Chapter 296: A Tussle

The sky had only just cleared, but the sun had already made the factory’s steel-tiled roof hot to the touch.

To remain inconspicuous, the four of them lay prone behind the roof’s ridge, keeping themselves hidden.

As soon as they landed, Chu Zhaozhao, under the pleasant-sounding excuse of “making sure Colonel Ye doesn’t fall,” forced her way between Lin Fan and Ye Qingzhou. She lay there like a moat, separating him from the other woman.

Ahead of them, beyond the wrecked parking lot, they could clearly sense the presence of something colossal inside the dim cold storage building.

Its massive form was piled up right at the edge of the sunlight, visible only as a dark silhouette. Even from this distance, and bolstered by Lin Fan’s description, the other three could still feel an intangible sense of oppression.

But in Lin Fan’s eyes, that pressure was tangible.

5989, and it was still rising slowly.

“See? It’s huge,” Lin Fan said in a low voice, pointing at the monster in the shadows, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness. “Its hide feels thicker than my sword… Here’s what I’m thinking,”

He pointed to himself. “Words alone won’t do it justice. In a minute, I’ll go land a few hits on it. Best case, I make some progress. If not, I can still escape. Don’t reveal your positions.”

“Zhaozhao, if that pig goes berserk and this factory becomes dangerous, get the two of them out of here immediately, you hear me…”

Lin Fan turned to instruct Chu Zhaozhao, who was lying beside him. Before she could agree, his gaze met a pair of quizzical eyes next to her.

“So why do we have to kill this monster? Even you aren’t confident. Can’t we just go around it?” Ye Qingzhou asked quizzically, looking at Lin Fan from across Chu Zhaozhao. “Is there something special about this monster? Is this another one of those things you can’t talk about?”

In Lin Fan’s mind, encountering a powerful monster and figuring out how to kill it for crystals, drops, and Life Value was the most natural thing in the world. Being questioned by an outsider like Ye Qingzhou, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

‘I can’t just tell her I think it’ll drop good loot because its health bar is so long…’

“Uh… to get stronger. Getting crystals from powerful monsters makes you stronger…” Lin Fan said hesitantly. “It’s not that I can’t talk about it, it’s just complicated to explain. We can talk about it later.”

“Besides, we can’t just run from every strong enemy. Sooner or later, we’ll face a situation like the Jishan Quarantine Zone. Where would we run then…?”

Lin Fan decided to give her a more profound reason.

“Anyway, I need you to watch where my attacks land and how it reacts. My current attacks probably can’t seriously injure it.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “It’s too big. I’ll be too close to see the whole picture.”

Ye Qingzhou heard the seriousness in his tone. This man, whose limits she couldn’t yet fathom, was allowing her to observe the boundaries of his power—a clear sign of trust. She looked past Chu Zhaozhao, nodded solemnly, and said, “I’m on it.”

“Me too! I’m ready!”

Ever since she lay down on the roof, Chu Zhaozhao hadn’t even glanced at the pig. Her head was turned, her big eyes fixed on Lin Fan, staring so intently it gave him the creeps. It was as if they hadn’t seen each other in years and she was trying to etch his face into her memory. He chuckled, reached out to pinch her cheek, and then tapped her on the forehead. “What problem could *you* have?”

He then turned to the other side to look at Su Qing.

The afternoon sun was beginning to yellow, but the air was exceptionally clear, as if it had just been washed clean. The light fell on her face, casting a soft, downy glow upon her already fair and delicate skin.

The life-and-death battles and trials hadn’t coarsened her. Instead, they had tempered her, forging a disposition that was gentle yet sharp-edged.

She really didn’t look much older than Chu Zhaozhao beside her; she seemed more like a calm, gentle, and wise older sister. Which, in fact, was the truth.

Their eyes met.

Su Qing said nothing, merely watching Lin Fan quietly. She gently passed the spear she was holding to him.

“Sister Qing…” Lin Fan opened his mouth, wanting to tell her to be careful too, but he swallowed the words.

Su Qing seemed to read his expression. She smiled faintly, a smile that put Lin Fan completely at ease. She reached out and gently caressed his face, as naturally as a wife sending her husband off to work.

“Go on,” Su Qing’s voice was soft yet exceptionally firm as it drifted into his ear. “Don’t worry about us.”

Lin Fan looked into her bright eyes, which reflected his own image, and a warmth spread through his chest. He said no more, only giving Su Qing’s hand a gentle squeeze, the warmth of her palm passing between them for a brief moment.

“Yeah.”

Lin Fan said nothing more. He grabbed the ridge of the roof, equipped his concealment crystal, and slid down the slope like an agile cat, vanishing from sight.

But they didn’t look around when he disappeared. Instead, they kept their eyes locked on the cold storage building across from them. They knew that the next time Lin Fan appeared, it would be there…

He retracted the spear and landed without a sound.

Lin Fan jogged a few steps and returned to the cold storage, beside the giant mutant pig.

And in his field of view, its health bar was still climbing, point by point: 5995… 5996… 5997…

The giant pig was even larger than before. If before it had merely been lying in the cold storage, now it was completely wedged inside.

Its body, over ten meters long, was pressed between the two walls. Its huge tusks had already pierced the wall, almost breaking clean through.

Lin Fan slowly exhaled. He clenched his hands in mid-air, and the heavy greatsword materialized. For a body with nearly two thousand health, a one-hundred-kilogram sword was no longer much of a burden.