Infinity, The Arcade Age

As a member of the Zhao family, Zhao Chui had always led by example on the battlefield, consistently being the first to charge forward.

With his steel-like physique, he was often able to lead his men to break through enemy lines.

To Zhao Chui, head-on combat was the Zhao family's forte. No one could best them in this area—not even the legendary Five Tiger Generals.

This confidence was why he dared to lead a pursuit alone this time, seeking revenge for his second brother.

However, after this desperate fight amid the flames, Zhao Chui was stunned. The berserk Qin Ming, whose close-quarters combat prowess surpassed even his own, completely disoriented him.

Staring at the towering Qin Ming, who now stood nearly his height and was charging at him like a furious bull, Zhao Chui's expression froze stiff.

A lifelong fighter who had never backed down in the face of danger, he turned and ran!

Clutching his bleeding ear, Zhao Chui fled down the mountain at breakneck speed, letting out a startled scream. In his blind panic, he spotted two of his own soldiers blocking the path and punched them aside without hesitation, sending both men flying.

When Zhao Chui ran, he truly resembled a human tank, an unstoppable force.

Had he chosen to flee at the very beginning, Qin Ming might not have been able to catch him—after all, Qin Ming wasn't particularly agile either.

However, after being bitten by Qin Ming, Zhao Chui had suffered a -5 penalty to all his attributes, while Qin Ming had gained a +5 boost. The balance of power had completely shifted.

Now, Zhao Chui's attempts to escape were futile!

When it came to agility alone, he was no longer Qin Ming's equal.

As Zhao Chui sprinted desperately, the sound of wind rushing behind him caught his attention. He turned his head anxiously and saw the ferocious Qin Ming closing in on him, running shoulder-to-shoulder. Before Zhao Chui could react, Qin Ming slapped him across the face!

The force of the blow left Zhao Chui's eyes wide with disbelief. Before he could recover from the shock, Qin Ming delivered another slap.

Qin Ming chased Zhao Chui relentlessly, smacking him again and again as they ran. After receiving seven or eight such blows, Zhao Chui finally snapped out of it and flailed his arms to block and counterattack.

What ensued was a bizarre spectacle: two men sprinting through a fiery battlefield, exchanging blows as they ran. The chaos continued until Qin Ming, infuriated by a slap to his face, tackled Zhao Chui to the ground, finally putting an end to their strange duel.

"You dare slap me in the face?!" Qin Ming snarled.

Pinning Zhao Chui beneath him, Qin Ming unleashed a flurry of hooks directly at Zhao Chui's face, each flaming punch scattering sparks and reducing Zhao Chui's eyebrows and hair to cinders.

As Qin Ming hammered away at Zhao Chui, soldiers who had been thrown from their mounts nearby began to regroup and rush to Zhao Chui's aid.

Wielding long spears, they thrust at Qin Ming's waist and back, attempting to pierce the enemy pinning down their general.

However, most of their spears failed to penetrate Qin Ming's skin. Even those that managed to break through barely scratched him.

Their ambush only drove the already enraged Qin Ming into a frenzy. He yanked a spear out of his side, stabbed it into a soldier with such force that the handle pierced the man's body, and tossed him aside like a ragdoll.

Grabbing another soldier who had attempted to slash at his head, Qin Ming slammed the man's helmet repeatedly into Zhao Chui's skull. The helmet warped under the impact, and the soldier's head soon turned into a bloody mess.

Zhao Chui fared no better. Already severely injured, he was now bleeding profusely as Qin Ming rained down blow after blow.

Nearby, several of Zhao Chui's loyal subordinates tried to intervene, using their spears to hold Qin Ming at bay or choking him from behind. They struggled desperately to pull him off their general.

But instead of rescuing Zhao Chui, they provoked Qin Ming's savage instincts. He grabbed one soldier by the hair and sank his teeth into the man's throat, tearing out a chunk of flesh and his windpipe in one brutal motion.

Tossing the soldier's convulsing corpse aside, Qin Ming punched two others into the air before grabbing the man clinging to his back. His fingers sank into the soldier's neck, snapping it with a forceful twist. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the lifeless body away.

Having dispatched Zhao Chui's guards, Qin Ming picked up a nearby rock and began smashing it repeatedly into Zhao Chui's head. Each strike echoed like a drumbeat, and the once-mighty general's struggles grew weaker and weaker.

Watching this horrifying display, the other soldiers, who had initially planned to rush to Zhao Chui's aid, froze in terror.

Exchanging horrified glances, they turned and fled down the mountain.

Though Zhao Chui was not yet dead, the remnants of his cavalry had been utterly routed.

The forest burned fiercely, the flames spreading ever wider.

Tarma and Double-Gun Granny, having ceased their machine gun fire, rushed over to Qin Ming's location. They found him still mounted atop Zhao Chui, pounding the man's face into an unrecognizable pulp.

Standing nearby, Double-Gun Granny cautiously addressed Qin Ming, "Uh, Hyena..."

Qin Ming turned his blood-red eyes toward her, his face a mask of fury.

Startled by his feral gaze, Double-Gun Granny instinctively took a step back, memories of being chased and beaten by him in a past life flashing before her eyes.

"Hey! It's me! A comrade!" she stammered. "Look closely! You've already killed him—don't start hitting me now!"

Hearing her nervous tone, Qin Ming finally stood, glaring at her.

"Why would I hit you for no reason?" he grumbled.

Relieved to see that Qin Ming hadn't lost his sanity, Double-Gun Granny let out a sigh and patted her chest. "Good, good. Since the enemy's routed, let's grab the spoils and get out of here. We don't want to stick around too long."

Qin Ming didn't respond immediately. Instead, he frowned, staring into the distance.

"It might already be too late..." he muttered.

"Huh?" Double-Gun Granny turned to follow his gaze. Her face darkened as she saw what he meant.

In the distance, clouds of smoke and the thunder of hooves announced the arrival of Wei State's main cavalry force, drawn by the flames and commotion.

The enemy reinforcements had arrived!

(End of Chapter)