Chapter 154: Advancement—Indifferent Yet Confident

A hundred or so monstrous dogs made a grand entrance. The most shocked person wasn’t the majority, who hadn’t even reacted yet, nor was it Gu Xu or Bian Changxi, who had already anticipated this. It was Wen Mingli.

At the sight of these armored dogs, she was first startled, then her face darkened instantly.

For the iron-plated dogs to leave their territory, abandon their work, and chase all the way here so aggressively, there could only be one reason: their charges, their food source—the Xuan Iron Trees—had been stolen. They were here to settle the score.

And as for the thief, there was hardly any doubt. Wen Mingli’s burning gaze locked onto the cold-faced Bian Changxi, her eyes practically spitting fire.

She had come all this way, wasting countless hours and taking enormous risks, all for those Xuan Iron Trees. They were the perfect material for making weapons and combat suits, and their unique magnetic properties made them ideal as core components for new communication devices, allowing the devices to become ever smaller.

Qu Yi had already invented a communicator based on her data, but it was bulky and structurally unstable. Normally, this wouldn’t have prevented it from hitting the market, but that idiot Qu Yi, after his air-measuring device malfunctioned and was questioned, insisted that the technology had to be perfected before releasing anything. As a result, the communicator was shelved, and Wen Mingli, watching all that profit slip away because of that stubborn fool, was both furious and anxious. That’s when she remembered the Xuan Iron Trees.

Sun Buqun had sent people before, but unfortunately, they were discovered by the Qiao Base and most never returned. After two or three failed attempts, they didn’t dare act rashly again. Instead, they shifted strategies, letting Su City Base compete for the Hongri wholesale market, hoping to fish in troubled waters and still pocket the Xuan Iron Trees.

Everything was ready, but at the last moment, someone else swooped in and took the prize.

How could Wen Mingli not be enraged?

A plain-looking man approached her. “Sister Wen, things don’t look good.”

He was Sun Buqun’s trusted aide, an ability user with an enormous spatial capacity. Early in the plan, he’d run into Zhu Yunhua by chance, who recognized his value and brought him into the team—all for the sake of snatching the Xuan Iron Trees today.

Seeing the current situation, he could guess that someone else had beaten them to the trees.

By now, everyone was shocked and frightened.

“What kind of dogs are those?”

“What’s growing on them?”

“How did they suddenly appear?”

Colonel Lin’s face changed dramatically at the sight. He immediately ordered his soldiers to form a defensive formation with their guns, then turned and snapped at Qiao Wei, “What are these monsters? Did you deliberately keep this from us?”

It was clear these monsters were no ordinary threat. Qiao Wei must have withheld information to catch them off guard.

Qiao Wei was momentarily stunned, his face grave. “I’ve never seen them before.” At the same time, he tried to rally his own people.

Colonel Lin grabbed him, and several soldiers wrestled Qiao Wei to the ground, detaining him forcefully. Colonel Lin said, “With this attitude, Second Young Master Qiao, you’re hardly trustworthy. Until these monsters are dealt with, you’ll have to bear with us.”

Qiao Wei and the Qiao Base members were furious, but by now the black dogs had already taken position, facing off against the armed soldiers hiding behind cover, stamping their paws restlessly. The enormous lead dog, however, was calm, its beastly eyes half-closed as if assessing the strength and weakness of its opponents, deciding how to deal with them.

Suddenly, perhaps due to inexperience or nerves, a soldier’s hand trembled and his gun dipped. In a flash, the lead dog became a blur, and the next moment it was beside the soldier. The soldier’s face froze in shock as his throat was ripped open. He collapsed stiffly, while the lead dog licked its massive, blood-dripping, steel-hard paw, casting a provocative look at Gu Xu.

It had clearly realized that only this human posed any real threat; only by killing him could it reclaim their trees from the people behind him.

Gu Xu sighed softly and turned his head, murmuring, “Be careful.”

Bian Changxi replied, “You too.”

Gu Xu strode toward the lead dog. The others—both people and dogs—seemed to sense something and instinctively made way, leaving a clear space around the two. The lead dog waited calmly, even idly scraping at the ground with its paw, effortlessly gouging out a layer of earth to show off its strength and sharpness.

Gu Xu’s eyes flickered. His left hand, hanging at his side, tapped lightly with his fingers. Just as he advanced, six fiery lines shot up from the ground without warning, binding the lead dog’s limbs, head, and tail. With a flick of his hand, several blades of fire shot toward the dog’s vulnerable spots like lightning.

The lead dog hadn’t expected an attack before Gu Xu even stopped moving. Annoyed at being ambushed, it didn’t take these human tricks seriously. With a twist of its body and a sudden contraction, it dodged most of the fire blades. Its four paws stomped, breaking the fiery restraints with ease. With a roar, it lunged at Gu Xu.

But Gu Xu’s right hand, previously behind his back, suddenly whipped out a strange weapon—part staff, part blade, its tip honed razor-sharp. As he sidestepped, he swung it heavily. Sparks flew with a crackle, and the massive recoil sent him flipping backward, landing in a crouch. The lead dog tumbled through the air, crashing down and rolling twice on the ground. It struggled up, panting heavily, blood slowly oozing from its left flank where two lumps of steel had been pried off.

No one had time to watch their fight, because as soon as the battle began, the hundred-odd black dogs seemed to receive an attack signal and charged together, barking madly. Colonel Lin shouted, “Fire!”

Gunshots erupted.

But the bullets were as useless as if fired at an armored vehicle, barely scratching these iron-skinned monsters, not even slowing them down. As the first volley ended, the black dogs crashed down, steel claws tearing into humans. Those with shields could hold out a little, but those without were quickly shredded and left writhing on the ground. Even those not directly struck could be half-killed by the sheer weight of these steel beasts.

Bian Changxi, positioned near the Qiao Base—on the periphery—leapt onto a second-floor balcony as soon as Gu Xu left her side. Several dogs charged in, but while she couldn’t unleash her powers instantly like Gu Xu, she could set up in advance. Thin white frost and green vines snaked across the floor, and as the black dogs entered their range, she activated the vines, which immediately tangled and restrained the dogs.

She was skillful, winding the vines into the dogs’ armor crevices and out of reach of their fangs and claws.

She’d already tested this at the steel wholesale center: though the dogs’ hides were thick, they weren’t especially strong. She captured them one by one, hanging them from the building, and for those she missed, she whipped them hard with the vines. Any that slipped through could be easily distracted by tossing a Xuan Iron Tree branch—the dogs would chase after it, only to be ambushed by more vicious vines waiting behind.

“We stole their treasure; of course they won’t let it go.” Bian Changxi had worried about this ever since the heist, which was why she’d dealt with the black dogs at the wholesale center as quickly as possible—thirty or forty in all, finished off with the help of Niunai.

But after they drove away, they realized there were far more black dogs than that. A large pack must have been out hunting or something, not at home. By the time they sensed the dogs’ wrath, the pack was already searching the area, closing in on Colonel Lin and the others.

Since it was a mess of their own making, Gu Xu wasn’t about to let others take the blame. Conveniently, they ran into Daishan and his group, so they pretended to have come from another direction and returned together at top speed, even working out their strategy on the way.

Soon, everyone realized that Bian Changxi’s location, though swarming with dogs, was actually the safest. Several dogs were trussed up like zongzi and hung from the walls—a comical sight. Survivors began gravitating toward her: first the injured from Qiao Base, then ordinary survivors, and even soldiers. As more people arrived, more dogs followed. Bian Changxi was almost overwhelmed, both hands flinging vines nonstop, pouring all her mental energy into the effort.

Her intense focus brought about a strange state: her control over the vines became ethereal, light, and transparent. She could even see the paths and patterns of her power, like a circuit board with countless currents crisscrossing in perfect harmony.

And she was the board itself, the vessel, the central program that understood all the principles at work. Then, she seemed to hear something shatter inside her, her whole body lightening. The power she’d suppressed for so long finally broke through its limits, surging upward. With every breath, she felt stronger, her senses entering a whole new realm.

She was overjoyed—she had advanced!

Now, the black dogs seemed clumsy and sluggish, their movements full of openings. With a flick of her hand, the ground split open and a vine shot up, launching a black dog into the air.

She hummed softly, focusing her mind, and the vine chased after the dog, catching and wrapping it securely like a noodle.

Again and again, hardly any black dogs could get close. More and more were hung on the wall, while more and more people gathered at Bian Changxi’s feet.

Bian Kuang sent out a few wind blades to keep the dogs at bay. Looking up at Bian Changxi on the second floor—so calm, confident, and in control—he sighed, both proud and conflicted. His little sister had finally grown up, become so strong, far beyond his reach. Perhaps the gap between them would only widen, just like the difference in their abilities.

Bian Wei, hiding behind him and a few men, clutched his sleeve, her face pale. “Brother, I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. I’m here. I won’t let these monsters hurt you.”

ps:

Thanks to 941 Dessert for the safety charm!

Thanks to Rainy Day Without Umbrella for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Zhilong Kid for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Ai Feng C for a pink ticket!"