Chapter Sixteen: Slaying the Crimson-Haired Stinger Fly (Third Update)

[Violent Throw]!

Liang Jing charged at the red-haired stinger fly, leading the assault. The mutated black-backed dog (zombie) followed behind, blocking and protecting him, acting as a meat shield—after all, the bloodsucking flies couldn’t harm it. Liang Jing relentlessly hacked at the bloodsucking flies before him, his left hand continuously launching [Violent Throw] at the fastest possible speed…

He could no longer afford to care about anything else, not even the training movements he’d practiced earlier; it was pure, direct slaughter, for even a second’s delay might see him overwhelmed, and then death would come. Liang Jing had always focused on close combat and physical training, rarely using [Violent Throw] unless absolutely necessary. He didn’t want to grow dependent on it, and besides, the skill wasn’t particularly powerful now—good enough against mutated mosquitoes and such, but barely effective against higher-level monsters. More importantly, he didn’t want to hinder his own physical development.

Now, as long as he slew the red-haired stinger fly, the threat from the disorganized bloodsucking flies would be halved, even if they didn’t flee. Under the barrage of [Violent Throw], steel balls roughly 8mm in diameter struck the heads of the blocking bloodsucking flies, piercing their tough exoskeletons and entering their brain cavities. Even those not killed outright were left too weak to fight, posing no resistance to Liang Jing.

Shhh!

A bloodsucking fly the size of a house dog was cleaved in two by Liang Jing’s lightning-fast blade; fluid splattered as its fallen body continued to twitch on the ground, but it was no obstacle. He drew ever closer to the red-haired stinger fly, which was pouncing on the ground.

Buzzing!

“Kill!”

With a thunderous shout, Liang Jing wasted not a tenth of a second. The mutated black-backed dog was now entirely engulfed by the bloodsucking flies, piled onto it in a massive ball; not even half a second could be spared. The shadow of death approached swiftly…

[Violent Throw]!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Liang Jing’s eyes narrowed—truly worthy of its blue-rank Boss status, the red-haired stinger fly’s defense was formidable. The four steel balls from [Violent Throw] struck its body and left only faint white marks, tiny cracks visible upon close inspection. Surprised as he was by its toughness, Liang Jing didn’t pause for a moment.

Pivoting on his left foot, he spun his body with force from his right, leveraging the momentum to swing his short knife at the red-haired fly. He’d learned this move from battling the Steel-Spined Beast—it amplified his attack power. His whole body became a taut bow, releasing with a thunderous snap as the blade struck precisely at the junction of the fly’s head and chest.

Meanwhile, the gray-red bristles atop the stinger fly’s head stood erect, aiming at Liang Jing…

Crack!

Thud!

The head of the red-haired stinger fly, as large as a washbasin, fell from its body. Bright red brain fluid poured from the cavity, while the headless body continued to twitch and flail, not yet dead.

“Ah!”

Almost simultaneously, Liang Jing cried out in pain, clutching his head. As he struck at the stinger fly, it emitted wave after wave of gray, ripple-like lines, silent and insidious, radiating toward Liang Jing’s brain. In an instant, it felt as though his entire mind and soul were being sliced by invisible blades.

This was the stinger fly’s dying attack—a desperate psychic assault. Its mental prowess gave it extraordinary intelligence, and its final strike was exceptionally powerful. Fortunately, Liang Jing decapitated it just as the attack began, and his own mental fortitude was high; his digitized spirit value was 10, ten times that of an ordinary person. Thus, Liang Jing suffered only brief, intense pain before it faded and he recovered. Had an ordinary person endured such an attack, those gray lines could have shattered their soul and left them a mindless husk.

Buzzing…

The bloodsucking flies that had been swarming Liang Jing suddenly fell into disarray—some scattered and fled, others continued their assault, but the pressure was halved. The mutated black-backed dog, freed from the swarm, resumed its movements, rolling and bashing about, causing further chaos among the attacking flies. To Liang Jing’s surprise, the dog’s battle instincts were remarkably high!

Whoo!

Seeing the scattered flies, Liang Jing let out a sigh of relief, tension easing. He mentally commanded the mutated black-backed dog to join him in charging toward the nearby warehouse. Some flies no longer tried to attack him; others persisted, but their numbers were too few to inflict serious harm. The bloodsucking flies couldn’t penetrate the warrior’s leather armor, and as long as they didn’t reach unprotected areas, he remained safe.

Bang!

He kicked open the half-closed warehouse door. The interior was empty—no people, no other mutated monsters. Apparently, only fly-type mutants inhabited this workshop, and the red-haired stinger fly had already summoned all the bloodsucking flies to attack Liang Jing. That made things even easier for him.

Just as he’d done with Zhang Hu and the others in the office, the mutated black-backed dog took the front, Liang Jing guarded the door behind, and they awaited the flies one by one, repeating the high-intensity training. Each slain fly’s white life essence washed over him, rejuvenating his body. Liang Jing felt his strength on the verge of breaking through!

Suddenly, a stream of white life essence, larger and purer than any from the bloodsucking flies, flew in from nearby—the red-haired stinger fly’s! Truly befitting a blue Boss-level monster, its life essence was equal to the combined sum of a hundred bloodsucking flies, despite its relatively low rank.

The pure, vast, milky-white life essence surged into Liang Jing, his whole body trembling with joy—it was here! His movements grew quicker and more powerful, his focus drifting from the fight itself. The endless cycle of expenditure and recovery continued as Liang Jing attentively monitored his body. With each strenuous exertion, his muscles stretched and compressed, consuming energy at a furious pace, all the while absorbing and refining the potent life essence, growing stronger and more supple.

The psychic blow from the stinger fly seemed to accelerate his soul’s absorption of the life essence—the Boss’s unique energy. As time passed—how long, he didn’t know—Liang Jing suddenly snapped awake, delighted. He’d managed to absorb most of the stinger fly’s life essence with minimal waste, and his strength had increased again.

His digitized attributes were now: Liang Jing—Strength: 12 (1), Agility: 12 (1), Constitution: 11 (1), Spirit: 11 (1).

Strength, agility, and spirit had all increased by one point. Especially gratifying were the urgently needed strength and the rare, difficult-to-raise spirit attribute. Liang Jing’s mood soared as he clenched his fists, feeling the surge of power—he sensed his strength might soon break through again, having absorbed so much life essence beyond the 12-point threshold! The accelerated soul absorption following the stinger fly’s psychic attack was a valuable insight for Liang Jing.

Perhaps in the future, he could find similar ways to increase his spirit value! Yet finding suitable targets was difficult, and the risks were immense—matters involving the soul were perilous, a single misstep could cause irreparable harm.

It seemed the limitations were many, and everything must begin anew. Liang Jing could only shake his head and sigh, abandoning the tempting idea. He wondered, though, whether there really were cultivation methods in this world—for refining spiritual power, for strengthening the body, for harnessing the energy within…

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