How truly tragic this is.
Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Yan’s forehead at once.
He sensed the hostility in Li Qiang’s eyes.
At the same time, the immense pressure weighing down on his shoulder made him feel as if his bones would snap.
Li Qiang’s lips curled into a smile, and he spoke with feigned concern, “Don’t be so unrealistic.”
“Even if what you say is true, that friend of yours is surely dead by now.”
“And even if he isn’t, not just anyone can become the leader. Do you really think his strength could surpass mine?”
Xiao Yan bit his lip.
He struggled, shaking off Li Qiang’s hand from his shoulder.
But Li Qiang wasn’t about to let him go; his hand clamped down again.
He slowly raised the sharp meat cleaver, playing with it before Xiao Yan’s eyes.
“And besides, this cleaver has a spirit of its own. I can feel it’s already accepted me as its master. That’s what they call: a good blade for a hero! You should give up any hope of taking it back.”
Xiao Yan was speechless.
The bald man’s narcissistic and shameless words left him livid.
He stared at Li Qiang, gritting his teeth. “There’s a password for this cleaver, which can truly activate its power. The phrase is: ‘I am a pig.’ You can try it and see if you qualify to be its master.”
The bald man blinked in surprise.
Though it sounded absurd, seeing Xiao Yan’s serious expression made him feel that perhaps Xiao Yan wasn’t lying.
He glanced at the cleaver in his hand.
He hesitated for a moment.
Then—
He really did raise the cleaver high and shouted, “I am a pig!”
But…
Nothing happened.
A gust of wind swept by, rustling fallen leaves.
Everyone stood in silence.
Then, snickers broke out across the group.
Especially the long-haired woman, who laughed so hard she almost doubled over, regarding Li Qiang as if he were a fool.
Li Qiang’s face turned dark as iron.
He realized he’d been played!
Yet Xiao Yan kept a straight face and said, “See? You’re not worthy to possess this cleaver, because you’re not a true pig…”
Suddenly, Xiao Yan paused.
Had he just insulted Qin Xiaofan with that statement?
“Enough!” Li Qiang pressed one hand to his forehead, consumed with rage.
“I must have been out of my mind to believe your nonsense. You’ve betrayed my trust! Xiao Yan, don’t blame me for being ruthless—this is your doing!”
A surge of murderous intent washed over Xiao Yan.
He took a few steps back, drenched in cold sweat.
His gaze drifted toward the spot where Qin Xiaofan had been buried—there was no sign of movement.
But…
The time should have come already!
Xiao Yan bit his lip.
He shouted, “Qin Xiaofan, if you don’t come out now, I’m going to be hacked to death!”
Still, nothing happened.
Everyone looked at Xiao Yan as if he were mad.
Despair filled Xiao Yan.
But in the next moment, his eyes lit up with boundless joy.
From the overgrown burial mound, a hand suddenly burst through the soil!
In that instant, everyone stared in disbelief.
The ground split open, and a disheveled young man crawled out from the earth.
It was Qin Xiaofan!
He was covered in dirt.
He kept spitting mud from his mouth.
Spitting and cursing, he shouted, “Damn it! Who stole my coffin lid? I woke up chewing dirt!”
The crowd nearby watched in shock.
It was as if they’d seen a ghost.
Qin Xiaofan glanced into the pit.
Turns out the coffin lid wasn’t stolen—it had rotted and cracked, letting dirt pour in.
At that moment, Xiao Yan ran over, trembling with excitement.
Seeing Xiao Yan alive, Qin Xiaofan’s face broke into a delighted grin.
He also noticed Li Qiang and his four companions standing a short distance away.
“Well, not bad, Huo Huo—five people revived already.”
Xiao Yan wore a mournful expression. “I thought you’d never wake up! If you’d been any later, I’d have been hacked to pieces…”
Qin Xiaofan looked utterly bewildered.
What on earth had happened?
Xiao Yan quickly explained the situation, and Qin Xiaofan’s face darkened.
“Ding: Congratulations to the host for completing the [Revive Five Humans] quest.”
“Reward: 500 points.”
“Bonus: Detection Radar.”
System messages chimed in his mind.
But Qin Xiaofan wasn’t concerned with that right now. There were more pressing matters.
Li Qiang and his group walked over.
Qin Xiaofan’s face grew darker as he saw the meat cleaver in the bald man’s hand.
Titanium vision swept over: Name: Li Qiang, Gender: Male, C-Class mutant, Danger level: Low.
Qin Xiaofan relaxed.
Low danger meant he could handle it easily…
“So you’re the friend Xiao Yan mentioned?” Li Qiang eyed Qin Xiaofan and laughed. “I don’t know why you crawled out of the ground, but it’s pretty entertaining!”
He hoisted the cleaver onto his shoulder, his attitude arrogant.
“I’ll keep it simple. Two choices: submit to me, or I’ll bury you back in the earth.”
Qin Xiaofan laughed.
He laughed out of sheer exasperation.
Hands on his hips, head cocked, he looked at Li Qiang as if he were the village idiot.
Xiao Yan watched anxiously, whispering, “The cleaver isn’t in your hands now—if things get rough, maybe we should just swallow our pride…”
In Xiao Yan’s mind, Qin Xiaofan was strong.
But without the cleaver, his strength surely wouldn’t be at its peak.
He felt guilty for failing to protect the cleaver Qin Xiaofan had entrusted to him.
Yet Qin Xiaofan just smiled and shook his head.
His smile brimmed with confidence.
Because now, he possessed a power far more terrifying than the cleaver…
“Well? Have you decided?” Li Qiang asked impatiently.
Meanwhile, the long-haired woman offered Qin Xiaofan an olive branch: “Handsome, I like your style. Why don’t you and Xiao Yan join me? I’ll treat you well. As long as you’re loyal to me, I’ll even help you deal with the bald guy.”
Li Qiang’s face immediately grew ugly.
He snarled at the long-haired woman, “Ghost, I’ve tolerated you long enough. Do you really want to fight me now?”
The long-haired woman smirked, waiting for Qin Xiaofan’s answer.
Qin Xiaofan scratched his forehead with a finger.
Then, his lips curled into a playful smile, and he spoke slowly, “What makes you think you’re qualified to bark in my presence? Foolishness isn’t scary—the scary part is being foolish and ignorant.”
At these words, both Li Qiang and the long-haired woman’s faces turned grim.
“Fine, I won’t meddle,” the long-haired woman said coldly, shooting Qin Xiaofan a glare.
She stepped aside and said to Li Qiang, “Baldy, try not to kill him. We need every hand we can get right now.”
“Hmph! That depends on my mood,” Li Qiang retorted, cracking his neck.
Then, cleaver in hand, he strode toward Qin Xiaofan, eyes cold.
Qin Xiaofan smiled.
He had nothing more to say. Words were pointless.
Strength would prove everything!
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Qin Xiaofan slowly raised his palm above his head.
A terrifying aura began to gather in the air!
In that moment, the shadow of death enveloped Li Qiang’s heart.
Without hesitation, he activated his power.
Whoosh—
His skin seemed to turn to steel, glinting in the sunlight.
Li Qiang was supremely confident in his mutant ability.
No matter how strong the physical attack, he was certain he could endure it.
But—
Qin Xiaofan’s attack was far from ordinary.
Boom!
As Qin Xiaofan’s palm fell, a bolt of silver lightning blasted down from his hand onto the bald man.
“Ah!” A shrill, agonizing scream rang out.
Li Qiang was struck by the lightning, his entire body convulsing.
His steel form, though not killed outright, trapped the lightning on his body, as if he were suffering an earthly torment.
Black smoke curled from his body.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
The lightning wasn’t as powerful as true heavenly thunder, but it was more than enough for the bald man.
Boom!
Qin Xiaofan raised his hand again, unleashing another bolt of lightning onto Li Qiang.
“Ah!” The screams grew even more harrowing.
The bald man’s tattered clothes were reduced to dust.
Every hair on his body vanished in an instant.
Enveloped in lightning, he convulsed, twitching like a mechanical dancer.
It was pitiful…
The crowd watched in horror.
Staring at Li Qiang’s twisted face, wracked with pain.
They could even vaguely make out the shape of his white skeleton through the lightning.
Boom!
Qin Xiaofan unleashed yet another bolt of lightning.
This time, he blasted the bald man to the ground, smoking, convulsing, foaming at the mouth…
At that moment, everyone was struck dumb with terror.
The long-haired woman’s face turned pale as she watched Li Qiang’s misery, her body trembling.
So strong!
She finally realized Qin Xiaofan had been right.
With her own and the bald man’s strength, they had no right to make noise in his presence…
“Does anyone… smell something strange?” the antenna girl asked quietly.
Everyone sniffed, then hurriedly pinched their noses, looking with sympathy at the convulsing bald man on the ground.
Too tragic!
He’d even been shocked so hard he lost control of his bowels…