462: Chapter 458 So Strong

Lu Jianchuan stood up from the ground. The injury on his left arm had already been healed by Ye Ouyang, but the impact from the punch that had smashed him into the wall just now still left a dull ache in his bones. He moved his shoulder, the silver-white armor still covered in debris and brick dust.

the collective stood opposite him, the purple armor glinting coldly under the sunlight, its red patterns looking like solidified magma. He was in no rush to attack, not even adopting a combat stance, simply standing there like a statue looking down upon ants.

"Do you still want to keep struggling?" His voice came from behind the mask, as calm as if he were chatting about the weather.

"When everyone's consciousness returns to my body, you will have failed completely.

At that time, I will leave a place for your country and your world within my kingdom. Perhaps you will even be able to retain your self-awareness."

He paused and tilted his head.

"Or are you going to force me to erase your free will before I can manipulate you?"

Lu Jianchuan let out a laugh—a short, somewhat sarcastic sound.

"Hmph, you're actually still daydreaming at a time like this?"

He didn't give the collective another chance to speak. Exerting force through his feet, the thrusters of his Explosive Combustion Form opened fully, and he charged forward like a burning meteor. His right fist gathered power while his left followed up, a two-stage acceleration—his speed had reached its limit.

the collective moved.

He only threw one punch.

It was an effortless punch that struck after being launched but arrived first, slamming solidly into Lu Jianchuan's chest. As fast as Lu Jianchuan had charged forward, he was sent flying back just as quickly. He slammed into the ground and rolled several times, countless cracks spiderwebbing across his silver-white chest armor as a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He tried to push himself up but failed, falling back down.

"Senior!" Ye Ouyang had already rushed over, his Golden Claws piercing into Lu Jianchuan's arm as Warm Golden Cells flooded in frantically. A few seconds later, Lu Jianchuan pushed himself up from the ground; the cracks on the armor remained, but the bleeding had stopped.

the collective stood where he was, not pursuing. He spread his arms and looked up at the massive Flesh Building, a satisfied sigh in his voice.

"You are about to fail. The Consciousness Transfer is nearly complete."

He held his hands up as if welcoming a grand ceremony—

The crowd collapsed in unison.

They didn't fall slowly; they fell simultaneously, like a field of wheat cut down by an invisible scythe. Thousands of figures slumped to the ground at the same instant—some face-down on the ruins, some leaning against walls, some piled on top of their companions. The entire square, the interior of the building, the dense crowds—everyone lost consciousness.

the collective's arms froze in mid-air.

He was stunned.

"Hmm?" For the first time, confusion appeared in his voice. "The transfer isn't finished yet... why did they all collapse?"

He snapped his head around, and that giant eye cast its gaze from deep within the building, scanning the entire area.

Electromagnetic waves. They were being jammed.

He saw it.

Shen Mingyuan and Wei Ziqing were standing on the roof of a low building. Shen Mingyuan carried a glowing device on his shoulder, and ripples of electromagnetic waves spread outward from beneath his feet, covering the entire battlefield. Wei Ziqing stood beside him, Long Spear already in hand, with black heavy armor covering his entire body.

The two jumped down from the roof, landing beside Lu Jianchuan after a few leaps.

"Whew, that was close." Shen Mingyuan glanced at the mess on the ground and then at the cracks on Lu Jianchuan's chest. "Are you okay?"

Lu Jianchuan stood straight and took a deep breath.

"I'm not." He stared at the purple figure opposite them. "It's a big problem. We're about to challenge a super big boss."

Shen Mingyuan clapped his hands together; his twin pistols disassembled and restructured, forming a slender Sniper Rifle in his hands. He knelt on one knee, aiming the barrel at the collective.

Wei Ziqing planted his Long Spear into the ground, and the layer of black heavy armor on his body grew a few shades thicker.

"Is that so?"

the collective looked at them, then at the still-glowing Jammer, and finally looked down at the unconscious crowd covering the ground. His voice came from behind the mask, and a crack finally appeared in his calm tone.

"That machine... never mind." He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the four of them. "I'll just deal with you first. Erasing your final hope seems to be the only way to make you understand the gap in our strength."

Carrying the Sniper Rifle, Shen Mingyuan retreated quickly, his barrel always locked onto the purple figure. Ye Ouyang also retreated with him, Golden Claws held at his sides, his eyes fixed ahead, his pace even faster than Shen Mingyuan's.

"This is clearly not a fight I can handle," he muttered under his breath, retreating behind a low wall and crouching down, his claws glowing as he stood ready to rush up and heal at any moment.

Wei Ziqing, Lin Xun, Lin Yuan, and Lu Jianchuan all charged forward at the same time.

Wei Ziqing's Long Spear swept out, the shaft carrying a thousand tons of force as it smashed toward the collective's waist. the collective raised one hand and caught the spear shaft firmly, his fingers tightening. His other fist slammed into Wei Ziqing's chest; with a bang, several cracks exploded across the black heavy armor. Wei Ziqing was shaken back two steps and knelt on one knee, the cracks on his chest spreading like a spiderweb.

Ye Ouyang had already rushed out from behind the low wall, his Golden Claws piercing into Wei Ziqing's arm as Warm Golden Cells flooded in frantically. Those cracks healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within seconds, the armor was restored to its original state.

On the other side, Lin Yuan clasped his fists together, leaped high, and smashed down toward the collective's head. the collective didn't dodge; he raised both hands, grabbed Lin Yuan's wrists, and twisted outward. With a crack, the arm guards of the red armor were crushed to pieces, fragments flying everywhere as blood gushed from the rents and dripped down Lin Yuan's fingers. Lin Yuan gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

Lin Xun circled around from behind the collective, the Spikes on his arms repeatedly stabbing at the back of the neck, shoulder blades, and waist—each strike landing precisely on the gaps in the armor, but those Spikes felt like they were hitting steel plates, not even leaving a white mark. the collective didn't even turn around; he simply waved a hand backward, and Lin Xun had already sidestepped away. He didn't retreat but instead charged toward the giant eye.

If he couldn't break the armor, he would attack the main body.

the collective noticed. He stomped his foot, causing several pieces of rubble to explode from the ground. With a flick of his toe, those stones shot toward Lin Xun like bullets. Lin Xun dodged left and right as the stones flew past his body—but deep within the building, several tentacles shot out simultaneously, sealing off all his paths of retreat from every direction. With a bang, Lin Xun was sent flying, bouncing twice on the ground before rolling into a pile of broken bricks, motionless.

Lu Jianchuan's fist arrived.

One punch, blocked by the collective's single hand. Two punches, three, four—Lu Jianchuan's fists rained down like a storm, the thrusters of his Explosive Combustion Form erupting with thrust with every swing. the collective didn't retreat, nor did he even switch hands; he simply moved that one hand up and down in front of him, blocking every single punch.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

Fist met flesh, but not a single punch could break through that palm. the collective stood there, not moving a single step. Lu Jianchuan's punches grew faster, and the collective's blocks grew faster as well, their arms almost leaving afterimages in the air.

Shen Mingyuan knelt on one knee in the distance, his barrel locked onto the collective's head, but he never fired. He was waiting. Waiting for an opening.

Lu Jianchuan struck with both fists, one from the left and one from the right, carrying all the thrust of his Explosive Combustion Form as they smashed toward the collective's face.

the collective raised both hands, firmly catching those two fists and tightening his fingers like iron pincers. Lu Jianchuan's fists were locked, unable to advance or retreat—but the corner of his mouth curled slightly.

In the distance, Shen Mingyuan's gun fired.

A black-red Plasma Beam erupted from the Sniper Rifle's barrel, tearing through the air and piercing straight through the collective's head. Dust exploded, and Shen Mingyuan stared in that direction through the scope, his breath hitched.

"I actually hit him!"

His voice carried a hint of disbelief and a bit of irrepressible pride.

The dust settled. the collective stood there, his head completely intact. If there was any change at all, there was a shallow white mark on his temple, as if he had been grazed by something.

Shen Mingyuan's pride froze on his face.

"Not possible..."

the collective ignored the bullet. He looked down at Lu Jianchuan, whose fists he held, and his hands suddenly tightened—crack! The silver-white arm guards shattered in his palms, fragments flying as blood seeped from the cracks. He drove a knee into Lu Jianchuan's abdomen, causing his body to arch, and the collective followed through by spinning and landing a roundhouse kick on his chest.

Lu Jianchuan flew out like a cannonball, smashing through a low wall and bouncing twice on the ground before rolling into the ruins. Countless fine cracks spread across his silver-white armor from chest to abdomen, with some parts already shattered into pieces, revealing his blood-soaked clothes underneath.

"Senior!" Ye Ouyang had already rushed over. His Golden Claws pierced into Lu Jianchuan's arm as Warm Golden Cells flooded in frantically. The edges of the shattered armor began to heal, and the open wounds were quickly closing.

Lu Jianchuan pushed himself up from the ground; the cracks on the armor remained, but the bleeding had stopped. He panted heavily, staring at the purple figure opposite him.

Ye Ouyang crouched beside him, his claws still inserted into his arm, not daring to pull them out.

"Senior, I'm almost at my limit..." he muttered under his breath, injecting another wave of cells into Lu Jianchuan's body. Having fought until now, he didn't know how many times he had provided treatment; as the golden liquid surged out from his claw tips, his own face turned slightly pale.