NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 112
At that moment, Duan Mei found herself at a loss for words. She stared blankly at the formidable man standing beside her, the sheer power he had just unleashed leaving her speechless.
Lu Ming, seemingly unfazed by his display of might, broke the silence. "This thing is a bit tougher than I thought," he admitted. "My strike didn't have the desired effect."
Initially, Lu Ming had assumed that with his physical strength exceeding that of a Level 7 creature, cleaving a Level 5 adversary with a single slash would be a trivial matter. However, he hadn't anticipated the sheer tenacity of The Flesh Mountain.
Even with its face sliced open, the creature was still alive and moving, a testament to its incredible vitality.
"Or perhaps I simply missed my mark," Lu Ming mused, realizing he might have only injured its face without striking the vital brain.
But that was a minor concern.
As the enraged Flesh Mountain lumbered towards them, Lu Ming raised his saber once more. He leveled it, lifted it...
And then, with a mighty roar, he slashed downwards with all his strength.
This time, Duan Mei's eyes followed the trajectory of the blade. It moved with incredible speed, easily surpassing the speed of sound.
Upon breaching the sound barrier, a ripple-like shockwave surged forth, effortlessly slicing through one of The Flesh Mountain's massive legs. The shockwave's momentum didn't stop there. It continued on, slamming into a building behind the creature, reducing it to rubble.
A mere second after the strike...
With a resounding bang, The Flesh Mountain's immense height abruptly diminished.
Lu Ming's saber had severed its lower leg, exposing a gruesome mess of shredded flesh and a pale shinbone. The detached foot left the creature standing precariously on its remaining limb.
However, The Flesh Mountain's colossal mass couldn't be supported by a single shinbone alone.
Just as it teetered on the brink of collapse...
Lu Ming struck again.
A sickening tearing sound filled the air. Amputation below the knee.
The Flesh Mountain shrunk once more.
Lu Ming slashed again, and again...
The relentless cascade of shockwaves exacted a heavy toll on Lu Ming's energy reserves. His shoulders, arms, and wrists ached under the immense strain, a tingling sensation spreading through his limbs.
He finally ceased his assault when the numbness became unbearable.
The Flesh Mountain's grotesque, mangled face lay on the ground, its head the only part still "standing" upright.
"It should be dead this time," Lu Ming mumbled, leaning on his battle saber.
Destroying a zombie's head was common practice. However, The Flesh Mountain's sheer size had made it impossible for Lu Ming to reach its head while it stood upright.
So, he had opted for a different approach: amputation below the head. It seemed to have the same effect as beheading.
After confirming The Flesh Mountain's demise, Lu Ming sighed in relief and turned to the astounded Duan Mei.
"Um, could I trouble you with something?" he asked.
"Yes?" Duan Mei replied, still trying to process what she had just witnessed.
"The zombie crystals," Lu Ming said. "Could you keep an eye on them for me? They're my spoils of war."
Duan Mei was momentarily speechless.
Who would dare snatch your belongings? she thought. After seeing what you're capable of, who in their right mind would even try?
With the minor details settled, Lu Ming turned his attention to the main objective: hunting.
The plane circling above served as Lu Ming's eyes, scanning the area for the six-legged wolf-bears.
Another thunderous boom echoed through the air, causing Duan Mei to flinch.
She witnessed the powerful man leap into the air with a single bound, covering an astonishing distance. In mid-air, he seemed to defy gravity, stepping on nothing but air as if he were a deity, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Duan Mei felt her understanding of reality being challenged. "He can fly too!?" she blurted out, her voice filled with disbelief.
To her surprise, her musing received a response. "Yes, Brother Lu should be able to fly," a voice replied.
She turned to find Bai Tianyu and his team approaching. Duan Mei glanced at them briefly before returning her gaze to the direction where Lu Ming had disappeared.
As Bai Tianyu joined her side, he explained, "It's not a superpower, just pure physical strength."
"Manga," he continued, "have you read 'One Piece'? There's a move called 'Marine Eight Styles'..."
"It's actually called 'Marine Six Powers'," Duan Mei corrected him.
"That's not important," Bai Tianyu dismissed her correction. "What matters is the principle behind it. By applying an explosive force to the air, a counterforce is generated, enabling a person to move through the air. Well, something like that."
As he spoke, Bai Tianyu trailed off, lost in thought.
No matter how much he tried to rationalize it, Lu Ming's feats defied all logic.
"And Sword Qi!" another member of the team exclaimed, pointing at the remains of The Flesh Mountain. "That was Sword Qi, right? It had to be!"
They had all witnessed the entire process of Lu Ming's devastating assault on The Flesh Mountain.
After a moment's contemplation, Bai Tianyu offered an explanation, "The principle is similar to walking on air. By swinging the sword at an incredibly high speed, it breaks the sound barrier, causing damage to the enemy. The lethality depends on the speed of the swing. Of course, it also requires some subtle vibrations to enhance the Sword Qi's power..."
As he spoke, Bai Tianyu's voice trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.
Why couldn't he grasp such a seemingly simple principle?
He could only attribute his inability to a lack of strength.
After Bai Tianyu's rambling explanation, Duan Mei seemed to snap out of her daze.
She pointed at Lu Ming, her voice filled with awe and confusion. "Who is this...?"
One of her subordinates immediately answered, "He's the nuclear weapon from the official shelter!"
Bai Tianyu couldn't help but roll his eyes at the exaggerated description.
"Why are you so naive?" Bai Tianyu chuckled. "You believe everything I say!" He then corrected the earlier statement, "We call him Brother Lu, and he's the strongest Awakened among us."
A brief silence followed before Duan Mei asked again, "Was he the one who crushed Chang Yi?"
Initially, Duan Mei had doubted the story of Chang Yi's swift demise. Even if the officials had the means to eliminate him, she assumed it would have been a difficult and drawn-out affair. She hadn't believed Gao Junyi's claim of "crushing Chang Yi like an ant."
But after witnessing Lu Ming's power firsthand, Duan Mei found herself believing the unbelievable.
Seeing Bai Tianyu's confirming nod, Duan Mei took a deep breath to compose herself. "Chang Yi's death was not unjust," she finally said.
After this revelation, Lu Ming wasted no time and began his hunt.
The six-legged wolf-bears, sensing the demise of their leader, scattered in a desperate attempt to escape. However, they were no match for Lu Ming's speed.
One by one, he caught up to them and swiftly dispatched them. The process was effortless, akin to crushing ants underfoot.
In a matter of minutes, all twenty-three six-legged wolf-bears lay dead, leaving behind a bountiful supply of exotic beast meat for Lu Ming.
"I wonder how this will taste..." Lu Ming pondered, his mouth watering in anticipation.
The helicopter descended from the sky, landing in the open space beside him. Bai Tianyu, Duan Mei, and the others hurried towards him.
The sight of dozens of eyes fixed on him made Lu Ming slightly uncomfortable. Zhang Chengcheng stepped in to diffuse the situation, announcing, "We've gathered the zombie crystals and the meat. These belong to Brother Lu, and we can't take even a small portion. Do you understand?"
Lu Ming quickly waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to be so strict," he said. "Everyone should try some of the meat."
Zhang Chengcheng nodded eagerly. "We'll do as Brother Lu says," she replied.
With that settled, Lu Ming boarded the helicopter, ready to return home and rest.