Chapter 25: The Arrival of the Grim Reaper

"What... what can I do?" Chen Si gave a bitter laugh, her face filled with confusion and helplessness. "There's no going back. Chen Xiaoxiao has already sold me out completely. Pan Guang's men could come at any moment..."

Mu Chen remained silent for a moment.

Then, he said, "There is a place that might keep you safe for a while."

"Where?" A faint glimmer of hope flickered back into Chen Si's eyes.

"Building 11, 18th floor." Mu Chen recalled the girl he had met that morning. "There is a girl there named Xie Youyou, whom I saved once before. You two might be able to look out for each other."

Chen Si hesitated for a moment before she understood. "You mean... you want me to seek refuge with her?"

"Not refuge," Mu Chen corrected, shaking his head. "Partnership. In this world, it's too hard to survive alone, but in a small group, the chances of survival are much higher."

"And what about you?" Chen Si couldn't help but ask.

Mu Chen turned his gaze toward the window, in the direction of Building 9. His tone was calm, yet carried an imperceptible chill. "Me? I have more important things to do. Since Pan Guang dared to reach out his claws, he should be prepared to pay the price."

Black mist churned like tentacles from hell dancing in the air. Chen Si stumbled as she sprinted through the dense fog, her lungs burning as if she were swallowing blades with every breath.

"Little girl, still running? Where do you think you can go?" Pan Guang’s voice rang out from not far behind, laced with the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

Chen Si glanced back. Pan Guang’s silhouette loomed in the black mist, barely twenty meters away. Her legs felt like jelly, and every step felt as though she were treading on knife blades.

"Please... let me go..." Chen Si choked out, her voice sounding hauntingly shrill in the black fog.

"Let you go?" Pan Guang let out a harsh, grating laugh. "Do you think I went to all this trouble chasing you just to hear you beg?"

Chen Si stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. A sharp, piercing pain shot through her knees. She struggled to get up, only to find that her legs had completely given out.

"It's over... it's really over..." She closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the arrival of death.

Pan Guang approached slowly, a cruel smile plastered on his face. "Since you can't run anymore, just come back with me obediently. I’ll make sure to 'cherish' you properly."

Just as he reached out to grab her, a pale blue light suddenly flashed between them.

"Stop."

Mu Chen’s figure appeared out of thin air, blocking Pan Guang from Chen Si. He held a military dagger in his left hand, his right hand resting on the hilt of the katana at his waist.

Pan Guang froze for a split second, then burst into maniacal laughter. "Hahaha! Mu Chen? You actually dared to show your face!"

"You hurt my people. How should we settle this debt?" Mu Chen's voice was calm as still water, yet infused with bone-chilling coldness.

"Your people?" Pan Guang looked down at the collapsed Chen Si. "Since when did this little girl become yours? Could it be that you want a taste of her too?"

Mu Chen didn't answer; he simply drew his katana slowly. The blade glimmered with a ghostly, cold light in the black mist.

"No need to be so hostile!" Pan Guang waved his hands, a fake smile spreading across his face. "We are both ability users; why kill each other? How about this: you hand her over to me, and the two of us can join forces to rule this wasteland. Wouldn't that be grand?"

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Mu Chen's mouth. "Rule the wasteland? You?"

The smile on Pan Guang's face vanished instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean..." Mu Chen gripped his hilt tighter, "that trash like you doesn't deserve to be a king."

"You're courting death!" Pan Guang roared, thrusting both hands forward.

Invisible telekinetic force surged forth like a tidal wave. Debris and withered branches in the surroundings instantly levitated, hurtling toward Mu Chen like a torrential storm.

A flash of pale blue light!

Mu Chen vanished from his spot, reappearing a second later at Pan Guang’s flank, his katana swinging out with a sharp whistle of displaced air.

Pan Guang’s reaction was swift. He deployed his telekinetic shield just in time, the blade striking the invisible barrier with a screeching friction.

"You think you're the only one who can teleport? My telekinesis is an area-of-effect ability!" Pan Guang bellowed. Everything within a ten-meter radius swirled into a vortex of death.

Mu Chen flickered repeatedly, weaving through the flying debris, leaving behind a trail of afterimages with every blink. He moved like a ghost, leaving Pan Guang’s attacks striking nothing but air.

"Damn it! Stand still!" Pan Guang was livid, unleashing his telekinesis at full power. Everything within twenty meters was dragged into the storm.

Mu Chen teleported behind Pan Guang and thrust his katana toward his heart.

Sensing the killing intent, Pan Guang spun around, raising his shield again.

"Clang!"

The tip of the blade struck the shield, sending sparks flying.

"You can't break my defense!" Pan Guang laughed triumphantly. "My telekinetic shield is omnidirectional!"

Mu Chen withdrew his blade and backed away, calmly observing Pan Guang. The shield was indeed formidable; frontal attacks were unlikely to succeed.

However...

Mu Chen’s gaze dropped to Pan Guang’s feet. Although the shield enveloped his entire body, there had to be a gap where it met the ground.

Another flicker!

Mu Chen appeared directly in front of Pan Guang, raising his katana high in a chopping stance.

"Again?" Pan Guang sneered, reinforcing his shield.

At that moment, Mu Chen suddenly let go of the hilt. The katana flipped in the air as his right hand struck like lightning, drawing the military dagger from his waist. He dropped his body low and thrust the blade upward from the ground.

"What?!" Pan Guang’s expression turned to one of terror; it was too late to retreat.

"Squelch!"

The dagger pierced Pan Guang’s right foot, and blood gushed out instantly.

"Ahhh!" Pan Guang let out a piercing scream, his telekinetic shield flickering from the sudden agony.

Seizing the opportunity, Mu Chen teleported to his left, sweeping his katana in a wide arc and leaving a deep gash on Pan Guang’s shoulder.

"Bastard!" Enduring the searing pain, Pan Guang unleashed a violent burst of telekinesis, blasting Mu Chen back several meters.

Blood stained Pan Guang's clothes, and his face was deathly pale as he clutched his shoulder.

"Impossible... this is impossible!" He stared at his wound in disbelief. "How could my shield be broken?"

Mu Chen regained his footing, blood dripping from his blade. "Every defense has a weakness, and your telekinetic shield is no exception."

Realizing he couldn't win today, Pan Guang braced himself to retreat. "Kid, you're tough! But this isn't over!"

He turned to flee, but Mu Chen wouldn't let him leave so easily. The pale blue light flickered once more as Mu Chen teleported in pursuit.

Just then, a deep, guttural roar echoed from the depths of the black mist.

"ROAR—!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, causing the surrounding mist to tremble.

Mu Chen and Pan Guang stopped in their tracks, looking toward the source of the sound in shock.

The black mist slowly parted, and a massive silhouette emerged from within.