"Time to return the favor."
Lam Minh's voice wasn't loud, but it was bone-chilling, echoing in the strangely silent space. The Foundation Establishment creature and the three remaining Qi Refining ones seemed to snap out of their daze. They didn't understand what was happening, but their instincts told them that the prey before them had transformed into something extremely dangerous.
The Foundation Establishment creature roared, signaling its comrades to charge forward together. It didn't believe what it was seeing. It assumed this was just some kind of human illusion.
But this time, they were facing a true nightmare.
Lam Minh no longer moved defensively. He took the initiative and charged forward.
His figure vanished from its spot, leaving behind an afterimage.
SWISH!
Before the two Mid-stage Qi Refining creatures could react, Lam Minh had already swept past them. The Blacklight dagger in his hand drew two perfect arcs.
Two Madakaros skulls flew into the air, black blood gushing like fountains. Two headless bodies collapsed to the ground.
It all happened in less than a second.
The remaining Late-stage Qi Refining creature saw this and was scared out of its wits. It turned to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Lam Minh's voice sounded right behind it. It turned in horror, only to see a fist rapidly growing larger in its vision.
POW!
A simple punch, without using qi, purely the strength of a Peak Qi Refining cultivator, landed squarely in the middle of its face. The monster's skull shattered like a watermelon.
Within seconds, the three Qi Refining creatures had been dealt with cleanly.
Now, only the Early-stage Foundation Establishment creature remained.
It no longer had a ferocious look, but one of absolute terror. Its third eye constricted. It couldn't comprehend how someone with a Qi Refining aura could possess such terrifying speed and power.
But Lam Minh gave it no time to think. He was in the [Invulnerability] state, 30 minutes of omnipotence that he could not afford to waste.
He charged, not with his dagger, but with his bare hands.
The Foundation Establishment creature let out a desperate roar, channeling all the qi in its dantian to envelop its body in a dark green qi armor. This was the signature defensive skill of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Lam Minh sneered. "Qi armor? Let's see how hard it is."
His fist, also enveloped in a thin but extremely pure layer of Peak Qi Refining qi, collided directly with the creature's qi armor.
CRACK!
A sound like shattering glass echoed. A crack appeared on the creature's qi armor.
"How... how is this possible?" the creature was horrified. A Qi Refining cultivator breaking the qi armor of a Foundation Establishment cultivator? This was unprecedented in the history of the Madakaros race!
Lam Minh didn't stop. He unleashed a rain of punches, as fast and powerful as a thunderstorm.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Countless cracks appeared on the qi armor. Finally...
SHATTER!
The qi armor broke apart like crystal.
The Foundation Establishment creature was completely exposed to Lam Minh's attacks. It was sent flying backward, slamming hard into the steel door of the control station and leaving a large dent.
It coughed up a mouthful of black blood, its internal organs heavily damaged. It looked at Lam Minh with utter disbelief, trying to say something, but couldn't.
Lam Minh stepped forward, his expression cold. "Thanks for the 2200 points. Now, farewell."
He raised his hand, a single finger tapping lightly on the center of its forehead. A sharp stream of qi pierced through its final layer of defense, destroying its brain from the inside.
The Early-stage Foundation Establishment creature, an existence that could wipe out an entire company of soldiers, died a憋屈 (grievous and unwilling) death, its eyes wide open.
Lam Minh let out a breath, looking at the battlefield littered with corpses, then at his own hands. The power of a Peak Qi Refining cultivator, combined with the [Invulnerability] state, was truly too domineering.
He checked the time. "Still have over 20 minutes of Invulnerability left. A bit of a waste."
Just then, from a distance, several figures were running towards them. It was the 9th Reconnaissance Squad, led by Lieutenant Khoa. After repelling the decoy attack, they had detected strange noises to the south and immediately came to investigate.
When they arrived, the scene before them left them all speechless.
Four Qi Refining Madakaros corpses and one Foundation Establishment corpse lay scattered about. And standing in the midst of the carnage was a high school student with tattered clothes, covered in blood (still the fake blood from before).
"Lam... Lam Minh?" Lieutenant Khoa stammered. "What... what happened here? Are... are you alright?"
Lam Minh turned, and upon seeing them, his expression immediately changed. The cold look vanished, replaced by a "terrified" and "exhausted" demeanor.
"Lieu... Lieutenant..." he said, his voice trembling. "I... I got lost... and they chased me... I... I don't know anything... Suddenly... they just fell over and died..."
He put on a perfect act, blaming everything on his "luck."
The members of the 9th Recon Squad looked at each other, not knowing whether to believe it or not. A Foundation Establishment creature and four Qi Refining ones just fell over and died? This was even more absurd than a high school student killing them with his bare hands.
But when they examined the corpses, they became even more confused. The wounds on the three Qi Refining creatures were extremely clean, caused by a sharp weapon. As for the Foundation Establishment creature, there were no external wounds, but its internal organs and brain were completely destroyed.
"This... this wasn't a natural death," an experienced soldier said. "This was the work of a master who killed them in an instant!"
Everyone's gaze once again fell on Lam Minh, who was "trembling" and sitting on the ground.
A master? This kid? Impossible!
While everyone was still confused, Lieutenant Khoa suddenly realized something. He looked towards the Great Wall.
"Dammit! The suicide... it wasn't a suicide!" he yelled. "This kid discovered their plot and jumped down alone to stop them!"
This theory, though hard to believe, was the most logical explanation for Lam Minh's presence here.
Instantly, the way all the soldiers looked at Lam Minh changed. No longer was there doubt, but absolute respect and admiration.
A 16-year-old student, who dared to jump from a 50-meter-high wall by himself to stop an enemy plot, facing a Foundation Establishment creature. Whether he killed them or not, that courage alone was enough to be hailed as a hero.
"Quick! Get him back for medical treatment!" Lieutenant Khoa ordered.
Lam Minh was helped away by two soldiers, inwardly smiling to himself.
"Hehe, became a reluctant hero again. My acting skills are really getting better and better."