Chapter 171: Torment

Outside the city…

Zhou Liming was still riding on the tallest Pig Beast. Thanks to his control yesterday, he was now gradually mastering the trick to controlling these Pig Beasts.

Compared to the chaotic mess yesterday, Zhou Liming today had specially arranged the Pig Beasts into six rows, with ten in each row, and then they advanced neatly. Zhou Liming knew the Pig Beasts’ endurance all too well; firing Form Skills ten or so times was simply not a problem. So, Zhou Liming simply had them fire their Form Skills row by row in turns, creating an endless effect.

Actually, Zhou Liming’s intention was very simple: to torment them severely.

Since violence could not make them submit, he would change his method. He would use this way of tormenting them to make them mentally collapse and become willing. This kind of psychological pressure tactic took a rather long time, far less effective than using violence. But facing the upcoming seventh Fierce Beast Tide, only by possessing sufficient ability could one protect oneself. However, if he used violence, given the powerful strength of the more than two hundred Super Warriors here, how could he make them submit without killing dozens of them?

Tormenting them was better described as revealing his own abilities bit by bit, until they no longer had any temper left.

Whenever he thought about how the Grand Rear controlled over twelve thousand Super Warriors, and this number was still climbing, Zhou Liming knew he had to cherish every Super Warrior in the Fierce Beast Occupied Area who did not belong to the state. Compared to the Grand Rear, the power in the entire Occupied Area was still too weak; it was not even worth mentioning.

Zhou Liming even suspected that the state disdained the meager power of the human survivors in the Fierce Beast Occupied Area, which was why they had not rushed to launch a rescue operation.

It made sense when he thought about it. In the entire Gui Province, the number of existing Super Warriors would not exceed a thousand, and most of them were mainly at Level Three or Level Four, with a small number of Level Five Super Warriors. This power was too weak; it was like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away. If it were Zhou Liming himself, he would not have any interest in these people either.

Compared to the Grand Rear, with its population of up to 800 million, it was far beyond what the less than 100 million survivors in the Fierce Beast Occupied Area could compare with.

When Zhou Liming was in the X-Squadron, since the X-Squadron’s level was very high, he had access to more secrets. In certain documents, there was a vague mention of the state’s “Thunder Plan,” which was to store enough military power and then launch a thunderous strike to drive the Fierce Beasts completely back into the sea. The entire plan was very vast, and the Frontline’s defense was only a part of the plan.

“Perhaps they are not in a hurry to save the surviving humans in the Fierce Beast Occupied Area because they want to preserve more power to execute the Thunder Plan?”

Looking out at the endless rice paddies, their hands and feet were not slow; compared to yesterday, they had harvested another small half.

Zhou Liming smiled. From the moment he appeared, more than a dozen Super Warriors had spotted him and rushed out, forming a human wall in the air. All of them had entered their Fierce Beast Forms. Looking at their ferocious appearances, their various Form Skills were already prepared, and they looked ready to fight immediately if a single word did not agree with them.

“The Pig Beasts’ ability is still a bit too weak.” Zhou Liming felt somewhat helpless. Level Three Fierce Beast Pig Beasts, when facing a Level Four Super Warrior, would be severely injured and lose their fighting ability if hit by the opponent’s Form Skill. Their skin might be thick and their flesh tough, but their level was right there; they might not be instantly killed, but losing combat capability was certain.

Thinking of the Flame Bird and Bullhorn Fish in the distance, Zhou Liming shook his head. If he let these two perverts out, wouldn’t the entire city turn into ruins?

Zhou Liming did not order the Pig Beasts to charge; meaningless death was completely unnecessary.

Yesterday, Zhou Liming had thrown seven or eight Super Warriors away like garbage; such strength caused some fear. Otherwise, it would not be a standoff right now, but they would have swarmed up and started a brawl. As the protectors of the city, they were proud existences and did not need to hold back in their actions.

When Shao Weiguo flew over angrily, some people were already unable to resist attacking.

“What exactly do you want to do?” As soon as Shao Weiguo arrived, he immediately shouted at Zhou Liming. As a Level Five Super Warrior, he felt that he was worse than lower-level Super Warriors, and this feeling was humiliating. But deep down, Shao Weiguo was full of vigilance toward Zhou Liming; he could sense the terror hidden beneath the other’s ordinary appearance.

Zhou Liming shook his head and said, “I am discussing all flying Super Warriors.”

Shao Weiguo did not understand. He looked around, and indeed, everyone who came possessed the ability to fly. He knew that for Super Warriors, no matter how powerful they were, facing an opponent who could fly high in the sky was always a headache. They could not catch up, and they could not hit them; it was incredibly frustrating.

“Haha, kid, if you have the guts, come up here!” Some people seemed to realize this and made provocative gestures.

Even Shao Weiguo could not help but laugh dumbfoundedly. It seemed he had been scared by the young man in front of him being able to command Fierce Beasts yesterday, so he had not noticed the advantage in the air.

Zhou Liming also laughed along. The clothes on his back were suddenly torn apart by the appearing wings. A pair of demon-like wings emerged, and with a light flap, he slowly flew up into the sky, then hovered there. His eyes were full of teasing as he said helplessly, “I discussed flying Super Warriors because, to deal with you, I have to waste another piece of clothing.”

Everyone was stunned, and then they became furious. What was this? In his eyes, we are not even worth a piece of clothing? Damn it, that’s a bit too arrogant, isn’t it?

Seeing the wings Zhou Liming revealed, Shao Weiguo finally knew why he felt fear toward the other party. Now, the wings Zhou Liming revealed meant that the other party was also a Super Warrior like himself. In his normal state alone, he could defeat Level Three and Level Four Super Warriors; his level…

Shao Weiguo became serious and said slowly, “What is your purpose?”

In Shao Weiguo’s view, the other party would not appear here without a reason, and he was teasing them like this, so there must be some cause.

Zhou Liming flapped his wings lightly, pointed to the city not far away, and said, “My purpose is right here. I don’t really like to speak with my fists; I prefer to convince people with virtue. But there is no way; you guys insist on using violence to solve problems, so…” He gave a helpless smile, looking at Shao Weiguo with a half-smile.

Hearing the meaning in Zhou Liming’s words, Shao Weiguo’s face changed, and he said coldly, “You have a big appetite, but I’m afraid you can’t swallow it.”

Zhou Liming laughed and said, “That is why I plan to use the method of boiling a frog in warm water, gnawing it down bit by bit. But don’t worry, my appetite has always been very good, and this little bit of food won’t trouble me. You should know that in this world, the strong are king. With your strength as a Level Five Super Warrior, you are still too weak; it is simply impossible to protect the safety of this city.”

“You mean, you have the ability to protect the safety of this city?” Shao Weiguo was furious. His clothes cracked bit by bit, and then feather-like scales appeared all over his body, covering him. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a giant bird.

Tormenting people was not only mental but also physical.

Zhou Liming flapped his wings hard and said, “Put away your pride; in my eyes, you are nothing. Today I will teach you a lesson on what a true Super Warrior is.”

Even a Level Six Super Warrior could be instantly blasted to pieces by Zhou Liming, let alone these people. The force brought by his flapping wings was terrifying. With instant movement, Zhou Liming appeared in front of a Super Warrior and punched him hard in the stomach. With a scream, the warrior was blasted more than ten meters away by Zhou Liming and then fell powerlessly to the ground.

Everything happened too fast. The others had not reacted yet; they only felt a gust of wind blow past, and then their whole body was in pain. The next moment, they were lifted up and smashed into the fields below, confusedly eating a mouthful of mud. The severe pain made it almost impossible for them to struggle to stand up.

More than a dozen Level Three and Level Four Super Warriors were all lying in the fields below within half a minute. In the entire sky, only Shao Weiguo remained alone.

In this instant, Shao Weiguo felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, trembling all over. The terrifying speed made him unable to see the other party’s movements clearly, but his dozen or so subordinates had already been beaten down by Zhou Liming. Such ability, let alone seeing it, he had never even heard of it.

Now Shao Weiguo finally knew that the other party’s appetite was indeed very good; it was not arrogance, but confidence.

Zhou Liming clapped his hands and slowly flew back to a spot not far in front of Shao Weiguo. He looked as if he had done something insignificant, grinned, and said, “How about it? Now you know there is a sky beyond the sky and people beyond people, right? Fortunately, you met me. If you met a Level Six Fierce Beast, tut tut… it wouldn’t just be pain; you would lose your lives too.”

“Level Six Fierce Beast?” Shao Weiguo frowned. He indeed had not encountered one before and did not have much concept of a Level Six Fierce Beast.

Shao Weiguo’s Fierce Beast Form looked like a birdman, covered in steel-like feathers. It flew very fast in the air, mainly relying on gliding. When spreading his wings, the wide wings could provide enough airflow for him to glide quickly through the air. His feet turned into sharp iron claws, and with a swooping glide, he fiercely grabbed toward Zhou Liming.

Zhou Weiguo originally thought Shao Weiguo would use a Form Skill right away, but unexpectedly, he used physical combat.

The weakness of Form Skills was still too obvious; at most, they could be used two or three times before consuming all the energy in the body. Unless it was absolutely necessary, no one would use them easily. If a few moves could not defeat the enemy, under exhaustion, wouldn’t one just be at the mercy of others?