Chapter 1105: Cannot Be Broken From Within
The black rain instantly submerged Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu up to their knees—after being trapped by this glass prop, Zhou Yuanzhu's flying prop failed, and she couldn't gain any leverage, forced to stand in the water with her injured leg.
"Boom! Boom!" The two struck the inner wall of the glass with their blades, but to their surprise, not even a scratch was left. They seemed to be trapped inside a completely sealed double-layered glass bottle, with no exit above or below.
"With the prop separating us, and them being too far away, our props are useless," Zhou Yuanzhu said with a grim face.
In truth, distance wasn't the biggest problem—the layer of glass in between rendered some props ineffective. Moreover, this glass bottle might be of an unknown grade, as they couldn't break it!
"It might be an A-grade prop." Xu Huo had used the B-grade "Eye of the Dead" but failed to cut through the glass. "Even if it's not A-grade, it's at least a top-tier B-grade prop. Put on your protective suit. We might not be getting out anytime soon."
"Anytime soon?" Zheng Da, standing on a tree, laughed as if he'd heard a joke. "This prop is called 'Cannot Be Broken From Within.' Don't even mention B-grade props—even an A-grade prop of the same level might not be able to open it!"
"Just wait in there and die. We have all the time in the world!"
It was clear that Jiang Wenzhang and Zheng Da had already guessed that the person earlier was Xu Huo. Their pretense of discord after coming out was merely a setup, waiting for this opportunity.
"At this distance, even if you're a Super Evolver, you can't use Mental Interference to affect us," Jiang Wenzhang said confidently. "Your ability is only enough to influence people within a small range, and even then, only those with weak willpower."
The last sentence subtly jabbed at Zheng Da and Wang Mo, both of whom looked displeased, but with the enemy present, they said nothing.
By now, the water had risen to Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu's waists. Xu Huo asked Zhou Yuanzhu, "How long can your prop last in the water?"
"At most half an hour..." Zhou Yuanzhu looked at him with hope. "Do you have a way?"
Xu Huo smiled and put on the "Oxygen Supply." Half an hour was more than enough.
Zhou Yuanzhu saw that he was remarkably calm but made no move, so she suppressed her doubts and quickly put on her protective prop. Trapped inside the prop, they couldn't attack Jiang Wenzhang and the others, but neither could Jiang Wenzhang's group attack them—it was a waiting game.
In Xu Huo's view, Jiang Wenzhang's arrangement was actually quite clever.
Knowing that Xu Huo's individual combat strength might surpass any one of them and that he was likely a Mental Evolver, keeping their distance, avoiding direct confrontation, and using encirclement to exhaust his protective prop was a sound strategy.
It would just waste some time, but Zheng Da and the others would face no risk. Given their injuries, this was a very cheap move, and the rain was also working in their favor.
Of course, all of this was based on the assumption that "Xu Huo was merely a strong C-grade player with a preliminary Super Evolution."
As long as they appeared within his two-hundred-meter range, Jiang Wenzhang and his group's plans were doomed to fail.
Xu Huo had actually intended to let these people return to Xiaohe City. Not only had he already worked on Cao Zheng in advance, but Wang Mo, Zhao Xiaofang, and even Zheng Da were good targets for manipulation. These people could act as destabilizing factors within Xiaohe City, reducing the pressure on his side.
However, seeing their determination to kill him before going home, he could also adjust his plan.
The black rain, which had just shown signs of easing, suddenly intensified.
Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu were now completely submerged in the black water. Outside, the rain continued unabated, and the water outside the glass prop could no longer flow in, now gushing outward, threatening to flood the entire forest.
Zheng Da wiped the rain off his protective face shield and turned to Jiang Wenzhang. "Let's find another place to wait."
"Where isn't it pouring?" Jiang Wenzhang refused. "Besides, gathering together might lead to trouble. Spreading out like this is safest. If that Xu guy gets out, we can both attack and defend."
Zheng Da sneered. "You're determined to see him dead. Could what he said be true?"
Jiang Wenzhang suddenly looked up at him. "What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear clearly?" Zheng Da hinted meaningfully. They hadn't told Wang Mo and the other three about the Subclass Stone. Splitting it in two already felt like a loss, let alone splitting it five ways.
"Get your head straight," Jiang Wenzhang warned, unable to speak too plainly in front of the others. "The enemy is right in front of us. Deal with him first. After he's dead, you'll get your share of the benefits like props."
This was a clear message to Zheng Da: whether he was lying to deceive Zheng Da or the Subclass Stone was indeed in Xu Huo's hands, the outcome wouldn't change—he'd still get half.
Zheng Da was unhappy but grudgingly accepted the reasoning.
But Cao Zheng, standing nearby, wasn't having it. "I suggested we go back to Xiaohe City first before dealing with him, but you two insisted on staying. Is there something you're hiding from us?"
Jiang Wenzhang and Zheng Da both turned to him.
Meeting their gazes, Cao Zheng's temper flared. "Jiang Wenzhang, with the way you treat everyone like fools, if it weren't for Mr. Kang backing you, you'd have died eight hundred times over. Don't think you're so special!"
"I asked Zhao Xiaofang and Wang Mo. No one was picking mushrooms in the Underground Nest. The only one who does that is you, Jiang Wenzhang."
"Xu Zhi must have followed you two and discovered something, which is why you've been staring at him so closely. You don't care about your injuries and insist on taking the risk to kill him. Since we have time now, why don't you tell us what your hidden agenda is!"
The heavy rain washed over the forest, also washing over the giant glass prop and the people in the trees.
The rain obscured their vision, but it couldn't obscure the tense atmosphere. No one knew who struck first—an invisible blade grazed Cao Zheng's throat. A wisp of blood was washed away by the rain before it could even splatter. Cao Zheng roared: "Zheng Da!"
Zheng Da didn't even know what was happening before he saw Cao Zheng charging at him. He quickly raised his defense prop in front of him but was knocked off the tree by the impact.
The two rolled into the forest, and Cao Zheng said, "Don't think I don't know. You and Jiang Wenzhang pretend to be at odds, but you're actually in cahoots!"
"Are you crazy?!" Zheng Da was both shocked and furious. "You're attacking your own people. Aren't you afraid Mr. Kang will find out?!"
Cao Zheng laughed in anger. "Do you really think you can kill me?!"
Both sides went for the kill, seemingly intent on a fight to the death. This sudden turn of events caught Jiang Wenzhang off guard. He instinctively glanced at "Cannot Be Broken From Within"—the people inside were motionless, and the forest was still the same. The rain was too heavy, and he wasn't sure if Zheng Da had struck first...
Thinking this, he had no choice but to turn around to stop Zheng and Cao. But the moment he jumped down from the tree, Wang Mo appeared unexpectedly right in front of him!
(Chapter End)