Zhong Zha felt as if he’d been struck by a sledgehammer, frozen solid in place. It wasn't intentional; his body simply refused to obey. As he desperately tried to move, the massive black-brown bear’s paw descended with crushing force. He was sent flying over ten meters, slamming violently into a nearby wall, which, despite appearing exceptionally thick, shattered and collapsed around him.

(Nose broken.)

Zhong Zha lay unconscious within the rubble for at least a second. When he finally surfaced, a blinding pain shot through his nose. Even with his superior physical conditioning, he couldn't fully negate the sheer brute force of the giant black-brown bear’s attack, especially since it was a direct hit when he was completely unprepared. It was sheer fortune that he wasn't smashed dead instantly.

Just as he was slowly pushing himself up from the debris of broken masonry, he vaguely registered the sound of a rotary machine gun winding up. Without a second thought, he threw himself sideways with every ounce of strength. As he violently collided with a wall, searing pain erupted in both his thighs and calves; four or five bullets had slammed into his leg.

Yet, in the same motion, he burst through the wall and tumbled onto a relatively open expanse outside. He saw the gigantic Stalker raising a rocket launcher, its targeting laser fixed directly on his position. One slight squeeze of the trigger, and there would be no escape.

"Matthew Addison! It’s Zhong Zha!" he could only roar out in desperation. With no means left to dodge, he had to risk everything on this one throw, hoping Matthew Addison still remembered him. The colossal Stalker seemed to pause, its raised rocket launcher slowly lowering. It appeared hesitant, twitching between raising the weapon again and letting it drop, repeating this several times before it let out a harsh cry and redirected the weapon to a spot in front of the massive black-brown bear that was currently smashing through walls to escape, effectively forcing the fleeing beast back towards him.

Zhong Zha let out a deep breath of relief. He rolled over and sat up, using his military knife to make a shallow cut across his thigh and calf, then plunged his hand into the flesh and pulled forcefully. He extracted several large shell fragments. He didn't bother stopping the bleeding; the wounds were already beginning to knit shut. Leaping to his feet, he activated his light body skill and sprinted towards the giant black-brown bear.

For some unknown reason, the Zhong Zha from the Demon Reincarnation Squad hadn't appeared yet. Perhaps he was delayed, or perhaps he was lurking nearby, waiting for the perfect moment for a killing blow. Regardless, this was his best opportunity. He had to neutralize this gigantic black-brown bear before his duplicate could manifest, because if that happened, he would stand no chance whatsoever.

Before he even reached the bear’s immediate vicinity, he triggered the air cannon in his hand. His feet never stopped moving as he hurtled toward the massive creature. As he closed the distance, the giant black-brown bear once again manifested a faint green glow between its massive palms.

Zhong Zha saw it clearly. As the bear slammed both paws against the ground, the shockwave from the air cannon simultaneously rushed toward it. The two blasts collided head-on, but evidently, the air cannon’s wave possessed far greater power. It not only nullified the bear’s emission but also sent a significant portion of residual force hurtling toward the creature. However, the deflection greatly weakened the blast, and its trajectory shifted; it only managed to strike the black-brown bear’s left arm, continuing through to smash the wall behind it.

The giant black-brown bear screamed out in agony. Before it could react further, Zhong Zha closed in, gripping his military knife and driving it savagely into the creature’s chest. But its hide was incredibly thick and tough; the thrust only penetrated a few inches beneath the rib cage, still some distance from the vital organs. The knife could not be pushed further. Being utterly pragmatic, Zhong Zha let out a howl, gripping the handle and wrenching the blade sideways. Even though the knife wasn't razor-sharp, the immense lateral tension he applied ripped the initial puncture wider. If he could fully pull it across, the giant bear would be eviscerated, and the resulting blood loss alone would be fatal.

The giant black-brown bear’s vitality was alarmingly tenacious. It swung its uninjured right arm, delivering a crushing blow to Zhong Zha’s left side, sending both the man and the embedded knife flying. Clearly enraged, the bear roared with eyes blazing blood-red and charged, slamming into Zhong Zha just as he landed, driving him through the wall into a nearby dwelling. It then opened its cavernous maw, aiming for his head.

Zhong Zha was violently jarred by the impact, especially his head, which struck a sharp edge of the wall, knocking him unconscious for about a second. When he awoke, he saw a gaping maw rushing toward him. Pinned against the wall and unable to move, facing imminent death between the beast's teeth, a burst of blood-red flames erupted from his entire body at the critical juncture. This sudden conflagration made the giant black-brown bear flinch, momentarily relaxing its grip. In that instant, Zhong Zha channeled his internal energy and delivered a ferocious punch to the bear’s lower jaw. This strike, infused with corrosive inner force, nearly obliterated the entire mandible. Furthermore, the sheer kinetic energy sent the creature flying back over ten meters. This bear, previously towering five meters tall, was flung like a toy into the distance, crashing through another wall and disappearing into the dust and mist.

“Hah, hah,” Zhong Zha gasped, sucking in deep breaths. The violent collision and crushing had squeezed nearly all the air from his lungs. But there was no time for rest. He pushed off the ground and shot through the gap in the wall. The giant black-brown bear was already struggling back to its feet, facing him. Its appearance was truly horrific: its lower jaw was mostly corroded down to the bone, a massive horizontal gash scarred its belly through which its pulsing organs were visible, and its left arm was bleeding sluggishly—that limb looked completely shattered and rotted.

All traces of wildness vanished from the giant black-brown bear’s eyes, replaced instead by sheer panic and terror. Seeing Zhong Zha appear, it actually turned tail and bolted, its bulky, waddling body leaving streaks of blood on the ground. It bore no resemblance to a formidable black-brown bear now, but rather a desperate stray, a mere cowering animal.

Zhong Zha felt no easing of tension. He had already entered his frenzy state prior to this. Seeing the bear flee, he engaged his light body skill and leaped onto its back, sinking his teeth deep into the creature’s neck. With a savage yank, he tore away a huge chunk of red muscle. That wasn't enough. He gripped his military knife and stabbed it deep into the bear's spinal column between the vertebrae, then twisted violently. He snapped the spine and, in the process, broke half the blade off inside the wound. The giant black-brown bear managed only one agonizing howl before its massive body convulsed, rolling uncontrollably before collapsing onto the ground, twitching spasmodically.

Zhong Zha pulled himself up from the dirt, panting raggedly. His body was coated in dark, inky blood—he wasn’t sure if it was his or the bear’s. However, he paid no mind to his injuries. He walked step by deliberate step to stand before the twitching, convulsing giant black-brown bear, slowly raising the air cannon in his hand.

Terror flooded the bear’s eyes. Its form began to rapidly shrink. Within two or three seconds, the bulk dissolved, reverting to the shape of a normal human. This wretched Caucasian man’s lower jaw was largely corroded, causing air to whistle through his words as he pleaded, “Spare me, I can get the Captain to—” Zhong Zha ignored him, merely pressing the activation button on the air cannon. He watched silently as the man’s expression shifted from supplication to panic, and from panic to utter despair. After two meters of travel, a powerful shockwave erupted from the cannon’s muzzle, slamming directly into the man’s face, instantly blasting his features and the surrounding earth into pulverized fragments.

Zhong Zha sank to his knees, breathing heavily. The preceding sequence of combat had demanded everything he had; it was either him or the enemy dying. Having skirted the edge of oblivion several times, his nerves had been strung to their absolute limit. The moment he relaxed his focus, the crushing fatigue flooded in. On top of that, every inch of his body seemed to house fresh wounds, the pain so intense it was nearly impossible to twitch a finger.

A towering figure materialized behind him. Zhong Zha turned to see the giant Stalker standing silently there. Its heavy weapons were not aimed at him. It seemed Matthew Addison had regained his memories, or at least possessed a strong recollection of his existence, otherwise this Stalker would not have forfeited such an easy opportunity to execute him. A single burst of gunfire could have ended him right there.

“As expected of my prime subject, possessing a cruel essence just like me. I thought my cruelty was merely imposed by the ‘Main God’ during replication, but it seems that is not the case,” a chilling voice stated. Then, a man with black, leathery wings descended from the air, holding a massive two-handed sword engulfed in black flames. His dark wings beat steadily behind him.

This was Zhong Zha, his face twisted in savagery—the captain of the Demon Reincarnation Squad had arrived.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.