CHAPTER 284: CHAPTER 244: I ONLY HAVE 2 OF THOSE THINGS!

The large hand was like a tiger’s iron grip; once it held something, even steel would be twisted in an instant!

Compared to Li Zheng’s fan-like large hand, the shadow fluttering in the darkness seemed as fragile as a pretzel, easily breakable.

"Die!"

The large hand clenched tightly, and a pair of purple flames suddenly doubled in size, almost bursting out from the eye sockets.

Whoosh!

"Something’s wrong!" Li Zheng’s heart tightened. The empty hand feeling was all too familiar to him; he was not holding the target, but only a shadow!

At that instant, a cold sensation came over his lower back, as if a cold venomous snake had crawled across it.

A matte black dagger came dangerously close to Li Zheng’s skin, sending a wave of goosebumps across his back.

"Ice and Fire Attachment - Fire Element!"

With an enraged roar and clenched fist, he suddenly erupted in a scorching blaze, enveloping a half-meter radius around him.

"Big guy, you’re quite alert." Kitajo Akemi was forced back by the high temperatures, retreating into the darkness.

Her severely myopic eyes carried a trace of regret, just a little more, and her dagger would have pierced Li Zheng’s lower back, disabling a kidney.

"No worries, there’s still a chance. Using two abilities simultaneously, his Genetic Force consumption will be much greater. Stay calm and drag him down!" Kitajo Akemi’s feet moved with a bizarre step, her speed unbelievably fast, disappearing once more into the area unlit by the flames.

Li Zheng broke out in a cold sweat on his back, feeling the lingering fear: "This woman is really vicious, going after my kidney right from the start, almost succeeded too."

Li Zheng knew all of Kitajo Akemi’s attributes and equipment; Lao Pu had scanned them the moment she appeared.

Her ability to hide in darkness was called: Shadow Messenger.

A Platinum Level Lv1 ability, its effect was to merge the body into shadows. As long as the shadow’s area was larger than hers, she could hide within it.

Using it under the cover of night made her even more formidable, with astounding results!

The weapon was an ordinary Platinum Level dagger, only treated with a dark matte finish to increase concealment.

Combining it with the dagger specialization ability’s attack bonus, breaking through Li Zheng’s Power Demon Incarnation defense was effortless.

Li Zheng bathed in flames, standing still for three seconds, unable to locate Kitajo Akemi’s whereabouts.

A brief thought made him realize that she intended to drag it out, waiting for his Genetic Force to deplete first.

The Power Demon Incarnation was useful but also consumed a ridiculous amount of energy; the reason Li Zheng used it frequently was primarily for the defense it provided in that state.

Now, confronting an opponent who could break his defense, this ability had instead become a limitation for Li Zheng.

He decisively stopped the supply of Genetic Force and dissipated the Power Demon Incarnation state.

Without the hefty consumption of the Power Demon Incarnation, Li Zheng’s rapidly depleting Genetic Force suddenly slowed.

Although he maintained "Ice and Fire Attachment" and "Extreme Isolation" around him, the combined consumption of these auxiliary abilities was far less than that of the Power Demon Incarnation.

Without Power Demon Incarnation, Li Zheng was left with only Silver Level physique, and with just this much power, he couldn’t guarantee an advantage in combat.

However...

Li Zheng extended his large hand, and an exoskeleton armor appeared in front of him.

The metal armor, also enveloped in Extreme Isolation, gleamed with fiery explosive light under the illumination of the flames, like a War God Mecha.

The Platinum Level exoskeleton armor could also provide him with a sense of security in certain aspects.

This piece of equipment, not too thick but full of power, was something he usually hesitated to use.

Its energy consumption was too great, even for Li Zheng, it was a bit exhausting.

He dismantled pieces of armor, attaching them to himself, locking them in place.

The motion was leisurely, as if he didn’t regard Kitajo Akemi hidden in the darkness at all.

With a sound of energy surging, the exoskeleton armor was activated, and Li Zheng let out a refreshing sigh: "Indeed, mechas and explosions are a man’s romance."

He planned to ask Ye Kai later if the initial model of his mecha could be mass-produced.

If it could be mass-produced, he intended to get one as a backup.

He clenched his fists, colliding them in front, the exoskeleton armor’s fingers wrapped in intricate mechanical joints, emitting a deep metallic thud.

"Kitajo Akemi, right?" Li Zheng looked around, failing to find the figure hidden in the night, "Whether you believe it or not, I wasn’t the one who killed Gamon Penleft."

"But that’s no longer important, what matters is that you attacked me first, and almost ruined one of my kidneys—this I will never forgive!"

"After all... I only have two of those damn things!"

Knees bent, the joint shock absorbers in his legs contracted, and with a strong airflow from the hover propulsion device behind him, Li Zheng charged forth with unstoppable momentum!

Although he could not find Kitajo Akemi’s trace, he hadn’t forgotten the real purpose of his mission.

Thus, his target for this attack was Shinoda Chizuru, who was watching from the sidelines.

The initially "bony" exoskeleton armor seemed a bit bulky with a person inside.

Covered in high-temperature flames, Li Zheng looked like a steel War God from hell, taking strides of nearly ten meters.

In the blink of an eye, Li Zheng reached a very dangerous proximity to Shinoda Chizuru, everything about her laid bare to Li Zheng’s eyes.

Being so close, Li Zheng realized that Shinoda Chizuru was wearing even two fewer pieces of clothing than Kitajo Akemi.

The old injuries that once covered her body had faded to near invisibility but now were bloodied and bruised, clear evidence of more injuries during the recent struggle in her abode.

Li Zheng didn’t understand anything about cherishing delicate beauty; at this moment, even the concept of gender was blurred to him. He only knew that to catch Kitajo Akemi’s flaws, he had to attack Shinoda Chizuru.

"I heard comrades treasure their lovers more than heterosexuals do. I don’t believe Kitajo Akemi will just watch Shinoda Chizuru fall into danger!"

Shinoda Chizuru’s attributes were no different from when Li Zheng drove her away earlier, and now not even one piece of equipment was displayed.

However, she was in Kitajo Akemi’s residence at the moment, having only entry privileges and no right to manipulate internal tools.

Even if she dared to pick up a weapon and fight back, she would have to return to her own residence to do so.

So, watching the stern-faced, emotionless-eyed Li Zheng rushing towards her, Shinoda Chizuru panicked and slammed the door shut, hiding away.

"No you don’t!" Li Zheng kept charging without slowing down, shouting loudly: "Little Sakura!"

"Awooo!"

Flying in the air on standby, Little Sakura instantly understood Li Zheng’s intent, boldly activating the Diamond Level ability Earth Ridge Piercing!

Rumble——

Several earth ridges rose from the ground, with one instantly flipping over the capsule residence where Shinoda Chizuru was located.

The remaining ridges randomly appeared around Li Zheng, surrounding him and the residence.