His eyes filled with intense fear, the throat of Shi Chenghu had been pierced by Lu Zixun’s sharp claw.
Taking advantage of the force from stepping on Shi Chenghu’s chest, Lu Zixun flipped backward and landed.
Shi Chenghu fell straight backward, fresh blood spurting from his neck, spraying all over Lu Zixun.
Flicking the blood off his claws, Lu Zixun glanced to the side, where Xiong Kang and Lin Zihua were locked in a tough battle.
As Lu Zixun pondered why a high-level abnormal creature could best Xiong Kang, he saw Lin Zihua’s head begin to deform and a sharp blade flung towards Xiong Kang.
Caught off guard, Xiong Kang was struck by the blade, a deep gash appearing instantly on his chest.
This sight made Lu Zixun’s pupils shrink. Two abnormal creatures parasitizing the same body? Was that even possible?
"It was never my wish to reveal myself, it’s a pity."
As the blade continued to strike at Xiong Kang and the Blood Worm harassed from the side, Lin Zihua spoke with a sense of regret.
"Ding—Detected killing intent value from Lin Zihua (Mutant) +4000."
Just as Lu Zixun attempted to sneak up to Lin Zihua’s body to strike,
A blade swung down towards Lu Zixun’s head.
Startled, Lu Zixun leapt back three steps in fright.
Lin Zihua, intent on suppressing Xiong Kang, did not follow up with the attack but retracted the blade to continue the assault.
Now momentarily safe, Lu Zixun gazed at the system prompt, his mind heavy.
Lin Zihua had now become equivalent to a Queen-level creature.
And inside his body was not only a Blood Worm but also a Parasitic Beast.
If it had been an ordinary Queen-level Blood Worm, it would, of course, not be an opponent for Xiong Kang.
But with the addition of a Parasitic Beast, the effect was far more than just the sum of the parts.
The Parasitic Beast compensated for the Blood Worm’s lack of attack strength.
And the Blood Worm made up for the Parasitic Beast’s rigid body during attacks, which left it vulnerable to being killed in one blow.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Zixun felt particularly troubled.
Xiong Kang, facing the onslaught, was now being pummeled so fiercely he couldn’t catch his breath.
He could only passively meet Lin Zihua’s assaults, with no chance to mount an offensive.
Lu Zixun, observing from the side, was equally anxious. Every approach to Lin Zihua resulted in being repelled by the blade; Lu Zixun felt wholly uncomfortable.
"This won’t do, Orange Cat, go find Elder Zeng quickly."
During a brief lull in the attack, Xiong Kang bellowed the instruction to Lu Zixun before being entangled by Lin Zihua’s assaults once more.
"Ding—Detected anxiety value from Xiong Kang +4000."
Equally anxious, Lu Zixun rushed towards the passage leading outside upon hearing the command.
The blade fiercely chopped down in front of Lu Zixun, blocking his exit.
"Ding—Detected teasing value from Lin Zihua +4000."
"You actually think Zeng Haoyang will come to your rescue. That’s really too funny."
With a mocking laugh, Lin Zihua swung his blade, driving Lu Zixun back. "He’s too busy with his own problems to save you!"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Xiong Kang suddenly lunged, swinging his sword to repel Lin Zihua’s aggression.
Stepping forward, he thrust the sub-sword in his right hand, piercing Lin Zihua’s heart.
Just when it seemed it was over, another blade stabbed through Xiong Kang’s abdomen.
Lin Zihua cackled twice. "Human bodies are so fragile. Did you really think I’d give you such a chance?"
Simultaneously, another blade hung high in the air, with bloodlust in Lin Zihua’s eyes.
Just as Xiong Kang’s head was about to be severed, Lu Zixun, who should have run off, appeared right beneath the blade’s edge.
Raising his paw to meet the blade, there was not a hint of fear in Lu Zixun’s eyes.
He activated Steel Body and directly resisted the blade from Lin Zihua.
The moment the blade touched Lu Zixun, it paused for an instant before chopping down with unstoppable force, splitting his entire paw in two.
Lu Zixun let out a pained groan, clutching Lin Zihua’s blade tightly with his paw, and with Magnetic Field Control fully engaged, he struggled to direct the metal longsword towards Lin Zihua.
"Ding—Shock value detected from Lin Zihua: +4000."
Lin Zihua, unable to bisect Lu Zixun in a single stroke, was stunned for a moment, unable to comprehend why.
However, Lu Zixun didn’t give him the chance to figure it out.
Under Lu Zixun’s control, the metal longsword directly severed Lin Zihua’s head.
The remaining five longswords penetrated the vital parts of Lin Zihua’s torso.
The somewhat hazy Xiong Kang let out a furious roar, Sword Qi swirling around the Mother and Child Sword, grinding Lin Zihua’s head into a mist of blood.
Lying on the arched back of Xiong Kang and gasping for air, Lu Zixun’s tail whipped fiercely towards Lin Zihua’s torso, killing the Blood Worm that almost crawled out with a heavy smack.
Dizzy and disoriented, Lu Zixun slouched helplessly on Xiong Kang’s back.
Gritting his teeth as he pulled out the blade that had pierced his abdomen, Xiong Kang collapsed to the ground.
Lin Qiang, who was standing close by, had also come to his senses by this time.
He looked on befuddledly at the one man and one cat lying on the ground, both seriously injured.
As Xiong Kang reached out for the Repair Liquid beside his combat trousers, he saw Lin Qiang’s confused state and furiously slapped the ground with his wrist.
Sword Qi burst forth from the Mother and Child Dual Swords, sweeping across the entire space.
Lu Zixun was wondering why Xiong Kang had done this when a creature resembling a butterfly slowly fell from the shadows to the ground.
"What is this thing?"
Looking at the butterfly whose wings bore a faint human face, Lu Zixun’s gaze fell onto Xiong Kang, filled with a questioning look.
"Human-faced powder butterfly, identical to a butterfly in appearance, it can flutter out pollen that induces hallucinations."
Having explained this to Lu Zixun, Xiong Kang continued, "No wonder something felt off just now; I couldn’t seem to fend off Lin Zihua’s attacks completely."
Lin Qiang, now fully alert, quickly rushed over to Lu Zixun and Xiong Kang.
Without asking what had happened, he drew out a metal syringe filled with Repair Liquid and injected it into both the man and the cat.
Lu Zixun couldn’t help but cry out in pain as he was jabbed in the same spot on his buttocks twice.
"Do STO people only know how to inject in one place?"
Looking reproachfully at the two, Lu Zixun complained as he leaped off Xiong Kang’s back.
He nearly fell down, but fortunately, Lin Qiang was quick to catch him, preventing a tumble to the ground.
With his eyes narrowed and the battle over, Lu Zixun immediately felt exhausted in body and soul.
Closing his eyes, he muttered dreamily, "I can’t hold on anymore; I’ll leave the rest to you."
"Ding—Approval Value detected from Xiong Kang: +4000."
Using the Mother Sword as a crutch, Xiong Kang gave a solemn nod to Lu Zixun.
At this point, Lu Zixun had already fallen into slumber, not hearing a word Xiong Kang said.