Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

So *this* was the superpower of a Sixth Rank Gold Element master—utterly devastating, galactic in scale, all from a wave of her hand. Fucking incredible!

Above, the chaotic flock of birds writhed in waves of electricity, their feathers fluttering down like snow.

Xie Ning grabbed one end of a chain and gave it a hard yank downward.

A screeching bird darted frantically within the flock, flitting up and down, stubbornly refusing to be pulled from the sky.

”Come on down and let’s have a chat, friend.” Xie Ning put more force into her pull, a wide smile still plastered on her face. ”Come on, let’s talk this out.”

”Still playing shy, are we?” Xie Ning glanced at her boyfriend standing beside her.

Gu Chen got the hint. He raised his hand, and several bolts of lightning shot out, striking the unlucky Mutated Bird squarely.

CRACKLE! SIZZLE! The crowd watched as lightning flashed and thunder roared around the bird, yet the creature itself remained completely unharmed.

”Holy crap, that bird is something else!”

”It’s something else, all right. It’s using a Spiritual Barrier.” Xie Ning narrowed her eyes, yanking hard on the chain. ”Get down here, friend. I promise I’ll make your death quick and clean!”

”No steaming, no braising, and no deep-frying!” As Xie Ning said the word ”frying,” she jerked the chain violently.

The chain rattled in midair as the bird’s wings beat against it desperately.

In its struggles, the pitiful smaller birds around it suffered horribly. Sent tumbling to the ground by their leader’s thrashing, they were immediately set upon by the people of the base.

”You’re a tough one,” Xie Ning said with a grin, tilting her head back. With a flick of her wrist, she put more force into the pull.

”It seems to be immune to lightning?” Gu Chen was stunned.

It was the first time he’d ever seen a creature immune to electricity.

”It’s not immune, it’s...” Xie Ning pulled the chain, wrapping it a few times around the burly Wang Bingwu. ”It’s a Spiritual System Mutated Bird! It used its spiritual power to block your attack!”

”That powerful?!” Wang Bingwu joined Xie Ning, pulling on the chain with all his might.

The chain in Xie Ning’s hand continued to lengthen, extending far enough for other team members to grab hold and pull as well.

”It’s more than just powerful.” A sharp glint appeared in Xie Ning’s eyes. ”It’s also very... intelligent! It can use its spiritual power to enhance itself, causing every part of its body... to gain double the mass.”

”Spiritual power can do that?”

”It can! It’s just... not common!” This was something Xie Ning only knew from the accumulated experience of her past life; she’d seen and learned much. Otherwise, this little spiritual creature above would have truly fooled her.

This Spiritual System Mutated Bird’s Rank was likely Fifth Rank.

It could use its spiritual power on itself to increase its own weight. That was why, after all this time, she still hadn’t been able to fucking drag it to the ground.

”Put your backs into it! We’re almost there!”

Gu Chen quickly joined in, helping to pull the chain.

As everyone pulled together with one heart, a shrill, miserable screech echoed from above.

A round object shot down toward them like a cannonball.

”Still has a temper, huh!” With a wave of her hand, hundreds of chains shot up at once, wrapping the round object into a metal cocoon and sealing it completely inside.

She grabbed one end of the metal chains and began to swing the cocoon through the air in a wild, whistling arc. WHIR! WHIR! WHIR!

Wang Bingwu and the others couldn’t help the corners of their mouths twitching. They had a feeling the Mutated Bird was in for a truly miserable time...

BOOM! The Spiritual System Mutated Bird, still sealed in its massive metal cocoon, was slammed brutally onto the ground.

For a moment, everything fell silent.

But soon, the terrifying sounds of the battle had drawn over nearly every Superpower User who had been resting in the simple break area.

No one dared to get too close; they just formed a wide circle, watching from a distance to see what was happening.

”Come on, let’s go down and see our friend.” Xie Ning glanced at Gu Chen and the others, then led them on a mad dash down the transparent stairs, leaping nimbly to the ground one after another.

”Let’s go meet our little guest who came from so far away.” Xie Ning narrowed her eyes and took a few steps forward.

Gu Chen quickly moved to stop her. ”Be careful, it might lash out.”

”It’s fine.” Xie Ning raised a sharp golden thorn, pointing it forward. ”If it lashes out, I’ll slaughter it.”

Gu Chen: ...

It was now a little past five o’clock.

The battle with the Spiritual System Mutated Bird had unexpectedly lasted nearly two hours.

Lin Yiyi rubbed her sleepy eyes and leaned against Xu Yu’s side, asking in a small voice, ”Ms. Xu Yu, what’s happening?”

Xu Yu’s brow was tightly furrowed, her gaze fixed on Xie Ning.

To be honest, she found it hard to believe that the young girl she had first met at the Su City competition venue had now grown to such an unattainable height.

She could still remember the icy way that girl had looked at them.

It was as if she were looking at a swarm of ants—arrogant, disdainful, and utterly superior.

’How could the heavens allow someone with such a twisted and unhealthy moral compass to become so powerful?’

Xu Yu’s scrutinizing gaze fell on Xie Ning, as if by staring hard enough, she could uncover the secret to the success this person was hiding.

’What on earth did she do to get this powerful?’

Xie Ning paid no mind to the gaze of the Holy Mother, Xu Yu. She was focused on controlling the large metal cocoon on the ground, kicking the thing back and forth a few times with her foot.

”Stop kicking me, you monster! Monster!”

Xie Ning felt a jolt in her spiritual power as a strange, slurred voice suddenly exploded in her mind.

The young woman instinctively took a step back, then rushed forward and kicked the cocoon on the ground twice. ”Who’s the monster here? You damn monster can actually talk!”

”Monster, monster, monster! You’re the monster! Monster!”

Xie Ning kicked it a few more times. ”Tell the flock above to scatter.”

”I won’t! Why don’t you beg me!”

Xie Ning: ...

”I’ll beg your ghost! I’ll ’beg’ you, alright!” Xie Ning lunged forward in a rage, kicking the metal cocoon and sending it rolling across the ground.

Seeing his girlfriend like this, Gu Chen inexplicably found her kind of cute. He’d initially thought to pull her back, but instead, he joined in and gave the cocoon a couple of kicks himself.

”Damn it, damn it, damn it! Now this smelly man is kicking me too! I’ll destroy you! I’ll destroy you all!”

Xie Ning had had enough. ”Xiao Gu! Zap it!”

”I’ll take down its Spiritual Barrier. You just fry it!”

”Got it!” Gu Chen nodded, then mercilessly extended a single finger and pointed.

A sizzling electrical current instantly converged, and with a loud CRACK, enveloped the entire metal cocoon, rapidly spreading inward.

In Xie Ning’s spirit world, the damned bird began to howl miserably. AWOOOO! AWOOOOO! Its howls formed a bizarre, rhythmic melody.

Furious, Xie Ning jabbed it with a Metal Spike. ”Stop screaming!”

’That bastard’s howling is giving me a headache!’

”I surrender! I surrender! Stop, you smelly man! You single dog, destined to be alone forever!”

”What’s it screaming about?” Gu Chen had no idea what the noisy bird was squawking on about.

Xie Ning almost burst out laughing. ”It called you a single dog, destined to be alone forever.”

”What?” A spark of electricity seemed to flash through Gu Chen’s dark eyes as his now menacing gaze fell upon the cocoon.