Chapter Thirty-Two: Li Xueshu’s Strength

“Damn it!” Lin Lei cursed, rolling sideways and picking up the steel blade as he sprang back to his feet.

His skin was tough and his body's defenses were formidable; though the impact just now was powerful, it was still within his tolerance. His own injuries were not a concern—the real problem was with Chen Ning and Qiao’er. No matter how skilled they were, neither possessed source energy. Although they had been farther from the center of the explosion, the effects on them were even greater. Even if their lives weren’t in danger, it would be a while before they could be of any use again.

Without their help, Lin Lei was left to face this monster alone.

With a roar, the creature’s icy eyes locked onto Lin Lei, recognizing him as the real threat among the three. It charged straight at him.

Lin Lei’s eyes widened as the monster lunged again. He rolled at the last second, evading the razor-sharp claws, then twisted around and struck at the beast’s hindquarters—a target he had found most vulnerable on similar monsters before.

The blade sliced easily through the skin and flesh.

But with a metallic clang, the blade stuck fast in the creature’s bone. Even the alloy combat blade in Lin Lei’s hands couldn’t sever its sturdy skeleton. The shock numbed his arms and forced him back half a step.

What the—?

With his current strength, wielding an alloy blade, he could cleave steel in two. Was this creature’s bone really that hard?

Numbness and pain throbbed from his grip, but Lin Lei tightened his hold on the sword and retreated slightly.

The monster snarled in pain and rage, whirling around to bare its fangs at him, then lunged once more with its claws.

Lin Lei met the attack with his blade.

The monster’s muscular arm swung down, claws slashing like steel, crashing into Lin Lei’s weapon.

A metallic screech echoed as blade met claw, the sound ringing like forged iron. Lin Lei felt a surge of overwhelming force course through the blade, jarring his arms.

He tasted blood in his throat, pain searing through his hands, nearly losing his grip on the sword. The force sent him staggering backward uncontrollably.

The beast howled and pounced again, seizing the opportunity.

This is bad, Lin Lei thought, hastily raising trembling hands and bringing the sword up in defense.

The next blow sent him flying, his whole body hurled into the air by the monster’s terrifying strength. He crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up blood as shock flashed in his eyes.

The monster’s strength was monstrous—beyond reason.

No matter how skilled his combat techniques, it meant little against an opponent whose raw power so vastly exceeded his own. They weren’t even in the same weight class; skill was pointless.

With a hiss, the monster dove at him again. Lin Lei’s eyes flashed with determination. Gritting his teeth, he rolled to his feet and raised his blade once more.

At the same time, he decisively activated Devour, targeting the Calming Pendant around his neck.

As Devour triggered, he felt the source energy within his body surge rapidly, rising by an enormous margin. Though the pendant was a low-grade artifact and nearly depleted, swallowing it still gave Lin Lei’s source energy a substantial boost.

A torrent of source energy fused into him, greatly enhancing his physical abilities. The pendant, lacking flesh and blood, couldn’t heal his wounds—but the power invigorated him. Even as a ringing whine sounded in his ears, he had no time to care.

He leveled his blade.

Sparks flew as steel clashed with claw.

This time, Lin Lei was driven back several steps, but he was in far better shape than before.

The second-tier monster hesitated, then charged again. Lin Lei’s eyes narrowed, and with a sidestep, he dodged the monster’s ferocious attack and slashed again.

The keen blade split the creature’s tough hide, but still could not pierce its iron-hard bones.

Devouring the Calming Pendant had cost Lin Lei fifty units of Devour energy, but the strength he gained was far less than from devouring five ghouls—even greatly so.

The pendant only boosted his power because of the source energy it contained, which Lin Lei absorbed.

He hadn’t realized the difference in power between first and second-tier anomalies was so vast. Now, Lin Lei estimated his punches were close to, if not surpassing, a thousand kilograms of force—yet the monster’s strength was at least half again greater.

That disparity translated not only to greater raw power, but overwhelming superiority in speed and explosiveness. If not for his equipment, skills, and the fact that the monster had already been wounded by gunfire and was not at full strength, Lin Lei would have been finished by now.

The beast lunged again.

Lin Lei drew a deep breath, braced himself, feet planted firmly on the ground, heart taut with tension—ready to dodge once more.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air behind him.

He felt a chill wind brush past his ear.

With a muffled explosion, the monster’s chest burst open mid-leap, its shriek filling the night as it crashed to the ground, a gaping wound blown clean through its torso.

Lin Lei turned and saw Li Xueshu emerge calmly from the darkness, finally allowing himself to breathe.

The monster, recognizing her threat, roared in unwilling fury but dared not attack again, slinking away into the shadows.

Li Xueshu smirked coldly but did not pursue or strike again.

On the other side, Qiao’er—her hair disheveled, her face streaked with blood—limped out from cover. The monster had only targeted Lin Lei; she and Chen Ning had only been caught in the blast of the black energy shield, escaping lethal harm.

“Bastard!” Qiao’er snatched up a discarded submachine gun and fired a volley at the fleeing beast.

The creature’s agility made it a difficult target; unlike its predictable charge, its retreat was erratic, and most bullets missed. In a blink, it vanished into the darkness.

Li Xueshu glanced at Lin Lei, her expression subtly complex. “I didn’t expect you to hold out so long against a second-tier anomaly…”

Her words made Lin Lei realize—she had probably arrived long ago but chose not to intervene.

She wanted to see my true abilities?

Lin Lei wisely chose not to press the matter. Instead, he asked, “Why didn’t you finish it off just now, Captain? You clearly had the strength to do so.”

Li Xueshu was an ice-type power user, capable of long-range attacks; if she could injure the creature so badly in one strike, she surely could have killed it with another.

Li Xueshu shook her head, eyes glinting with a cold light. “That monster was wielding a source artifact—it clearly has someone behind it. If I kill it… how will we ever find out who’s pulling the strings?”