Chapter 83: The Monster’s Identity

Beep.

He tapped the computer strapped to his left forearm, unleashing Shana’s senses.

Half a second later, the second attack arrived. Once again, those terrifying razor-sharp claws lunged out, this time sweeping sideways through the window, aiming straight for Ji Cheng.

Almost at the very moment the claws were about to snap shut and sever his neck, Ji Cheng erupted with sudden force, snapping his seatbelt. With agile footwork, he sidestepped, narrowly evading a fatal blow.

“Aim for the webbing at the base of its palm,” Shana’s voice echoed in his mind.

They worked in perfect harmony. The instant Shana spoke, the Kun steel dagger appeared in Ji Cheng’s hand. As he withdrew his body, his arm swung upward with the motion.

The twenty-one-centimeter, finely honed Kun steel blade slashed upward at the webbing between the monster’s thumb and forefinger.

“What incredible defense…”

He felt a heavy resistance through the hilt. Veins bulged on his arm as it darkened with muscle, power surging.

A harsh sound, like a knife sawing through rawhide, filled the air, thick with tension. A half-inch deep gash split open, and dark red, foul-smelling blood splattered out.

The timing of Ji Cheng’s counterattack was so precise that, to any observer, it looked as if the monster’s claw had deliberately impaled itself on his blade.

Outside the carriage, the creature let out a wailing hum, metallic and shrill, like a gale rattling steel.

“Fall back, push off your left leg, guard your waist and abdomen,” Shana instructed.

She was utilizing the Eagle Strike combat module, so Ji Cheng followed her guidance exactly, retreating without overextending.

At the same moment, the blood-soaked claw snapped together like a spike, stabbing at the spot where he had just been—just a hair too slow, scraping past his abdomen as he retreated, missing him once more.

He steadied his stance, his exceptional balance allowing him to remain poised on the seventy-degree slant of the swiftly moving carriage.

With the pre-set combat module, the analytical power of the Data Ether Form, and his innate resonance, what seemed like a miraculous dance with the monster unfolded—almost as if he were toying with it.

“Is he clairvoyant? How is this possible?” Tian Gang stared, replaying Ji Cheng’s moves in his mind.

The ferocity of that claw was beyond doubt—its lightning speed and the ease with which it tore through the steel carriage made one thing clear: he himself would have found it nearly impossible to dodge, let alone twice, and to counterattack in the split second between life and death.

“Incredible,” Lei Junming thought to himself, recalling how Ji Cheng had snatched first place during the ability user selection by capturing ten communicators, while he had fumed with resentment. Now, embarrassment washed over him.

What a prodigious talent for combat… Lei Junming could barely comprehend how Ji Cheng managed such uncanny, hair’s-breadth evasions—just a fraction faster than the monster, yet always out of harm’s way.

Supernatural. Unfathomable.

He was thoroughly convinced, not only because Ji Cheng had saved his life from psychic contamination, but also because his capabilities were clearly in a league above.

Zhang Lingfei and Zhang Jing’e, the two sisters, were even more shaken by Ji Cheng’s display of strength.

Though their abilities ranked near the bottom, even without being targeted, the moment the monstrous claw struck out, cold sweat broke out down their backs.

Yet this man, dressed in sleek black combat gear, calm and sharp-eyed, had managed to turn the tables and injure the monster in such an unbelievable way.

“Ji Cheng’s strength far surpasses the average ability user, by a wide margin,” Fu Ting murmured in his synthesized electronic voice to ‘Green Lantern’ Liu Fangjian.

“Indeed. His movements are as precise as if calculated by a computer—textbook-perfect transitions between offense and defense.”

Meanwhile, the tunnel train continued to rumble forward. The pool of dark, pungent blood twisted and slithered as if alive, catching everyone’s attention.

Deeper in the darkness ahead, the metallic wailing echoed, accompanied by muffled thuds that reverberated through the empty tunnel, striking fear into their hearts.

“What kind of mutated beast is this? Its attack power must be at the Gate level,” someone asked—Li Yi, an ability user from the Red Hawk Republic, now looking toward Ji Cheng.

Clearly, he considered Ji Cheng the most reliable person here.

“Yes, Gate level. That seems about right,” another replied.

Mutated beasts were classified into four levels: Domain, Gate, Order, Family—Gate corresponding to a second-tier ability user.

“It shouldn’t be a mutated beast,” Ji Cheng began, then abruptly raised his gun, aiming at Li Yi.

Li Yi was first confused, then quickly spun around, swinging a heavy black blade at his back.

A sickening screech sounded. Almost as Li Yi turned, a shadow flickered by, and his blade was neatly sliced in two.

A flash.

The claws swept past again, shearing off his shoulder and half his scapula. Li Yi let out a muffled groan before his entire arm fell away.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of gunfire erupted, deafening echoes reverberating through the carriage.

Over a dozen black muzzles tracked the shadow rapidly darting outside the window, and even Li Yi, trembling, fired with his remaining arm.

“Aim away from the carriage—watch out for ricochets!” Ji Cheng reminded them.

The guns used by ability users were all expensive, custom-made models; even a stray bullet could inflict a fist-sized wound if it hit someone.

As Ji Cheng had predicted, many bullets glanced off the carriage’s steel beams, showering sparks everywhere.

“Cease fire!”

At his command, everyone stopped shooting. The monster’s shadow had already vanished.

A brief silence fell over the carriage. The faint hum of the wheels on the rails was barely audible, highlighting everyone’s labored breathing.

“Wrap a tourniquet from Li Yi’s armpit to his collarbone three times and secure the wound—he’s lost at least four arteries. Do your best to minimize his blood loss,” Ji Cheng instructed while keeping watch.

Most ability users lacked solid first aid knowledge, so he spelled out every step.

“He’s dead,” someone called out.

Dead?

Ji Cheng glanced over and understood at once: the monster hadn’t just severed Li Yi’s shoulder, it had split open his chest. With Li Yi facing away at the time, no one had noticed.

“He must have held on just long enough to empty his magazine before dying,” Tian Gang said, pointing to Li Yi’s cleaved heart, a touch of sorrow in his voice.

Clang.

A faint sound came from behind.

Ji Cheng spun around. In the flickering light, he saw two ability users from Repose City slumped over, heads hanging.

From the angle of their necks, it was clear their spines had been completely pulverized.

“My henchmen!” Ji Cheng cursed the monster inwardly.

Though his relationship with the Repose City users was built on mutual exploitation—Ji Cheng leveraging their influence to seize command, and they relying on him to cleanse contamination, adding a layer of safety—

Still, they had shown him respect, and their deaths irritated him.

Ratatatatata!

Centipede raised his submachine gun and opened fire.

“Watch out for ricochets, keep your bursts short,” Ji Cheng reminded him again, exasperated.

But then Ji Cheng noticed that Centipede was truly skilled—during the brief flicker of the shadow, most of his shots landed, though they merely embedded themselves in the monster’s strange outer veins, causing little real damage—at best, superficial wounds.

Centipede said in a low voice, “It’s not a Gate-level mutated beast. That level of defense is just above Order-level. My submachine gun should be able to hurt Order-level beasts.”

“I already said it’s not a mutated beast,” Ji Cheng replied, watching the window. The shadow outside seemed to be moving slower.

“If it’s not, then what is it? One of the Hive Lab’s test subjects?” Lei Junming caught on quickly, offering his own theory.

Gathering his thoughts, Ji Cheng explained, “On our way to the Small Hive, we passed through a hall. Evidence there suggested someone had arrived before us. But we never saw her afterward.”

“You mean Pang Weiwei!” Zhang Lingfei suddenly realized. “Could this monster be related to her?”