The introduction didn't go into that much detail, so Xiao Bailang naturally didn't know that Zhang Lei was more than just bloodthirsty; his bloodlust was so extreme that even old guys like Linghu and Zaixing were terrified.
However, since he had already spoken, it wouldn't be good to embarrass him. "Zhang Lei, Xiao Peng, Tian Xiao, and Zuo Ying, the four of you work together to clean up the mess. Don't leave any survivors!"
At this point, there wouldn't be much resistance. Linghu knew very well that the people in the circle were just barely clinging to life. Even if no one took action, they might not survive. Although the mixed toxins weren't deadly quickly, most of the time there was absolutely no cure, and this was especially true the longer Xiao Bailang accumulated the poison.
The reason they were transferred out now was twofold: firstly, for greater security, and secondly, to prevent them from witnessing the fat man's methods of torture, especially the two girls. Even though they used to be his long-time partners, they still felt a sense of dread every time they saw it, and this feeling intensified after that incident; the fat man has become increasingly perverse.
The fat man knows Japanese, so he doesn't need Xiao Peng or Zuo Ying to translate for him.
"Linghu, why don't I go over and help out? They're all young people over there!" Liu Yun had heard some legends about Xiao Bailang before, so he knew what he was up to, and he didn't want to watch it live.
"Well, then you go too!" Linghu originally intended to keep him here, but it seems that Liu Yun has already heard about it and he has already brought it up. There's no need to force someone else to suffer along with him.
"Kid, you'd better answer my questions honestly!" The fat man slapped the trembling Japanese man twice on the abdomen, dispersing his internal energy so that he couldn't use any of his superpowers.
"Grandpa Chinese, you don't have to do this! My superpower isn't a combat-type superpower!" The Japanese man looked miserable. "I've heard of you. I'll answer whatever you ask, I'll be completely honest. Please don't torture me. Please allow me to join the ranks of the great Chinese nation. I've long admired the Chinese nation and have been hoping to join this big family day and night. I beg you to grant my request!"
This Japanese guy spoke fluent Mandarin, while Xiao Bailang had a slight accent compared to him. However, the Japanese guy's habits were still there; his head kept bobbing up and down as he bowed endlessly, like a turtle's head that was constantly retracting.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad. I didn't realize you could speak Mandarin so well!" Xiao Bailang felt embarrassed to use torture anymore. His purpose in using torture was to get him to tell the truth, and since his target was cooperating so well, there was no need to use torture anymore.
On the other side, Zhang Lei stomped on the necks of the people on the ground, breaking them one by one, somewhat like in those games where you stomp on balloons. Those necks under his feet weren't much stronger than chicken necks. Seeing the retractable glans on this side, Zhang Lei also walked over curiously. He had guessed that the fat man was going to torture the Japanese, and he also guessed that he probably sent the two girls out because he was afraid they would feel bad if they saw it. Otherwise, Linghu wouldn't have let the two girls do such a thing.
Although this Japanese man was short, he already had forehead wrinkles, so he couldn't really be considered a kid. However, he could be considered a Japanese soldier, so let's just pretend Xiao Bailang missed a word. "Yes, yes, Chinese sir!" Of course, he didn't dare to have any objection.
"My grandmother was also Chinese, and I have Chinese blood flowing through my veins. I have a very nice Chinese name. Please call me Yue Jing. The Yue family generals are my lifelong idols, and I hope to be as loyal to China as they are!" The Japanese man looked righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he had really become Chinese.
"Hmm, Yue Jing, if your ability isn't combat, then what ability do you have?" Xiao Bailang deliberately spoke with a bit of a Japanese accent.
"Grandpa Chinese, my superpower is auxiliary; in China, it's called assisting in the absorption of internal energy!"
The moment the Japanese uttered those words, not only Xiao Bailang but even Linghu Zaichong's expression changed. Assisting in the absorption of internal energy—while not a combat ability—was definitely a coveted prize. How could such a huge windfall fall into his lap?
Episode 3: The Bloody Road to Growth, Chapter 57: Our Great China (Part 2)
"Assisted internal energy absorption, what is that?" Zhang Lei had already walked up to them. Compared to these two seasoned veterans, Zhang Lei's understanding of the superpower system was far inferior.
"Support..."
Just as Linghu was about to explain, Zhang Lei walked up to him and shook his arm, "Brother Linghu, what's there to keep secret? Just tell me!"
"Alright, alright, stop shaking, I'm sue..."
Linghu was speaking when two streaks of black light suddenly flew out of his hand and headed straight for the door.
Slightly slower than him, Zhang Lei's rope also flew out.
Xiao Bailang had no idea what the two were talking about until now. He realized that the person outside must have returned. Looking closely, the light seemed to be slightly distorted in the direction of their darts, but if you didn't know the location beforehand, you wouldn't know at all.
The distorted light flickered again, narrowly avoiding the black light that flew out of Linghu's hand. Unfortunately, Zhang Lei could still control the rope dart. The front of the rope dart swayed slightly, and the rope in the middle seemed to hit something. The rope end came back and circled around it a few times. There seemed to be an invisible pillar in the middle, and several empty rope loops were suspended there.
"Hmph!" Zhang Lei flicked the rope marker, and the empty rope ring flew towards him. At the same time, Zhang Lei stomped his foot and rushed forward.
Everything seemed too easy, and a sense of vigilance flashed through Zhang Lei's mind. "Self-examination!" He activated his superpower in mid-air.
Zhang Lei had already activated his inner energy circle while clearing the area to prevent any escapees. Although Linghu and Xiao Bailang both said that these people were incapable of resisting, Zhang Lei trusted himself the most. He had only met Xiao Bailang for the first time today, and Zhang Lei couldn't just place his life on the scales of trust with Linghu after only a few words.
Of course, Zhang Lei's ability to absorb internal energy more easily is also one of the reasons. Even if others were as careful as him, they wouldn't waste as much internal energy. Now, the amount of internal energy in Zhang Lei's body after two or three days has basically exceeded the accumulation of Tian Xiao over an unknown period of time. The difference is obvious.
Once the internal energy circle is activated, the energy consumption is minimal. The initial activation requires forcing internal energy out of the body to form a sphere connected to the internal structure, which is the most energy-consuming phase. Afterward, it only requires replenishing some of the naturally dissipated internal energy particles. The person is at the center of this sphere; any activity within it will be transmitted back to the body by resonating internal energy particles. With practice, one can truly perceive even the slightest movement within its range.
Of course, there are differences in size. The maximum range of one's internal energy circle varies depending on their internal strength cultivation, and the conduction will also differ in different media. Since the user can adjust the range of their internal energy circle, naturally, the smaller the range, the higher the density of internal energy particles, and the higher the relative precision.
Zhang Lei was just practicing this skill. Since it was already activated, it would be a waste to dissipate the inner energy circle immediately. He learned this inner energy circle before coming to Japan. It was specifically used to deal with the elusive moves of Japanese ninjas. It was a new way of using it borrowed from Europe and America and was still in the experimental stage. He didn't expect that it would be useful here, even though it wasn't used in Japan.
After Zhang Lei walked up to them, if the Japanese man hadn't moved slightly after hearing Yue Jing reveal his supernatural abilities, Zhang Lei really wouldn't have noticed him.
Japanese ninjutsu is not sorcery; it's not as magical as it seems to allow for complete invisibility. I guess that's this Japanese person's special ability. I just don't know why he sneaked in.
His special ability showed no fluctuations whatsoever. But then again, if there were fluctuations, his ability would be completely useless.
Zhang Lei is not yet very proficient in controlling his inner energy circle. Right now, he can only sense where living things are moving. It is still very difficult for him to distinguish which feedback is a raised hand and which is a landing foot. Besides, it happens in the blink of an eye, and he doesn't have time to carefully distinguish between them.
Therefore, as soon as he sensed danger, he immediately activated his superpower. No matter how important internal energy was, it was not as important as his own life, not to mention that Zhang Lei no longer valued internal energy as much.
Zhang Lei's physical coordination will also be greatly improved after he started self-examination. Zhang Lei just flipped in the air and floated up at an angle.
Almost instinctively, he threw a punch forward. But it wasn't necessarily instinct; combined with the position of the rope loop and the sensing of the inner energy circle, Zhang Lei could at least know his approximate location.
As it turned out, Zhang Lei's judgment was correct. A burst of blood suddenly exploded in mid-air directly in front of his fist, mixed with milky white tofu-like things flying around. Normally, Zhang Lei would punch back after hitting his target, but this time, because he couldn't see the target's exact location, he didn't have any back force at all.
A once-complete head instantly shattered into pieces, like a watermelon popped with a firecracker. Each piece was covered in fuzz, tofu-like bits, or chili sauce—a truly bizarre array. (Old Gui used to play like this all the time, haha, putting a big firecracker inside a watermelon, so much fun!)
The headless corpse on the ground, its color gradually deepening, proved that Zhang Lei's self-examination earlier was not unfounded. The corpse actually had a transparent dagger in its hand, no more than a foot long including the handle. It was unknown what material it was made of. Even though the ninth person was dead, the dagger still retained its sinister nature, only showing a slight shape due to the blood and brain matter.
"Good knife!" Zhang Lei still felt a chill when he thought about it. He shouldn't have pulled him over, or at least he shouldn't have pulled him over without much preparation. Even though the guy wasn't fully prepared at the time, judging from his posture, he was probably still thinking about cutting the rope with the knife.
Only then did Zhang Lei feel his heart pounding wildly. If this guy hadn't been cutting the rope with a knife, but instead had stabbed him, given how sharp the knife was, he might have died a truly unjust death if it had hit a vital spot.
Zhang Lei picked up the knife and flicked it around, sending the brains and blood on it flying everywhere. Now that the knife was free of debris, it became transparent and invisible again, with only a few angles showing a slight refraction of light.
"Good knife!" Zhang Lei couldn't help but praise again. Lifting the rope, he found it had already been cut into four or five pieces in a short time. If it hadn't been wrapped around the rope so many times, it really wouldn't have been able to bind him.
Fortunately, Zhang Lei had a spare rope, otherwise the rope marker would have been unusable. Zhang Lei is quite skilled at using rope markers now, and he would really feel uncomfortable without them.
"Little brother!" Xiao Bailang called out from the side, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Um, could I have this knife?"
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Growth, Chapter 58: The Magical Spider Silk (Part 1)
"What?" Not only Zhang Lei couldn't believe his ears, but even Linghu was a little embarrassed to believe it. After so many years of friendship, Xiao Bailang could actually say such a thing.