Huo Linfei's brow knotted tighter and tighter. The situation here was even more tangled—and far stranger—than he'd expected.
Just as he was scanning for someone else to question, a rapid, synchronized stomp of footsteps sounded behind him—clean, disciplined, accompanied by the harsh clang of metal scraping metal.
"Stop right there! Who are you?!"
Huo Linfei turned.
A squad of five or six soldiers blocked his path. They wore uniform golden armor, archaic in style but heavy with intimidation, and carried energy spears.
"Golden Elephant Tribe acting as slave masters… then this is probably the hundred-thousand-years-ago era…"
No matter whether it was a hundred thousand years ago or a hundred thousand years later, the Golden Elephant Tribe and the Whale Shark Tribe were always locked in conquest—enslaving each other in turn.
He was about to speak, to try negotiation first… and if that failed, "convince" them with his fists to take him to whoever was in charge—
When suddenly, a completely different roar came from the flank.
A Whale Shark law-enforcement unit arrived: blue-black armor, trident-like weapons, riding bizarre, angular motorbikes. They rolled in perfectly to form a pincer with the Golden Elephant troops.
"Whale Shark enforcement too? They're maintaining order here as well?"
Huo Linfei's mind buzzed again.
What the hell is going on? Aren't these two races sworn enemies? This looks like it should explode into a fight…
But what happened next hit him harder.
The Golden Elephant captain and the Whale Shark captain exchanged a glance—
And instead of bristling, both of them wore the same tacit, almost cruel smile.
The Golden Elephant captain snorted. "Heh. Another idiot who doesn't know the rules."
The Whale Shark captain licked his lips, tapping the trident against the ground. "Looks strong. Could sell for a good price. Or… toss him straight into the mines as extra labor."
"What do you mean?! Say it clearly!"
Fire surged in Huo Linfei's chest as he snapped back.
But the two captains couldn't be bothered to answer a "slave-to-be."
The Golden Elephant captain lazily flicked a hand toward the youngest, thinnest-looking soldier in his squad.
"You. Go test his quality. Don't kill him. If he's crippled, that's fine."
The young soldier looked tense, but forced himself forward. With a shout, he charged, thrusting his energy spear.
Enough!
"ARMOR UP!"
Crimson energy erupted.
Pieces of the Huanlin Armor materialized from nowhere, snapping into place with surgical precision. Scorching flame-patterns pulsed along the plating, and the sudden wave of power rolled outward like heat shimmer turned into pressure.
"What—?!" The captains' sneers froze solid, replaced by shock. "Special energy?! And… an armor system we've never seen!"
The young soldier nearly tripped from sheer terror, his attack collapsing into a clumsy mess.
But the Golden Elephant captain recovered fast, cruelty flashing in his eyes.
"So you've got tricks. Super Beast Armament!"
Power flooded from his body.
A massive golden thunder-elephant, formed from condensed energy, rose from the ground with a deafening trumpet. Lightning coiled around its thick trunk as it raised a colossal foot and stomped down on Huo Linfei in Huanlin Armor.
"No questions—straight for the kill?!"
Huo Linfei's fury intensified. These so-called enforcers—Golden Elephant or Whale Shark—were the same breed of filth.
He crossed his arms. Flames surged across the armor on his forearms.
BOOM—!
The elephant's crushing stomp collided with Huanlin's fire in a violent explosion. Sand and dust blasted away in a ring. The ground beneath Huo Linfei fractured into spiderweb cracks—
But he held.
"Nice force. But not enough!"
With a sharp bark, he surged upward, throwing the elephant's foot aside.
The Golden Elephant captain staggered back, disbelief twisting his face.
He was a captain—far beyond ordinary warriors—and his super beast strike had been stopped that cleanly?
"Together! Take him down!"
The Whale Shark captain reacted immediately, summoning his own super beast.
A vicious feral shark-beast lunged in, maw yawning wide.
Two super beasts, one target.
Huo Linfei stopped holding back.
"SUPER BEAST ARMAMENT—!"
His energy detonated skyward.
A magnificent, imposing crimson qilin—a massive super beast wreathed in undying flame—tore through space and descended with overwhelming authority.
The instant it appeared, both the thunder-elephant and shark-beast recoiled, emitting uneasy, low growls.
"What?! A nebula body?! N-no—wait, it's a super beast!"
Both captains went pale.
Huo Linfei drove the Huanlin Beast forward. Its tail whipped like a burning meteor, slamming into the thunder-elephant.
BANG—!
One strike.
The golden thunder-elephant didn't even have time to cry out—its entire form shattered into glittering motes and dissolved. The Golden Elephant captain screamed as his armor state collapsed, and he crashed to the ground—unconscious.
The shark-beast froze, instinctively horrified.
The Huanlin Beast gave it no time.
A massive qilin claw, blazing scarlet, crashed down from above.
BOOM!
The shark-beast was erased in a single hit as well—reduced to nothing. The Whale Shark captain vomited blood and fell.
In the blink of an eye, the squads that had been swaggering and threatening moments ago were reduced to trembling ordinary soldiers—too terrified even to run—staring at Huo Linfei like he was a fire god walking among mortals.
Huo Linfei dismissed the super beast, but kept the armor active. He advanced step by step, eyes cold as blades sweeping across them.
"Now."
"Can you answer my questions properly?"
"What the hell is this place?"
"Where is Yuan Zheng?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But every soldier flinched as if struck.
Then—
A system warning rang out for the first time in this simulated universe. In the sudden silence, it sounded viciously sharp.
[WARNING! High special-energy individual detected!]
A low, authoritative voice—like a dark current rolling from the deep sea—came from behind him.
"You're looking… for Yuan Zheng?"
Huo Linfei snapped around.
A figure stepped from the shadowed platform: tall, broad-shouldered, deep blue skin, clad in savage blue-black armor. The special-energy pressure around him was powerful—contained, but unmistakable.
"Whale Shark King…"
"Oh?" The Whale Shark King looked mildly surprised at Huo Linfei's reaction, then returned to calm composure. "So you know who I am."
"I respect the strong," he continued, spreading his hands with theatrical generosity. His gaze settled on Huo Linfei, his tone carrying something hard to define—
Almost like… mockery.
"The Yuan Zheng you're looking for…"
He spoke slowly, each word razor-clear.
"…was already killed."
"By Golden Elephant slaves."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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