Chapter 108: Tier 6! How Is That Possible!
Wang Ruikai lay on the ground clutching his ass, face white as paper. That kind of pain-you had to experience it to understand.
His metallic right arm shifted back to normal.
"You're an ability user too!?" Wang Ruikai stared at Zhong Yuansen in horror.
"Are ability users that rare?" Zhong Yuansen said flatly.
"......"
"So can you still go or not? If you can, get up and keep fighting. If not, admit defeat like a man. Talking all that shit about being unbeatable at the same order-you couldn't even take one casual hit from me."
"......"
Wang Ruikai clenched his jaw and dragged himself to his feet.
"That was a cheap shot. You really think you'd stand a chance in a fair fight?"
Credit where it was due-Wang Ruikai had some grit. He powered through the ass-skewering agony, reformed his metal arm, and swung at Zhong Yuansen again.
This time, he kept constant awareness of the ground beneath him. No way he was getting violated from below twice.
The moment he felt something shift underfoot, he dodged sideways.
An earth spike punched through the spot where he'd been standing.
"Hmph. Same trick twice?" Wang Ruikai sneered.
"Brother Kai, watch out!" Wang Yueming screamed.
Too late. A boulder materialized out of nowhere and slammed into Wang Ruikai's back before he could react.
"Pfft-"
Blood sprayed from his mouth. He crashed face-first into the ground and looked up at Zhong Yuansen with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Zhong Yuansen shook his head.
"You're genuinely terrible."
"You- pfft-"
Those words hit harder than the boulder. Wang Ruikai-who'd never once in his life been called weak-spat another mouthful of blood, rage short-circuiting his brain. His eyes rolled back and he dropped.
"......"
Everyone stared. Seriously? He fainted from being trash-talked?
"This guy's never been out killing zombies." Yang Bin shook his head.
The ability itself was strong-no question. But the kid had zero combat experience.
With proper battle sense, that metal-arm ability could've given Zhong Yuansen real trouble.
Classic greenhouse flower.
The Wang family probably kept him wrapped in cotton wool-crystals hand-delivered, zombies pre-captured. He'd leveled up without ever leaving the house.
The result? Combat sense of a wet napkin. A top-tier ability completely wasted.
With Wang Ruikai out cold, only Wang Yueming remained standing in the living room.
The moment Yang Bin and the others turned their eyes on him, the guy burst into tears and dropped to his knees.
"Brothers, uncles, grandpas-please, this has nothing to do with me! I'm just a lackey! Spare me!"
"Does this guy look familiar to anyone else?" Yang Bin frowned.
"I thought the same thing the first time I saw him. Like I've seen that face somewhere." Hu Wenliang tilted his head.
"He looks like Wang Yuehao," Chen Hao said suddenly.
"Oh shit, you're right. Now I see it." Yang Bin's expression cleared.
"You know my little brother?" Wang Yueming's face lit up with hope.
"You guys look college-age-are you his classmates?"
"Yep." Yang Bin smiled.
"That's great! Since you're my brother's classmates, we're practically friends, right? No need for all this violence!"
Wang Yueming was grasping at any thread that might keep him breathing.
"Who's Wang Yuehao?" Zhao Kun asked, confused.
"The guy who cucked Haozi," Hu Wenliang said with a grin.
"Oh..." Zhao Kun and the others nodded in immediate understanding.
Wang Yueming's hopeful expression froze solid.
He'd thought he was building a bridge. Turns out he'd walked straight into a minefield.
"Haozi. He's yours." Yang Bin said.
Chen Hao nodded without a word, picked up the Barbell Rod, and walked toward Wang Yueming.
"Don't kill me! I know everything about the Wang family! I know where their secret base is! The Wang family is powerful-if you cross them, even at Tier 5 you won't escape!"
"That's not your problem anymore." Chen Hao's voice was ice. One swing. Head gone.
Looking at that face reminded him of Wang Yuehao. And Wang Yuehao reminded him of Liu Shiya. And Liu Shiya reminded him of three wasted years.
So yeah. Better dead.
"Bin-ge, what about this one?" Zhong Yuansen nodded toward Wang Ruikai's unconscious body.
"Drag him to the backyard. Get Little Orange out, then lock him in the cage. I've got experiments to run tonight."
"On it."
The backyard held two massive iron cages.
One contained a Tier-3 Zombie. The other, a Tier-4 Zombie.
Beside them sat a smaller cage. Little Orange was locked inside, its body covered in wounds.
The moment it saw Yang Bin and the others, Little Orange's eyes snapped open, bright with unmistakable joy.
They got the cage open fast, lifted Little Orange out, and stuffed Wang Ruikai in its place.
Hu Wenliang started healing the cat immediately.
Yang Bin stroked Little Orange's head gently.
"You've been through hell."
He found it strange. Back when they'd first met, Little Orange hadn't put up much resistance before choosing to follow him.
So why endure this kind of abuse without submitting to Wang Ruikai?
What Yang Bin didn't know was that when they'd first encountered Little Orange, it had only just awakened its intelligence. Seven or eight years with its previous owner had forged a deep bond.
Its owner turning into a zombie was what made it lash out-not hatred of humans.
In truth, it hadn't rejected people at all. It had even longed for a new master.
When Yang Bin spared its life and offered it crystals, it chose to follow. Simple as that.
Animals were like people-all different. Some vicious by nature, some gentle to the core.
Some mutated beasts turned on their owners the instant they evolved. Others would die protecting them.
Little Orange had always been gentle. If its owner hadn't turned, it would've been the fiercest guardian a person could ask for.
Under Hu Wenliang's healing, Little Orange recovered fully in minutes.
That's when Wang Ruikai woke up.
The moment he registered where he was, fury exploded across his face.
The eldest young master of the Wang family-locked in a dog cage. If word got out, the family's reputation would be ash.
"Let me out right now, or every single one of you dies!"
"Shut your mouth. One more word and I put you in the zombie cage." Yang Bin's voice was quiet and final.
"......."
Wang Ruikai went silent instantly.
"What do you want? Just tell me and I'll make it happen. Money? Women? Supplies? Crystals?"
"Name your price. The Wang family can deliver."
"I want Tier-6 crystals. Your family got those?"
"......."
"See, this is why I can't take you seriously. All mouth, no substance."
"You're talking out of your ass. Forget the Wang family-even the military doesn't have Tier 6 right now. I'd bet there isn't a single Tier-6 evolver on the entire planet."
"That so?"
Yang Bin smiled. Then he walked over to the cage holding the Tier-4 Zombie, gripped the frame with both hands, and lifted the entire thing-zombie included-clean off the ground. He set it down to the side like it was furniture.
"!!!"
Wang Ruikai's eyes nearly fell out of his skull.
Every bar in that cage was solid steel. Four to five tons, minimum. His people had carried it in piece by piece and assembled it on-site.
And this man just picked it up. With the zombie still inside.
"Sorry about that. I am Tier 6."
Yang Bin flashed a grin, then walked out with his squad, leaving Wang Ruikai frozen in the cage.
He wasn't worried about an escape. With those injuries, staying alive was the best Wang Ruikai could hope for.
Wang Ruikai stared at Yang Bin's retreating back, lips moving soundlessly.
"Tier 6... how is that possible...!?"