Chapter 33: Dragon Transformation

Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
One hour.
Two hours.
Five hours.

Only then did the Horse-Face finally saunter into the arena.

"Hehehehe."
"Kill! Why are you just staring? Kill him!"

His equine mouth moved with every word, emitting a deafening, gravelly roar.
Chen Xiao chuckled. "My legs have gone weak. I can't kill him."

This crude excuse made the Horse-Face, his muscles bulging, close in on Chen Xiao.
The Horse-Face continued coldly, "I'll give you five seconds. If you don't kill him, I'll kill you."
"Five!"
He began the countdown without waiting for Chen Xiao’s consent.
But the more he pushed, the more convinced Chen Xiao became of his own deduction.
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"

At the final moment, the Horse-Face stared intensely at Chen Xiao with his pitch-black eyes and shouted:
"One!"

The Horse-Face stepped forward, his fist wreathed in flames, whipping up boundless energy!
Instead of retreating, Chen Xiao stepped forward, closing the distance until he was face-to-face with the creature, locking eyes with those horse-like orbs!
"Die!"
The Horse-Face roared, his immense power creating a magnetic field within the arena that sent clods of earth flying.

But a moment later, the overwhelming dust settled.
The Horse-Face retracted his fist and began to laugh.
"Hahahahaha!"

He took another step closer, his muzzle nearly touching Chen Xiao’s face.
"Jiangbei, Chen Xiao, right?"
"I'll remember you."

With that, he walked away without looking back. Just as he was about to exit the arena, he called out:
"Draw!"

Chen Xiao let out a breath of relief.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had hypothesized.
As the referee of this game, the Horse-Face had no authority to kill someone who hadn't triggered the conditions!
And this game was not a death trap!
As long as one dragged it out for five hours, a draw would be declared!
Thus, he had achieved his goal:
To stay alive!
This was the only path to survival!
It was a gamble that had to be taken!
And he had won!

If the Horse-Face’s strike had gone even an inch further, Chen Xiao would have had no choice but to disregard the cost and trigger his [Dragon Transformation] immediately.
Yet, how to leave this place remained a question.
The dawn had broken; only the final push was missing.

Just as the weight lifted from his heart, a sudden, ominous premonition descended!
In an instant, the sky, previously veiled in a faint morning light, was swallowed by a thick, dark curtain rushing in from the distance!
This darkness was like a colossal beast opening a boundless maw, devouring the entire firmament in one gulp!
Following this, cracks began to appear in the surrounding space, as if the tapestry of time and space were being ruthlessly shredded!
These fissures, like shards of a shattered mirror, began to rearrange themselves under the influence of some eerie, unseen force!
The spatial structure of the entire world was undergoing an unprecedented upheaval and reconstruction!

In this world of absolute darkness and chaos, Chen Xiao seemed to be the only one left!
"Horse-Face?"
Chen Xiao guessed what was happening, his expression darkening.
Is this Horse-Face actually going to completely disregard the rules?
Just to kill me?!
That is absolutely insane!

As expected, a figure emerged from the darkness after Chen Xiao spoke.
It was the Horse-Face.
He grinned at Chen Xiao, and the next second, he vanished entirely!
"Damn it, he’s playing for real!"

At that moment, Chen Xiao felt a threat that transcended death!
It was as if he were about to fall into an endless abyss in the next second!
Accompanied by terrifying spatial distortions, wave after wave of damage struck him!
The Horse-Face really was going to ignore the rules to finish him off!

"Boom—"
"Boom—"
"Boom—"

In the darkness, horrific echoes reverberated everywhere!
This was the first "superior" being he had faced since his rebirth!
The first "God"!
At this critical juncture, Chen Xiao could hold nothing back!
One slight slip, and he would surely die!

[Dragon Transformation]!
Chen Xiao opted to activate his SSSS-rank transformation talent immediately!
This was the trump card he had been hiding until now!

In the next moment, his body underwent a heaven-defying metamorphosis!
His head changed first, instantly covered in dense, blue-brown scales!
This was the essential treasure of the Tyrannosaurus-level physical body!
Following this, his muscle fibers bulged like mountains, and the sound of clashing metal echoed beneath his skin!
A powerful, surging vitality erupted from within him!
The solid muscle texture was instantly fused with the traces of dragon scales, cold and lustrous!
His fingertips underwent a rapid evolution, sharpening into razor-like dragon claws!
A dragon tail, appearing as if it were a living thing, sprouted from his spine, swaying with his movements!

Chen Xiao was now a humanoid Tyrannosaurus!
Every breath he took carried the majesty and immense power of the ancient era.
This was Chen Xiao’s strongest form!

Even so, he panicked as he sensed the Horse-Face’s assault!
In an instant, he was sent flying hundreds of meters!
Fortunately, Chen Xiao now seemed to possess infinite strength and an indestructible body!

"Boom—"
"Boom—"
"Boom—"
"Boom—"
"Boom—"

The relentless attacks forced Chen Xiao to scramble for cover!
This Horse-Face did not seem to be using his full strength!

[Dragon Breath]!
In the darkness, Chen Xiao slowly closed his eyes.
At this moment, he was clearer than he had ever been!
He could perceive everything around him more acutely!
Locking on...
Locking on...
Locked!
Horse-Face!
Right there!

Chen Xiao stomped the ground and exploded forward!
The pure black spatial fragments shattered under the pressure of his movement!
A God?
I’ll see today just how long you can ignore the rules!

"Boom!"
This was Chen Xiao’s first counterattack!
The terrifying punch, like a dark beast emerging from the abyss, carried the destructive power to obliterate anything in its path!
It instantly tore through the air, leaving behind a chilling vacuum rift!
This was the ultimate strike of a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus!
And the greatest power augmented by the Black Goat bloodline!

The Horse-Face retreated, emitting his "Hehehehe" sound.
"Jiangbei, Chen Xiao..."
"What kind of monster are you exactly..."

As the Horse-Face muttered to himself, the darkness began to fade.
Was he finally unable to withstand the constraints of the rules?

Just as Chen Xiao prepared to launch another attack, a familiar hum resonated.
"Hum—"
The darkness vanished instantly, as if a curtain had been pulled aside.
Chen Xiao was back where he started.
Before him stood the Horse-Face, just as he was about to leave the arena.
At his feet lay Liu Chang'an, still struggling in agony.
His [Dragon Transformation] form had vanished.
Everything seemed as if it had never happened.

Chen Xiao stumbled and fell to his knees, leaving Liu Chang'an looking utterly bewildered.
Nobody had touched him, had they?
Was he trying to pull a scam?
A sense of powerlessness washed over Chen Xiao’s body; this was the unavoidable aftereffect of the [Dragon Transformation].
He truly hadn't expected the Horse-Face to resist the bizarre rules for so long!
Just to slaughter him!
What a damn beast!

Chen Xiao steadied himself and looked at Liu Chang'an, who was sprawled on the ground.
Liu Chang'an couldn't die yet...
He reached out, grabbed Liu Chang'an by the collar, and dragged him back to the room.

The moment the two entered, they nearly scared Jiang Yunhan to death.
The usually composed little boy’s eyes trembled.
Five whole hours!
The two of them had finally returned!

"What... what happened to you two?"
Jiang Yunhan looked at the critically injured, dying Liu Chang'an and the brooding Chen Xiao.
His brain raced.
Could they have chosen the "New Human" option?
Then how could Chen Xiao be completely unharmed!
But if they had chosen a duel,
Both of them returned!

Before Chen Xiao could speak, Liu Chang'an coughed and spoke first to the two in the room:
"Cough, cough... remember, the game allows for a draw. It doesn't have to be a fight to the death; we can all survive!"

Jiang Yunhan, previously melancholy and feeling ashamed for having to hurt a young boy, felt Liu Chang'an’s words hit him like an iron bar.
"A draw?"
Right. Why had everyone unanimously ignored the draw option?
Why was the immediate reaction always to fight to the death?
The reason, mostly, was the Horse-Face’s misleading guidance.
Perhaps the two in the first group had been sabotaged by him!
He wanted to see everyone annihilated!
What a cunning old bastard!

Once Jiang Yunhan realized this, he nodded and looked at the two who had returned.
The disparity in their conditions was too great!
Chen Xiao looked troubled but appeared to be in good shape, whereas Liu Chang'an was at death's door, still nervously eyeing Chen Xiao.
Suddenly, he noticed Chen Xiao's arm remained tightly pressed against Liu Chang'an’s shoulder.
Was this control?
Or a threat!

He surmised that the suggestion of a draw must have come from Chen Xiao!
But could that kid really be capable of beating Liu Chang'an into such a state?
Even making him too afraid to resist?
Had he been hiding his strength since the day he joined the base?
He was such a hidden master!

The little boy approached Liu Chang'an and said solemnly, "Liu Chang'an, you got beaten up pretty badly."
Liu Chang'an smiled helplessly. "Brother Chen Xiao was hiding his strength when he entered the game. Who would have thought..."

After Jiang Yunhan and the boy were called away, Chen Xiao began to close his eyes and rest.
Time passed quickly.
Five hours flew by.
Jiang Yunhan and the little boy returned successfully.
It was a good start.

"Chen Xiao, you are very smart."
This blunt little boy offered his first unsolicited compliment.
Chen Xiao maintained a low-key demeanor. "Naturally. You both owe me your lives now!"
Jiang Yunhan sighed with emotion. "I wonder how things are in the outside world now."
Chen Xiao was also lost in thought, leaning back slowly.
The Big Mountain should be able to hold out, right?

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Xiao and the others had been in the game for 14 days.
For half a month, every day was a repeat of the draw.
The Horse-Face hadn't even come to urge them on; no one knew where he had gone.
Everyone just kept repeating the rules.
Chen Xiao secretly guessed that perhaps by forcefully defying the rules, he had sustained significant damage?
Of course, there was no way to verify this.

Today’s second pair was Chen Xiao and Jiang Yunhan.
The two leaned against the stone monument in the arena, chatting idly.
They had long since grown accustomed to the deafening "Hehehe" sounds from the stands.
After fourteen days of torment, they were very familiar with each other, like soldiers who had served together for half a month.

"Chen Xiao, I’m curious, why are you always so unconcerned?"
"Concerned? Concerned about what?"
"Like, what if I suddenly attacked and killed you?"
Jiang Yunhan made a sudden killing gesture.

"Tch, I already made a deal with Big Mountain. If I don't return in a month, he’s to kill Jiang Chuxue, because I’d definitely have been taken out by that old schemer, Jiang Yunhan!"
Chen Xiao lied through his teeth, looking completely indifferent.
Jiang Yunhan knew it was a bluff and sighed. "Sigh, you wouldn't have given such instructions."
Mentioning Jiang Chuxue hit Jiang Yunhan’s soft spot.
Jiang Yunhan had always doted on his younger sister and had been most worried about her since the apocalypse began.

"Why wouldn't I? I really did say it. Believe it or not."
Chen Xiao said it with such conviction.
"My sister is so outstanding; no man could bring himself to hurt her. You definitely wouldn't have the heart."
His sister was a heartthrob with countless admirers!
It was a miracle Chen Xiao wasn't tempted himself!

Chen Xiao’s eyes widened, and he patted Jiang Yunhan’s shoulder heavily. "You really do understand, brother-in-law..."
Jiang Yunhan was laughing, but the moment he heard "brother-in-law," his smile vanished.
"Don't you dare have any designs on my sister. You already have Ms. Tang; that's enough of a blessing."
Chen Xiao shrugged. "Who ever says no to more blessings? Hahaha."

Just as Jiang Yunhan was about to roll up his sleeves and have a real fight with Chen Xiao, a faint voice sounded:

[Game 03 - Choice]
[Game Over]
[Game Goal: Survival]
[Goal Achieved]
[Calculating Game Rewards]