Chapter 14: Three Combinations 2

Everyone inside the villa burst into laughter at the scene, saying, "Good, as long as we kill that woman, the remaining two won't pose any threat."

"Hahaha, looks like our investment in the experimental group is paying off this time."

Seeing the dawn of victory drawing near, Ma Jinlong could hardly contain his delight. Observing that Zeng Yilong still showed no sign of panic, he mocked him, "Mr. Zeng, are you feeling nervous? No matter how capable this girl is, she can't take on three opponents at once. Looks like you'll lose so much money this round that I almost feel bad taking it, haha."

"As long as the outcome hasn't been decided, who knows who will win in the end," Zeng Yilong replied, then slowly closed his eyes, falling into quiet contemplation, unaffected by the external commotion.

Ma Jinlong stared at the screen, secretly chuckling to himself: "Keep pretending to be calm, Zeng Yilong. I've got this round in the bag."

Returning to the foot of General Mountain, Ye Tang was trapped within a domain of flames, unable to escape. Every time she attempted to attack the fiery barrier, Tao Wenjie’s cannons would block her. The longer she stayed inside, the more carbon dioxide built up, hastening her suffocation.

"If this goes on, she'll die from lack of oxygen," Du Bin said, feeling uncomfortable. He couldn't bear to stand idly by as their savior faced peril. After exchanging glances with Hu Guozheng, both resolved, "Even if we die, we must join the fight."

"When did you become so brave?" Hu Guozheng was surprised—Du Bin had always been a coward, so he asked in confusion.

"She saved us twice, have you forgotten? Especially this time, with Qin Ling's rescue, it could have been anyone but her. No matter what, we can't let anything happen to her. Do you understand?"

Hu Guozheng had understood all along but pretended not to. Seeing Du Bin's reaction, he thought it was good that Du Bin could move on quickly—at least, when he learned about Yilin being with Wu Jiahao, he wouldn't feel so crushed. The two approached each other, searching for weaknesses, and when they got close enough, Du Bin suddenly found himself completely immobilized. "What's happening?"

"My body can't move!" Hu Guozheng struggled in disbelief, but remained rooted in place.

"Haha, didn't expect you two little mice to disrupt my formation, but it doesn't matter." Li Sisi stopped dancing and approached them, saying, "Since the boss wants you dead, you must die. Don't blame me when you get to hell!"

"What does your boss want?"

"He's gambling—betting on which group will die first. Unfortunately for you, it's your group," Li Sisi said, wrapping a branch around her hand and aiming it at Du Bin's heart.

"Bin!" Hu Guozheng struggled desperately, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Inside the fiery barrier, Ye Tang was struggling to breathe. Seeing the two novices in danger due to their reckless interference, she immediately turned and hurled her sword. "Didn't I tell you not to get in the way? You idiots!"

With a thud, blood splattered on the ground as the sword, stained red, embedded itself in the rock. Everyone's attention snapped to the scene—the branch paused just a few centimeters from Du Bin’s throat. Li Sisi, pierced through the chest by the sword, knelt, clutching her wound, disbelief written across her face. As the petals lost their immobilizing effect, the two men quickly retreated.

"Damn it! Take this!" Tao Wenjie emerged from underground, unleashing a barrage at Ye Tang’s back. The deadly projectile whistled toward her; just as it closed in, Ye Tang gritted her teeth, and a circular red shield formed around her, rebuffing the shot with a clang.

Tao Wenjie saw her unharmed and gnashed his teeth. "She actually used the angle of the shield to deflect my silver bullets—impressive reflexes."

Shi Haiyun murmured, "Wenjie, I'll fight her up close, you cover me from behind."

"Whatever," Tao Wenjie said, unwillingly firing a few more shots before retreating.

"I've already seen through your weaknesses. It's time to end this," Ye Tang declared. The shield protecting her shattered, unleashing a powerful aura that blew the wall of fire apart, forcing Shi Haiyun and Tao Wenjie to retreat.

Ye Tang waved her hand, and a ball of fire emerged, morphing instantly into three fiery birds that flew at her opponents. "Blazing Firebirds!"

"Strange, she suddenly became stronger. Has she been hiding her true power all along?"

The three firebirds bombarded the space between her foes, forcing them to dodge left and right. Ye Tang’s speed surged, leaving a trail of afterimages as she zigzagged in a J-shaped path, maneuvering behind Tao Wenjie. Before he could react, a beam of light sliced him in two, stunning the onlookers.

The bisected Tao Wenjie, after a moment of shock, transformed his body into metallic liquid, slowly healing himself. Ye Tang was already standing before him, smiling. "Hmph, you think I'll give you the chance to reform your body? If I evaporate you into nothingness, that's your end."

No sooner had she spoken than Ye Tang unleashed a torrent of fire; as it touched Tao Wenjie's metallic liquid, the temperature soared, and his body began to evaporate without respite.

"Ah!" Tao Wenjie howled, writhing in agony.

With a thunderous blast, Tao Wenjie’s body exploded into fragments. Though the scattered pieces still showed signs of life, he had lost all ability to attack. The entire audience stared, stunned into silence.

"Damn! Are you kidding me? Even the modified superhuman was killed!" The thin man slammed the table in fury, extinguishing his cigar.

A round-faced, portly man grumbled, "I invested so much money betting on the weaker group dying, and now it’s all for nothing."

"I put in fifteen million; Mr. Chen invested twenty million; Mr. Chu, same as me, fifteen million; and Mr. Huang put in ten million. Mr. Zeng, you invested—"

"I invested a hundred million on the weaker group to win," Zeng Yilong replied.

Ma Jinlong's expression soured at these words. The two locked eyes, and the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

The thin man grew more worried, saying nervously, "Mr. Ma, you don’t look well. If the weaker group wins, you’ll lose a lot of money. With odds of two to one, you’d owe two hundred million dollars, which converts to thirteen billion in local currency, all to Mr. Zeng."

"Indeed, Mr. Ma, things aren't looking good for you," the fat man gloated.

Ma Jinlong knew he couldn't turn the tide, yet forced a smile and feigned composure. "Hahaha, don’t worry, there are still two superhumans left—everything depends on this critical moment."

Ye Tang circled Shi Haiyun, unable to approach him for an attack. Even striking the outer wall couldn’t shatter the barrier. She analyzed how to break through this resilient wall. (This man is also skilled at controlling fire, but only at a beginner’s level. As long as he keeps using his powers, he’ll quickly exhaust himself.)

"Ah!" Shi Haiyun kept channeling power, creating layers of flame around himself. "Your strength is impressive, but you’ll never breach my wall of fire."

Ye Tang abandoned the time-consuming approach, instead observing her surroundings to find a solution. She chuckled lightly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at how you only know defense and can't even attack—a failure. Modified superhumans must have lower intelligence too." Ye Tang merely circled him, seeming to play around with no intention to attack.

"Trying a taunt? You underestimate me," Shi Haiyun replied cautiously, wondering what she was planning.

Meanwhile, Du Bin, though he’d escaped Li Sisi’s direct assault, was still threatened by her power over plants. She controlled the entire forest, and the speed at which the vegetation grew was astonishing.

"Damn it, cut them down and they just regrow," Hu Guozheng said, panicking as he dodged branches and hacked at them with his machete. The two stood back-to-back, surrounded by a wall of branches.

"Fatty, have you noticed anything?"

"Noticed what?" Hu Guozheng asked, puzzled.

"If those plants really wanted us dead, why bother surrounding us instead of attacking? Is it because she’s injured? If so..." Du Bin kept focusing on Li Sisi’s injury. The plants had shifted from aggressive attacks to merely encircling them, raising his suspicions. "I suspect her injury is severe, preventing her from fully using her powers. That's why she's hiding behind the plants and avoiding direct confrontation. This siege is just a show—the key to victory is finding her hiding spot."

"So you mean, if we find her and kill her, we can escape? But that’s easier said than done!"

Du Bin scanned the area, hoping to glimpse Li Sisi through the gaps in the vegetation, but no matter what, he couldn’t pinpoint her exact location. "Logically, yes, but killing..."

Hu Guozheng knew Du Bin was hesitant about murder, so he struck a pose with his machete, surveying all suspicious spots. "Fine, let's shoot at every suspicious place and see what happens."

"Are you stupid? You’re just hoping for luck, and I’m running out of bullets. When we get to the mountaintop, we can’t just start killing people!"

"True, but the area is so vast," Hu Guozheng realized, scratching his head apologetically.

"Be patient. You’re a sharp-eyed investigative reporter—you should be better at spotting hiding places than I am."

When the gambling match began, Li Sisi had injected herself with an enhancement drug on Dr. She’s orders. The drug suppressed pain, but when the sword pierced her, she felt intense agony. Now, she had clearly lost her ability to attack, but her control over the plants remained strong. All she could do was keep the two men trapped in the vegetation, waiting for them to be slowly consumed. To avoid being found, she stayed crouched behind the plants, not daring to make a sound.

"Damn it, this new power drains too quickly. Without a restorative injection, I won’t last much longer."

Beep... beep... Dr. She saw a red alert flashing on the tester, realizing Li Sisi was on the brink of danger. Sweat formed on his brow, but in his heart, he welcomed this as a perfect excuse to abandon these three experimental prototypes. What he truly desired was to capture the girl with such astonishing power and make her his research subject. The thought stirred restless excitement within him.