134: One punch and he knocked down the gargoyle, this newbie is really strange!
The passages inside the labyrinth were so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat.
Only the footsteps of the group of seven echoed "tap, tap" between the stone walls, making it exceptionally eerie.
The blood-red eyeball above them watched silently.
Under its gaze, no one dared to breathe loudly; the oppressive feeling was suffocating.
"Stay close, keep your hands and feet clean, and don't touch anything randomly."
Night Crow's voice broke the silence. He held a compass and walked at the very front.
"Yes, Senior!" Lin Yuan immediately responded, following closely half a step behind Night Crow.
Behind him were four other Apocalypse Society members, all around D-Class, their expressions solemn.
At the end of the line was the Patriarch Chen, who had been forcibly brought along, his face ashen.
"Tch, just a broken maze, making it seem like we're entering the Hall of Hell," a member codenamed "Scorpion Sting" muttered under his breath, pouting.
He was a scrawny man whose Awakening was a poison ability.
He usually thought highly of himself and never really cared for an old Senior like Night Crow.
Lin Yuan glanced at him from the corner of his eye, silently giving this guy a thumbs-up in his heart.
Brother, you have a bright future; you're dancing wildly on the edge of courting death.
Scorpion Sting seemed to want to show off his courage, and as he walked, he actually reached out and touched the stone wall.
"See, there's nothing wro..."
He hadn't finished his sentence.
"Buzz—"
The stone wall he had touched suddenly shook!
Immediately after, a sharp claw made of rock extended from the wall, heading straight for his face!
"Holy crap!"
Scorpion Sting shrieked, nearly dying on the spot from fright.
His body fell backward in an extremely clumsy "iron bridge" posture, narrowly dodging the claw.
"Rumble!"
The entire wall came alive!
Rocks peeled off and reassembled, and a rock monster over two meters tall with two wings on its back squeezed out of the wall!
Gargoyle!
"Roar—!"
The Gargoyle let out a roar, opened its fanged mouth, and pounced again at Scorpion Sting, who was closest to it.
"Idiot!" Night Crow cursed, but he stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of intervening.
He watched the scene coldly, clearly intending to teach this disobedient troublemaker a lesson.
"Damn it!" Scorpion Sting was both startled and enraged. His hands were covered in a dark green glow. "Die for me! Venomous Touch!"
He slammed his palms forward, striking the Gargoyle's chest squarely.
However, the potent poison, capable of corroding steel, only produced a few wisps of smoke and left two shallow black marks on the Gargoyle's body.
It didn't even break through the opponent's defense!
"How is that possible?!" Scorpion Sting's eyes nearly popped out.
The Gargoyle ignored him completely, its massive, pot-sized fist, whistling through the air, smashed down hard towards his head!
It's over! I'm done for!
Scorpion Sting's mind went blank.
Just in this flash of lightning!
"Watch out!"
A "frantic" shout exploded!
A figure crashed in from the side; it was Lin Yuan!
He shoved the terrified Scorpion Sting aside, then, facing the descending stone fist, he neither dodged nor avoided, but met it with a punch of his own!
One large, one small, two fists, met head-on!
"Bang—!!!"
A dull, thunderous sound!
The Gargoyle's powerful, heavy punch was actually blocked by Lin Yuan head-on!
The stone slabs beneath Lin Yuan's feet instantly cracked inch by inch, but his upper body remained motionless, his face flushed red, and his veins bulging.
"Roar?"
The Gargoyle was also stunned, not expecting this seemingly scrawny human to possess such absurd strength.
It withdrew its fist and roared again, pouncing forward.
"Good timing!"
Lin Yuan "roared" back, his eyes flashing with the excitement and belligerence characteristic of a "hothead."
He had no fancy techniques, just the most direct clash of brute force!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of fists meeting flesh echoed through the passage.
Lin Yuan and the Gargoyle were like two prehistoric wild oxen, engaging in the most primal close combat.
Every punch he threw was powerful and heavy.
He forced the Gargoyle to retreat repeatedly, sending fragments of rock flying from its body.
But at the same time, he also "acted" quite convincingly, sometimes having his arm numbed by the impact, other times having his clothes torn by the opponent's sharp claws.
He appeared to be in constant peril, relying entirely on a fearless ferocity to hold on.
"So... so fierce..."
Scorpion Sting, who had been pushed aside, watched in a daze.
This newcomer named A Li, hadn't he just finished his Awakening? How could he be as strong as a monster?!
Was this truly the strength a D-Class Peak could possess?
It wasn't just him; the other Apocalypse Society members' gazes towards Lin Yuan also changed.
From initial disdain, it turned into solemnity, and even... awe.
"What are you all standing around for?!" Night Crow's voice rang out. "Do you all want to watch the show until he gets beaten to death?!"
Only then did everyone awaken as if from a dream.
"Flame Jet!"
"Wind Blade Dance!"
Several abilities of different attributes, one after another, blasted towards the Gargoyle that Lin Yuan had tightly entangled.
"Boom!"
Under the concentrated fire of the group, the Gargoyle let out a wail, its body exploded, turning into a pile of shattered rocks.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Lin Yuan propped himself on his knees, breathing heavily, looking on the verge of collapse.
He raised his head, looked at Scorpion Sting, and forced a "simple and honest" smile: "Brother Scorpion Sting, are you alright?"
Scorpion Sting's old face flushed crimson. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word, so embarrassed he could have dug out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with his toes.
Night Crow walked over, first glancing at Scorpion Sting, then turning to Lin Yuan, his expression complex.
"Well done, A Li."
"Hehe," Lin Yuan scratched his head, smiling foolishly and bashfully, "I just have a bit more strength, I don't know anything else."
Night Crow said no more, only giving him a deep look before turning away.
"Remember this lesson," his voice reached everyone's ears. "In this damned place, any carelessness can cost you your life."
"Continue forward."
The team set off again, but the atmosphere was completely different.
No one dared to underestimate this simple and honest "newcomer" anymore. Scorpion Sting, even more so, obediently followed at the back of the team, not daring to utter another peep.
Lin Yuan lowered his head, following behind Night Crow.
His heart was completely calm, even a little amused.
A D-Class minor monster, not even considered an appetizer.
If it weren't for the act, to complete his undercover KPI, a single Palm Thunder from him would have turned it to ashes on the spot.
Sigh, being an undercover agent is exhausting. I want to get off work.
Guided by the compass in Night Crow's hand, they passed through several moreFork in the road.
Ahead, it suddenly opened up.
A circular space, at least several hundred meters in diameter, appeared before them.
And as soon as they stepped into this space, the sound of intense fighting filled their ears!