Chapter 121: Why Are The Heroes So Strong

The tentacle guy was having a blast fighting Spider-Man, while the armored guy, who had just taken a hit from Captain America's shield, got back up and locked eyes on Cap, who had swiped his shield.

The guy was pissed.

How dare this shield-toting idiot barge into their lair and act tough? Did he really think the big, bad-muscle man was just for show?

So, the armored guy charged at Cap with a roar, throwing a punch right at him.

Meanwhile, Chu Cheng was focused on Spider-Man, while Captain America was battling a different dude.

In action games, AI teammates usually fall into two categories. The first type is like a sidekick who randomly wrecks everything, kind of like in "God of War." The second type, which is more common, is the kind you can't rely on to do much. They're more likely to get in the way than actually help.

The AI in this game was somewhere in the middle—not as smart as a real player but not completely useless either. And when the AI was playing as Captain America, the gap closed even more. As long as it could block, there wasn't much of a problem.

The armored guy threw a punch, and Captain America raised his shield to block it. There was a loud "clang," but Cap didn't budge.

The armored guy moved to the side and swung another punch. Cap swung his shield horizontally, and there was another loud sound, but he still didn't move an inch.

The guy in armor changed his position again and threw two more punches, but Captain America just twirled his shield and blocked them effortlessly.

Cap was like a rock: no matter where the punches came from, he didn't move at all.

The armored guy roared, his arm muscles bulging as he threw a massive punch. But just as it touched the star on Cap's shield, it stopped cold.

The guy's muscles relaxed, and he winced in pain, shaking his hand as if it were broken.

What the heck is this shield made of? Is it cursed or something?

Even though the infected didn't feel pain, the phantom did. The guy was pretty sure he almost broke his hand on that thing.

Captain America saw his chance and, with a swift move, slammed his shield into the guy's chin, knocking him to the ground.

"I can do this all day," Cap said confidently.

Hearing this, the armored guy nearly choked on his own rage, his body twitching on the ground.

No kidding, you're just hiding behind that invincible shield like a coward. Of course, you can fight all day.

The problem is, I can't... it hurts...

Meanwhile, the tentacle guy was still struggling.

His attacks were faster than ever, almost instinctual, but he still couldn't land a hit.

He noticed something else strange, too.

Every time Spider-Man was in mid-air and one of the tentacles aimed at his landing spot, Spidey would suddenly jump again, somersaulting out of reach.

The tentacle guy's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

What the heck? Jumping in mid-air off his own foot?

Only a superhero like Spider-Man could pull off moves that defy the laws of physics. Who is this guy!?

Spider-Man's game style was completely different from Batman's. In previous Spider-Man games, double jumping was a basic skill, just like wall crawling, and it was essential for his agility.

But seeing it in real life was mind-blowing, and it made the tentacle guy want to scream, "Newton, save me!"

Spider-Man dodged all the attacks perfectly and quickly shot out his webbing, which stuck to the opponent's body with a snap. Then he yanked hard, and the tentacle guy suddenly felt a massive force pulling him over.

First, Spider-Man landed a punch to the head, followed by a flying kick to the jaw. The tentacle guy felt like his entire body was being pummeled, his bones cracking under the relentless blows. He was almost unrecognizable.

After kicking him to the ground, Spider-Man somersaulted over, grabbed a few of the guy's tentacles, tied them up in a tight knot, and then swung the whole bundle around. He smashed the guy into the ground over and over, so hard that the entire underground building shook like an earthquake, and the place was wrecked in just a few hits.

Meanwhile, the scorpion woman, who Spider-Man had kicked away earlier, barely managed to stand up.

She was ready to join the fight again, but after seeing how effortlessly Spider-Man dodged and countered the tentacle guy's attacks, she thought better of it. So, she quietly slunk back to her corner and pretended to be knocked out.

Of course, as a phantom with some intelligence, she wasn't exactly being a coward or abandoning her teammate. She was just making a smart choice, letting her teammate take the heat while she waited for an opening.

She waited patiently, and finally, after her teammate was down for the count, she saw Spider-Man stop moving for a moment beside the fallen guy.

This was her chance!

The scorpion woman's eyes lit up, and she quickly went from pretending to be knocked out to being fully alert. She pounced at Spider-Man from behind, faster and deadlier than a hunting cheetah!

But Spider-Man didn't even look back; he just threw a punch behind him.

Boom.

The scorpion woman's face smacked right into Spider-Man's fist, like she had just dived straight into it.

Her entire face was distorted by the punch, and as she was sent flying, a thought crossed her mind.

Wait, does this guy have eyes in the back of his head?

Chu Cheng quickly switched back to Captain America. By this time, the guy in scale armor was shouting at the top of his lungs, but despite all the noise, he couldn't land a punch.

But to be fair, it wasn't that he didn't want to fight; the problem was that his opponent was hiding behind a shield like a coward.

The guy was in full "you can't touch me" mode, and to make matters worse, that shield was practically indestructible, making any attempts to hit back pointless.

With a quick switch, Captain America changed tactics and charged straight ahead. The scale-armored guy was startled and threw a punch to block, but it hit the shield again, and his whole arm went numb.

Captain America's shield slammed into the guy's chin and gut, followed by a kick to the back of his knee, dropping him to the ground. As he tried to get up, a powerful kick sent him flying backward.

The man in the scaly armor was dazed by the combo and slid a long way across the floor. As soon as his vision cleared, he saw Spider-Man hanging upside down in front of him.

"Hey buddy, how's it going today?" Spider-Man grinned.

The guy in the armor tensed up, lying on the ground, and immediately threw a punch at Spider-Man.

Even though he'd been knocked around by that cursed shield, he still believed in his punching power. He was known as the strongest in their group. With this punch, even a bear would go down.

But Spider-Man casually raised a hand, spread his fingers, and caught the punch effortlessly. His thin arms were as strong as steel.

"Nice punch," Spider-Man nodded. "I'd give it about an eight—if the full score is 100."

Scaly Armor Guy:!?!?

Wait, are all you masked guys this insane?

...

Chu Cheng never expected his teammates to be super useful, but they actually did pretty well this time. They held off the enemies, giving Chu Cheng's masked allies the chance to do some real damage, and they even racked up a good score themselves.

After a fierce battle, all the infected in the hall were down. These infected might've been considered elite compared to the usual ones, but they were just a bunch of overconfident thugs when it came down to it.

The agents from the service might not have the same physical strength as the mutated infected, but their combat experience, skills, and teamwork more than made up for it. One-on-one, an agent might struggle, but in pairs, they had a good chance of winning.

And, of course, they had guns.

Unlike the infected, who relied solely on their brute strength and healing abilities, the agents were equipped with armor and weapons.

As the saying goes, "you can't get stronger without money," and that's exactly why these agents were well-prepared.

Initially, the infected had the advantage, ambushing the agents and catching them off guard. But once the agents regained their footing, it was like watching someone with a dagger charge at a fully armed fire team—not a smart move.

The phantom leading the infected, known as Anti-Sonic, was a bit stronger but still not much of a threat.

While the infected shared the pressure of fighting off the nine agents, Anti-Sonic mainly had to deal with Fana's phantom and Agent Luo Yajun, who had some serious combat skills. But even that was a struggle for him.

Anti-Sonic wasn't really built for combat; his skills were more suited for scouting. Even though he was physically stronger than a regular human, he wasn't on the same level as his more combat-focused teammates.

He didn't plan on charging in and getting beaten up. Originally, he was just keeping an eye on things from the front, but when he saw the agents doing the same, he decided to dive in with the infected.

The plan was simple: lure the enemies in, then let the team swoop in and take them out. But things didn't go as planned. He'd been fighting alone for what felt like forever, and his teammates were nowhere to be found.

They were supposed to back him up, but it was like they vanished. If everyone had followed the plan, they'd be winning. But without support, he was left out to dry, and now he was the one taking the heat.

Anti-Sonic was in that exact spot. The combo from the Red Phantom and Detective Luo had him cornered, but he didn't realize just how bad things were going.

It's one thing to be stuck fighting alone while your team is busy watching from the back row, but it's worse when you're holding off the enemy's main force and look back only to see your team getting wiped out. It's enough to break anyone's spirit.

So, Anti-Sonic made his move, using his sonic abilities to create an explosion-like noise nearby. In a battle, a sudden, loud noise can distract anyone, even if it's just for a split second. That's all the time he needed to break free.

He jumped back, using his strength to create distance, taunting as he moved. "Is this the best you've got, Nine Secret Service? Just a bunch of..."

Before he could finish, Luo Yajun raised his hand without even looking and fired a shot that hit Anti-Sonic mid-air. Anti-Sonic grunted, the rest of his sentence lost as he crashed to the ground, rolling in pain.

The Red Phantom was on him in a flash, pinning him down almost as soon as he hit the ground.

By now, most of the infected were taken care of, and the remaining agents were cleaning up the battlefield, keeping an eye on the final showdown. They were impressed by the efficiency and skill of Luo Yajun and the Red Phantom.

The Red Phantom's moves were swift, deadly, and graceful, living up to her name. Even the well-trained agents watching knew they wouldn't stand a chance against her.

Luo Yajun, already one of the top in the Nine Secret Service, had taken a huge step up since the elimination of his phantom. He not only had the ability to transform weapons, but his physical abilities were remarkable. His marksmanship was so precise it felt like the gun aimed itself.

"You were amazing out there," Luo Yajun said, walking over to Fana and complimenting her.

"Thanks," she replied, not taking her eyes off the now-defeated Anti-Sonic.

The Red Phantom lifted Anti-Sonic, who was too injured to fight back. According to the Nine Secret Service's usual protocol, he would likely be executed on the spot.

But then something unexpected happened.

Just as they were about to finish the job, a blur of movement appeared in the shadows. No one saw exactly what happened, but they heard a heavy thud, and suddenly, the Red Phantom was knocked back as if she'd been hit hard.

"What the...!?" Detective Luo Yajun, who was ready to celebrate, was frozen in shock.

A new figure stood in front of Anti-Sonic, covered in what looked like a mix of scale armor and metal. It resembled an exoskeleton, but not the kind made of technology—more like some kind of biological structure.

Luo Yajun narrowed his eyes, his hand transforming into a machine gun. "Another phantom?"

The new figure turned slowly, casting a cold glance at them through a mask-like shell. Then, the mask opened, revealing a sharp-edged face.

Luo Yajun's expression shifted from confusion to suspicion and finally to shock as he realized who he was looking at.

"Lengji!?" he gasped in disbelief.