Chapter 202: The Cockroach Assault, Cheating-Level Ability, and Xue Jing's Return to the Battlefield

Chapter 202: The Cockroach Assault, Cheating-Level Ability, and Xue Jing's Return to the Battlefield

"A Master Beyond Limits..."

In the middle of the night, the government officials arrived in a hurry, only to face such a terrifying existence.

Those who understood the true meaning of 'Beyond Limits' couldn't help but hesitate, their eyes shifting uncertainly. Even with an overwhelming numerical advantage, they felt little sense of security.

No one was foolish enough to underestimate a Master-level opponent. Even if they could eventually overwhelm him with numbers, the outcome would still result in heavy casualties. Countless lives would be sacrificed to make up for the disparity in power.

No one could guarantee that they wouldn't be among those casualties.

As a result, as soon as Jia Hongyuan made his entrance and revealed his Beyond Limits realm, having surpassed the Dragon Gate, the morale of those present wavered, and their fighting spirit diminished.

"Big Brother, what should we do?"

Chen Fuguang approached Meng Boshang and stood half a step behind him, whispering his question.

"... " Meng Boshang remained silent.

Ever since Jia Hongyuan had appeared, his eyes had been fixed on the glowing green Rubik's cube in Jia Hongyuan's hand.

"Hehehe... Quite a gathering we have here, out for a midnight jog, are we? I see many familiar faces."

The young-looking Jia Hongyuan let out a laugh devoid of any humor. His voice was deep, hoarse, and aged, a stark contrast to his youthful appearance.

Someone stepped forward and spoke sternly, "Jia Hongyuan, surrender now. Your crimes have been exposed; there's no escape!"

"Escape?" Jia Hongyuan tilted his head, looking at the middle-aged man who had spoken.

"Xushi Yong, you insolent brat! Since when did you have the qualifications to bark orders at me?"

"Swish—"

Before anyone could react, a golden beam of energy appeared in front of Xushi Yong.

"Clang—"

Meng Boshang suddenly appeared in front of the golden beam, his arms crossed in front of him, blocking it. After a brief stalemate, he spread his arms outward, dispersing the beam.

"Boshang!" Xushi Yong exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmph, so the brats from Canglong Dojo have shown up as well." Jia Hongyuan glanced at Meng Boshang, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd.

"Don't see that brat with the surname Xue... Ah well, it doesn't matter. Everyone in the city will die tonight, and he won't be able to escape."

As he spoke, Jia Hongyuan raised the glowing green Rubik's cube in his hand.

The third-order Rubik's cube began to move in Jia Hongyuan's hand, turning left, right, up, and down in an unpredictable pattern. After a series of twists and turns, the green light emanating from the cube intensified.

Jia Hongyuan tossed the cube onto the ground, and the green light seeped into the ground, forming a large green vortex.

Just as everyone was puzzled by this strange occurrence, a sudden change took place.

A huge, dark head emerged from the green vortex.

The head resembled a human's, but it was much larger, with insect-like compound eyes and a mouth that resembled a bug's mandibles. Two sharp antennae protruded from the top of its head.

Before anyone could react, the creature leaped out of the green vortex, revealing its full form.

"A... cockroach monster!"

The onlookers exclaimed in shock, their scalps tingling.

Most of those present had steeled themselves for the possibility of encountering monsters, but seeing a creature that was normally the size of a human enlarged to thousands of times its original size was still a chilling sight.

"Why is it so big? According to the information, isn't it supposed to be around the same height as a human?" Someone frowned, astonished.

The cockroach monster before them stood nearly four meters tall, and the sense of oppression its massive size evoked was overwhelming.

However, no one could answer his question.

Everyone was stunned by what happened next.

Cockroaches, countless cockroaches, began pouring out of the green vortex.

One-meter-long, two-meter-long, three-meter-long, four-meter-long... even cockroaches exceeding five meters in length were numerous.

Some of them emerged holding the severed limbs of other cockroaches, which they eagerly devoured, their bodies covered in greenish mucus.

As the endless stream of cockroaches continued to pour out of the vortex, the atmosphere froze.

However, the cockroaches lacked the complex thoughts of humans. As soon as they emerged, they spotted the abundance of fresh prey before them and immediately spread their six large, thin wings, launching themselves at the crowd.

"Ahhh!"

In an instant, several dozen people were caught by the cockroaches' six spiky legs, their flesh torn and ripped apart as they screamed in agony and pain.

And with that, the entire battlefield erupted into chaos.

"Charge!"

Someone shouted, and everyone rushed towards the cockroach swarm.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—"

Countless gunshots rang out like firecrackers in the middle of the night, creating a chaotic scene.

The sound of flesh being torn, exoskeletons being crushed, and bullets finding their mark filled the air. This part of the West District had turned into a massive meat grinder.

The battle between the thousands of humans and the endless stream of cockroach monsters was relentless and brutal.

Chen Fuguang and Meng Qingjiao joined the fray, clearing out the cockroaches wherever they could. In the midst of the chaos, only Meng Boshang and Jia Hongyuan, at the very center, remained still.

The two men locked eyes, their auras intertwining and creating visible ripples in the air that distorted the light around them.

Instinctively, everyone else gave them a wide berth, creating a radius of several dozen meters around them. Any cockroaches that dared to venture close, intending to feast on their high-quality flesh, were mysteriously sliced in half or pulverized.

Then, in the blink of an eye, both men vanished from their original spots.

They reappeared, colliding with each other.

"Clang—!!"

...

Several thousand meters above, Xue Jing seemed to sense something and looked down.

His silver-white irises burned with black flames, piercing through the dark night and the vast distance as if they were nothing. In an instant, he saw everything that was happening below.

He also spotted the members of his dojo.

Xue Jing's gaze lingered on Meng Boshang, Meng Qingjiao, and Chen Fuguang for a moment before shifting to the man in black crystal battle armor hovering not far away.

He wanted to help, but he had to deal with this troublesome opponent first.

Xue Jing gripped a black crystal in his hand, one that he had taken from his opponent earlier.

With a slight exertion of force, the black crystal shattered into countless uniformly sized, sharp fragments. Xue Jing assumed a baseball-pitching stance and aimed at the man.

Previously, he had created a powerful attack called 'Dragon Star Cluster' by combining the 'Whirling Starfire' and 'Whirlwind Thunder' techniques.

Now, with mastery over the Five Great Killing Techniques of the Hidden Dragon Style, he could unleash an upgraded version of that move.

"True Dragon Star Cluster!"

The might of the 'Point Polarity' technique coursed through his body, transforming into an unstoppable piercing force that surged into his right arm.

"Roar—"!!

With a dragon's roar, he threw the black crystal fragments.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"

The countless sharp fragments whistled through the air like a storm, raining down on the man in the distance.

Each fragment spun, creating powerful waves of energy, and each carried the intent to pierce through everything in its path.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—"!!

With just a slight touch, the man's black crystal battle armor shattered. The black crystal fragments acted like cannonballs, blasting holes in his body with each hit.

In no time, his armor was completely destroyed, and his flesh was pierced through countless times by the relentless fragments. Each puncture went straight through, as if his blood, muscles, and bones were incapable of stopping this incredibly powerful penetration attack.

Soon, his entire body, including his head and heart, was reduced to shreds, with no piece of flesh larger than two centimeters in diameter remaining.

However, in the next moment, the man reappeared, completely intact, in the air.

Xue Jing frowned:

"What kind of ability is this... Is it an illusion technique? Is everything I've done just my imagination, a fantasy in my mind?"

"No, with my 'Observation True' ability, I shouldn't be so easily deceived by illusions... If it's just an illusion of this level, I might as well give up struggling and stop fighting."

"Immortal-level vitality? That doesn't seem right either..."

"Could it be a time-related ability... It does seem similar, but that would be too advanced."

Xue Jing couldn't help but lean towards an exaggerated explanation.

"Do you think this person can control time... Is that what you're thinking?"

The man spoke in his usual mechanically flat tone.

Xue Jing tilted his head: "Oh? Do you have the leisure to explain it to me?"

"Hmm... It may surprise you, but my main job is actually a teacher. Everything else is just a side gig.

The man spoke, and Xue Jing was taken aback by his words.

Without missing a beat, the man proceeded to explain his ability with utmost seriousness:

"You're thinking about it wrong. This isn't about manipulating time."

"Or rather, most people in this world are thinking about it wrong."

"Time itself doesn't exist; it's merely a scalar used to record the movement of matter."

"So, the so-called 'time acceleration,' 'time regression,' and 'time stop' should be accurately referred to as 'matter movement acceleration,' 'matter movement reversal,' and 'matter movement cessation.'"

Xue Jing scratched his head, bemused. "Wait, are you seriously teaching me this right now?"

He felt something was amiss, but since he had the opportunity to uncover his opponent's secrets, especially in a situation where he had no clear advantage, he wasn't about to refuse.

Even if these were just words meant to confuse him, it was better than having no leads at all.

The man seemed to read Xue Jing's thoughts but continued nonetheless:

"The 'four-dimensional senses' I possess are not any of the three types mentioned. Although, as a result, it does achieve a similar effect to 'matter movement reversal.'"

"You should understand that the so-called four-dimensional existence is a higher-order being compared to the three-dimensional space we inhabit, right?"

Xue Jing nodded silently.

"Well, simply put, the four-dimensional senses allow me to observe the three-dimensional space from a 'higher-dimensional being's perspective.'"

"It's complicated, and I can't explain it fully. Just like how an ant can't comprehend a human, without the ability to perceive the fourth dimension, true understanding is impossible."

"In any case, what I see is different from what you see."

"You might think that you've killed me several times already, but in reality, from my perspective, you've only been messing with 'future versions of me.' They were mere shadows, afterimages—non-existent 'unfacts' that haven't occurred yet."

The man's eyes, devoid of emotion, peered at Xue Jing through the black crystal battle armor.

"At this moment, I exist in 'your past,' observing the 'present you.'"

Xue Jing fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

"Why is it that all the opponents I encounter have abilities that feel like cheating?"

"Damn it, Aban, give me a break here! Where's the real overpowered ability I need?"

"Why do others get these concept-bending powers, and I'm stuck with this measly stuff?"

"If outsiders heard about this, they'd think we can't afford proper abilities!"

"But don't worry," the man continued.

"The amount of information that four-dimensional senses can receive is enormous. I am not the original; the chip's level is insufficient, and I can't keep this up for long. Humans are ultimately three-dimensional beings, and there's only so much information our brains can process before they get fried and our cognition gets rewritten."

"You are powerful. Among the young people I've encountered, you rank sixth. I'm intrigued to see what your future holds."

"The possibility of defeating you with this body is infinitely close to zero... I concede."

"As your victory prize, I'll destroy this body. Also, I have a message for you."

The man's black crystal battle armor shattered, revealing his true form underneath.

Soon, cracks began to appear all over his body.

His voice grew faint and intermittent:

"Jia Hongyuan... His Beyond Limits is incomplete... and... there's something installed two inches above his tailbone..."

"Hit that spot... and you can kill him..."

The man's voice grew softer, eventually becoming inaudible, as the cracks covered his entire body.

Then, he shattered into countless pieces, each smaller than a fingernail, and the relentless high-altitude winds blew them away.

Xue Jing narrowed his eyes, perplexed by this man's true nature.

However, whether he was truly dead or not didn't matter as long as he stopped pestering Xue Jing.

Xue Jing took a deep breath, summoned the Sakura Dragon, and stood atop its head. With his body surrounded by flickering lightning feathers, he dove swiftly downward.

...

"Chichi-chichi-chichi—"

Chen Fuguang fought off the cockroach monsters while calling out to Meng Qingjiao, who was not far away:

"Meng Qingjiao, have you found our junior yet?"

"..." Meng Qingjiao placed her palm on a cockroach monster, shaking her head.

"That's strange. He should be here, but I can't find him anywhere..."

Concern etched across Chen Fuguang's face.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end