The war drums are sounding! Are there recommendation votes? Are there any?! The second Helmsman has also appeared! Thanks to StarRiver for the generous reward (∩_∩)! The main force, catch up, everyone... If we hit 30 support tickets today, we'll have a four-chapter burst tomorrow!!! …… "Moo!!"

The Purple Extreme Demonic Ox let out a low roar and charged straight ahead. The two sharp, purple-hued long horns on its head pierced straight through the sturdy concrete wall, sending shattered stones flying and shattering windowpanes.

Fierce fighting intent flared in Ye Chen's eyes. He let out a low cry, took one step forward, and brought his hands together in a Tai Chi embrace, grabbing hold of one of the Demonic Ox's horns. Instantly, he felt his body sink, and the ground beneath his feet exploded with a "bang," his feet sinking into the flooring as he was shoved back seven or eight meters.

"Lift!!"

Ye Chen roared, his demonic hair flying wildly, veins bulging on his arms. Clutching the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox's horn, he violently hurled his weight backward!

The might that draws up mountains and overshadows the world!

The terrifying brute strength equivalent to 600 men surged through his arms, causing his previously lean limbs to suddenly become ghastly. Veins writhed like earthworms, and his muscles bulged, making them more than twice as thick.

"Lift, lift, lift!!!"

He cried out to the heavens, his arms like twin iron chains tightly locking around the purple horn. With a mighty bellow, all his strength poured into his arms. At once, the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox emitted a roar of rage and panic, struggling fiercely. Yet, the horn remained utterly immobile, as if caught in a vise.

Rumble~~~

The massive body, held fast in Ye Chen’s arms, was slowly, inch by inch, pried upwards, and then...

It was slammed down!

BOOM!!!

The entire hospital building shuddered violently, as if struck by a magnitude-three earthquake.

The Purple Extreme Demonic Ox wailed, its four hooves pointed towards the sky, desperately trying to flip back onto its feet. Ye Chen didn't relent. His figure flashed, sweeping onto the beast's belly. The fire axe in his hand carved a brilliant trajectory, as fleeting as a blossoming ephemeral flower. Twenty afterimages trailed behind the axe, finally overlapping into one, momentarily magnifying the destructive power—the equivalent of stacking twenty axe strikes into a single blow!

Smack!

The axe handle snapped. The axe head struck the Demonic Ox’s pale, milky belly, sparking momentarily before sending the ox flying backward, crashing against a wall behind it.

Given Ye Chen's strength, even when his base power was only that of 30 men, he could execute the Phantom Blade technique, though only barely and perhaps once every few days, lest the meridians in his arms twist and sustain severe damage. For every additional phantom added to this technique, the required physical constitution increased exponentially.

Ye Chen estimated that he would only be capable of manifesting 25 phantoms when his physique reached the strength equivalent of 1,000 men!

The Phantom Blade technique gained half its attack power for every added phantom!

This technique was profoundly esoteric; the illusion wasn't created by delivering 20 continuous, extremely fast slashes. Many failed because they assumed that was the method.

Only Ye Chen knew that the first strike had to be delivered incredibly slowly, the second slightly faster than the first, the third slightly faster than the second, and so on—this gradual acceleration was what formed the phantom image!

If the first strike held one-tenth of his full power, the second would hold two-tenths, averaging out to roughly two phantoms equaling one full-power strike.

Twenty phantoms, therefore, represented ten times the force of Ye Chen’s full strength—the equivalent of a single, all-out strike with the power of 6,000 men!

Regrettably, the fire axe could not withstand such immense force and broke in the middle. If it had been a greatsword forged from a gold alloy, it could have easily cleaved open the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox's belly.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. He needed to focus on finding materials to forge a suitable greatsword, then infuse it with some Rune Power; only then would it be truly formidable.

This thought flashed through his mind. Ye Chen glanced at the spot where the fire axe struck. A faint, shallow bloodstain marred the tough, milky-white scales of the beast’s hide, revealing the terrifying degree of the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox's defense. He bent down, plunged his hand into the wound, and with a wrench of his arm, tore the flesh apart to both sides.

Tear!

The milky-white belly split open, and a stench of decay wafted out. Ye Chen frowned, decisively abandoning the struggle, his figure shifting as he moved to the beast's head. He unleashed a punch, slamming it into the creature's forehead, which elicited a sound of cracking bone.

"Die!"

Ye Chen’s expression was icy. He pinned the Demonic Ox’s skull down, his fists pounding repeatedly. With every downward strike, its forehead indented further.

"Moo! Moo!"

The Purple Extreme Demonic Ox struggled desperately, but Ye Chen’s strength was six times greater than its own, and with its hooves flailing uselessly in the air, it had no purchase—it could only endure the relentless beating.

Not far away, at the entrance to the basement corridor, White Dragon and Mo Feng had crept up to investigate the situation, only to freeze, dumbfounded, at the scene before them.

"Stop!!" A bitter, furious thought pierced Ye Chen's mind. The voice was sharp, causing him to pause momentarily before he understood, then he sneered, "Black Scarab Worm, if you surrender, crawl out of its skull now. Otherwise, I'll erase both of you!"

"You, you..." The sharp voice trembled slightly with anger. "You are just an ordinary human—how do you possess such power! I don't believe it!!"

Ye Chen sneered, saying no more, and raised his fist, slamming it down again and again.

"Stop smashing! I surrender!!" the Black Scarab Worm shrieked.

Ye Chen stopped his fist and said coldly, "Come out on your own!"

"Then you won't kill me!" the Black Scarab Worm cautioned.

Ye Chen nodded lightly. "If you behave, I might spare you."

"Really?" the Black Scarab Worm asked suspiciously.

Ye Chen retorted without patience, "If you hide in there, I can still kill you!"

The Black Scarab Worm fell silent.

After a long pause, a small, entirely inky-black insect slowly crawled out of the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox's nostril. It was the size of a fingertip, covered entirely in slender, hair-like black feelers, giving it a fuzzy appearance.

Ye Chen glanced at it and stated, "It is said that the entire body of a Black Scarab Worm is top-grade material, delicious and flavorful..."

"W-what are you doing?" The Black Scarab Worm startled, shrinking back.

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "I heard eating it is highly nourishing and can increase a person's strength by one unit."

The Black Scarab Worm angrily shouted, "Despicable human! You promised not to kill me!"

Ye Chen said calmly, "Since you call me despicable, then it’s fine to kill you, isn't it? Besides, I haven't killed you; I just have a slight desire to taste you..."

The Black Scarab Worm was speechless.

Just then, White Dragon and the other man, seeing the situation stabilize, crept closer and immediately noticed the motionless giant creature, looking astonished. "Is it dead?"

Ye Chen nodded.

White Dragon's gaze flickered to the Black Scarab Worm. "What's this little bug doing?"

Ye Chen casually replied, "It's probably excellent food. Let's take it with us." With that, he scooped up the Black Scarab Worm and led the way out.

White Dragon was bewildered. "Shouldn't we haul back the corpse of that monstrous ox? That would be enough food for several days."

Ye Chen shook his head. "The scent of blood will attract monsters."

In reality, the Purple Extreme Demonic Ox's corpse was already decomposing internally and was entirely inedible.

The group moved quickly through the night. The surrounding streets were silent, broken only by the occasional shrill cry of some strange bird overhead, sending shivers down the spine.

They encountered a few zombies along the way, but they were dispatched with ease.

Not long after, the group safely returned to the research institute. Several times, if Ye Chen hadn't sensed danger quickly, they would have run straight into hordes of zombie monsters, leading to inevitable, fierce battles.

"I need to prepare first. We'll perform the surgery shortly," Mo Feng said, stepping into the institute and heading toward the basement.

Ye Chen entered his room. He glanced at the pale Ye Zhu on the bed, relieved to see her condition hadn't worsened. Zhuge Fan and Yue Heng were fast asleep by the bedside; they were utterly exhausted after the day's fighting.

Ye Chen watched over her for a while before quietly leaving the room, bringing the Black Scarab Worm with him. He went to the living room alone, pulled out the insect, and noted how warm and soft its touch was, nodding to himself, "It must taste wonderful."

The Black Scarab Worm trembled, watching Ye Chen walk toward the kitchen while holding it, and immediately screamed, "No, don't kill me! I am willing to be your servant."

"You even know what a servant is?" Ye Chen smiled slightly.

The Black Scarab Worm replied dejectedly, "I have absorbed many human cells and learned about the structure and some basic common sense of your world. As long as you don't kill me, I will be your little brother!"

"Do you know what 'little brother' means?"

"Um... does 'little brother' mean an enforcer?"

"En. You only have the strength of one person; why would I want you?" Ye Chen yawned.

The Black Scarab Worm looked like it was about to cry. "If you find the corpse of a powerful monster, I can control its body and fight for you!"

"Oh?" Ye Chen's eyes lit up.