126: Chapter 126 An Unyielding Barrier

Mu Waner's warning had just fallen.

A loud explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the Bus Station main entrance!

A clear sense of vibration came from the ground.

The surface of the half-meter-thick Ice Wall that Su Qingxue had condensed instantly cracked with hundreds, if not thousands, of fissures.

The sound of shattering ice merged into one continuous noise.

The entire Ice Wall shattered and scattered, with chunks of ice of all sizes flying in all directions.

A burly man over two meters tall walked into view.

He was dragging a large metal heavy hammer in his hand.

The surface of the hammerhead was still covered with quite a bit of ice debris.

The man grinned, revealing several yellowed teeth, his facial muscles slightly tensed, and his eyes fixed firmly on the defensive line ahead.

"Smash it open for me!!!"

The veins on his hands bulged as he gripped the handle of the giant hammer and swung it with great force.

The heavy metal hammerhead kicked up a gust of wind.

The giant hammer headed straight for the barricade, which was built from nothing but scrap metal.

"Hold the line, everyone!"

Jiang Ning's roar drowned out the surrounding noise.

She did not make any move to retreat.

Her feet were dug deep into the rubble below.

The giant hammer fell directly overhead.

Jiang Ning crossed her arms in front of her and met it head-on.

[Iron Wall Battle Body] was fully activated.

A cold, hard metallic luster shone beneath her exposed wheat-colored skin.

The giant hammer first struck the barricade.

Abandoned car shells and steel bars were crushed flat instantly by the heavy hammerhead.

The screeching sound of metal compressing and twisting against itself was extremely harsh.

After tearing through the defensive line, the heavy hammer landed solidly on Jiang Ning's crossed arms.

Thud!

The dull sound of the impact echoed throughout the area.

The immense physical impact instantly pressed down on her arms.

Jiang Ning's feet slid across the ground, and she retreated several meters rapidly.

Her entire body completely lost its balance and flew backward, her back slamming heavily against the dilapidated bus carriage behind her.

The bus body shook violently, and large sections of the metal plating caved inward.

She uncontrollably coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

The hands she had used to block the attack now hung limply at her sides.

Her wrist joints were bent at an unnatural angle, and the sound of fine bone fractures could be heard beneath her skin.

"Sister Jiang Ning!!"

The faces of the few newcomers in the rear defensive line turned deathly pale.

Their fingers, gripping the high-explosive crossbow bolts, couldn't stop trembling.

"Steady! Don't panic!"

Lin Xinyi shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Listen to my command, everyone aim for the target's knees!"

"Three-round volley, fire!"

More than a dozen high-explosive crossbow bolts flew from their strings.

The arrows cut through the darkness ahead, concentrating their fire on the hammer soldier's legs.

"A bunch of useless mosquitoes."

The burly man stood where he was, making no move to dodge.

The high-explosive arrowheads struck his leg armor and thick muscles, exploding one after another.

The flashes of light and acrid smoke quickly dissipated.

Only a few very shallow bloodstains remained on his legs.

These minor flesh wounds only made him more manic.

He dragged the giant hammer and strode forward, preparing to finish off the woman blocking his path once and for all.

"Cough, cough..."

Jiang Ning leaned against the dented carriage, slowly straightening her body again.

She raised the back of her hand and casually wiped the bloodstains from her chin.

The fighting spirit in her eyes grew more and more intense.

Her teammates were behind her; if she retreated even half a step, this defensive line would completely collapse.

She was the shield Fang Che had left here to absorb damage.

"Come again! You piece of trash!"

She lowered her center of gravity and, ignoring the pain, raised her arms again.

In a patch of ruins on the flank.

Teacher Qin Bing was just about to provide healing support to the main entrance.

Seven or eight Black Shark assault troops suddenly surged out from behind a broken wall.

A dense net of gunfire rained down, pinning the medical team behind cover, unable to lift their heads.

"The medical team is pinned down by enemy fire!"

Teacher Qin Bing quickly activated her skill.

A glowing green radiance spilled down, barely stabilizing the bleeding wounds of several shot newcomers.

She was completely locked down in the cover by the enemy's fire, unable to escape.

The communication channel was filled with the sounds of intense gunfire and the booming of the heavy hammer striking the ground.

The abandoned commercial street in the west of the city.

Fang Che's squad was also under heavy encirclement.

Chen Xiao had split his forces into two, launching a fierce assault on both the Train and the Bus Station.

Dozens of Black Shark elites emerged from the shadows, completely sealing off the blind spots of the street.

"Fang Che! The main entrance defensive line has been compromised!"

Su Qingxue spoke at a rapid pace.

Fang Che remained expressionless.

Jiang Ning's heavy breathing came through the channel.

If they retreated from the stronghold now, all the newcomers defending it would certainly lose their lives.

Jiang Ning's Talent was [Iron Wall Battle Body].

Its characteristics were [Damage Conversion] and [Resolve of Battle].

Battles of ordinary intensity could never force out her potential; only this level of pressure could achieve a qualitative upgrade.

Fang Che cut into the communication channel, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"Jiang Ning, stand straight and take this hammer; as long as you endure it, you will break through."

The channel was silent for half a second.

Fang Che turned off the communication, drew his combat saber, and charged head-on into the surrounding circle ahead.

In front of the Bus Station.

Jiang Ning faced the third hammer strike falling overhead.

A dull, rumbling sound suddenly erupted from deep within her body.

[Talent Iron Wall Battle Body detected breaking through the critical point under extreme pressure!]

[Congratulations! Jiang Ning's Talent Iron Wall Battle Body proficiency has increased significantly!]

[Talent effect Resolve of Battle evolved in combat, temporarily comprehending ability — Unyielding Rampart!]

[Unyielding Rampart: After active activation, it channels all received impact force into the ground beneath, granting the user an absolutely unshakeable state for 3 seconds. Within 3 seconds, defense is temporarily increased by 300%. The user falls into a brief state of weakness after the skill ends.]

The burly man's hand veins bulged, and the giant hammer was raised high above his head once more.

"Turn into meat paste for me!!!"

The intense wind pressure plummeted down.

This time, there was no sound of bones shattering.

Only an extremely dull, explosive sound.

Thud!!!

Jiang Ning stood where she was.

Still in the same pose, with her arms crossed to block.

Her body remained firmly planted, not retreating even half an inch.

The concrete ground beneath her feet collapsed downward with a boom.

Large cracks spread rapidly in all directions, extending several meters out.

All the physical impact force had been forcibly channeled into the ground by her.

The ferocious expression on the burly man's face froze.

His hands were shaken until the webs between his thumbs and fingers split and bled, and the massive recoil left both his arms numb.

Jiang Ning slowly raised her head.

Blood still hung from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes revealed unmasked excitement.

"Didn't you eat dinner tonight?"

Jiang Ning grinned, revealing her blood-stained teeth.

"Now it's my turn!"

She pulled back her right arm and clenched her fist tightly.

A simple, unadorned straight punch was blasted forward.

The momentum of the punch created a piercing sound in the air.

The burly man's pupils contracted; he couldn't avoid this blow at all.

Bang!

The fist landed solidly on his chest armor.

The special alloy chest armor collapsed inward violently.

Metallic cracks instantly tore through the entire armor plate.

The burly man spat out a huge mouthful of blood.

His two-hundred-plus-pound body was knocked off its feet on the spot.

His entire body flew backward for more than ten meters.

Smashing through the metal shells of two abandoned cars in succession, he slammed heavily into the depths of the ruins and stopped moving completely.

A deathly silence fell in front of the main entrance.

The advancing Black Shark members stopped in unison, their gazes fixed firmly on the fallen giant in the ruins.