Volume 1, Chapter 19: Chen Hao Approaches

"Brother Xuan, those two bastards finally got what was coming to them! Heaven really has eyes!"

Li Hexuan curled the corner of his lips into a faint arc but said nothing. In his mind, those two were already dead men; they were not worth wasting another thought on.

The construction of the Thor Base was proceeding in an orderly fashion, and the cohesion of the team grew stronger with each shared labor and trial. However, the daily consumption of supplies by the base was an astronomical figure. As for the nearby fish-monsters, whether it was due to the previous bloodbath or the increasing activity around Fallen Leaf Mountain, they had all hidden away, vanishing without a trace for several days.

One day, Zhou Yong, who was in charge of leading the scouting team to the perimeter, brought back some unsettling news.

"Mr. Li, we scouted more than ten kilometers to the east and didn't see a single sign of the fish-monsters. But..." Zhou Yong’s expression was grave. "There is something wrong under the water. The ripples are terrifyingly large. There is a high chance that some massive creature is lurking in those waters—something far larger than any fish-monster we have encountered before!"

Li Hexuan’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. A more formidable mutant creature? Coupled with the restless Chen Hao in Linjiang City... it seemed the peace at Fallen Leaf Mountain would not last much longer. He gazed into the distance, calculating in his heart that it was time to settle some debts in advance.

The news brought by Zhou Yong struck everyone at the Thor Base like a boulder.

"That thing under the water... is definitely not comparable to the fish-monsters we’ve faced before," Zhou Yong said, his face showing unprecedented solemnity. "I sent three small rafts to get a closer look. As soon as they approached the area where the water was disturbed, the men and the rafts vanished in an instant! They didn't even leave a ripple. That stretch of water is now a forbidden zone."

Before he could finish, a commotion broke out at the foot of the mountain. Several tattered, barely human survivors were helped up by base members, clearly having just escaped from the water. One man, who still had a sliver of strength, fell to his knees in tears the moment he saw Li Hexuan.

"Leader... Leader Li! Help us! Chen Hao from Linjiang City... that animal is bringing his men to sweep through this area! He has consolidated several small camps near Linjiang City. He has at least two or three hundred people under his command, including quite a few who have awakened supernatural powers! They rob everyone they see and kill those who refuse to submit! We... we were the lucky ones who managed to escape!"

Another woman sobbed uncontrollably, "They said... their next target is Fallen Leaf Mountain!"

Chen Hao!

The name was like a poisoned thorn, piercing deep into Li Hexuan’s heart. The rate at which that man’s power was expanding was even faster than he had anticipated! With hundreds of mouths in the base waiting to be fed, the predatory Chen Hao outside, and the giant water monster lurking in the distance—the kind that made even a veteran like Zhou Yong feel heart palpitations—the pressure was mounting like a deluge.

Li Hexuan exhaled a breath of stale air. "It seems it is time to let them know that Fallen Leaf Mountain is not a place that any stray dog can covet."

He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

"Nanzi, Old Zhou!" Li Hexuan’s voice was devoid of emotion. "I need to go into seclusion for a few days. I leave the affairs of the base to you for now. Raise the alert level to the maximum. As soon as Chen Hao’s men show their faces, don’t hesitate—hit them hard!"

"Don't worry, Brother Xuan!" Zhang Nan thumped his chest. "Whoever dares to come, I’ll make sure they walk in upright and leave horizontally!"

Zhou Yong also nodded solemnly. "Mr. Li, rest assured. As long as I have a breath left, I will not let anyone step a single foot into the base."

Li Hexuan returned to the quiet room in the villa and took out a small parcel from his inner pocket. Inside were all the high-quality source crystals he had accumulated over time: one with a deeper, almost ink-green hue, and seven or eight others radiating a faint blue glow. These were his entire reliance for breaking through to a higher level.

His goal was to evolve his "Electricity Control" ability toward the stronger and more comprehensive "Electromagnetic Control"!

Sitting cross-legged, Li Hexuan first gripped the highest-quality green source crystal. "Open!" he muttered, concentrating his spirit as he guided the vast, ocean-like energy from the crystal into his body.

"Boom!" The violent energy rampaged through his meridians like a breached dam. Even with the resilient will of someone who had lived two lifetimes, Li Hexuan could not help but let out a muffled groan. Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat the size of beans rolled down his face. He gritted his teeth, relying on his experience from his previous life to carefully tame the energy that threatened to tear his body apart, guiding it to scour and refine his ability core and every inch of his flesh and blood along a specific trajectory.

The energy of the green source crystal was too domineering; even the initial guidance gave him the illusion that his body was about to burst.

"Not enough!" Li Hexuan’s eyes sharpened. As soon as the energy from the green crystal calmed slightly, he grabbed a blue source crystal and began absorbing it without hesitation.

One, two, three...

The source crystals turned to dust in his hands, and massive amounts of energy poured in, creating wave after wave of energy storms within him. The path of evolution was always a narrow escape from death. Li Hexuan’s body trembled violently, and fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, leaving him looking as if he had been fished out of a pool of blood.

The excruciating pain nearly caused him to faint, but he held onto a sliver of clarity in his mind, desperately controlling the flow of energy. He could feel the bottleneck of his "Electricity Control" ability loosening, and a new sense of power was budding. It was an affinity for metal and a perception of magnetic fields!

"Now!"

When the energy of the last blue source crystal merged into his body, Li Hexuan suddenly opened his eyes.

"Crackle—Hum!"

Deep blue arcs of electricity exploded across his body, no longer just simple electrical flashes, but interwoven with visible strands of invisible force fields! The metal objects in the quiet room began to vibrate slightly, as if pulled by some unseen force.

Li Hexuan slowly raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward a discarded iron bucket in the corner. "Rise!"

The iron bucket, weighing at least several dozen pounds, actually wobbled and hovered, moving slowly according to his will!

"Electromagnetic Control! It’s finally done!"

Li Hexuan exhaled a breath tainted with the metallic scent of blood, a smile of exhaustion and absolute confidence on his face. His ability had officially stepped from the primary stage into the intermediate stage! At the same time, his physical fitness had been further strengthened, firmly stepping into the ranks of E-class enhancers!

Feeling the surging power within him and the newfound control over electromagnetic forces, Li Hexuan curled his lips into a chilling arc.

"Chen Hao, are you ready to face my 'surprise'?"