Chapter 13: The Trio

No one spoke further; after placing their bets one after another, everyone waited for the results with an air of ease. Ma Jinlong exchanged a look with Dr. She, who understood and brought out a tablet to check the current situation. On the screen, ten experimental subjects were stealthily closing in on the three.

Meanwhile, after getting off the vehicle, Du Bin, Hu Guozheng, and the formidable Ye Tang made their way toward the distant, mist-shrouded mountains. Along the way, they noticed a suspicious figure tailing them. With Ye Tang’s abilities, she could have neutralized the person in an instant, though the stalker posed no real threat. At that moment, sensing an enemy approaching, Ye Tang raised her hand to halt her companions.

“How dare you stop me, Fatty Hu, the hero who saves beauties! You’re asking for a beating.” Hu Guozheng rolled up his sleeves and gripped his machete, ready for a fight.

A man’s voice emerged from the silent woods, gradually revealing himself in the darkness. “Hehehe, I’ve finally found you.”

“Who are you, laughing so unpleasantly?”

“You think approaching General’s Mountain will be so easy? I’ll slice you all into pieces!” A boy covered in acne strutted up, hands on his hips, looking smug. Ye Tang glanced at the absurd child, finding his bravado laughable given his lack of real power.

“Hey! It looks like this big sister doesn’t think much of me.” Noticing their disdain, the boy grew angry.

“Do I need to bother dealing with a brat like you? I’ll leave him to you, Du Bin.” Ye Tang’s words irked Du Bin; why bother delegating when a straightforward solution would do? “Fatty, don’t you want to save Qin Ling?”

“I do!”

“Then show your strength and defeat this brat to prove you’re up to the task.”

Hu Guozheng felt he’d been set up; how could an ordinary person contend with a modified human? Still, since Ye Tang claimed the boy posed no threat, he mustered some bravado.

The boy attacked first. “Since big sister doesn’t want to fight, I’ll beat this slow-witted fatty before challenging her.” He charged at Hu Guozheng, who, despite his bulk, dodged nimbly. But as he prepared to counter, the boy suddenly appeared behind him and kicked him several meters away.

“Damn it, how is anyone supposed to fight with that speed!” Hu Guozheng complained, brushing off the dust.

“Miss Ye, you know neither of us can handle these altered people. Now’s not the time for games—please, just deal with it directly and don’t waste any more time.” At Du Bin’s words, Ye Tang abandoned her earlier neutrality, instantly flashing before the boy and drawing her sword. He tried to escape, but she appeared again and sliced him in two with a single stroke. Witnessing this, Du Bin turned away in silence. “It seems I’ve failed as an ordinary man, inciting others to kill and turning a blind eye.”

“There’s no need to blame yourself. Since their transformation, they’re no longer human—just tools of war. I may be capable of killing, but I’m not someone who does so lightly.” Ye Tang sheathed her sword, offering comfort. At that moment, she sensed others lurking nearby and unleashed her Eight-Sword Formation, launching blades to either side. “Enough lurking in the shadows—come out, all of you!”

Eight swords shot through the forest, targeting their foes. Those hiding tried frantically to evade, but many couldn’t escape the tracking swords. The last one standing was a muscular man. Enraged, he radiated a ferocious fighting aura, but Ye Tang’s swords pierced his body before he could attack. Retrieving her blades, she shook her head and sighed, “Poser.”

Inside General’s Mountain, the shareholders watched the surveillance feed in shock as the signals of five experimental subjects vanished simultaneously.

“It’s hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.” The gaunt man was stunned for a long while before he finally spoke.

“Even if they’re just low-grade specimens, they shouldn’t have been wiped out so quickly!” Ma Jinlong’s worst fears were coming true. Losing the first round wasn’t the issue—his pride was. “Haha, that was just to test their strength. Now, the next match features the far more powerful experimental trio.”

The screen switched to the mountain’s base, where three figures stood guard, their blood boiling as they awaited orders to engage the “Underdog Group.”

“Begin round two: the experimental trio versus the Underdog Group,” Dr. She announced after adjusting the neural frequency.

“The experimental trio are Dr. She’s finest early works. Everyone knows their power. I’ll bet ten million on their victory.”

“I’ll put fifteen million on them as well.”

“Same here.”

As the bets piled up, only Zeng Yilong remained. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he spoke at a leisurely pace, “I’ll wager one hundred million on the Underdog Group defeating the experimental trio.”

“What?” Ma Jinlong could scarcely believe it. He felt Zeng was deliberately stirring trouble, glaring at him as if looks could kill.

“Mr. Zeng, betting on the Underdog Group again? Even if they fluked a win before, against the experimental trio they stand no chance. You’re wasting your money,” the thin man remarked with poorly concealed contempt.

The experimental trio was displeased that a shareholder would bet against them. “This gentleman seems to underestimate us.”

“Enough talk. Kill those three outside, now!” Ma Jinlong shouted after extinguishing his cigarette. Everyone understood his anger.

“Yes, sir.” The three vanished into the forest.

After traversing the woods, Du Bin and his companions reached the mountain’s base, spotting a villa perched at the summit amid overgrown weeds. Cautiously, they headed toward the main trail up the mountain.

“I’ve heard one of you is quite formidable—I’d like to see if that’s true.” Suddenly, three figures emerged at the trail’s entrance: two men and a woman. The tension beneath the pitch-black sky made Du Bin swallow nervously.

“So what if it is?” Ye Tang stopped Hu Guozheng from advancing, turning to Du Bin. “They possess supernatural powers and have been further enhanced—no one to underestimate. Looks like I’ll have to take on all three. You two should stay back where it’s safe and don’t interfere.”

“Understood. Miss Ye, please be careful.” Du Bin and Hu Guozheng gripped their weapons and retreated to a safe distance. Du Bin was slightly bewildered; the last time he’d met her, Ye Tang had been cold and ruthless, but now she seemed to care about their safety—a welcome change, as it meant no longer fearing her wrath like a brush with death. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he noticed a wireless camera hidden in a nearby tree. Cautiously, he raised his gun and shot it out. “Looks like our every move is being watched. That man, Wu Qiwei, must have a purpose for sending us to General’s Mountain.”

When one of the surveillance feeds turned to static, Ma Jinlong was frustrated, but with so many eyes present, he didn’t show it. Besides, there were other angles to monitor.

“You’re strong—one-on-one, none of us would survive. But with three against one, you lose your advantage,” one of the men sneered, signaling his companions to close in from different directions.

The man approaching head-on, with neatly parted hair, was Shi Haiyun. To the left was Tao Wenjie, his hair spiked upward; to the right, a petite, slightly chubby girl with blunt-cut bangs named Li Sisi.

“A5 formation.”

Li Sisi attacked first from the right, extending several roots from the ground in a spiraling assault. Ye Tang snorted, drew her sword, and severed them all. Seeing her opponents spread out and weaken their formation, she seized the chance to strike at the weakest target. “Such petty tricks are useless against me.”

As she swung her sword, a barrier of flames enveloped Li Sisi. The blade glanced off, repelled with force. In that instant, a projectile burst through the barrier—Ye Tang, startled, dodged at once. The shot slammed into a distant rock face, reducing it to rubble. She had barely avoided death by sidestepping at the last second.

“No way! Artillery?” Hu Guozheng was astonished. If that had been aimed at him, he’d be dead. Du Bin, seeing Ye Tang forced on the defensive so quickly, grew anxious.

“Impressive—you dodged my sneak attack. Your speed makes me all the more eager to kill you, superhuman.” Tao Wenjie appeared behind Li Sisi as Ye Tang looked back to his original position, where he now transformed into a pool of metallic liquid that flowed back into his body. “Surprised, aren’t you? How can ordinary superhumans wield powers on par with yours?”

Tao Wenjie’s left arm morphed into an 85-millimeter smoothbore cannon; his right became a long, spiraling blade. Shi Haiyun conjured a ball of fire in his hand. “Change formation—A3 tactic.”

He spread flames around Ye Tang, and Tao Wenjie raised his left arm, rapidly firing artillery rounds at her. Meanwhile, Li Sisi danced gracefully in place.

“Are you kidding me? Dancing at a time like this?” Hu Guozheng was dumbfounded.

As she danced, a faint fragrance of pollen filled the air. Trapped within the ring of fire, Ye Tang dodged the relentless barrage, her stamina depleting quickly. Thick smoke from the flames masked a buildup of carbon dioxide—if she didn’t escape soon, she risked suffocating to death.