Chapter 99: The Wrath of the Golden Thunder

He threw a punch toward the monster, shouting, "Explosive Fist!"

As he struck, his figure instantly teleported behind the creature. His fist, carrying immense power, slammed directly into its back. The monster’s entire body shuddered and froze, the fist remaining pressed against it, motionless.

Facing the breath of death, Wu Yongxin’s eyes welled up with tears as she squeezed them shut. When the wind of the punch passed and everything fell silent, she slowly opened her eyes a crack, peering out cautiously. She felt a flicker of confusion when she saw the fist still hovering there without movement.

At that exact moment, the monster’s entire upper torso suddenly tore into countless pieces, blood splattering the surroundings. Watching Zhong Chen, who was panting heavily before her, Wu Yongxin felt an inexplicable sense of joy—an emotion she herself could not quite comprehend.

Zhong Chen stumbled over to her. Without waiting for a reaction, he pulled her into an embrace. "I told you I would protect you."

At first, she resisted, but gradually, she stopped struggling and surrendered to his hold. This sensation caused her to slowly sink into him, and tears from her wet eyes fell involuntarily. In this moment, she no longer insisted on the distance between them.

"Will you really protect me for the rest of your life?"

Zhong Chen was slightly surprised by her question, but seeing her shyly bury her small head into his chest, his heart filled with happiness.

Having just shaken off some of the virus-infected humans, Du Bin struggled as he navigated through the ruins with Fang Yilin. Although he was severely wounded, he endured the pain to protect her; the wound where a steel rod had pierced him had been temporarily treated and was no longer bleeding.

As they turned into an alley, they were immediately surrounded on all sides by the infected. Du Bin scanned his surroundings, realizing all paths were blocked. He could only wait for death—but even in death, he would not surrender without a fight.

"Yilin, hide behind me."

Blocking the alleyway, he unleashed his lightning power. Though he could hold them off for a while, he knew it was not a long-term solution. It was then that Fang Yilin, standing behind him, revealed a ghostly smile.

Before Du Bin could react, four steel needles pierced through his hands and feet. He spat out a mouthful of blood and turned his head in disbelief, watching as Fang Yilin’s hands transformed into long steel needles, the smile on her face turning sinister.

"Yilin, you..."

"Sorry, I’m not your woman. Though, this face used to seduce men isn't half bad."

Her tone did not sound like a lie. According to his knowledge, Fang Yilin possessed no supernatural abilities, yet she was clearly using one, and it felt strangely familiar. "Who exactly are you?"

"You don't recognize me so soon?" Fang Yilin said with a meaningful look.

Before Du Bin could process this, his body was hoisted high into the air, ten meters above the ground. He struggled in vain; the more he fought, the wider the needles pierced through his limbs. Suddenly, a realization struck him, and his heart skipped a beat. "You’re the one from General Mountain."

"Hehehe, you finally remembered. I suppose you aren't stupid after all." Fang Yilin smiled eerily, her body slowly dissolving into liquid before shifting into the true form of Tao Wenjie.

Watching this transformation made Du Bin’s scalp tingle. He recalled that his relationship with Fang Yilin had been one of employment, and the ease with which this person could mimic her filled him with a deep sense of unease.

"What did you do to her?"

Tao Wenjie licked the blood trickling down the steel needles, looking exhilarated. He opened his mouth, revealing two sharp fangs. "Naturally, she became my prey. And you shall join her underground very soon."

"What! You killed her?" Du Bin was shocked. Though she had lost herself to greed, she did not deserve to die, especially with a child growing inside her. The cold-blooded nature of this man filled him with rage.

With his fury, bolts of lightning manifested around his body. His eyes grew wet. "I will never forgive you. Never..."

"Oh? Then come and try, avenge your woman." Tao Wenjie grew more manic, his laughter turning shrill.

Du Bin used all his strength to break free from his restraints. Losing his support, he fell to the ground, shakily stood back up, and unleashed his lightning toward his foe. The power surged forward like a tidal wave.

Yet, as the electricity engulfed Tao Wenjie, it had no effect. Instead, he looked ecstatic. "That feels so good!"

"Du Bin, I'm in so much pain!" Suddenly, Tao Wenjie’s body turned to liquid, transforming back into Fang Yilin, her face contorted in agony.

Seeing her form, Du Bin hesitated for a moment. Noticing his hesitation, Tao Wenjie shifted back to his true self and smirked. "Is it fun?"

Facing such desecration of the deceased Fang Yilin, Du Bin’s rage deepened into hatred. As his anger flared, his blue-white lightning instantly turned gold—a shift that truly caught Tao Wenjie off guard.

As time passed, the lightning surrounding him gathered upward, finally manifesting into a massive hammer behind his back.

"This power... what is happening?" Tao Wenjie felt a sudden, inexplicable unease.

While he was distracted, Du Bin made a gripping motion and swung his arm down at Tao Wenjie. The giant hammer followed his rhythm, crashing down. "Hammer of Thunder!"

Facing the lightning, Tao Wenjie said confidently, "Don't think that just because you changed the color, your lightning can hurt me. I am an insulator for metal, you know."

The moment he finished speaking, the golden hammer struck him. A powerful force expanded outward. As the thick smoke slowly dissipated, Du Bin was clearly visible in the center of a crater dozens of meters wide. He crouched, gasping for air; that single strike had nearly exhausted all his energy.

Scattered around him were countless shards of metal. Seeing that the fragmented liquid metal showed no movement, Du Bin let out a sigh. "Yilin, rest in peace."

"Hehehe, hahaha..."

Not long after he spoke, a series of laughs echoed through the air. Du Bin immediately tensed. At the far end of the crater, a pool of liquid metal emerged from the dirt, slowly forming into a shattered body.

"I told you, you can't kill me." Tao Wenjie licked his injured fingers. Under his control, the scattered metal flew back to his body. Watching his broken form slowly restore itself, Du Bin knew he was powerless. His energy was spent, and the remnants could not change the outcome.

Tao Wenjie’s body fully repaired itself. He shifted back into Fang Yilin, walking toward him with a look of feigned pity. She knelt and gently caressed his face. "Are you in such a hurry? Then let me let you taste the same fate as her."

Fang Yilin’s body transformed into metal, opening like a gaping, bloodthirsty maw to swallow Du Bin whole. He struggled desperately, but the tighter he fought, the tighter the hold became.

"Come, come, offer your body to me. That little vampire girl is your woman, isn't she? After this, let me use your face to love her properly."

On the verge of death, Du Bin heard the creature's plan to deceive Xiao Tang using his likeness. His fury reignited. "Don't you dare."

"What’s wrong? Heartbroken? Love is a beam of light that turns you bright green, hahaha..."

Du Bin opened his eyes, his black pupils instantly turning gold. Accompanied by a loud roar, he unleashed a powerful burst of lightning from his body. "I will absolutely not let you hurt her."