Volume 1, Chapter 24: The Fall of the Fish King

Li Hexuan stood atop the mountain peak, his gaze locked intensely on the King Lanternfish churning the waters below.

He knew better than anyone: to capture the bandits, one must first capture their leader. If this beast were not eliminated, the base’s current strength would be nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot against this endless tide of fish. Even if they managed to repel this wave by sheer luck, the base would be left critically weakened. When that viper Chen Hao saw the opening to strike, the Thor Base would be doomed beyond salvation.

"Old Zhou! Hold the front line! Nanzi! That breach—hold it with your life!" Li Hexuan’s voice pierced through the deafening roar of battle, ringing clearly in the ears of every brother fighting in the fray.

His chest heaved violently, two flames of predatory hunger burning in his eyes. "I’m going to deal with that beast myself!"

He intended to go solo, risking a desperate surprise attack to decapitate the fish king.

"Brother Xuan!" Zhang Nan roared, his voice cracking, his eyes bloodshot, yet he remained anchored at the breach, refusing to retreat a single inch.

Li Hexuan wasted no more time, drawing a custom-made metal spear nearly two meters long from his back. The spear glinted with a deep, eerie blue, subtle electrical sparks dancing across its surface. This was a weapon meticulously crafted by Zhou Yong to his specifications—a masterpiece designed to conduct and amplify his lightning powers.

"Clear the way!"

A low growl erupted from his throat, and the deep blue electromagnetic glow around his body surged violently. Like a bolt of lightning, he tore through the air, cloaked in a storm of berserk thunder, diving straight into the densest cluster of fish monsters at the mountain's base.

"Crackle!"

Electric serpents danced wildly as lightning flashed. Any fish monster that collided with him was instantly charred black, emitting shrill, abrupt wails before being sent somersaulting into the air. His spear swept outward, trailing a deadly web of electricity; wherever it passed, the monsters fell in droves. The pungent, nauseating stench of scorched flesh and rot rapidly permeated the battlefield.

"Stop him!"

The fish king’s millstone-sized eye flared with malice and raw fury. Its overhead "lantern" suddenly glowed with a blinding blue light, issuing a silent yet overwhelming command. Several massive elite fish monsters let out deafening screeches, lunging recklessly from both sides at Li Hexuan, attempting to crush the human who dared challenge their king’s majesty with their heavy, resilient bodies.

"Get out of the way!"

Cold energy erupted from Li Hexuan’s body as he threw his left hand out, unleashing his electromagnetic control to its absolute limit. Scraps of metal, broken weapon fragments, and even the hardened scales left behind by shattered monsters scattered on the ground began to vibrate and hum. Under an invisible force, they were ripped upward, rapidly coalescing in front of him to form a crude yet incredibly sturdy metal barrier.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The elite monsters’ claws, as hard as refined steel, slammed into the makeshift shield, producing a deafening screech of grinding metal. Sparks flew, vivid against the thick mist. The shield vibrated violently, groaning under the strain, yet it stubbornly withstood the ferocious onslaught.

Li Hexuan spun, using the recoil to lunge forward. His spear, like a long-dormant venomous dragon, shot out! The tip pierced with surgical precision into the gaping, foul mouth of an elite monster, instantly transfixing its tough, armored skull.

"Squish!"

Lightning exploded from the spearhead! The massive creature went rigid, the fierce light in its eyes rapidly dimming before it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

In that split second, the "lantern" atop the fish king’s head erupted with a blinding, unbearable blue radiance. A high-pressure water cannon, as thick as a barrel and whistling with the sound of tearing air, had already formed, blasting straight toward Li Hexuan’s face!

"Don't even think about it!"

Li Hexuan’s pupils contracted as he pushed his electromagnetic control to the breaking point. The metal fragments he had just gathered seemed to come alive under his exquisite mental command, instantly reforming into a dozen sharp, gleaming metal arrows that shot toward the devastating water cannon.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

The metal arrows and the high-pressure water cannon collided in mid-air, resulting in a series of muffled explosions! Water sprayed in every direction, billowing into clouds of scalding steam that momentarily obscured his vision. Though these makeshift arrows could not fully negate the terrifying power of the cannon, they successfully deflected its trajectory. The lethal blast roared past Li Hexuan, slamming into the ground a few meters behind him and carving out a massive, deep crater, sending mud and stone flying like rain.

Cold sweat beaded on Li Hexuan’s forehead. This fish king was far more troublesome than anticipated!

He shifted his feet, barely dodging a vicious pounce from another elite monster flanking him, and swung his spear in a counter-strike. The sharp tip sliced a deep, bone-revealing gash into the creature’s relatively soft underbelly, and violent electric arcs surged into the wound, instantly roasting its internal organs to a crisp.

Like a lightning bolt cleaving through an angry tide, he carved a bloody path through the endless, soul-crushing swarm of monsters toward the King Lanternfish. Lightning and water intertwined crazily; metal and flesh collided violently. Every second, fish monsters fell to his berserk attacks, but even more emerged fearlessly from the depths of the fog.

Li Hexuan’s breathing grew heavy. Every swing of his spear, every activation of his ability, drained his stamina and source energy rapidly. He had sustained several wounds of varying depth, torn by the sharp claws of the monsters. The stinging, searing pain bit into his nerves, but his eyes remained sharp as a hawk’s—he would not retreat.

"Move!"

Down the mountain, in Chen Hao’s temporary camp, a cruel smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. He issued a brief, icy command to Yin Jiu and the fire-wielder who had previously suffered a bitter defeat at Li Hexuan’s hands.

"Yes, leader!"

A stiff, sinister grin spread across Yin Jiu’s lifeless face. Together with the fire-wielder, whose eyes burned with the fire of vengeance, he led dozens of Chen Hao’s most elite ability users. Under the perfect cover of the thick fog, they slithered like a pack of vipers toward the eastern side of the mountain—the most weakly defended section of the Thor Base.

"Kill!"

The fire-wielder took the lead, his long-repressed rage and murderous intent exploding in that instant! He flung his hands repeatedly, launching a volley of fist-sized, scorching fireballs that struck a section of the makeshift wooden barricade with pinpoint accuracy.

"Boom! Boom!"

The flames erupted violently, sending wooden splinters and sparks flying! The flimsy defensive line, already teetering under the impact of the fish monsters, was instantly torn wide open.

"Enemy attack! It’s Chen Hao’s people!"

The base members guarding that sector screamed in terror and despair. They were already struggling to hold back the endless tide of monsters, their mental state stretched to the breaking point. Now, faced with a surprise assault from elite ability users, their formation collapsed into total chaos!