Thwack.

The grappling hook shot straight into one of the Demonic Squid’s tentacles, which it had raised to shield its face. Fang Mingyue’s expression changed drastically—she was about to yell at Shen Ge to drop the grappling gun when the creature moved first. With a flick of its tentacle, it whipped the rope upward, sending Shen Ge flying through the air.

“Woo-hoo, liftoff!” Shen Ge, far from panicking, sounded exhilarated, as if he were in the middle of an extreme sport.

“…”

This guy’s insane.

That was the only thought left in Fang Mingyue’s mind. But she couldn’t just stand by and watch him throw his life away. Judging his likely landing spot, she sprinted ahead to intercept him.

Just as she was about to activate the inflatable airbag from her Demonic Leather Armguard to cushion his fall, she suddenly realized—her armguard was gone.

“Where’s my Demonic Leather Armguard?”

Meanwhile, Shen Ge, hurtling toward an old building, raised his right arm. Whoosh! A massive airbag burst forth, bouncing him off the wall and straight toward the back of the Demonic Squid’s head. With a downward slash of his Butcher’s Cleaver, he split its skull open.

Squelch!

Black blood gushed out as the blade carved a deep line down the creature’s head.

“My armguard? When did he— Oh! That moment!”

Fang Mingyue was stunned. Then it hit her—when Shen Ge had pulled her up earlier, his hand had brushed against her arm. She’d assumed it was accidental, especially since her attention had been on the squid.

Who’d have thought he’d pickpocketed her in the middle of a life-or-death fight?

Landing smoothly, Shen Ge leapt again, propelled by his Demonic Leather Boots several meters into the air. Strangely, the Demonic Squid seemed blind to him, its remaining tentacles flailing wildly.

Unfazed, Shen Ge unleashed a flurry of haphazard slashes—his so-called “Chaotic Wind Cleaver Technique.” Every time the blade met a tentacle, blood sprayed, and the severed limb dropped to the ground, twitching like a lizard’s discarded tail. The sight of a dozen writhing tentacles was downright eerie.

Fang Mingyue couldn’t understand why the creature ignored Shen Ge, but her concern for him outweighed her confusion.

“Shen Tan, how can I help?” she shouted, watching him dart around like a madman.

Between swings, he called back, “Stay back. The blood’s saturated with corrupted energy. Without a protective suit, it could affect you.”

Touched, Fang Mingyue felt a pang of guilt. He’s risking his life, yet still thinks of my safety.

“I misjudged him,” she thought. “He acts cold, but he’s always the first to face the monsters. How could I ever doubt him?”

Resolved not to be a burden, she scanned the area for survivors—only to find a gruesome scene. Blood, organs, and limbs littered the ground. Even if she tried, she couldn’t have pieced together seven whole bodies.

“Why?” she lamented. “If only they’d listened to Shen Tan and stayed inside!”

…..

Shen Ge, meanwhile, was still hacking away.

He wasn’t refusing Fang Mingyue’s help out of pride—her two Demonic Energy artifacts were already in use: one forming the skeletal cage trapping the squid’s head, the other on his arm.

With nothing left to defend herself, she’d be as vulnerable as the dead civilians.

Besides, the squid was already weakened. Over half its tentacles were gone, and Shen Ge had a plan to reclaim the Demonic Eye stuck to its forehead.

Earlier, during his first “flight,” he’d slapped the Demonic Eye’s “Unseen” effect onto the creature, blinding it. Without sight, it could only rely on its tentacles’ sense of touch—but flesh was no match for his Indestructible Cleaver.

“Shen Tan! It’s regenerating!” Fang Mingyue warned from behind a wall. The severed tentacles weren’t dying. Instead, they twitched like lizard tails, reattaching the moment they touched the squid’s body.

Great. An endless supply of limbs.

Shen Ge’s gaze dropped to the sewer, where half the squid’s body still lurked.

What’s in sewers?

Besides mermaids? Methane.

Kids loved tossing firecrackers into manholes for a reason—the resulting explosions could launch a manhole cover (and anyone standing on it) sky-high.

Shen Ge had three frag grenades, one F-1 fragmentation grenade, and a high-yield timed explosive. If this sewer had methane, even a small spark would do the trick.

He fired the grappling hook again—this time aiming for the skeletal cage. Wrapping the rope around a nearby pole, he anchored the squid in place.

Then he lunged for the sewer, dodging tentacles, and hurled a grenade inside before flipping backward onto a rooftop.

BOOM!

A pillar of fire erupted, engulfing the squid. The methane chain reaction sent shockwaves rippling through the street, the ground heaving like waves.

As flames consumed the creature, Shen Ge seized the moment. Leaping down, he tossed a second grenade—this time straight into the folds of its exposed brain.

KABOOM!

The squid collapsed, but the inferno forced Shen Ge back. Only when the flames died down did he charge in again.

Chop!

Chop!

Hack!

Slash!

Watching from afar, Fang Mingyue became absolutely convinced Shen Ge had been a butcher in a past life. No one wielded a cleaver with such brutal precision without years of practice.

Amid the carnage, Shen Ge retrieved the Demonic Eye and reduced the squid’s head to paste.

[Host’s brilliance and bravery have slain a Tier-2 demonic entity single-handedly! Reward: 100 System Points, Random F-grade Supply x1.]

[Extract reward?]

“No.”

[Sell Tier-2 corpse for 500 Points?]

“Sell.”

+600 Points. A tidy profit, considering he’d only used two grenades.

“Demonic artifacts really are OP,” he mused, shaking blood off his cleaver. The blade gleamed, spotless—even Nie Renwang would’ve called it a peerless weapon.

Fang Mingyue, blocked by the flames, only saw Shen Ge emerge from the inferno, cleaver in hand.

“Shen Tan… you actually killed it?” she stammered, awestruck.

“Yep.” His tone was as casual as if he’d just finished a meal.

Shen Tan, truly a legend!

“But the survivors… none made it.” Fang Mingyue sighed. If only I’d trusted Shen Tan more, maybe—

Her guilt deepened. Dozens had dwindled to seven… and now zero. Compared to him, I’m worthless.

Right then, she vowed to learn from him, to grow stronger—until she deserved to stand in the shadow of his greatness.

…..

Shen Ge eyed her warily. Why’s she looking at me like that? Does she think I groped her earlier?

Honestly, Fang Mingyue was all skin and bones—not exactly pleasant to touch. If she’d misinterpreted, that’d be one hell of a misunderstanding.

“Uh, about earlier—I can explain!”

“No need,” she said solemnly. “In emergencies, anything goes. If you like it, keep the armguard!”

Shen Ge: ?

Why would I want your arm? I have two.

“From now on, whatever you need, just ask. I’ll follow you anywhere—to learn!”

“Learn what?”

“Anything you teach!”

“What ‘positions’ could I— Never mind.” He shook his head. *“The barrier should be gone now. I’m heading for the next zone—and that Tier-4’s tower. You coming?”*

“I’ll follow you!” she declared. “You’re right. Saving a few won’t matter if the core threat remains. Better to end this nightmare at its source.”

Shen Ge patted her shoulder, pleased. “Glad you understand.”

“Thanks to your guidance. I’ll never doubt you again!”

“…”

What guidance?

Eh, whatever makes her happy.

As they moved on, Fang Mingyue hung on his every word, dissecting even his jokes for hidden wisdom.

“Shen Tan, the energy readings are clean. The next zone should be past that corner.”

Shen Ge nodded, bemused. Did that fall scramble her brain? She was treating him like a war hero now.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on surviving another day in this hellscape! Reward: +1% Free Attribute Points, +10 System Points.]

The notification meant eight days had passed inside the barrier—48 hours outside.

Shen Ge worried about the outside world. If no one heard from him, they might send more fodder… or worse, nuke the place.

Director Deng would buy him time, but even she had limits. And with foreign powers like P.L.A.Y.G.R.O.U.N.D breathing down their necks…

How long can she hold out?

Worse, the Tier-4’s tower was nowhere in sight. If they couldn’t even find the core, how could they destroy it?

…..

Fang Mingyue noticed his frown. “Shen Tan, did you sense something?”

“Just thinking,” he deflected. *“The quiet’s suspicious. You mentioned hundreds of demons before—where’d they go? If they were eaten, we might be facing another Tier-4 soon.”*

Her eyes widened. Of course! While I was shocked by the numbers, Shen Tan was analyzing the bigger picture!

“The latest reports confirm demons evolve by cannibalism,” she said. “If one absorbed hundreds… Do you have a plan?”

A plan?

Hell no. One Tier-4 was bad enough. Two? Unless they killed each other—

Wait.

Hmm…