CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 54: VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE!

In Ma Ran’s heart, everyone who should have perished in the "A3 District Nightmare Incident" deserves to be saved.

He thought for a moment and communicated with Su Qiangwei in sign language: "Don’t worry."

"Opponents of this level are just sandbags."

"I can take on a thousand of them."

Such behavior from Ma Ran is usually called boasting.

Besides, he was also playing with the concept.

Facing a thousand opponents with slightly above-average stamina, armed with cold weapons, if Ma Ran reached the Ninth Rank of Inner Qi, he could indeed rely on his seasoned experience and iron fists to break through them!

Wiping out all of them, however, is impossible.

His physical hardware conditions do not allow it.

After all, Black Rock Martial Arts Practitioners are flesh and blood, not robots with "steel and bone and gasoline running in their veins."

In reality, there are only seventy-four opponents.

But the problem is...

All of Ma Ran’s current opponents are equipped with hot weapons!

If these seventy-four people were at their peak, Ma Ran wouldn’t be able to confront them face-to-face.

That wouldn’t be bravery; it would be recklessness, a death wish!

After all, Ma Ran is currently only at the Sixth Rank of Inner Qi, not the Ninth Rank.

The good news is...

Due to Ma Ran’s slaughter over the past six days, all the mature spores are dead.

The Nightmare Spores parasitizing these people are mostly split temporarily and are in an immature stage.

Therefore, when the Nightmare Mother controls these people, there’s a slight delay in their response.

This causes them to be unable to perform at their full strength.

Although their power and speed aren’t affected, there’s indeed a sluggish response, making their movements somewhat stiff.

Ordinary people might not see these flaws.

But in Ma Ran’s eyes, they are full of openings!

As a senior Earth Civilization Guardian, battle-hardened Ma Ran can analyze and compare the overall combat power of both sides in an extremely short time.

With just a glance, he immediately made a judgment—he could win!

So Ma Ran immediately sprang into action.

His Inner Qi flowed as his legs exerted force, his figure becoming a blur, instantly closing the distance.

Swish!

An elbow strike full of Inner Qi crashed down, and with a dull thud, the chosen target was sent flying!

The opponent collapsed on the ground, struggling to twist their body, seemingly trying to get up and continue fighting.

However, it was all in vain!

Having observed and analyzed for a while, Ma Ran was now certain of his victory.

His eyes were sharp, his actions decisive, and every move was precise and deadly.

He wouldn’t act if he wasn’t sure, but when he did, he ensured a result.

With slight vibrations of the Inner Qi invading the target’s body, the structure of the immature Nightmare Spores was damaged, forcing them into a dormant state.

At this time, Nightmare Mother 98725 also reacted and issued a command through the spores: "Kill Ma Ran immediately!"

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Three gunshots sounded almost simultaneously.

Ma Ran remained calm, reacting before the opponent pulled the trigger.

The three outgoing bullets almost all grazed past him, with no success.

A lucky shot?

No.

These people, although controlled by Nightmare Spores, retained their shooting instincts, and their aim was quite precise.

However, their opponent was Ma Ran!

In the state of Sixth Rank Inner Qi, Ma Ran’s battlefield experience was too rich.

As long as he stayed calm, didn’t make rookie mistakes, kept moving, and maintained the right angles, he couldn’t possibly be hit by bullets!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!...

Gunfire erupted, echoing throughout the A3 Area, but to no avail.

In the hail of bullets, Ma Ran continued knocking down warriors controlled by the Nightmare Mother.

Instead, those parasitized were injured by stray bullets due to improper cooperation.

Once the spores parasitize a host, their fates are linked.

Once the parasitized die, the spores released by 98725 also perish.

In the past six days, Ma Ran had crushed too many Nightmare Spores!

Now, with each loss, 98725 felt heartache.

Nightmare Mother 98725 immediately changed tactics: "Close combat! Use cold weapons!"

"Switch to melee mode! Take him down!"

The parasitized ones silently dropped their guns, holding knives or tridents, and rushed at Ma Ran.

Moreover, 98725 concentrated, initiating micro-control mode, simultaneously directing several of the parasitized attacking Ma Ran.

The parasitized under 98725’s micro-control moved significantly smoother than when auto-fighting.

They suddenly increased the pressure on Ma Ran by several folds!

This really improved the situation visually.

At least, they wouldn’t misfire on allies as they did before.

However...

In truth, when the combat power level gap between two sides becomes substantial, strategies and tactics become difficult to implement effectively.

Ma Ran’s agile dodging rendered all attacks from the parasitized ineffective.

Each of Ma Ran’s attacks left a parasitized one incapable of action.

Reality isn’t a turn-based game, and this isn’t a sparring session between Academic Society members—it’s Ma Ran showcasing his current combat power to its fullest extent.

Viewing through the shared vision of [Caged Gaze], Su Qiangwei was stunned.

She didn’t know how to evaluate Ma Ran anymore.

A normal person, seeing seventy-four fully armed, well-trained enemies, their first response—even if not to flee—should have been fear, leaving them paralyzed and immobile, right?

But Ma Ran?

He charged in like a fool.

Not only daring to fight, but also seeing...

Winning is actually possible?!

Nightmare Mother 98725, watching from the shadows like Su Qiangwei, now realized the tide had turned.

Ma Ran, who didn’t look formidable on the outside, was rampaging through the crowd, terrifyingly strong, like an invincible monster!

He hadn’t used hot weapons called "Hunting Elephant."

Every part of Ma Ran’s body could become a weapon, producing explosive effects.

Fists, feet, fingers, knees, elbows, back, shoulders, shinbones...

Any parasitized who made physical contact with Ma Ran would be left with torn muscles, broken bones, concussed brains, and paralyzed nerves, utterly losing the ability to act.

Unknowingly, of the seventy-four cannon fodder warriors, only a little over twenty were left.

The once-overconfident Nightmare Mother 98725 felt as though hit by a bucket of cold water, suddenly sobering.

It began to panic!

"Retreat!"

"Retreat immediately! Preserve strength!"

If you can’t win, just run; where in the world is there such a convenient thing?

Compared to these parasitized who hadn’t even reached the First Rank of Inner Qi, Ma Ran was faster and had much greater endurance!

The skirmish turned into a chase, aligning perfectly with Ma Ran’s wishes.

He was well aware of the principle, "Pursue the remnants courageously, don’t imitate the overlord for mere fame."

Frankly speaking, when it comes to chasing down broken enemy lives, seizing opportunities to expand victories, and looting the highest-value spoils along the way...

No one understands this better than Ma Ran!

He donned a new bulletproof vest.

A silver-black alloy war helmet atop his head.

Wearing goggles with special ray detection in night vision mode.

Strapping a combat knife and a trident on each side of his waist.

With a tactical backpack stuffed with grenades on his back...

After doing all this, Ma Ran had already knocked out all the Nightmare Spores within the seventy-four parasitized.

At this moment, his body was littered with bruises, and about sixty percent of his stamina and Inner Qi were expended.

However...

In terms of combat power alone, Ma Ran was stronger than he was before experiencing this fight.

This is the allure of gear!

Under the night sky, in the cold wind.

Ma Ran, slightly panting, with white smoke visible from his mouth, gestured in sign language: "How is he doing now?"

Su Qiangwei hesitated for a moment, responding: "Song Chu has now reached the shelter."

"His condition seems a bit off..."