2: Mission Objective - Forge Combat

Zhou Xing hadn't walked far from the pharmacy when,

the roar of an engine came from the mouth of the alley ahead.

Three dilapidated open-top off-road vehicles appeared and stopped directly in front of Zhou Xing.

Heavy machine guns were mounted on the roofs, all aimed at Zhou Xing.

A door opened, and a burly bald man wearing sunglasses stepped out,

an axe symbol tattooed on his chest.

This was a gang active in the Dragon City black market; as long as the money was right, they would take any job.

"Kid, hand over your valuables and leave a hand behind, and we'll let you go."

The burly bald man walked over, flames dancing in his palm like a circus act.

He was actually an Awakened One who had fused with a "god of flame" fragment.

Zhou Xing didn't speak; he just put the inhibitor box into his inner pocket.

As the bald man finished speaking, his many lackeys surrounded Zhou Xing, each brandishing a machete.

The blades glinted with a faint blue light, clearly coated with a special toxin.

"Seeking death."

Zhou Xing slowly looked up, a flash of icy blue deep within his pupils.

"What did you say?"

The bald man was enraged, the flames in his palm turning into a long whip that lashed out at Zhou Xing.

The moment the words fell,

Zhou Xing's figure became a blur,

appearing in front of the bald man as if teleporting.

"Crack!"

The bald man's wrist was snapped by force, and the flame whip disintegrated on its own.

He snatched a machete from one of the thugs,

the blade instantly coated in a layer of frost as he swept it out violently!

"Puchi!"

In an instant, three heads—including the thug in front of him—flew into the air,

not a single drop of blood leaking from the wounds due to the Frost Power.

"Sizzle!"

Under Zhou Xing's influence, the Frost Power spread rapidly along the ground, eventually freezing everyone in place.

"Speak. Who sent you?"

Zhou Xing crushed the bald man's knee joint with a kick and asked coldly.

"Mercy, Big Brother, mercy! It was... it was the pharmacist. He said you might have an unfused divinity fragment and a very expensive Erosion Inhibitor."

The bald man screamed and begged for mercy.

Zhou Xing turned to look at the pharmacy nearby, his gaze icy.

He saw the dwarf peeking out from the window, watching the commotion.

Upon meeting Zhou Xing's gaze, the dwarf's eyes filled with panic, and he instantly slumped to the floor.

"Bang!"

The machete was thrown like lightning by Zhou Xing, piercing the window and embedding itself in the wall, grazing the dwarf's ear.

The immense force caused spider-web-like cracks to spread across the entire wall.

"Try any more tricks, and—"

He raised his hand and clenched it in the air,

and immediately, the members of the Axe Gang and the bald man all shattered into ice shards!

"This is the consequence!!"

At the same time, a red light appeared on the spot,

then merged into Zhou Xing's body like lightning.

[Ding! Obtained "god of flame" fragment (10%)]

[Strength increased to the Mid-stage of the Origin Realm]

[Extracted Abilities: 1. Flame Resistance Lv.1 (Reduces fire damage by 10%)]

2. Flame Control (Basic)]

[Detected that the host has endured high-intensity flames; Flame Resistance upgraded to Lv.2 (Reduces fire damage by 20%)]

Zhou Xing felt his body improve in all aspects once again.

Clearly, with the existence of the system—

as long as he continued to fuse with divinity fragments, he could increase his strength without limit.

Thinking about how he could earn more money to buy inhibitors as his strength grew,

and how his sister wouldn't have to grit her teeth and endure it every time,

Zhou Xing's eyes brightened significantly.

Half an hour later, Zhou Xing returned to his residence.

Looking at his sister, who was drenched in sweat and gritting her teeth in endurance on the bed,

he felt an immense ache in his heart.

"Sister, I'm back. Look, I brought you a new inhibitor. It won't hurt anymore soon after the injection."

Reining in his emotions, Zhou Xing quickly moved to the bedside,

and waved the box containing the inhibitor in front of Zhou Keer.

"Brother... you... came back... so fast this time..."

Seeing her brother, Zhou Keer's eyes lit up, and she forced a smile onto her pale face.

Her teeth were chattering from the pain as she spoke.

"The mission went smoothly, and the bonus was high. Besides, the purity of this inhibitor isn't low; what happened last time won't happen again."

Zhou Xing tore open the packaging and slowly inserted the needle into her jugular vein.

As the medicine took effect, Zhou Keer's tense body suddenly relaxed.

"Brother... it doesn't hurt this time..."

A smile curled at the corners of her mouth as she looked at Zhou Xing weakly.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing was silently counting the rate at which the golden patterns on his sister's skin were fading.

Not bad, fifteen seconds faster than last time.

"Buzz buzz!"

The moment he put away the syringe, the specialized communicator suddenly vibrated.

The previous middleman had sent over information on the "god of war" Awakened One—

[Target: Luo Jin (Former Major of the Eastern Theater Command)]

[Divinity Inheritance: god of war (Compatibility unknown)]

[Last Sighting: Furnace Underground Awakened Fighting Arena]

Along with it was a video of a fight in the arena.

In the video, a man with a face full of scars was snapping his opponent's neck.

Zhou Xing's pupils contracted sharply, a cold light flashing in them.

Because this man was the commander who had personally ordered their squad to encircle and suppress the "Flame Demon."

In the video, Luo Jin seemed to notice someone filming secretly,

and grinned directly at the camera: "Tonight's prey was too weak... no challenge at all."

He kicked the corpse in front of him, making it explode.

Crack!

The handle of the military dagger was squeezed until cracks appeared by Zhou Xing.

"Luo Jin..."

As the name was squeezed through his teeth, the rainwater dripping from the eaves instantly froze into icicles.

Zhou Xing would always remember the man's indifferent expression after his squad met with disaster.

Every time he thought of it, Zhou Xing wished he could hack him into a thousand pieces.

"Brother... it's so cold..."

Hearing Zhou Keer's uneasy voice, Zhou Xing realized he was emitting a cold aura.

"Sorry, Keer. I was just thinking about something."

Zhou Xing hurriedly sat at the head of the bed and looked at his sister, speaking softly.

"It's okay, Brother. No matter what you do, Keer will always support you."

"Brother, I'm tired. I want to hear a story."

Zhou Keer said sleepily.

"Alright, then today I'll tell you some interesting stories from when I was in training with the squad..."

Zhou Xing said with a smile.

Five minutes later... Zhou Keer's breathing had stabilized, and the golden patterns on her skin had faded considerably.

However, a faint trace still remained between her brows.

"Get a good night's sleep. I'll be back soon."

He gently placed his sister's hand back under the covers and tucked her in.

Zhou Xing spoke softly, then left the room,

turning into a dark shadow as he sped towards the Furnace Fighting Arena...