80: Chapter 80 The Danger Hidden in Scrap Metal and the Steel Nails Falling from the Sky

In a corner of the warehouse, dust danced in the beams of light.

Lin Qi crouched before a wooden crate labeled "Scrapped Ordnance," struggling to pry open the lid with a pair of pliers.

"Don't waste your effort."

Old Mo sat with his legs crossed, shaking the copy of *Hulu Brothers* in his hand. "This crate was sealed twenty years ago. The micro-Formation inside has long since failed, but the physical lock is still good."

Click.

With a crisp snap, Lin Qi twisted the lock directly off.

He ignored Old Mo's sarcasm, flipped open the lid, and a wave of moldy air rushed out.

The bottom of the crate was lined with oil paper, upon which lay a row of black nails about three inches long, arranged neatly.

The surfaces of these nails were rough, even speckled with rust, looking like scrap iron pried off a coffin lid.

Lin Qi picked one up, his brows slightly raised.

Heavy.

This tiny nail weighed at least half a catty.

"Yo, you've got a good eye."

Old Mo glanced over and closed the book. "These are 'Bone-Piercing Nails' forged from Deep Sea Sinking Silver. They were specifically designed back then to deal with Deep Abyss Hard-Shelled Monsters. Their density is twenty times that of ordinary steel, and they possess inherent anti-magic properties."

"It's a pity the runes have worn away."

Lin Qi stroked the nail, his fingertips feeling a cold sensation.

"If the runes were still there, one of these would be worth that broken sword of yours," Old Mo snorted. "Now, they're just a pile of dead-heavy scrap iron that won't fly far even if you throw them."

Lin Qi weighed the nail in his hand, then flicked his wrist.

Without any preparatory movement, the black nail flew from his hand.

Thud!

Thirty meters away, a small hole appeared in a two-centimeter-thick piece of discarded steel plate, piercing through both sides.

After passing through the steel plate, the nail lost none of its momentum and embedded itself deep into the concrete wall behind it, leaving only the end of the nail vibrating.

Old Mo raised his teacup to his lips, his movements freezing.

"Who taught you that hidden weapon technique?"

"I practiced it by skipping stones in the past."

Lin Qi made up an excuse, tore off a greasy rag from nearby, wrapped up the remaining nine nails, and tied them around his waist.

Even without the support of Internal Energy, relying on this body that had reached Flesh Refining Major Achievement and his force-generating techniques, these scraps were enough to become talismans of death, just as in his past life as a Martial Saint.

"Let's go."

Lin Qi patted the bulge at his waist. "Time to deliver a welcoming gift to that friend who likes to play with fire."

...

The crowd noise in the arena was even louder than in the morning.

The results of the third round of the draw were already scrolling on the big screen.

"07-44 Lin Qi VS 03-12 Lie Huo."

As soon as this matchup appeared, the stands exploded.

"Now we're really in for a show! One is a physical type hard as a turtle shell, and the other is a fire mage with explosive damage."

"Lie Huo is notoriously short-tempered. The shield warrior from the last round is still lying in the ICU because of him."

"This Lin Qi is going to be roasted like a pig."

On the arena, heat waves rolled.

Lie Huo stood opposite, his red hair looking as if it were burning, wearing a crimson mage robe; the surrounding air was distorted by the high temperature.

He looked at Lin Qi, who had walked onto the stage, with no hint of solemnity on his face, but rather a bloodthirsty excitement.

"I heard your bones are very hard?"

Lie Huo toyed with two fireballs, his voice hoarse. "I love hearing the sound of bones exploding in fire. It's the most beautiful music in the world."

Lin Qi didn't speak, merely reaching out to touch his waist.

"Playing mysterious?"

Lie Huo sneered and slammed his hands together.

Boom!

A two-meter-high flame shield rose around him, orange-red tongues of fire flickering uncertainly.

"The match begins!" The referee gave the order and immediately retreated outside the protective barrier.

"Die!"

Lie Huo roared. Instead of keeping his distance like a typical mage, he charged over like a human meteorite, wrapped in overwhelming flames.

His S-rank talent [Burst Flame] not only gave him extremely high fire affinity but also granted him the characteristics of a melee mage.

Anyone who got close to him would have their lungs scorched by the high temperature alone.

Lin Qi stood in place, watching the rapidly approaching fireball, even able to smell the burnt scent of his own hair.

But he still didn't move.

He only swiped his right hand across his waist extremely quickly.

To others, this action looked like he was scratching an itch.

Only Old Mo, sitting high up, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Swish.

The extremely faint sound of breaking air was masked by Lie Huo's roar.

The black sinking silver nail tore through the air, drawing a straight black line in the sky.

Pfft.

It was like a red-hot knife cutting into butter.

Lie Huo's pride-and-joy flame shield didn't even block this inconspicuous black nail for half a second.

The nail pierced through the flames and accurately embedded itself into Lie Huo's left shoulder.

The weight of the Deep Sea Sinking Silver combined with Lin Qi's wrist strength made the impact of this strike comparable to a large-caliber bullet.

"Ah!"

Lie Huo's charging figure tilted violently. Before his scream could fully escape, the second nail arrived.

This time, it hit his right knee.

Crack.

The sound of shattering bone was clearly audible.

Lie Huo's menacing charging posture instantly collapsed, and he fell to the ground in a sorry state, sliding several meters with his face against the scorching floor.

The surrounding flame shield flickered twice and completely dissipated.

The whole arena was silent.

The S-rank fire mage who had been so arrogant just a moment ago had been brought to his knees without even touching a hair on his opponent's head?

"You... what Demonic Technique did you use?!"

Lie Huo lay on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, his facial features twisted by the excruciating pain from his shoulder and knee.

He struggled to get up, slapping the ground hard with his palm.

"Explode for me!"

The magic power within him began to flow backward crazily, fine beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin, and an extremely unstable energy fluctuation swelled rapidly with him as the center.

This was an attempt to self-destruct.

Even if he lost, he wanted to drag his opponent down with him; this was Lie Huo's mad-dog style.

Unfortunately, playing this game in front of Lin Qi was too slow.

Lin Qi's figure had appeared in front of him before he knew it.

No nonsense.

Lin Qi raised his right hand, shaped like a palm knife, and slashed down swiftly.

Smack.

This palm accurately cut into the nerve point on Lie Huo's wrist.

The magic power nodes that had just gathered were forcibly dispersed, and the swelling Aura instantly withered like a deflated balloon.

"The casting time is too long. Zero stars."

Lin Qi evaluated coldly.

Immediately after, he lifted his right knee and slammed it into Lie Huo's abdomen.

Thump!

Lie Huo curled up like a shrimp, his eyes bulging, spitting out a mouthful of bile. He couldn't even scream, falling unconscious instantly.

His body flew out of the arena like a broken sack, landing heavily on the ground and rolling twice before stopping.

The referee was stunned for a long time before swallowing his saliva.

"Number 07-44, winner!"

Lin Qi ignored the horrified gazes around him, bent down to pick up the nail that had flown off when Lie Huo fell, wiped the blood off on his combat uniform, and stuffed it back into his waist.

This was being frugal and thrifty.

After doing all this, he slowly turned around and looked at the position at the very front of the contestant seating area.

Li Shaobai sat there, his face so gloomy it could drip water, the expensive fountain pen in his hand already snapped in two.

Their gazes collided in the air.

Lin Qi raised his hand and gently slid his index finger across his throat.

No words, but the meaning was clear.

Wash your neck clean; you're next.