Chapter 141: The Duel

Lu Yu furrowed his brow, a hint of disappointment shadowing his face. The effect of Sheng Xie’s attack was mediocre—just an ordinary heavy greatsword in his hands, nothing more.

Something felt off. In his memory, this weapon was formidable.

Lu Yu did not understand where this judgment came from; his mind was in chaos, filled with countless fragmented memories waiting to be sorted.

He clicked his tongue and strode toward Cheng Xianglong, who was motionless and bleeding. The sight of this living, bleeding body stirred his appetite.

Yi Lin rushed between them, placing herself protectively in front of Cheng Xianglong.

“Brother Xiao Yu... you’re Brother Xiao Yu, right? What’s wrong with you?” She cried bitterly, gasping for breath.

Though Lu Yu’s appearance had changed somewhat, Yi Lin’s heart was pure and she was certain this was Lu Yu. How could he suddenly attack? There must be some misunderstanding!

Lu Yu stared at Yi Lin. He had a vague impression of this girl.

He slowly extended his hand with the lightest, gentlest motion.

Suddenly, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and a terrifying aura radiated from him!

He knew who this girl was! Just moments ago, as a lurking predator, he had intended to kill her, only to be restrained, his main brain destroyed, forcing him to change bodies!

Yi Lin was frightened by the terrifying look in Lu Yu’s eyes, forgetting even to cry.

Cheng Xianglong lay on the ground shouting something she couldn’t hear—or perhaps even if she did, she couldn’t respond.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. She felt the hand of death slowly approaching her!

Unexpectedly, Lu Yu’s hand halted midway.

It was not that he had regained memories originally his own, but that he sensed movement beneath a hidden trap and a shocking murderous intent that unsettled his mind.

Yi Chen leapt forward, charging at Lu Yu, and the two collided heavily against the surrounding wall some ten meters away!

The wall rumbled loudly, shaking violently. Countless stones and dust fell, and the overhead stage above the central courtyard trembled precariously.

The main structures of the old workshop were built of imported British concrete, with walls over 70 centimeters thick. The main building housing the central courtyard was even more solid, designed to withstand artillery fire during wartime.

Without such fortification, the impact would have pierced a huge hole through the wall!

Yi Chen roared wildly, his eyes blood-red and his body radiating heat.

His clothes were tattered, revealing strange crimson muscle textures and black patterns across his exposed skin.

His mother, Chen Hong, had been killed by a lurking predator right beside him, shattering his spirit utterly.

He hated his own powerlessness, despised the predator’s cruelty, and above all, was engulfed in boundless sorrow.

He was neither a savior nor some formidable figure.

Unable to protect even his own family, what could he possibly achieve?

For the first time, Yi Chen completely denied himself, succumbing to a deep desire to escape. The battles and actions he had endured felt like nothing but foolish dreams.

He wished it were all illusion, willing to sleep forever and never wake.

Yi Chen shut down his heart and severed his consciousness, but the corpse poison inside him spiraled out of control, spreading wildly.

It fed on Yi Chen’s hatred and avoidance, thriving on his negative emotions and rapidly engulfing his body.

Once the electric shock’s effect passed, he emerged fully zombified, unleashing his power!

In this form, Yi Chen was tremendously strong, automatically disregarding the living humans on the battlefield as insignificant as ants.

Lu Yu’s presence offered some challenge, which was why Yi Chen attacked him—nothing more.

Now, with his iron fist raised, Yi Chen struck three rapid, heavy blows at Lu Yu without giving him any chance to react.

Lu Yu’s face was torn and bruised under the heavy punches, his head spinning.

Though he retained much of his human form, his physical constitution was inherited from the Crawlers and Predators, so he wouldn’t be easily decapitated.

But he knew if he kept taking blows like this, death was inevitable. Yi Chen’s zombified form was formidable!

Instinctively, Lu Yu swung Sheng Xie, sweeping at Yi Chen, but it had no effect.

Yi Chen’s eyes flared redder as he noticed Sheng Xie.

With one hand restraining Lu Yu, the other fiercely tried to seize the weapon.

Sheng Xie sensed Yi Chen’s intention, emanating a faint black-red substance that vibrated ominously, startling Lu Yu.

This sword belonged to Yi Chen!

Something in his memory suddenly illuminated. Yi Chen wielded this sword with immense power—he had witnessed it firsthand!

If the weapon returned to its rightful owner, even Lu Yu’s sturdy body would stand no chance.

Cheng Xianglong gritted his teeth in pain and struggled to his feet, pulling Yi Lin toward the exit of the passage.

Yi Chen’s appearance had shifted the tide again; they could no longer remain passive.

Both sides were now monsters, devoid of reason!

If they got too close, their battle would crush anyone in between to pulp.

Even if they held back, the air stage above the courtyard swayed precariously; if it fell, the shattered glass alone could scalp him and Yi Lin!

This time, Yi Lin made no protest, following Cheng Xianglong while quietly shedding tears.

From Lu Yu’s eyes just now, she understood something.

He was no longer the person she once knew, and her brother Yi Chen was utterly changed as well. Both now frightened her deeply.

After some distance, they finally reached the passage entrance of the central courtyard. Before they could turn away, Cheng Xianglong staggered and nearly collapsed.

Yi Lin hastily supported him against the wall, anxiety gnawing at her heart.

“Go on without me... the farther you are from them, the better. I can’t walk any further,” Cheng Xianglong said, cold sweat pouring, lips pale, back wracked with unbearable pain.

He recalled being stabbed twice during a street brawl years ago—those pains paled in comparison to this.

Yi Lin shook her head like a rattle, her twin ponytails swaying.

Having lost her mother and two brothers in succession, she could not bring herself to abandon Cheng Xianglong now.

Meanwhile, Lu Yu and Yi Chen remained locked in a tense stalemate.

Though appearing still, they were silently exerting every ounce of strength.

Lu Yu gradually began to falter, his hands scratched and bleeding as Yi Chen finally wrested Sheng Xie from him.

Perhaps adversity unleashed hidden potential. Suddenly, Lu Yu recalled a unique feature of his current body.

He could control electricity!

Almost instantly, his seemingly ordinary human arm sparked with electric light, crackling as a stream of purple electricity surged forth.

Yi Chen abruptly retreated several meters, putting distance between them.

His body had painfully memorized the sensation of electric shock. Now that Lu Yu wielded this ability, he dared not approach recklessly.

Distance was no longer a problem.

Yi Chen channeled his power into his sword and swung with a fierce gust, shattering the wall before him with a thunderous crash!

As the wall collapsed, the air stage above the central courtyard finally gave way, crashing down into rubble and shards.

Amid the flying debris and broken glass, Yi Chen remained unmoved.

He knew the sword had not struck his opponent—Lu Yu had taken advantage of the moment to conceal his aura.