Chapter 77: Reinforcement

Thump, thump, thump…

A dark mass of people surged forward like a tide. Awakeners like Tie Shan and Li Bao led the charge, their killing intent thick in the air as they surrounded the crumbling low building Chen Chong had smashed through. But they found the building teetering on the verge of collapse, its interior a complete wreck, seemingly empty.

Immediately after, a sharp-eyed lackey shouted:

“Over there! That brat ran away!”

“He charged into the residential area!”

“Where’s the General? Why isn’t he here?”

Boom, boom, boom—

“Where are you running, General? Just stand still and let me beat you to death!”

At that moment, like a bulldozer tearing through the residential area, the sounds of bricks and stones exploding rang out one after another, mixed with Chen Chong’s wild laughter echoing over the rooftops and making everyone who had just rushed over tremble in shock.

The lackeys looked at each other in dismay, while the expressions on the faces of Tie Shan and the other seven Awakeners became quite colorful.

What did that mean? The General ran away? Could it be… the General was no match for that brat and was being hunted down instead?

Tie Shan, Gu Jun, and the others quickly exchanged a shocked and uncertain glance. A thought they themselves could hardly believe involuntarily surfaced in their minds.

After all, they had clearly witnessed the terrifying power of the punch Chen Chong used to ambush Blood General. Coupled with the bizarre sight of Chen Chong’s body expanding and transforming into a human tyrannosaurus, they had received a massive shock and impact, forcing them to make such a connection.

Not having experienced it firsthand, they did not think Chen Chong’s strength had surpassed Blood General’s. More likely, Chen Chong’s earlier ambush was far too unexpected, causing Blood General to be caught off guard and suffer severe injuries, leading to this result.

However, even this showed that the current Chen Chong was far stronger than an ordinary Awakener, possibly reaching the level of a high-level Awakener!

Whether it was Awakeners like Tie Shan and Li Bao, or the lowliest lackeys, they were all terrified. Every one of them found the scenes unfolding in these short seconds utterly bizarre and incomprehensible. None of them had expected Chen Chong, someone they never took seriously, to hide his strength so deeply! Even Blood General, whom they revered and feared, had fallen for Chen Chong’s trick!

The lingering echoes of Chen Chong’s manic laughter faded. In that second, various thoughts churned. For a moment, all the Awakeners fell silent, various lights flickering in their eyes.

“Go support the General, now!”

At that moment, as Blood General’s most loyal confidant, Tie Shan’s gaze was fierce as he roared madly:

“That bastard dared to launch a shameless sneak attack! Once the General catches his breath, this brat is dead for sure! Now everyone, form groups of ten, go block him in the alleys immediately! Whoever kills this brat will not only receive a heavy reward but will also take the position of Yin Hu!”

“Roar!”

Rewards make men brave. Tie Shan’s furious roar instantly ignited the bloodlust and fanaticism of the over two hundred lackeys present. Howling wildly like rabid dogs, they surged into the narrow, filthy alleys to search for traces of Chen Chong.

As for Chen Chong’s earlier astonishing performance, it was subconsciously ignored by these lackeys. Blood General’s accumulated authority was too overwhelming. Each of them believed that without the shameless sneak attack, Chen Chong absolutely could not be Blood General’s opponent. And now, they were nearly three hundred strong, armed with guns and cannons. With just a shout, they could overwhelm Chen Chong through sheer numbers!

Besides, the cramped space in the alleys left little room to dodge. With a little luck, killing an Awakener with a volley of homemade guns was not impossible. No one thought they were unlucky. No one wanted to miss such an opportunity to make a name for themselves and show their loyalty in front of Blood General.

“We’ll split into pairs and head him off separately! Don’t let him get away!”

Turning his head swiftly, Tie Shan stared at the six Awakeners Gu Jun, Li Bao, Zhang Long, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, and Qian Xu. His gaze was grim as he said:

“Don’t blame me for not warning you. You should all know something of the General’s ability. The moment he catches his breath, it will be that brat’s death sentence. If any of you are foolish enough to have any ideas you shouldn’t…”

As a trusted confidant, Tie Shan knew clearly that Blood General possessed an extremely wondrous Dominant Ability: absorbing blood as nourishment to accelerate cell division for super-fast healing and recovery!

This ability was astonishing. Any injury not instantly fatal, Blood General could rapidly recover from by absorbing blood. Even severe injuries like severed limbs, theoretically, given enough time and blood nutrients, he could regenerate them!

This was the true source of Blood General’s strength. So, as long as they intercepted Chen Chong and created a chance for Blood General to recover, Chen Chong was doomed!

Although Tie Shan had a rough appearance, his mind was as sharp as a needle, and he immediately judged the situation. Most of the Awakeners present were only cowed by Blood General’s force and the control of the Bloodline Gu; their loyalty was questionable at best. Chen Chong’s earlier wild laughter seemed to have shaken morale. To prevent these people from slacking off, Tie Shan immediately issued a warning.

“Boss Tie Shan, don’t worry! We all know the General’s ability! That brat won’t be arrogant for much longer!”

Li Bao jumped out impatiently to demonstrate his loyalty:

“I’ll pair with you! Let’s go block that brat right now, give the General a chance, and make that brat regret ever being born!”

“Good!”

Time was pressing. Tie Shan immediately roared:

“Li Bao and I are one group, Gu Jun and Zhang Long another, the remaining three form the last group! Once you corner Chen Chong, send the signal immediately!”

With Tie Shan’s order, the other Awakeners suppressed any inappropriate thoughts, immediately sprinted out, and charged into the residential area from different directions.

…

Huff… Huff… Huff…

While the large number of lackeys poured into the residential area in a frenzied chase and block, at this very moment, Blood General, his upper body clothes tattered and nearly naked, darted through the alleyways like lightning.

Fury burned in his heart, and his chest ached fiercely. Even the air he breathed carried a thick scent of blood. The dried blood on Blood General’s face had formed winding blood snakes, making him look like a desperate, fleeing demon.

“Beast! Beast! Beast!”

Listening to the sounds of the ground behind him being violently trampled and exploding, knowing Chen Chong still pursued him relentlessly like a bone-burrowing maggot and was getting closer, Blood General was like a cornered beast. His eyes were venomous, and an extremely enraged roar echoed in his heart:

“Just give me ten minutes… no, just five minutes!”

Until now, his plan of using the complex terrain to shake off Chen Chong’s pursuit had still not worked. Meanwhile, his body was increasingly overwhelmed by the violent exertion, nearing its limit. If he did not quickly break away from Chen Chong and use his ability, Chen Chong would inevitably catch up, with unpredictable consequences!

His ability was an extremely rare Dominant Ability, which he himself named [Boiling Blood Burn]. This ability could draw out others’ blood and convert it into a special life energy, accelerating cell division and allowing any damage to his body to undergo super-fast repair. Given just a few short minutes, he could recover most of his combat power.

Blood General was fully confident that although Chen Chong seemed impervious to blades and possessed immense strength, his combat experience and techniques were a complete mess. As long as he could recover the bulk of his strength, with support from his subordinates, dealing with Chen Chong would not be difficult. He would absolutely repay the humiliation and pain he now suffered a hundredfold!

Blood General seethed with frustration. Even fighting a Transcendent who had unlocked a Gene Lock would not have made him this miserable. Yet Chen Chong’s lightning-quick sneak attack had directly crippled him, leaving him unable to exert even half his full strength. Even his trump card ability could not be used for a moment under Chen Chong’s relentless assault, leaving him gritting his teeth in bitter hatred as he fled.

Whoosh.

An evil wind suddenly struck from behind, and a shadow of ominous shape seemed to be flying over. Blood General, who was about to change direction, suddenly felt a jolt of alarm, ducked low, and lunged forward.

Boom!

With a deep and muffled loud bang, a large hole exploded in the wall beside Blood General. It was a piece of earthen wall directly thrown by Chen Chong, nearly smashing into Blood General.

Blood General’s face twisted. He had no time even for fierce words and continued his desperate, headlong escape.

“Hahaha, why run, General? Come play with me!”

Now that the laborers were all working in the factory, this residential area was virtually empty. Chen Chong mocked wildly, his roaring laughter echoing as he used his savage brute force to casually smash through doors, windows, and walls to take shortcuts, then hurled chunks of debris at the frantically fleeing Blood General ahead.

He clearly noticed Blood General’s speed was getting slower and slower, his condition increasingly weaker, looking like he could not hold on much longer.

“Over here!”

However, at that moment, a large number of footsteps and angry shouts rapidly approached. Tie Shan and Li Bao, leading over ten lackeys, suddenly appeared on the path Blood General had to take ahead!

It was precisely because they had heard the continuous commotion in this direction that the two had brought their subordinates to arrive first.