Liu Qiang was overwhelmed with emotion. "Chen-ge, you're too good to me! How much steel wool do I owe you for this kindness?!"
He wiped away a tear, but suddenly yelled, "Wait, Chen-ge! I'm touched, but don't grab my butt! I'm not into that kind of thing!"
Wang Chen glared at him. "Who's grabbing your butt? It's the goblin."
Swish!
Liu Qiang's face turned ghostly white. He looked down, only to find a small goblin poking his backside with a bone club, its eyes filled with curiosity.
"Shit! Run, Chen-ge!" Liu Qiang screamed, his soul nearly leaving his body.
Panicking like a child weighing over two hundred pounds, he scrambled to hide behind Wang Chen.
"Ah!"
The goblin screeched loudly, picking up its bone club and charging at Wang Chen.
Liu Qiang, still frantic, shouted, "Chen-ge, did that rich woman give you any weapons? Hurry up and use them!"
But to Liu Qiang's shock, Wang Chen simply walked toward the goblin.
"Chen-ge, have you lost it? Are you trying to sacrifice yourself like the Buddha offering his flesh to feed an eagle to save me?" Liu Qiang yelled.
Before he could finish his sentence, the scene that followed nearly exploded his eyes.
Wang Chen raised his right fist, a regular punch aimed directly at the goblin's head.
Bang!
The goblin was sent flying backward at an unimaginable speed, tearing through the air with a deafening crash before smashing into the cavern wall.
The entire cave shuddered, sending down clouds of dust and debris.
Liu Qiang stood there, frozen, his brain scrambling to comprehend what had just happened.
What was going on?
Wang Chen was that strong?
He had just obliterated a Level 5 goblin with a single punch?
"Shit! What kind of pills did that rich woman give Chen-ge?" Liu Qiang's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Keep quiet, more goblins are coming!"
Wang Chen had already spotted through his scanning tower that more goblins were charging toward them.
Sure enough, as if Wang Chen's punch had triggered some kind of chain reaction, more and more goblins emerged from the surrounding caves.
"It's over, we've pissed off the goblins!" Liu Qiang said, drenched in sweat. His clothes were soaked through.
From Liu Qiang's horrified perspective, goblins started emerging from the darkness, one after another.
There were at least twenty or thirty of them!
And each one was enveloped in a faint black aura.
"Damn! How are there so many goblins?" Liu Qiang's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he sat down in sheer terror.
Then, an even more terrifying sight unfolded.
"Chen-ge, something's wrong! These goblins' levels are way higher! The highest ones are at Level 15!" Liu Qiang screamed in panic.
His heart almost exploded with fear as he noticed that the goblins' levels had jumped from Level 5 to a terrifying range of Level 10 to Level 15.
What the hell was going on?
These goblins had suddenly become much stronger!
No matter how strong Wang Chen was, with his Level 16, his combat power was still comparable to a Level 4 or 5 fighter. There was no way he could fight off these Level 15 goblins!
Staying here was suicide!
Liu Qiang shouted desperately, "Chen-ge, something's not right! These goblins' levels just skyrocketed! We need to run!"
But the goblins kept pouring out of the caves, blocking every escape route.
"It's over! We're going to become goblin entertainment!"
Seeing the high-level goblins surrounding them, Liu Qiang's legs turned to jelly. His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
He couldn't even imagine the horrible fate awaiting him being trapped in the goblin lair as their "entertainment priest," watching but unable to do anything.
Was there any fate worse than this?
Liu Qiang cursed himself for coming here with Wang Chen in the first place. They were done for!
"Chen-ge, I don't want to die like this! I'm not ready!" Liu Qiang sobbed.
Would he have to start flirting with female goblins to survive as the "entertainment priest?"
He couldn't even think about it.
On the other side, Wang Chen was observing the situation carefully.
It seemed like something unexpected had happened here.
"Follow me and deal some finishing blows!" Wang Chen commanded.
"Follow you? What do you mean by finishing blows? We don't even have the power to fight these things!" Liu Qiang was caught off guard.
Without a moment's hesitation, Wang Chen stomped his foot hard on the ground, propelling himself forward with incredible speed.
"So fast! Holy shit! How is Chen-ge so fast?" Liu Qiang stared, his jaw dropping.
Wang Chen tore through the goblins like a meat grinder. Wherever he passed, goblins were sent flying, their screams echoing through the cavern.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The goblins were mercilessly struck down, one by one.
"Shit!"
Liu Qiang's brain couldn't process what he was seeing. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and he was so shocked that he couldn't utter a single word.
This was unbelievable!
Wang Chen, a life-class professional, was cutting a bloody swath through a group of Level 15 goblins like it was nothing!
It was like a chef wielding a cleaver, slaughtering a group of special forces soldiers!
"Am I dreaming?" Liu Qiang croaked, staring in disbelief.
His mind was reeling. Was this even possible?
"Stop standing there, move!" Wang Chen called out again.
If it wasn't for helping Liu Qiang level up, Wang Chen would have easily wiped out every single one of these goblins with a single palm strike.
"Ah? Coming!" Liu Qiang suddenly snapped out of it. He shouted in excitement, spat on his palm, and swung his magic staff with all his might, striking the nearest goblin to death.
In a matter of minutes, the cave floor was littered with the bodies of dead goblins.
Liu Qiang's body radiated white light as he shot up to Level 5.
If he had been able to kill them all, Liu Qiang might've reached Level 7 or 8!
"Oh my God! Chen-ge, what the hell are you?" Liu Qiang gasped, still trying to process what had just happened.
He felt like he was in a dream.
"I told you, I'm not an ordinary mechanic. But don't go telling anyone about this. I don't want anyone to know before the exams," Wang Chen said, his voice serious.
He was worried about Ren Yinian's report.
Right now, he still didn't have enough strength to face the consequences.
"I understand, I understand! I won't tell anyone!" Liu Qiang said eagerly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
However, he had no idea that what he had just witnessed was only a fraction of Wang Chen's true power.
But even that fraction was enough to leave Liu Qiang in shock.
As they gathered the loot, Wang Chen noticed something strange on one of the goblins.
It had a girl's hairpin on its head.
"This confirms it. Adventurers must have gotten into trouble here," Wang Chen muttered, eyeing the hairpin.
Liu Qiang's face paled when he saw the hairpin. "That looks like Xiao Ning's hairpin! Damn, I heard she and some friends came here to level up. Could they be the missing female adventurers we heard about earlier?"
"Xiao Ning?"
"Yeah, our school's goddess, Liu Ningning. She's kind, friendly, and gets along with everyone. I've always secretly admired her… I mean, just admired her from afar. She loves this hairpin; I'm sure it's hers!"
Liu Qiang quickly explained, panic rising in his voice.
The underground cave was a popular leveling spot for commoners. The goblins here had always been manageable for beginner-level adventurers.
But now, for some unknown reason, the goblins had grown stronger by several levels.
It seemed like Liu Ningning might have gotten into trouble here.
"Chen-ge, I haven't asked anyone for help before, but if we can, we should rescue them. Of course, if any goblin above Level 16 shows up, we're out of here," Liu Qiang pleaded, his urgency clear.
He had always been the subject of ridicule due to his weight, but Liu Ningning was the only one who had never teased him. She had even stopped other girls from making fun of him.
Liu Qiang wasn't willing to let her end up in danger.
He didn't want Wang Chen to risk anything either, so if any goblins above Level 16 appeared, they would leave immediately.
Wang Chen chuckled. "Since you've said it, I can't ignore it. We're brothers. Let's go!"
"Chen-ge!" Liu Qiang's eyes reddened.
He was genuinely touched.
He felt like Wang Chen was risking his life for him.