Chapter Eighty: Nourishing You

No matter how far Ye Chen had advanced in his physical cultivation, as a normal person, he still felt an instinctive dread toward firearms. At least for now, he had never attempted to take a direct hit from an elemental energy bullet, nor would he, in a moment of reckless bravado, gamble his life to test such a thing.

To defend against the incoming elemental energy bullets, Ye Chen hurriedly activated his Backward Gaze—a technique he had mastered during his battle with the Cloaked Man. Against flying projectiles, this ability was especially effective.

A gunshot rang out—but it was not fired by the driver.

From a nearby thicket came a flash of fire. Another crimson energy bullet tore through the air, skimming the ground, and struck the firearm in the driver’s hand.

The weapon instantly broke apart in his grasp. The force of the impact sent the driver sprawling, clutching his wounded right hand, his face twisted in terror.

Such accuracy! Who fired that shot?

Xu Fan came running over, pants half-on and one bare cheek exposed, waving a gun as he panted and shouted, “Leave the driver to me! You go stop Piglet—don’t let him get away!”

What a marksman… Ye Chen nodded, indicating he understood.

Neither the maimed, wailing thugs nor the disarmed, injured driver posed any real threat; at best, they were mere pawns. The true culprit was Piglet—the one blinded by greed. Only by capturing him would the mission be truly complete.

“Daring to betray my teammates… Group leader? Bah! You don’t deserve the title—just calling you that sullies my mouth,” Ye Chen muttered curses as he strode toward the terrified Piglet. “Piglet, what, has lard clouded your mind? You’d even lay hands on your own squad?”

Suddenly, Stinkscar—who had been groaning on the ground—shouted, “Ah Miao, what are you waiting for? Attack!”

“Watch your back!” Xu Fan’s startled cry rang out from behind Ye Chen.

Drawn by the shout, Ye Chen turned instinctively. Through his still-active Backward Gaze, a fine white line abruptly pierced his monochrome vision.

Zzz—Zzz—

The white line moved with frightening speed, sweeping upward from below. Ye Chen couldn’t discern what it was, but his instincts screamed—danger, evade, don’t touch it!

He managed to twist aside just in time, narrowly dodging the line as it grazed the tip of his nose.

…What was that?

A metallic clang sounded at his feet. Glancing down, Ye Chen saw half a blade lying there. The boning knife he’d seized earlier was now only a broken remnant, much like his own Awakened Weapon’s shattered edge. The white line had sliced off its tip in a flash.

But what truly made him frown was the long, fresh gash in the hard ground—a cut stretching from a distance right up to his feet.

A chill swept through Ye Chen—he’d nearly been cleaved in two.

The line had originally targeted the space between his legs, but thanks to Xu Fan’s timely warning, he’d twisted just enough to avoid a fate of being split cleanly in half.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen retreated quickly, opening up distance.

The situation had become unpredictable with the arrival of this deadly line. If it were only the likes of Stinkscar and his brute followers, Ye Chen was certain he could handle them all. Even with the elemental energy gun, it would merely mean dodging a few more shots. In the end, victory would still be his.

But just now, he’d brushed shoulders with death.

As Ye Chen backed away, a second white line appeared—this time, sweeping laterally from left to right.

Now Ye Chen saw the source clearly: it was less a white line than a thin, high-pressure jet of water.

And the one wielding it was the unfamiliar man with the trendy, curly hair—previously assumed to be another of Stinkscar’s hired hands, but in truth, a real powerhouse. Ye Chen had underestimated him.

Eyeing the jet intent on slicing him in half, Ye Chen leapt into the air, executing a perfect split midair. His coat tails bore the brunt of the attack, but instead of being severed, they were only pushed aside by the water.

Huh? Why was the attack so weak?

Puzzled for a moment, Ye Chen quickly realized the answer—it was all about distance.

He focused on the man with water streaming from between his fingers; Ye Chen now saw the weakness plainly. This was a mid-range fighter.

How could he manipulate water? Was this what they called an Elemental Awakened One?

If his guess was right, the opponent’s ability was to fire high-pressure water jets. Close up, the jets would be most potent. But as the distance increased, their power clearly waned.

How should he deal with this?

Before Ye Chen could devise a strategy, the wildling named Ah Miao closed in. As an ability user, he knew his own vulnerabilities better than Ye Chen did.

Get close—closer—then strike with lethal force.

Don’t come any nearer! Ye Chen screamed internally.

And so, an absurd chase scene unfolded in the mine:

One man dashed and dodged frantically ahead, while a curly-haired man pursued, fingers extended, firing his water gun at Ye Chen’s heels. Around and around the mining yard they went.

You can’t hurt me, and for now, I can’t do anything to you… Let’s see how much water you’ve got left, how many more shots you can fire.

Xu Fan, still with his pants halfway up, gaped at the pair as they ran in circles, unsure how to help.

The sudden roar of an engine broke the impasse.

Piglet, who had been hiding behind the patrol car, had slipped back inside during the chaos and was now sitting behind the wheel, starting the engine.

He was making his escape.

A man of negligible strength, having seen his subordinates defeated one after another, seized his chance—if he didn’t run now, he’d only be captured.

Ye Chen’s shout came from not far off: “Piglet’s getting away! Xu Fan, forget your pants—shoot the tires! I’ll deal with Curly! Hurry!”

“Oh—right!” Xu Fan snapped out of it, hastily raised his gun, and aimed, ignoring his sagging trousers.

A chill night wind swept through, making him shiver. “Brr! So cold!”

But in that one moment’s hesitation, the injured driver on the ground sprang up with the ferocity of a cornered beast and lunged at Xu Fan…