C18 The Battle of the Two

"Got it, got it."

Once Urendir had departed, Su Kouye surprisingly struck up casual conversation with Jiang Feng.

"Jiang Feng, you might not sense it, but I sure do. Urendir is a beast. Her combat abilities are immeasurable. I seriously underestimated her. I reckon you'll have a tough time keeping her in check. She's bound to scorn your weakness and abandon you someday."

Leaning against the wall, Jiang Feng responded feebly, "Her choices aren't yours to make. And since you've chosen to betray me, there's not much left to discuss."

"Come on, Jiang Feng, no need for hostility. I assure you, I won't kill Jiang Wei. Once I've got the strategy, I'll return her to you."

"My feelings aren't hostile, just tinged with disappointment."

"Disappointment?"

"I aspired to align with the bright moon, yet the bright moon illuminates only the ditch."

"Enough with the melodrama. I won't harm Jiang Wei, rest assured."

"Mm, I'm aware."

Two minutes later, Urendir was back, clutching a hefty stack of post-apocalyptic strategies.

"Whoa, that was quick. The 27th floor, and you made it there and back in under two minutes," Su Kouye remarked, grinning.

"Enough talk. How do we make the exchange?"

"Put the strategy down in front of you, then step back a hundred paces."

Though clearly irritated, Urendir complied.

Su Kouye eagerly reviewed the complete post-apocalyptic strategy content. Finding no issues, he couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

In a sudden burst of excitement, Su Kouye morphed into a beastly form and began to back away.

"Hey, Su Kouye, what's the deal?" called out Jiang Feng.

"Don't worry, Jiang Feng. If I didn't transform, Urendir would catch me for sure. Besides, dragging the kid along is no advantage to me—it only slows me down."

As Su Kouye edged toward the door, preparing to set Jiang Wei down, she abruptly awoke. "Dare to ambush my dad?" she cried out before sinking her teeth into Su Kouye's hand.

"Damn it, you little demon, are you asking for trouble?" Su Kouye bellowed, flailing his hand, but Jiang Wei's tiny fangs were clamped onto his hand so tightly that he couldn't shake her off.

"Jiang Wei, let go and get back here!" Jiang Feng yelled.

"You little pest, you're so eager to meet your maker? Fine, I'll oblige," Su Kouye spat out, his sharp claws ready to strike.

But just as he was about to act, an overwhelming aura of death washed over him, sending a shiver down his spine. He saw Urendir charging at him with incredible speed, closing the distance in what would surely be less than two seconds.

In a moment of quick thinking, Su Kouye grabbed Jiang Wei with his free hand, ignoring the pain as she tore at his flesh, and yanked her free. With a forceful toss, he flung Jiang Wei straight at the oncoming Urendir.

Little Jiang Wei flew through the air and collided with Urendir, who caught her in stride. Meanwhile, Su Kouye smashed through the door and leaped dozens of meters into the air, leaving the horde of zombies below to gawk helplessly.

"Time to take a gamble," Urendir murmured, clutching Jiang Wei as she continued her pursuit and vaulted into the air after Su Kouye.

Seeing Urendir on his tail, Su Kouye sneered, "Ha! You think you can bridge this gap? Dream on."

Despite his beastly form and swift pace, Urendir was well aware of the significant distance between them. Then, lifting Jiang Wei in her arms, she commanded, "Jiang Wei, give it everything you've got. Take aim and unleash your fireballs!"

Jiang Wei, eager to prove her worth, not only fired a fireball but launched a relentless barrage. In no time, dozens of fireballs surged forth, homing in on Su Kouye.

"Fantastic! With this many fireballs, a few are bound to hit their mark," Urendir exclaimed, elated.

Su Kouye had underestimated the seemingly insignificant Jiang Wei, who had been dismissed as a mere extra. But now, her latent paranormal power erupted in full force.

"Damn it!" Su Kouye bellowed.

Suspended in mid-air, Su Kouye couldn't evade the incoming assault. "Boom, boom, boom, boom!" Four fireballs struck him in succession. His beastly form, covered in fur, ignited upon impact.

In a frantic move, Su Kouye had no choice but to land atop a car and revert to his human form to smother the flames. Though the fire was out, his clothes were singed and nearly half destroyed.

He hastily retrieved the strategy guide from his tattered pants, only to find charred fragments of paper.

"Ahhhhh! Damn beast!" Su Kouye roared in fury.

But what truly enraged him was the sight of Urendir in the sky, clutching Jiang Wei in her left hand while her right hand charged with energy, barreling towards him. He hadn't anticipated that Urendir, not content with merely incinerating the strategy guide, was intent on wiping him out completely.

"Boom!" Su Kouye leaped aside just in time to avoid the strike. Urendir's fist slammed into the car with such force that it exploded on impact. The blast triggered a chain reaction, setting off a series of explosions that engulfed the area. Urendir, Jiang Wei, and all the zombies were consumed by the inferno and billowing smoke.

Perched atop a building, Su Kouye laughed triumphantly, "Haha, you've walked right into my trap. I deliberately landed on those cars, and now, you're all dead."

His smugness lasted mere seconds before a fiery whip lashed out from the smoke.

The fire receded with its swift movement, revealing Urendir and Jiang Wei, their clothing nearly half burnt away. Urendir's breasts were perilously close to being exposed, barely concealed.

Su Kouye was astounded. "How can this be? I can understand Jiang Wei manipulating the flames and remaining unharmed, but how has Urendir's defense become impervious to fire?"

While Su Kouye grappled with disbelief, Urendir safely deposited Jiang Wei atop a 12-story building before charging towards Su Kouye, who was on a 7-story building across the way. Power surged into her right fist as she launched an attack at Su Kouye.

Su Kouye's speed in his hybrid human-beast form was truly remarkable. With swift agility, he leaped aside, evading the attack once more.

Urendir's punch struck the building, the dive attack amplifying her force. The building erupted with a massive crater, and the shockwave shattered its foundation. The seven-story structure came crashing down in a thunderous collapse.

Urendir called out to the retreating Su Kouye, "Why run, Su Kouye? Weren't you boasting earlier? Come on, transform into your complete body and let's settle this."

Su Kouye wasn't foolhardy. He thought to himself, Does she take me for a fool? In my complete body, I'd be sluggish and an easy target for her. I wouldn't stand a chance of escaping.

But how to elude Urendir's dogged chase? In a flash of inspiration, Su Kouye called out, "You better go save Jiang Feng! Zombies are swarming into the building through the shattered entrance. If you linger in battle, the gravely injured Jiang Feng will surely be devoured."

The tactic worked. Urendir's face twisted with worry and panic. She glanced back at Heyday and, just as Su Kouye had said, hordes of zombies were flooding into the building through the gaping doorway.

After a moment's hesitation, Urendir chose to abandon the chase. She swiftly retrieved Jiang Wei and charged back to the building, miraculously plowing a path through the thick swarm of zombies.

Watching from behind, Su Kouye felt a chill of fear. "Is she some kind of monster? Zombies crumble like tofu before her."

Back on the first floor, Urendir found zombies feasting on Chen Ming's remains, with Jiang Feng missing. She called out anxiously, "Jiang Feng, where are you?"

"I'm on the third floor, hurry!" came Jiang Feng's pained voice.

Despite the distance, Urendir's keen hearing picked up the faint call. Elated, she bolted up the stairs, effortlessly scattering the zombies in her path like rag dolls.

Upon reaching the third floor, Urendir unleashed a powerful punch, obliterating the staircase. The debris rained down on the ascending zombies, effectively cutting off their path. With the stairs destroyed, the threat from below was instantly neutralized.

Today, Jiang Feng witnessed Urendir unleashing her full might, a display of power that was truly defying the natural order.

"Urendir, how can you be so incredibly strong?"

"I'm not sure myself; I've never had the opportunity to go all out before."

"What happened to Su Kouye?"

"He's fled. However, Jiang Wei managed to burn his Doomsday Strategy."

"Head back to our room right away, just in case Su Kouye tries to scale the building's exterior to sneak back into our room and steal a copy of the strategy. Jiang Wei and I will make our way up more cautiously."

"Got it." With lightning speed, Urendir dashed upwards.

Upon their return, the room appeared untouched. Urendir swiftly opened the windows to survey the surroundings and spotted Su Kouye scaling the building's facade, nearing the 20th floor.

Urendir was ready to leap down and intercept him, but Su Kouye detected her first. Without hesitation, he abandoned his ascent and fled swiftly, mustering all his strength to distance himself from the building.

Realizing the chase was futile, Urendir refrained from pursuing and instead stayed in the room to wait for Jiang Feng and the others.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Feng and Jiang Wei arrived. Urendir immediately tended to Jiang Feng's wounds.

"Did Su Kouye show up?"

"You were right; he was climbing. But since I returned promptly, he abandoned his attempt."

"This guy is truly sly. He knows we wouldn't hand over the strategy without keeping a copy, so he took a chance."

"Jiang Feng, you've sustained serious injuries two days in a row. Can your body handle it? Even a bioengineered being can't withstand such frequent injuries, can they?" Urendir expressed her concern.

"Yeah, I reckon I'll be out of commission for a couple of days. I'm even struggling to breathe now. Anyway, could you scout the other floors for a clean room that's more suitable for us? We need to switch rooms to avoid any more trouble and ensure a peaceful night's rest."

"Sure thing."

By afternoon, Jiang Feng and the group had relocated to a new residence, Room 1805 on the 18th floor. The room's owner seemed to be away, leaving the space remarkably tidy and untouched by the zombie scourge.

"Jiang Wei, could you let Urendir stay with me for a bit? Please go organize the leftover food."

Little Jiang Wei, ever so understanding, promptly headed to the hall to tidy up the food.

Jiang Feng lay in bed, yet sleep eluded him. He requested Urendir to secure the door, yearning for a heartfelt conversation. Once Urendir had locked the door, she took a seat next to the bed, beads of sweat from the skirmish still glistening on her forehead.

A flood of emotions washed over Jiang Feng as he gazed at Urendir, his vigilant protector.