Chapter 543: Overestimating Oneself
Yuan Kongye wasnât weak.
If a more experienced fighter had possessed her abilities, Zhang Yi wouldnât have had such an easy time executing his plan.
Of course, maintaining this stalemate wasnât easy for him either.
Without the boost from Xing Tianâs Legion and his constant intake of Superhuman food, he wouldnât have lasted this long against her.
An Epsilon-level Superhuman represented the pinnacle of human evolution.
The sheer amount of energy in Yuan Kongyeâs body was overwhelmingâeven Zhang Yi found it difficult to deal with.
Luckily, he had external energy sources.
"Yuan Kongye, whatâs wrong? Youâve been fighting for so longâare you about to surrender?"
Zhang Yi kept up his attacks, refusing to give her a moment to breathe.
"If you surrender now and disable your abilities, I might consider letting you live."
His words were laced with temptation, meant to shake her resolve.
Yuan Kongyeâs vision was blurry, but her raw combat strength remained terrifying.
She had dozens of abilities.
Even though she couldnât see clearly, her enhanced physique allowed her to sense everything around her.
Her response was a massive ice spear hurled at Zhang Yi!
But he simply swallowed it into the Dimensional Gate.
She was running out of ways to deal with him.
At the start of the battle, she had planned to wear him down.
After all, she far outclassed him in raw power.
And as an Epsilon-level Superhuman, her energy reserves were several times greater than Zhang Yiâs.
But what she hadnât expected was just how much Superhuman food Zhang Yi had stockpiled in his Dimensional Space.
It was like a low-level player bringing 10,000 healing potions to fight a world boss.
Sure, his attack power was weak, but he could outlast her.
And if that had been the only issue, she could have endured it.
But the biggest problem was that her body had started to fail.
By now, she had realized the truth.
Her mutation wasnât naturalâit had been caused by the Ice Soul she had given to Zhang Yi and the others.
She had planned everything out carefully.
The Ice Soul could awaken Superhuman abilities, enhance potential, and was something any faction leader would want to keep for themselvesâeither for their own use or to empower promising newcomers.
Then, when those people died, their abilities would return to her.
But what she hadnât expectedâwas that someone would deliberately use the Ice Soul as a trap.
Someone had given it to a Superhuman with a devastating genetic defect, ensuring that when she absorbed their power, she would also inherit its flaws.
And by the time she realized it, it was already too late.
The mutationâs side effects had already taken root, ravaging her body.
Not even her healing abilities could counter it.
Mutations occurred at the genetic levelâand they were irreversible.
Yuan Kongyeâs face twisted with fury.
Through clenched teeth, she demanded, "You⊠When did you do this to me? Tell me! I need to know!"
Zhang Yi smirked.
"Go ask the King of Hell yourself."
With that, he fired an Origin Bullet straight at her head!
"
Hmph!
"
With a flick of her wrist, a massive ice wall formed in front of her, blocking the shot.
But the moment she used her ability, a piercing pain shot through her skullâ
Like thousands of needles stabbing into her brain.
She clutched her head in agony, her body staggering in midair.
"I canât⊠I canât keep fighting like this!"
She finally realized the truthâthis battle was pointless.
The man in front of her was her perfect counter.
She had to retreat, fix her body, and return stronger.
When she fully adapted to her newfound powerâshe would come back and kill them all.
Making up her mind, she ignored the pain and suddenly turned around, fleeing in the opposite direction!
Zhang Yi wasnât surprised at all.
He had predicted every possible move Yuan Kongye might make.
And no matter whatâshe wasnât leaving this battlefield alive.
"Didnât you claim to be a god?" he taunted. "Then why are you running?"
Casually munching on more Superhuman food, Zhang Yi chased after her.
But he didnât rush.
He kept his distance, careful not to get too close.
After all, she had absorbed the powers of multiple Superhumans, including those with enhanced close-combat abilities.
If he got within melee range, she could still be deadly.
But none of that mattered.
Because her condition was only going to worsen.
All Zhang Yi had to do was waitâ
And let her own body kill her.
He was a hunter, and he had endless patience.
Yuan Kongyeâs flight speed was impressive.
With telekinesis, she soared through the sky as a streak of white light.
But no matter how fast she wasâ
She couldnât outrun Zhang Yiâs spatial teleportation.
And as she fled, the watching survivorsâBaili Changqing and the other faction leadersâgrew excited.
Yuan Kongye was running.
Which meantâ
Zhang Yi had won.
Baili Changqingâs eyes darkened as he stared at her retreating figure.
An Epsilon-level Superhuman, heavily injured and fleeingâ
If someone took her Core, their power would skyrocket.
And he wasnât the only one who realized this.
All around him, the other survivorsâ gazes burned with greed.
In the apocalypse, power was everything.
They had witnessed how terrifying Yuan Kongye had been.
An Epsilon-level Superhuman was on a completely different levelâan unstoppable force against weaker opponents.
Who wouldnât want that kind of power?
And right now, Zhang Yi wasnât nearby.
He was trailing Yuan Kongye, keeping his distance.
Which meantâthis was their chance.
In the ruins, Wei Dinghai stared at his crippled arm.
He gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Tianhai City is finished. My strength is crippled. If I donât take a risk now, Iâll lose everything."
His eyes turned ice-blue, and a storm swirled within his pupils.
The next momentâhe merged into the snow.
As Yuan Kongye fled,
A massive vortex suddenly formed on the ground beneath herâ
Then, in an instant, it transformed into a razor-sharp spear, shooting straight toward her!
Even though her vision was gone, her senses remained sharp.
Snarling, she punched downwardâ
The ice spear shattered like it had slammed into an iron wall.
An invisible force crushed it to dust.
"BOOM!"
The entire ice storm exploded into fragments.
Wei Dinghai was slammed into the ground.
The ice armor covering his body shattered like glass.
He lay motionless, buried deep in the earth.
A moment laterâ
Blood began seeping from underground, staining the snow a deep, ominous red.
Author's Note