Chapter 7: Chapter 7: At the Critical Moment, the System Disappeared
"And if he really manages to make great contributions in this battle, I'll write a report to the World Government and have them issue an official pardon for him!" Magellan said in a deep voice.
"Warden… is that guy really that terrifying?"
"I'm not certain… but I'll do everything in my power to stop him!"
After hearing this, Domino understood that Impel Down was facing an extremely dire situation.
She nodded solemnly, then immediately turned and left the office to head toward Level Six!
Meanwhile, on Qin Chuan's side, amid waves of cheering, he and the freed prisoners from Level 2 advanced down to Level Three: Starvation Hell!
Starvation Hell imprisoned dangerous criminals with bounties exceeding 50 million Berries. The scorching heat from Blazing Hell below made this level unbearably hot, and the prisoners here suffered constant thirst and starvation. Most of them were already half-dead.
At that moment, they had already heard the commotion from above.
As soon as Qin Chuan and his forces stormed down, the entire level erupted into chaos!
Clearly, Qin Chuan had already become like a savior in the eyes of these prisoners.
And on this floor, Qin Chuan encountered Vice Warden Hannibal.
Compared to Magellan, Hannibal's strength was far inferior, so Qin Chuan didn't take him seriously at all.
Upon seeing Hannibal, Qin Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Yo, isn't this our dear Vice Warden? What's the matter? Magellan didn't show up himself, so he sent you to die?"
"Hmph! What nonsense! This is an important matter, of course I came personally!" Hannibal shouted as he slammed his trident into the ground.
With that strike, the ground beneath his feet cracked.
"But those guards behind you… they don't look like they're ready to die for the cause," Qin Chuan glanced at the nervous guards behind Hannibal and said casually.
At this moment, the difference in morale between the two sides was already clear.
Qin Chuan's side was composed of prisoners with nothing left to lose—they had no hope anyway, and even if they died in this uprising, it wouldn't feel like much of a loss.
But the prison guards were another story—they had no desire to die here.
Especially after seeing that Saldeath and Sadie, two of Impel Down's powerful officers, had already been defeated. How could they, mere rank-and-file, possibly stop this army of desperate men?
Hannibal knew very well that this situation was extremely unfavorable for the prison guards, and he didn't want to waste any more time. He gripped his trident tightly and charged directly at Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan smiled faintly—and suddenly vanished in a flash!
In the next instant, he appeared right beside Hannibal!
But Hannibal was, after all, the Vice Warden, and his strength was not to be underestimated. He was stronger than Sadie and the others.
Even though Qin Chuan closed the distance instantly, Hannibal managed to react in time, quickly raising his trident to defend!
CLANG!
Qin Chuan's fist collided violently with the trident, producing a sharp metallic clang.
Even with enhanced Taijutsu and defensive strength, Qin Chuan's arm went numb from the impact.
But it wasn't over yet. Just as Qin Chuan prepared to launch another attack, a completely inappropriate system notification rang in his ears:
Ding! Might Guy character card usage time has expired. Returning to host's original state. Please take note!
As the system voice echoed, Qin Chuan felt as though his soul had been drained, his body suddenly becoming weak and powerless.
At that exact moment, Hannibal saw that Qin Chuan wasn't pressing the attack. Without hesitation—whether it was a trick or not—he launched a fierce kick straight at Qin Chuan's abdomen!
BOOM!
Caught completely off guard, Qin Chuan was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the crowd of prisoners behind him.
The prisoners, seeing this, were startled and quickly moved to catch Qin Chuan.
Even after being caught, Qin Chuan couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
At the moment of impact, it felt like his internal organs were completely overturned and churned violently inside his body.
Hannibal himself hadn't expected that one random kick could actually injure Qin Chuan.
Given Qin Chuan's prior ferocious performance, a smile gradually spread across Hannibal's face.
He even winked meaningfully at the surveillance Den Den Mushi nearby.
It was clear that this gesture was intended for Magellan, who was monitoring the battle from Level Four.
Now, Hannibal's fighting spirit had reached its peak!
Originally, Hannibal had hoped that the responsibility for this uprising would fall entirely on Magellan's shoulders, so Magellan would resign in disgrace—allowing Hannibal to take his place as Warden.
But now, everything had changed.
If he could defeat Qin Chuan right here, suppress the rebellion, and restore order, then he could claim the credit and recommend himself to the World Government as the next Warden.
Thinking of this, Hannibal couldn't help but reveal a sinister smile.
After that round of combat, the morale of both sides shifted dramatically.
The previously demoralized guards erupted in cheers after seeing that Qin Chuan could actually be beaten.
On the other hand, Qin Chuan's forces fell into silence.
After all, if even Qin Chuan couldn't defeat Hannibal, what chance did any of them have?
"Brat, looks like you're not as tough as you thought. You think you can escape with just this level of strength? Once I tie you up, you'll learn what real pain feels like!" Hannibal sneered.
But Qin Chuan merely laughed coldly, and with a thought, he redeemed another Might Guy character card!
Ding! Host has successfully used the Might Guy character card. Possession count -1.
As the system notification echoed in his mind, Qin Chuan's strength and stamina fully recovered once more.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Qin Chuan launched himself straight at Hannibal like lightning!