CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45 INTERCEPTION_1

The battle quickly escalated to a fever pitch.

All four of them launched themselves at the Four-arm Giant Ape with nothing held back, initiating a close-quarters fight.

The Four-arm Giant Ape was huge but not particularly fast, lacking the nimbleness typically associated with primates.

Because of this, the four were not in a hurry. They would attack and then retreat, not minding if they missed. They aimed for a surefire strategy, planning to slowly wear the big guy out.

Ten minutes passed. The Four-arm Giant Ape was covered in wounds, with fresh blood streaming out unstoppably.

Zhou Bingquan, knocked back seven or eight meters by the giant ape’s brute force after a head-on clash, had a look of joy emerge on his face.

"Its strength has obviously decreased!"

Actually, Wang Zhan and the others had also sensed it even before Zhou Bingquan spoke.

The Four-arm Giant Ape was now panting heavily, its eyes red and clearly enraged to the extreme, but its threat level had significantly decreased compared to the beginning of the battle.

"Let’s finish it off quickly," Wang Zhan responded, rushing forward alongside Zhou Bingquan to directly confront the Four-arm Giant Ape.

Zhou Bingquan was a level 5 Martial Artist on the verge of breaking through his Limit, and Wang Zhan’s physique was even stronger.

Among the four, only these two could face the Four-arm Giant Ape head-on. While they weren’t its match, they wouldn’t get injured if they were careful.

The battle quickly reached a white-hot stage.

In just over ten minutes, not only the Four-arm Giant Ape but also Wang Zhan and his companions were feeling fatigued.

"My Essence Energy is almost depleted," Zhou Bingquan said.

Before Wang Zhan could reply, the Four-arm Giant Ape preemptively attacked.

It roared, its eyes so bloodshot they seemed to overflow, and as its roar faded, its body swelled, growing even larger.

Seeing this, the group didn’t panic. Instead, they calmly retreated to create distance.

"This is the Four-arm Giant Ape’s Talent skill—Rampage. After going berserk, it falls into a weakened state," Zhou Bingquan smiled. "This berserk state lasts for only three minutes at most. Just be patient."

He said it casually, but they soon realized that enduring these short three minutes would not be easy at all.

The berserk Four-arm Giant Ape’s speed surged by at least 30%. Zhou Bingquan, caught off guard due to a moment of carelessness, was hit in the chest by the Ape. He spat fresh blood and collapsed.

"Senior!" Wang Zhan’s expression changed drastically. He immediately rushed over to help Zhou Bingquan up, intending to escape.

But he had overestimated his own speed.

ROAR!

The Four-arm Giant Ape, moving so fast it was almost an afterimage, took large strides to get behind Wang Zhan in an instant and threw another punch.

PFFT! The massive force caused Wang Zhan to spit fresh blood. However, he didn’t dare fall; instead, he used the impact’s momentum to create more distance.

Meanwhile, Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming arrived. Working together, they fought while retreating, managing to stall the Four-arm Giant Ape.

After some heart-stopping moments, the grueling three minutes finally ended.

The Four-arm Giant Ape’s body visibly shrank. In an instant, it was even smaller than before its rampage.

Its eyes were no longer bloodshot, and its breathing had become extremely weak.

"Now’s the time! Finish him off!" Wang Zhan shouted, being the first to rush forward. His injuries weren’t severe enough to take him out of the fight.

Song Dongming followed suit, while Huang Pufeng stayed behind to take care of Zhou Bingquan.

Unlike Wang Zhan, who had managed to disperse some of the impact, Zhou Bingquan had taken the blow head-on. Although his injuries weren’t life-threatening, he had already lost his ability to fight.

In its weakened state, the Four-arm Giant Ape’s power and speed had dropped to roughly that of a level 5 Martial Artist. Having plummeted three levels at once, it was naturally no longer much of a threat.

Under the combined assault of Wang Zhan and Song Dongming, its body couldn’t withstand their soldier-level weapons, and it quickly entered a near-death state.

Seeing this, Wang Zhan was instantly energized.

"Stand back, I’ll do it!"

In the instant Song Dongming hesitated, Wang Zhan had already dashed in front of the Four-arm Giant Ape. He plunged his dagger fiercely into its throat, getting sprayed all over with fresh blood.

But Wang Zhan paid it no mind and slashed the dagger across its throat! He cut halfway through the Four-arm Giant Ape’s neck.

With such an injury, the Four-arm Giant Ape was as dead as it could be.

’Strength +8’

That’s satisfying. Wang Zhan wore a pleased smile as he stepped back, watching the Four-arm Giant Ape’s corpse fall to the ground.

"We actually killed a level 7 beast! Damn, that feels good!" Huang Pufeng exclaimed, supporting Zhou Bingquan as they walked over. The four gathered around the Four-arm Giant Ape’s corpse, their faces filled with excitement.

This was a beast equivalent to a level 8 Martial Artist. The fact that the few of them, working together, could kill a beast of this rank was astonishing.

Wang Zhan recalled how, just a month ago, this big guy had scared him so badly he hadn’t dared to breathe. Now, the Four-arm Giant Ape lay dead at his hands.

My progress is visibly fast, Wang Zhan thought to himself.

"COUGH, COUGH. Get its beast core out, then let’s head back," Zhou Bingquan said. He had recovered a little but was still seriously injured.

Naturally, none of them had any objections.

But just as Wang Zhan was about to make his move, an overwhelming sense of crisis suddenly washed over him.

Wang Zhan, with his sharp senses, reacted instantly and leaped back.

The next moment, a smoking bullet hole appeared where he had just been standing.

"Who is it?!" Wang Zhan shouted, and the other three immediately became alert.

Soon, from an inconspicuous corner not far away, a black-clothed person holding a sniper’s rifle emerged.

A black-clothed person, Wang Zhan instantly recalled his previous encounter.

The last black-clothed person he had killed had also been after this Four-arm Giant Ape.

At the same time, the black-clothed person spoke.

"Not bad. I thought you’d be killed by this Four-arm Giant Ape, but you actually managed to take it down. Truly worthy of being elite Martial Artists from the Academy." The black-clothed person approached with a smile, soon stopping seven or eight meters away from them.

"What do you want?" Wang Zhan asked, taking a deep breath, his expression stern.

The black-clothed person chuckled. "Leave. The Four-arm Giant Ape’s carcass is mine. Thanks for your help; you’ve saved me a lot of trouble."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Why should we hand over the corpse just because you say so?!" Huang Pufeng couldn’t stop himself from cursing.

As soon as Huang Pufeng finished speaking, Wang Zhan had already charged forward. He had already sent a message; the nearest mentor would arrive soon. Since that was the case, he decided to engage first!

"Looking for death!" The black-clothed person, seeing Wang Zhan actually dare to attack, said coldly, "Do you really think I can’t handle a few defeated soldiers like you?!"

As his words fell, Wang Zhan was already upon him.

The black-clothed man’s expression didn’t change. He casually waved the long spear in his hand and blocked Wang Zhan’s dagger.

The moment their weapons clashed, Wang Zhan’s expression instantly turned ugly.

Level 8?!

The opponent’s strength was barely weaker than the Four-arm Giant Ape’s. This was definitely not good news!

The black-clothed man’s expression suddenly turned unsightly for some unknown reason, and he viciously kicked Wang Zhan in the chest.

Wang Zhan cried out in pain as he was kicked away, and he didn’t attempt to attack again.

"The Four-arm Giant Ape’s carcass is yours!" Wang Zhan said, his face grim.

Seeing Huang Pufeng seemingly wanting to say something, Wang Zhan shook his head and added, "Listen to me. This isn’t the time to be stubborn."

Hearing this, Zhou Bingquan and Song Dongming were also puzzled but wisely remained silent.

On the other side, the black-clothed man had been about to press his attack. But seeing Wang Zhan concede, he snorted, then dragged the Four-arm Giant Ape’s carcass away and quickly departed.

Wang Zhan didn’t rush to explain. Instead, together with his three companions, he moved away from the area before finding an open space to rest temporarily.

Huang Pufeng, who had been bottling up his frustration, immediately complained once it seemed safe, "Wang Zhan, you wimped out! So what if he’s a level 8 Martial Artist? I don’t believe he’d risk his life for a Four-arm Giant Ape. Even if we’re not in top condition, the four of us could have definitely taken him on!"

Song Dongming and Zhou Bingquan also couldn’t understand Wang Zhan’s decision.

They had expended a great deal of effort on the Four-arm Giant Ape, and now it had been snatched away for no reason. It was hard for them to accept.

Wang Zhan gave a wry smile. "What if that black-clothed person wasn’t alone?"

His words instantly made the other three stiffen.

"You mean that black-clothed person might have had accomplices?"

"Not might. Definitely!" Wang Zhan sighed. "Haven’t I told you before? I’ve dealt with these black-clothed people in the past. They’re an organization, and they were targeting the Four-arm Giant Ape even before."

"The four of us managed to kill the Four-arm Giant Ape partly because its attention was divided. That black-clothed person, acting alone, couldn’t possibly withstand its berserk state. So, if he dared to show up, he must have had backup."

Wang Zhan then recalled the black-clothed person from last time. If it hadn’t been for Sun Jian, he might have already died at the hands of that man’s companion.

Just then, a few sounds suddenly came from the dense forest nearby. Immediately after, a mentor from the Academy appeared.

"Student Wang Zhan is right. Low-ranking members of the Original Organization rarely act alone," the mentor said.

"Student Wang Zhan has already reported the incident via his personal terminal, so I’m mostly aware of the situation. Student Wang Zhan, you did the right thing this time." The mentor sighed deeply. "This cleanup operation wasn’t just targeting beasts; it was more about eliminating members of the Original Organization. This information wasn’t disclosed to the students."

"This task was supposed to be handled by mentors. I didn’t expect you to run into them."

Wang Zhan and the others looked at each other, an undeniable sense of lingering fear in their hearts.

"Mentor, so those black-clothed people are members of the Original Organization? What is the Original Organization?" Wang Zhan asked.

The mentor shook his head slightly. "Just a bunch of unreasonable madmen. I can’t say too much. If you want to know more, go back and ask Old Duan."

This mentor obviously knew that Wang Zhan was Duan Kun’s student.

"Let me escort you back to rest first. We can discuss other matters later."