Chapter 370: Old Acquaintance

“Take a wild guess.”

Hearing that, and seeing the man’s incredibly punchable expression, Zhang Wenda felt his blood boil. He had to resist the urge to rush forward and sock the Shamate in his gaunt cheeks.

But he held back. This wasn’t his first time facing this guy. They had clashed briefly once before, prior to the accident in 1999.

He knew the lip-ringed Shamate’s methods. Not only could the man turn red and blue into offensive weapons, but he could also shift situations at will.

Any disadvantageous situation—this guy could just transfer it to someone else. Facing him alone was already difficult enough, but this time, he’d brought someone with him.

Zhang Wenda sized up the man in the purple suit standing beside him. The man stood effortlessly on the surface of the water, his hands in his pockets, watching everything unfold like a spectator at a show.

‘He’s clearly a 03 from the Big Circle as well. The entire city of Forest City must have been rebuilt around the two of them.’

‘I should have guessed,’ Zhang Wenda thought. ‘A place this good couldn’t have been taken over by a group of ordinary people, no matter how numerous.’

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that both of them had survived the great cataclysm—and were clearly thriving.

A rift opened behind Zhang Wenda. Three-Colors and all the allies he could summon stepped out from within.

Facing such powerful enemies, Zhang Wenda didn’t dare hold anything back. He decided to face them with his full strength.

As more figures appeared one by one at Zhang Wenda’s side, his two opponents didn’t immediately launch a sneak attack. Instead, they eyed him with a hint of surprise.

The man in purple spoke with a look of surprise. “Your methods are certainly strange. Others either manifest their imagination or materialize illusions. This is the first time I’ve seen someone directly pull out the natives of their Inner World for help. What’s the difference between that and yanking out your own nerves to beat someone with? Doesn’t that make you incredibly easy to exploit?”

Zhang Wenda glared at him. “You’re welcome to try.”

Suddenly, the man with the lip ring clapped his hands in excitement. “Zhou Wensong, look! This guy’s ability is just like a starfish spitting out its stomach to eat! Hahaha!”

SWOOSH! Five sharp scythes shot out from beneath the water, streaking up toward the man with the lip ring in a surprise attack.

Just as the sharp blades were about to run him through, the situation reversed in an instant.

With a snap of his fingers, the lip-ringed man flipped the script. The attack on him instantly became an attack on Zhang Wenda. The red-and-blue spiral spear was now inches from Zhang Wenda’s face.

Just as the spear was about to pierce his head, Zhang Wenda’s form suddenly ducked, his body turning yellow.

The spear shot over his head at incredible speed, ruffling Yellow’s hair as it passed.

Terrified, Yellow was about to crouch down and cover his head, but in the next instant, he was switched out for Blue. Blue’s arm was already injured—an injury he’d inflicted on himself. He thrust a rabbit-like paw toward the enemy’s abdomen, preparing to transfer the wound.

But with another chilling snap of the fingers, the attacker once again became the one being attacked.

After they exchanged a few more blows, with the situation reversing several times in quick succession, that same old feeling crept back into Zhang Wenda.

Right now, Zhang Wenda felt like he was punching a ball of cotton stuffed with razor blades. No matter how he attacked, it was turned back on him. More importantly, the other man hadn’t even made a move yet.

He retreated swiftly, putting distance between them. Staring at his two enemies, Zhang Wenda’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out a way to break the stalemate.

Meanwhile, his opponents looked completely relaxed, as if they were certain of their victory.

Just then, the man in purple, who had been facing Zhang Wenda, turned his head to look at Hu Maomao, whose hands were raised high. He lifted a finger and flicked it in Hu Maomao’s direction. Hu Maomao, who had been floating in mid-air, instantly lost his balance and plunged into the water.

“Spiritual Control? You think that works on a 03? All I have to do is smear a layer of any color inside my Inner World, and you won’t be able to touch a single one of my thoughts.”

Zhang Wenda moved to block the two from Hu Maomao, his mind racing as he tried to stall for time. “The Big Circle is gone. Is it really necessary for you to fight me to the bitter end for a dead organization?”

Before Zhang Wenda could finish, the Shamate’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But we’re not! When did we say we wanted revenge for the Big Circle? Aren’t you the one who came to our territory to snatch our prisoner?”

“Yeah, you’re making it sound like we hunted you down from a thousand miles away,” added Zhou Wensong. “We aren’t diehard loyalists of the Big Circle. Our wish has already been granted; we can create our world as we please.”

“Then why the hell did you capture dozens of Third Line members!”

“Could it be because they’re useful?” the Shamate retorted. “As long as someone has value, we’ll grab them, even if they used to be one of the Big Circle’s own. We’ve got plenty of people in our cells; we’re not targeting any single person.”

Hu Maomao, who had floated back into the air, spoke up. “If that’s the case, we’ll give you the man back. Let’s just go our separate ways and stay out of each other’s business.”

As Zhang Wenda glanced at Hu Maomao in surprise, the two opponents shared a smile. “Stop the act,” one said. “We were already in a fight to the death. I don’t believe for a second that you wouldn’t try to get revenge if we let you go.”

With that, the two charged at Zhang Wenda, flanking him from both sides.

It was then that Zhang Wenda saw the purple-suited man’s ability for the first time. He pressed his hands down on the water’s surface, and smooth-edged, transparent rectangular blocks began to rapidly stack up beneath him.

‘One of his abilities is clearly to create some kind of matter,’ Zhang Wenda realized.

In moments, the blocks had formed a tower that came crashing down on Zhang Wenda. He was about to retreat when the Shamate reached him. With a sound of tearing flesh, the Shamate pulled on his own arm.

As his arm stretched to an incredible length, a red-and-blue spiral spear shot out, appearing before Zhang Wenda in a WHOOSH.

Zhang Wenda tried to move but found the surface of the water had been covered by a transparent substance, like a sheet of ice, pinning him in place.

With both of them attacking simultaneously, Zhang Wenda’s situation became instantly perilous. No matter which one he focused on, the other would interfere.

More importantly, he still hadn’t fully grasped the abilities of either of them.

Without knowing the specifics of their powers, he had no idea how to counter them.

Seeing this, the spectators all around, especially the members of the Big Circle, began to cheer for their leaders.

Some went even further, constantly using their own ability-created weapons to launch sneak attacks on Zhang Wenda.

Although their powers weren’t strong, they served as a constant distraction, making Zhang Wenda’s already dire situation even more precarious.

The entirety of Forest City had become a gladiatorial arena, with everyone ganging up on Zhang Wenda.