Chapter 51: Chapter 48: What Are You Pretending to Be?
The Spartan Kick, with the heel as the final point of force, possessed the most lethal power among all front-kicking actions.
"Puff!"
Despite being Lou Huiying, under the ferocious kick aimed at her vulnerability, she doubled over like a cooked shrimp, covering her stomach with both hands, as blood and vomit burst forth from her mouth.
Without any hesitation, Xue Jing continued forward, his right leg raised straight up, higher than his head, the power churning, building up to the limit, like the blade of a guillotine, and he suddenly chopped down!
Lou Huiying, clutching her abdomen and bending over, took the brunt of the blow to the back of her head, like a plummeting onion, and Xue Jing fiercely drove her into the ground with one foot.
"Bang!"
Her face was deeply embedded into the hard concrete, dust billowing around, from her as the center, a crack spread more than a meter in diameter.
Lou Huiying did not move again, the dark crown fell off, rolling to the side, looking like a mere hair ornament, with no special features.
All the onlookers at the scene were rendered speechless, intimidated by the young man's terrifying martial prowess and his ruthless treatment of the woman.
Xue Jing didn't care about the spectators' thoughts, he straightened the glasses on his nose which had slightly shifted due to the intense action, bent down, and picked up the "Crown of the Wicked Woman."
"Detecting Divine Substance, absorbing divinity…"
He pulled out his phone, took a photo of the dark crown, and sent it to Wu Youqing.
"Custody successful," Xue Jing murmured to himself.
Glancing again at Lou Huiying, who lay face down on the ground motionless, Xue Jing stepped forward, extending his right foot, and flipped her body over.
To prevent her from being suffocated with her head buried in the ground.
As for the punishment due to the many evil deeds she had done after wearing the Crown of the Wicked Woman ... he would leave that to the residents she had oppressed these days.
The folks of the South City district were simple and the major gangs were full of talent; without the Crown of the Wicked Woman, Lou Huiying, reduced to an ordinary person, was bound to face difficult days ahead.
Just as Xue Jing was about to leave, he suddenly heard a deep, indifferent voice from behind:
"Oh? Nearly came too late, but it turned out just in time."
"Hey, kid."
"Hand over what you're holding. That's not something you're qualified to touch."
Xue Jing paused slightly, slowly turned around, and looked towards the source of the voice.
It was a quite burly man dressed in a suit and leather shoes.
He was impeccably dressed, his clothes nearly wrinkle-free, and his tie perfectly tied. His hair, slicked back with hair oil, lacked a single strand out of place, making him look like he had OCD.
The man's facial features were stern, his eyes carried a hint of indifference, his gaze at Xue Jing was condescending.
Xue Jing lingered on his face a little longer, feeling something odd.
His skin was very pale, unnaturally so. There were several indentations on his cheeks, as if the skin was sewn on by very precise methods, giving a sense of disharmony and eeriness.
That went for his eyes too, one was a normal black while the other emitted a faint glow of dark red.
"What if I say no?" Xue Jing asked, his tone completely steady.
He glanced at the panel.
In the Divine Skills section, beneath "Twin Lifes," wisps of golden light seeped out, continually gathering.
He had seen this phenomenon before.
It was the same as when he first encountered a Divine Relic, the moment Twin Lifes was activated.
A new Divine Skill was being born.
Xue Jing closed the panel, tucked the "Crown of the Wicked Woman" into his neckline, ensuring it was in constant contact with his body.
Noticing his action, the man's eyes narrowed.
"Kid, you're courting death."
The man took off his suit jacket, threw it aside, and began walking towards Xue Jing, loosening his tie as if ready to fight.
The dark red prosthetic eye analyzed the data of the youth in front.
"Physical Power Level estimation: 1.7~1.9"
"Physical Mutation Rate: below 1%"
"Traces of martial arts practice detected, no evident specialized parts, unable to calculate combat model"
…
After a plethora of data assessments, the final evaluation came in.
"Comprehensive danger level estimation: 2.1~2.5"
The result surprised the man.
Appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old... living in a rural area like the Outer Ring City, to have an assessment over 2 at this age, the kid is quite talented indeed.
But...still too weak.
The man's eyes revealed scorn.
"Kid, I'm giving you one last chance,"
"Hand it over."
He walked up to Xue Jing, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I can spare your life, just break an arm and a leg."
"Kneel down and thank me for this mercy."
His words were tinged with an irritating sense of entitlement.
Xue Jing was silent for a moment, blinked, and then smiled:
"You piece of shit, you probably haven't played tough muck like this, have you?"
The man's gaze turned cold.
"Let me guess, you must be the type who is willing to be a lowly, groveling dog, but still tries to squeeze into circles that aren't yours. Now you feel so cool because you can enter this circle, superior to others, walking with a swagger, unable to resist imitating those higher-ups you encounter every day."
"But— you haven't really played this role before, have you? It's too rigid, really, I'm embarrassed for you."
Xue Jing's smile was as brilliant as the sunshine.
"I'm curious, you lower-class stinking dog, who are you trying to impress here?"
A member of the Razor Gang watching couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Pfft..."
When the man heard the laughter, it seemed to hit a nerve; his face turned from green to white, and his prosthetic red eye flickered between shame and outright fury.
"You're dead...you're dead...you're dead..."
"I'm going to...kill you!"
He was about to make a move, but Xue Jing had already taken the initiative, launching a crotch kick without hesitation towards the man's groin.
"Smack!"
Following a dull sound, the man's eyes revealed scorn:
"Despicable martial artist, always using such despicable tricks, how could we not be prepared?"
Xue Jing immediately realized something was off; the feeling of hitting the target didn't feel like a human body, but rather like kicking a rubber-made, hard tire.
"It's over!"
The man suddenly lunged for a bear hug, extremely fast, almost like a beast snapping its jaws at Xue Jing.
This move was almost certainly secure, according to the evaluation from the prosthetic eye, a youngster with a physical power level of less than 2, at this distance, it was impossible to dodge.
However, the man grasped at air.
The young man was extremely quick, ducking down to dodge the bear hug with a speed far exceeding his rating, took a step back and distanced himself.
Then… without hesitation, he turned and ran!
"Damn it!"
The man was furiously angry, smashing the floor as he chased after Xue Jing.
…
Xue Jing weaved through the complex alleyways, deep in thought.
'Who is this person? A custodian from another containment company?'
'His body is strange...has he used banned drugs, or does he have an alien implant?'
'Outer Ring City lacks medical facilities, and the use of alien implants is prohibited...could he be from Inner Ring City?'
Continuous thumping sounds came from behind.
Xue Jing looked back.
While he zigzagged, using light-body skills in the alleys, the other party simply brute-forced his way through like a tank, smashing countless walls in a straight line as he rapidly closed in.
Seeing the distance being closed gradually, and knowing that Twin Speed couldn't be maintained for long, Xue Jing glanced at the progress of the Divine Absorption on his panel.
The light points of pale gold were still converging.
'First, find a way to buy some time and see what the new Divine Skill is.'
Xue Jing made up his mind.
He turned into another alley, his gaze sweeping across the area like lightning, took a few steps forward and picked up a rusty, bent nail from the ground.
…