Chapter 26: A Bitter Battle

"Swish—"

A sharp and beautiful flash of sword light swept in front of Wu Dahai, and the three "flesh vines" that were shooting toward him were severed in unison. Blood mist sprayed wildly, spreading around, filling the air with an eerie golden-red hue under the streetlights. A tall girl, dressed in a high school uniform, gripped the sword in her reverse hand, her long hair flying, her legs slender. She was like a divine warrior descending from the heavens, standing between Wu Dahai and "Old Zhang."

Wu Dahai stared blankly, momentarily forgetting his fear. For the first time in his life, he felt his heart race.

"Run."

Qing Ling didn't look back, her full attention focused on the enemy.

"Uh... uh," Wu Dahai snapped out of it, scrambling to his feet and running, not forgetting to shout, "Beautiful... be careful..."

At this moment, Old Zhang had transformed into a beast between a plant and an animal. The "buds" on his body oozed pus and blood blisters, making sounds that were both thirsty and angry. "Human! Human! Human..."

The vines beneath him were no longer rushing to attack, but instead coiled around his body, tightening inch by inch, like a meat grinder.

Gao Yang could not describe the disgusting scene. Within ten seconds, the air was filled with a pungent, fishy odor. He forced back the urge to vomit and went forward to support the returning Wu Dahai. "Why didn't you fight just now?"

"I don't have any fighting ability!" Wu Dahai replied confidently.

"But that move you did earlier was pretty powerful?" Gao Yang asked in confusion. "A snap of your fingers, and the game console shuts off."

"That's a special voice-controlled master switch. You snap your fingers, and you can turn it off too," Wu Dahai explained.

Gao Yang was utterly speechless: Brother, it turns out you're even more useless than I am? How did you get into the organization? Did you walk through the back door, or did you open the door yourself? Is this organization really worth joining?

Forget it, better rely on myself.

"Do you have any weapons?" Gao Yang shouted at Officer Huang.

"I have a golf club in the trunk of my car," Officer Huang replied, holding a gun in one hand and tossing the car keys to Gao Yang with the other.

Gao Yang caught the keys and quickly opened the trunk, pulling out a silver golf club.

Not far away, Old Zhang's body was completely shredded. Aside from the "brain" that still had facial features, the rest of his body had turned into "vines"—or more accurately, tentacles.

These tentacles were formed from Old Zhang's large intestine, internal organs, muscle tissue, and cartilage, and there were more than twenty of them in total.

Now, Old Zhang resembled a mutated octopus flipped over on the ground.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh..." Three tentacles shot toward Qing Ling.

Qing Ling reacted swiftly, slashing through them.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" Four more tentacles fell from the sky, aiming for Qing Ling.

She swiftly dodged to the side, avoiding the lash of the tentacles. At that moment, several tentacles on the ground in the darkness had quietly crawled up to Qing Ling's feet.

Qing Ling was startled and quickly jumped backward.

The tentacles, like cobras, hissed as they leaped into the air. One of them violently coiled around Qing Ling's white ankle, pulling her back to the ground.

"Bang!" A bullet interrupted the tentacle.

Ignoring the pain, Qing Ling flipped to her side, drawing her sword with a swift movement and severing the remaining tentacles that had come close.

She couldn't afford to stop. Holding her long sword, she ran horizontally, carefully observing that the tentacles shot fastest in a straight line from Old Zhang's position. After the tentacles launched, their lateral movement was much slower.

Qing Ling decided to circle around Old Zhang, which would reduce the chances of being caught by the tentacles.

"Bang—" Officer Huang seized the opportunity, firing three shots at Old Zhang's "brain" in a second.

"Ahhh... Human! Human! Human, human, human..."

Old Zhang shuddered violently, letting out a horrific scream as several tentacles recoiled, protecting the brain.

"The weak point is the head!" Officer Huang shouted to Qing Ling, while quickly reloading a fresh magazine.

Qing Ling also realized this, but she dared not approach recklessly.

Old Zhang's tentacles numbered over twenty, each flexible and powerful. Aside from her own Tang sword, no other weapon could sever them. Even if she managed to cut them, they would regenerate quickly.

On the other hand, if Qing Ling made a mistake, countless tentacles would ensnare her, dragging her toward Old Zhang. Then, those tentacles would likely regroup around the main body, transforming back into a "meat grinder." She would be shredded into a bloody pulp, becoming part of Old Zhang, her eyes, mouth, nose, and ears likely merging into that disgusting mass of flesh, constantly chanting "human, human, human..." alongside Old Zhang. Her other body parts would become new tentacles to capture more humans...

The thought of such a death made even the cold-hearted Qing Ling's scalp tingle.

There was only one chance.

Failure meant hell.

Qing Ling took a deep breath, suddenly sprinting with the speed of a hundred-meter dash, circling around the target. Old Zhang's tentacles followed suit, turning into a small rotating swing.

After two minutes of high-speed circling, Qing Ling slowed down. Whether from her daily short-distance training or her talent with the sword, they were all forms of explosive power that couldn't last long. She had to make a move quickly.

She still hadn't found the perfect opening, but before her stamina clearly waned, she had to strike.

"Cover me!" Qing Ling seized the moment, maneuvering to the side of Old Zhang with fewer tentacles, charging forward with her sword raised. Seven or eight of Old Zhang's tentacles immediately recoiled, while the remaining dozen tentacles closed in from all directions.

Qing Ling approached rapidly, constantly adjusting her position to dodge the attacks, severing tentacles as she went.

The space filled with thick blood mist. In the flashes of sword and light, Qing Ling danced like a bloodstained white butterfly amid countless tentacles.

Officer Huang wasn't idle either.

He activated his gun mastery ability, firing at a rate of one shot per second to cover Qing Ling. The tentacles that managed to escape Qing Ling's blade were immediately cut down by the following bullets.

All this happened in just a few seconds.

Officer Huang quickly emptied all his bullets, and Qing Ling had already closed in on Old Zhang. With a swift sidestep, she avoided the last two tentacles, raising her sword high with both hands, preparing to strike down at Old Zhang's "brain."

In that moment, everyone was certain that Old Zhang's brain would be split in two like a fragile watermelon. However, everyone overlooked the severed tentacles on the ground.

As soon as they hit the ground, the tentacles crawled back to the main body at incredible speed.

Just as Qing Ling was about to strike, she felt a sharp pain in her heel. It was the countless returning severed tentacles, continuously striking her foot. Qing Ling's foot slipped, and though she quickly adjusted her stance, the power in her waist didn't fully explode, causing her arm's strength to dissipate.

A second later, she swung a weakened blow.

The sword strike was still powerful and the blade sharp, but it only cut into the target less than a third of the way. Old Zhang did not die. It screamed in agony, and several newly grown tentacles whipped at Qing Ling's waist.

"Ugh..." Qing Ling's weapon flew out of her hands, landing several meters away. She rolled on the ground twice. She didn't give up, reaching out her right hand toward Old Zhang a few meters away, her fingers spreading wide. "Metal!"