again. Or maybe... you'll be paralyzed forever."
The fat man just looked at Earth Ox with trembling lips, still silent.
"If you need my help, just blink," Earth Ox said as she untied the rope from him. "Otherwise, I can lift you outside, and you can try to leave on your own. I still have guests here, so I can't keep you."
The fat man was stunned for a long time after hearing this, as if he was seriously considering whether he had any chance of survival. After a long while, he blinked tremblingly.
All his teammates were dead now, and he was severely injured. Being thrown out onto the street to slowly die would be worse than just getting it over with here.
Seeing the fat man blink, Earth Ox turned to look at Qi Xia. "You can witness it. He begged for death."
"Mm," Qi Xia nodded. "I saw it. He begged for death."
Earth Ox stood up, raised her foot, and stomped down on the fat man's head.
Like a watermelon bursting open, sticky rinds splattered all over the ground.
"Sorry you had to see that," Earth Ox said calmly.
"I'm in a hurry," Qi Xia said. "Give me a chance."
Earth Ox turned her head to look at the bead floating above Qi Xia's head, sensing it was already on the verge of falling.
"Coming to me? That's not appropriate, is it?"
Earth Ox reached out, grabbed the two corpses, and flung them away with force.
Standing right in front of her, Qi Xia could now see just how terrifying Earth Ox's strength was. When she threw the two bodies, a gust of wind swept through the air around her.
Then she patted her hands together, reached down to unbutton the bottom of her suit jacket and shirt, rolled them up, and tied them around her waist.
Her leathery brown abdominal muscles were now exposed, the muscle lines as clear and deep as if they had been carved by a knife.
"The 'City of Paths' really is more interesting," Earth Ox said softly. "I've been holding back for far too long."
"My apologies for the intrusion," Qi Xia said.
Just as the black bead was about to shatter, Qi Xia stared into Earth Ox's eyes and spoke softly, asking the one question he had.
Only once this question was answered could he confirm whether his line of thinking was correct.
"Earth Ox," Qi Xia called out, "Can I trust you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the precariously swaying little black bead finally found its direction. It floated in the air for a moment before coming to rest at the center of Earth Ox's brow.
Earth Ox's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the bead hovering between her eyebrows. Then she took off her somewhat tight tie and tossed it carelessly to the ground.
"You can trust me completely," she said.
*Bang!*
The instant it heard her answer, the bead shattered without hesitation.