A moment later, the cars were violently smashed aside as Wei Wusheng’s massive frame charged out once more. Chen Chuan ducked low, evading several powerful punches and insidious Capture attempts before seizing the man’s elbow. He pressed forward, spreading the fingers of his free hand and striking toward his opponent’s face.

Wei Wusheng seemed to sense the attack. He twisted his body, bringing his elbow around to block the incoming hand. But this left his center exposed. Chen Chuan instantly whipped out a kick that struck him squarely on the hip. His balance shattered, and he stumbled away once again.

Before he could even regain his footing, a figure blurred before his eyes, followed by a barrage of attacks raining down on his body. He could do nothing but cover his head, face, and other vital areas.

Chen Chuan’s heavy fists hammered him like a torrential storm, targeting every weak point and relatively fragile joint.

Even though these relatively fragile spots were protected by tough Mutated Organization, Chen Chuan’s strength was more than enough. Each punch and kick landed like a true sledgehammer, shattering fascia and bone at the point of impact. Layers of his Power penetrated deep, continuously breaking through and tearing apart the internal tissues.

Even if his Horizontal Training allowed the Mutated Organization to self-repair, the assault was too dense and rapid. With every strike inflicting significant damage, his body had no time to mend the wounds.

Wei Wusheng’s condition steadily declined under the onslaught. After two full minutes of being bombarded, his head grew dizzy. His body was desperately diverting all available Energy to self-repair, and this, combined with the unending damage, was causing insufficient blood flow to his brain.

Just then, he felt a heavy blow to the back of his knee, and his body buckled to the side. He looked up just in time to see a roundhouse kick aimed at his head. He threw up his arm to block it, but the force of the impact sent him sliding several meters across the ground.

He rolled and sprang to his feet, throwing an elbow back at the pursuing Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan ducked under the blow, parried, and seized Wei Wusheng’s arm with a reverse grip. With a quick turn, Chen Chuan effortlessly flipped him over his back, instantly channeling his Wrestling Takedown Strength to viciously slam him onto the ground.

BOOM! The ground where Wei Wusheng’s back hit cracked apart. The impact violently shook his internal organs, and even his tough bones began to fracture. He involuntarily let out a grunt as blood trickled from his mouth.

Lying there, he looked up into Chen Chuan’s calm, descending gaze. ’Is that all...?’ he growled, scrambling to rise. But he only made it halfway up before a fist met him head-on and smashed him back down!

But it wasn’t over. Chen Chuan’s other fist descended. Wei Wusheng’s hands suddenly went limp, coiling upward like snakes to try and lock onto the descending fist. However, the muscles in Chen Chuan’s arm tensed violently, blasting Wei Wusheng’s arms apart. The punch followed through, landing on his face and driving his entire head into the ground.

Immediately after, punch after punch rained down in a dense flurry, all aimed at his head. Under the sustained bombardment, the ground beneath his skull cracked as if being hammered, and a shallow crater began to form.

Every spectator in the arena held their breath, staring at the scene with mouths agape.

After throwing an unknown number of punches, Chen Chuan heard a sickening CRACK. His fist stopped. He could feel the hard cranium beneath it give way; he had shattered it. The body under him had stopped breathing.

He slowly stood up, turned from the corpse, and began to walk away. But after only twenty paces, he heard a sound from behind.

He glanced back and saw that a slight, small-statured man in a black, foreign-style suit had appeared there at some point.

The man looked vaguely familiar. ’I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before...’ He thought for a moment. ’Han the Cat?’

The man grabbed a fistful of Wei Wusheng’s hair while swiping at the neck with the sharp fingers of his other hand. "Wei Wusheng’s head is mine!"

’In just an instant, I’ll take Wei Wusheng’s head, get out of here, and go collect that bounty. As for all the work Chen Chuan did...’

’Heh, the bounty is just for Wei Wusheng’s head. Whoever holds the head gets the prize.’

’Too bad for Chen Chuan for not being more careful. I waited all this time for just this opportunity.’

But as his Five Claws went to slice through the neck—the same claws that had never failed him—they met a layer of hard resistance. Startled, he sensed something was wrong and immediately sprang up, trying to flee.

His movements were incredibly nimble and agile. No matter how strong Wei Wusheng was, it was useless if he couldn’t be touched. That was why Han the Cat had taken this job, and why he dared to boast about it so publicly.

This time, however, just as he leaped into the air, he felt a hand clamp around his ankle. The shock was immense.

But he was a skilled fighter, after all. He used the pulling force to flip and twist his body downward, an escape technique that could free him even from a powerful Capture. As he tumbled, he thrust both hands toward Wei Wusheng’s chest. However, his fingers had only just pierced the skin when they were clamped tight by a layer of tough, pliant muscle, trapping them.

Now he was completely immobilized against Wei Wusheng’s body.

’This is bad!’

Cold sweat beaded on Han the Cat’s forehead.

He then felt the body beneath him slowly sit up. A hand grabbed his other leg. Realizing what was about to happen, he shrieked in panic, "Don’t—"

Before he could finish his cry, Wei Wusheng grabbed both of his legs and violently pulled them apart. With a gruesome RIIIP, he tore the man completely in half!

A shower of viscera and blood rained down, spattering across the ground and over Wei Wusheng’s body.

Chen Chuan’s gaze fixed on the scene. He could see that Wei Wusheng’s eyes had rolled back into his head. He had clearly lost consciousness and wasn’t even breathing, yet somehow, he was standing up. The sight was utterly horrifying.

At the same time, he heard a powerful, throbbing beat, THUMP-THUMPING in his ears. He looked toward his opponent’s chest. ’Is that... a heart?’

Although Wei Wusheng’s skull was cracked and his own consciousness completely gone, another will hidden within his body had awakened.

This will, which resided in a second heart, seized the moment Wei Wusheng’s consciousness vanished. Spurred on by the mortal danger, it forced the two powers to finally intertwine, causing the two hearts to fuse into one.

But the being that now stood there was no longer Wei Wusheng. It was Xiong Jianyi!

Chen Chuan watched as the thing tried to rise from the shallow crater again. He slowly raised one hand, pressing his fingers together into a blade. Then, he took a single step and charged. In that instant, his Second Self merged with him. He crossed the twenty meters of space in a flash. With a wet SHLICK, his entire forearm, sharp as a knife, plunged deep into Wei Wusheng’s chest.

He looked at the creature’s horrifying face and said slowly, "Farewell." Then, he clenched his fist, and with a violent squeeze, crushed the throbbing thing inside.

Wei Wusheng’s body convulsed violently, and his head slumped forward. Then, blood began to pour from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, as well as from every wound on his body.

Chen Chuan slowly withdrew his arm, letting the body that had just risen fall backward. It crashed into the broken ground, and the flowing blood quickly filled the shallow crater.

At that moment, he felt it—as if some kind of restraint had been broken. A resonant boom, like a great temple bell, echoed in his ears. Simultaneously, a powerful surge of strength rushed through his limbs and into every corner of his body.

...

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