Perhaps realizing that Ji Mian’s presence posed the greatest threat here, the lone wolf bared its sharp teeth.
Chu Shiye stepped in front of Ji Mian.
Heisen, climbing back to his feet and moving his arm, said, “It can heal itself! This won’t be easy to handle!”
Ji Mian: “It can’t heal severe injuries, like its eye.”
Otherwise, this wolf wouldn’t still be blind in one eye.
The ability users around them froze momentarily, and their faces soon lit up with realization.
The wolf, clearly understanding Ji Mian’s words, scraped its claws against the ground and fixed its remaining cold, menacing eye on Ji Mian.
Ji Mian snapped his fingers.
Illusory pale blue light, like butterflies in the wind, danced around them, falling like snow and brushing past the ability users.
All the ability users felt a surge of strength once again.
They were filled with power!
With newfound confidence, they charged forward together. Black Snake cast a glance at Ji Mian while stroking the head of his anaconda spirit.
Chu Shiye, his dark brown eyes illuminated by the mine’s faint light, asked, “What is this?”
Ji Mian, in a voice only Chu Shiye could hear: “A small trick.”
Chu Shiye’s gaze remained fixed on Ji Mian.
He knew Su Lan was an auxiliary-type ability user.
Auxiliary-types were somewhere between combat-types and healing-types. They lacked the superior combat prowess of combat-types and the vital healing abilities of healing-types.
As such, many considered auxiliary abilities to be a useless middle ground.
But Su Lan was different.
He possessed combat power comparable to combat-types and healing power rivaling healing-types.
He was a unique and powerful auxiliary-type. Chu Shiye had no doubt that in Su Lan’s fully realized state, he could turn the tide of a battle single-handedly.
And now, it was clear this was true.
Initially, the ability users—except for Black Snake—were unable to contend with the lone wolf. But now, under the pale blue glow that continuously enveloped them, they fought with divine-like aid, repeatedly forcing the wolf to retreat.
Wounds accumulated on the lone wolf’s body, its blood staining its white fur. It glared at Ji Mian with hatred, charging at him multiple times in an attempt to kill its most loathed enemy, but it couldn’t get within a step of Ji Mian.
In the end, Black Snake didn’t even need to step in. Under the relentless assault of the strengthened ability users, this B-level beast, which had previously killed two C-level ability users, finally fell.
As the wolf collapsed, it let out a piercing wail that echoed through the dark mine.
Chu Shiye frowned slightly.
Berg: “Haha! Look how strong we are!”
Fu Zeren: “Shame we couldn’t capture it alive.”
He gestured for his subordinates to move forward.
The area behind the wolf had yet to be explored. When Fu Zeren’s subordinates shone their searchlights into the depths, something glinted a few meters away.
It was a cluster of gray crystals embedded in the stone wall, covering an area roughly the size of an armored vehicle.
“Gray crystals!”
Fu Zeren’s eyes lit up.
“I didn’t expect there to be gray crystals in this mine!”
In Ji Mian’s understanding, gray crystals were a common resource on the capital planet, often used to recharge small private spacecraft. However, on this planet, they were a rare and precious resource.
Fu Zeren immediately ordered his subordinates to start excavating the crystals. At that moment, Chu Shiye stepped forward.
Chu Shiye: “Leave here immediately!”
Fu Zeren, surprised: “What did you just say?”
Chu Shiye’s gaze was fixed on a specific direction—between the cracks in the stone wall behind the gray crystals was a narrow, deep fissure.
This was the source of his initial sense of danger.
The true threat had never been the lone wolf. It was…
Chu Shiye, in a low voice: “If we don’t leave now, everyone here will die.”
Fu Zeren: “Nonsense,” he scoffed. “The beast has been killed. There’s no danger here.”
As he spoke, his subordinates had already broken off a small piece of gray crystal and put it into a bag.
Berg, stepping forward: “Hey! We all found this together! I deserve a share too!”
Fu Zeren, clearing his throat: “This is public planetary property, so…”
Crack.
Black Snake’s dull eyes glanced at Fu Zeren as he toyed with a collapsible e-cigarette in his hand.
Fu Zeren: “…”
“Alright,” Fu Zeren adjusted his collar, “then let’s discuss how to divide it.”
The group erupted into a chaotic argument, everyone talking over each other. Almost instinctively, they
excluded one outsider and one E-rank ability user—Chu Shiye and Ji Mian.
Chu Shiye, without hesitation, grabbed Ji Mian’s hand. “I’m taking you out of here.”
Ji Mian: “Okay.”
Crack.
A faint fissure appeared between the stone walls.
Crack, crack.
The fissure rapidly expanded outward, spreading like a dense spiderweb.
One of Fu Zeren’s subordinates, curious, stepped closer: “What’s this—”
BOOM!
A deafening explosion, like thunder splitting a mountain, shattered the air.
The mine trembled, the walls shook, and pebbles rained down. The eyes of the group widened in horror as the subordinate closest to the fissure was swallowed by the collapsing stones.
All that remained visible was a twitching, severed limb beneath the rubble.
Blood pooled like a stream, spreading in all directions.
Behind the gray crystals, the stone wall burst open, revealing a massive black hole. From the darkness came the sound of heavy, ragged breaths—and the ominous, steady thudding of approaching footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With each step, the ground trembled, as if the earth itself were a fragile drum beneath the weight.
Emerging before them was a wolf, its fur jet-black and needle-sharp. Its fangs, as thick as a human forearm, gleamed in the dim light.
Its massive body loomed like a mountain, casting a suffocating shadow.
Heisen: “Another B-rank beast?!”
Instinctively, he tried to rush forward but stopped himself in the next second.
His body no longer felt light, no longer brimmed with power, no longer allowed him to recklessly expend his spiritual energy without consequence.
He had forgotten—or rather, like everyone else present, he had “forgotten” something.
The power they used to defeat the previous B-level white wolf did not come from them.
It came from…
Heisen looked up, toward the staircase leading out of the mine. Ji Mian stood there, his dark eyes devoid of emotion as he gazed down at them.
In the heavy silence, Black Snake walked forward unhurriedly, cigarette dangling from his lips.
Heisen’s eyes lit up: Right! The boss is still here. He’s the strongest ability user on this planet!
Even earlier, without the healer’s help, the boss alone could have taken down that B-level beast!
The anaconda spirit coiled in a whirlwind, moving like a shadow in the night, and charged toward the black wolf.
The black wolf swiped its paw.
The two colossal creatures collided, shaking the walls and sending out a shockwave that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.
Heisen, struggling to stay upright, was filled with exhilaration: Amazing! The boss is so strong—
A black object flew past him like discarded trash, slamming heavily into the stone wall.
Heisen turned his head stiffly.
The anaconda vanished into thin air.
Black Snake clutched his chest, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
The group: “…”
Black Snake had lost.
The strongest ability user on this planet, facing the black wolf, hadn’t lasted three exchanges.
It felt like falling into an icy lake in the dead of winter. In an instant, everyone was gripped by a chilling despair, their limbs numb and stiff. Even the instinct to flee deserted them.
Fu Zeren, trembling: “N-no, it can’t be…”
Was this black wolf not merely B-level but a B-rank peak beast?!
Or worse…
As the shocking realization set in, an even more terrifying thought emerged. The temperature around them dropped, but cold sweat poured from Fu Zeren’s body.
No… impossible. Absolutely impossible!
An A-level beast was nearly unheard of. How could such a creature appear on this planet?!
If it really were A-level… who on this planet—who in this mine—could possibly stop it?
Fu Zeren’s pupils trembled, his mind spinning into chaos.
He had been wrong.
He shouldn’t have come here.
If only he had known, if only he had listened…
Fu Zeren’s vision darkened, and he fainted on the spot.
No one dared to help him.
The black wolf’s oppressive gaze was so terrifying, it felt like it was selecting its next prey. None of them dared to move, paralyzed by fear that any motion might make them the next target.
The terrifying thought that had caused Fu Zeren to faint now loomed over everyone like a nightmare, clutching at their throats and choking the air from their lungs.
Beneath the shattered stone wall, Black Snake, bloodied and weak, reached into his clothing and pulled out a glass vial.
In a motion too quick for anyone to notice, he broke open the vial and swallowed the pink liquid inside. Then, closing his eyes, he lost consciousness completely.
At the same time, the black wolf seemed to lose its patience. Its massive jaws opened wide, and it let out an earth-shattering howl.
The soundwave, like an invisible tsunami, surged toward them. Though it had no physical form, it cut through them like a storm of knives, slicing to the bone.
The remaining ability users had no chance to resist. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming before falling unconscious.
In front of the black wolf, they were utterly insignificant, as weak as ants.
Among the fallen, only Ji Mian and Chu Shiye remained standing.
Chu Shiye shielded Ji Mian, taking the brunt of the black wolf’s oppressive energy. He clutched his forehead, bending at the waist in pain.
His head felt like it was being split open, his eyes felt like they might burst, and every bone in his body seemed to be ground to dust.
Yet, deep within his eyes, there was a faint glimmer of something dark and turbulent, flowing like a hidden current.
For years, Chu Shiye’s mental energy had been sealed away, like a person trapped within a shell. The hard exterior had imprisoned him, leaving him powerless to break free.
But now, it was as though he had been thrown into the base of a waterfall, the relentless external pressure chipping away at the once-unbreakable shell…
Something within him was beginning to stir, ready to emerge.
Through the overwhelming pain, Chu Shiye clung to the last shred of his composure. He was determined to protect the person behind him while his fragmented thoughts desperately analyzed the situation.
This… this feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Just days ago, when he had faced the B-level white wolf alone, teetering on the brink of death, his mental energy had remained dormant, as silent and lifeless as still water.
But now…
Sweat dripped down his face, and though his eyes were dimmed by agony, a sudden clarity flashed through them.
He understood.
It was because of Su Lan’s mental guidance.
When Su Lan had recovered his own mental energy, he had summoned his spirit entity again, re-establishing a mental connection with Chu Shiye. It was during that moment that Chu Shiye had, for the first time, felt his own mental energy stir.
Su Lan…
Chu Shiye turned his head.
Ji Mian was quietly watching him, his gaze calm, as though he had anticipated everything that was happening.
Ji Mian: “Intense external pressure might loosen a mental seal, but it’s not enough to shatter it completely.”
Ji Mian’s fingers lightly touched Chu Shiye’s temple. A soft glow radiated from his fingertips—just enough to soothe Chu Shiye’s pain.
Ji Mian: “I’ll help you, but not now.”
Realizing something, Chu Shiye’s expression changed. He grabbed Ji Mian’s hand. “Don’t go. I’ll take you away.”
Ji Mian, his voice calm: “If it were just for myself, I’d leave. But for you, I want to stay.”
Everyone here shared the same planet with Chu Shiye.
Even if the others didn’t matter, the death of a city leader would be a burden Chu Shiye could never bear.
Chu Shiye, his voice trembling: “That’s an A-rank—”
Ji Mian: “I’ve never told you my real name, have I?”
Chu Shiye froze mid-sentence, his hand faltering.
Ji Mian: “This is the part where I should say, ‘If I come back safely, I’ll tell you.’”
He blinked lightly. “But that’s too cliché. I don’t like it.”
Ji Mian: “So even if I do come back, I still won’t tell you.”
Chu Shiye: “…”
The black wolf ceased its soundwave attack, rising to its full height. Its massive head loomed over the staircase, its gaze fixed on the only two conscious people left in the mine.
Ji Mian smiled at Chu Shiye. In the depths of his dark eyes, a glacial blue light flickered, sharp and cold as a drawn blade.
Ji Mian: “If something bad happens in a moment…”
His voice remained gentle.
Ji Mian: “Run. Don’t look back.”
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