220: Bloody street fighting and a desperate escape

In the alley, the smell of blood mixed with an indescribably sweet and fishy odor, making it nauseating.

Lu Chuan gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. The hundredfold strength gained from appetite coins was not long-lasting.

After it faded, what remained was a tearing soreness in his muscles and a deep sense of exhaustion.

He looked at the shattered head of the tentacle monster and its no longer wriggling tentacles on the ground. Surprisingly, there was no expected disgust or fear, but rather a hint of... exhilaration.

Was he a born killer?

But soon, Lu Chuan shook his head, having found an explanation.

Perhaps it was due to the opponent's non-human form, as well as the historical hatred etched into his bones, among other reasons.

"Baka!"

The Turtle Man had not expected this seemingly ordinary young shop owner to possess such explosive strength and bizarre methods.

He exchanged glances with the Green-skinned Monster and the pregnant Insect Woman, then all three attacked simultaneously.

The Turtle Man and the Green-skinned Monster took the front, acting as the vanguard, while the Insect Woman served as the main attacker.

The three cooperated tacitly, their attacks well-coordinated, and each move was incredibly vicious. Clearly, after witnessing Lu Chuan's methods, they no longer harbored any thoughts of leaving him alive.

Lu Chuan suddenly felt immense pressure.

What bothered him even more was that they no longer attempted to directly attack him, but instead directed more of their assaults towards the defenseless Ding Xinyang.

Sonic screams, corrosive mucus, sharp claw attacks... time and again, Lu Chuan was forced to expend a great deal of energy intercepting and rescuing.

Ding Xinyang's face was pale, and he huddled tightly in the corner, not daring to move a step.

Only now did he understand how arduous the path to transcendence truly was, filled with difficulties and dangers where one could lose his life at any moment.

And even... involve others.

Looking at Lu Chuan's back, standing firm in front of him, blocking fatal attacks for him again and again, Ding Xinyang's eyes welled up with tears, his voice choked with sobs and despair.

"A Chuan! Don't mind me! You go!"

"Shut up!"

Lu Chuan roared, once again using a temporarily exchanged shield to block the venom shot at Ding Xinyang.

The shield flickered a few times, dim and uncertain. It clearly wouldn't last much longer under such dense attacks.

The "appetite coins" on the system panel were rapidly depleting, and each exchange made his heart ache.

The standoff continued.

Neither side could overpower the other.

However, Lu Chuan gradually noticed that although the opponent's offensive was still fierce, it seemed to lack that decisive sharpness.

Instead, it was more like they were stalling, or rather, entangled?

Their eyes occasionally darted towards the alley entrance, carrying a subtle expectation and urgency.

"They're waiting for reinforcements!"

This thought, like a splash of ice water, instantly sobered Lu Chuan.

He had to end the battle quickly!

Otherwise, if more monsters arrived, he and Ding Xinyang would surely die!

"System! Exchange for—'Thousandfold Strength'!"

With his life on the line, Lu Chuan no longer cared about appetite coins. He roared in his mind, almost throwing in most of his remaining appetite coins.

A surge of power, far more violent and sharper than the previous hundredfold strength, suddenly erupted from his right arm!

His body instantly swelled to several times more massive than the Green-skinned Monster opposite him. Every movement he made caused the surrounding air to emit explosive sounds of compression.

"Die!"

Lu Chuan's target was clear. He ignored the Insect Woman's renewed piercing sonic wave and the Green-skinned Monster's heavy punch, his body transforming into an afterimage, charging straight at the Turtle Man!

A hint of horror flashed in the Turtle Man's eyes. He crossed his arms to block, and the thick shell on his back also emitted a hazy glow, attempting to withstand the blow head-on.

Splat—!

A deafening impact sound rang out.

Lu Chuan's heavy punch, as big as a casserole, easily tore through the Turtle Man's scale-covered arm like a hot knife through butter, then unhindered, it pierced through his seemingly indestructible turtle shell!

"Im...pos...sible..."

The Turtle Man's eyes widened, looking at the fist embedded in his chest, feeling his life force rapidly draining away. He couldn't finish his sentence before he breathed his last.

"The second one!"

Lu Chuan gasped as he pulled back his fist, bringing out a spray of sickly green blood and shattered organs.

However, just as his old strength waned and new strength had not yet emerged—

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah—!!!"

The Insect Woman let out an unprecedented shriek.

This time, the sound wave was as solid as substance, visible air ripples like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely towards Lu Chuan.

Bang!

He felt as if his chest had been hit by a high-speed truck. His throat tasted sweet, and he was uncontrollably sent flying backward, slamming hard into the brick wall of the alley, creating a spiderweb of cracks.

"A Chuan!"

Ding Xinyang's eyes were splitting with rage.

A cruel glint flashed in the Green-skinned Monster's eyes as he swiftly pounced on Lu Chuan, who was temporarily incapacitated.

It's over!

Lu Chuan's mind went blank. Looking at the increasingly close, hideous face, his survival instinct almost made him burn all his appetite coins without hesitation—

Just at this critical moment.

Time, as if a pause button had been pressed.

The cruel expressions on the faces of the attacking Insect Woman and Green-skinned Monster froze.

The sharp claws swinging towards Lu Chuan hung suspended in mid-air.

Even the dust and bloody smell lingering in the air seemed to stop flowing.

Lu Chuan could even clearly see his own bewildered expression reflected in the female monster's compound eyes.

The next instant—

Two black lines, so subtle they were almost imperceptible, swept past silently.

Thud! Thud!

Two heads with frozen expressions rolled to the ground.

The headless bodies of the Insect Woman and the Green-skinned Monster remained in their pouncing postures, dark green fluid spurting from their neck stumps, then they fell heavily to the ground.

Everything happened too fast, too strangely.

It was as if Death had merely passed by, casually swinging his scythe.

Lu Chuan struggled to sit up against the wall, his brain in a state of paralysis as he witnessed this incomprehensible scene.

Ding Xinyang was so frightened that he couldn't even scream, just wide-eyed and trembling all over.

"Hehehe, to be made so miserable by a few flies, but then again, you're a chef, it's understandable that you're not good at fighting."

An old man's laugh came from the alley entrance.

Lu Chuan suddenly looked up.

He saw Hu Xuan appear there at some point, still in his ill-fitting, baggy clothes, with a half-smile on his face, slowly strolling over.

Behind him, in the dense shadow, a humanoid silhouette composed entirely of swirling black mist silently emerged.

His mist was supporting He Jingrui, who was heavily injured, unconscious, soaked, and exuding a strong fishy smell.

"Old Dean?! Shadow?! He Jingrui!"

Lu Chuan was both surprised and delighted, struggling to stand up.

"Your internal organs are bruised, it's best not to move around too much."

Hu Xuan waved his hand, saying casually.

But when his gaze swept over Lu Chuan, a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He seemed to find it strange that Lu Chuan's recovery ability was stronger than expected, but he didn't ask further.

Then, his attention returned to He Jingrui, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Compared to you, this kid is more troublesome."