The Journey of Resident Evil - Chapter 22 - The King

hrapnel and flames. The resulting smoke cloud also temporarily obscured their vision, preventing them from tracking us. Seizing this opportunity, I rushed straight toward the Shen Family building with Qimeng and the others in my arms!

“I know you have many questions, but now is not the time to explain…”

“Tiankuang! You’re going to hit the wall!!”

In the brief two seconds while I spoke to the group in my arms, I had already reached the wall of the Shen Family building, but instead of slowing down, my speed increased even further, eliciting a series of piercing screams from Ye Ling and the other girls.

“Crack-!”

My foot landed squarely on the wall, causing several cracks and even indentations to form around it. I ran up the wall at nearly a ninety-degree angle, completely defying the laws of physics! I could feel the black tendrils shimmering like electricity around my legs, but unlike my arms, my legs had not undergone similar transformations.

As I ran, I was wary of Qimeng and the others falling from my embrace, but I dared not hold them too tightly. Not only were my steel claws incredibly sharp, but the spikes on the back of my arms were also dangerously strong. Moreover, I couldn’t be sure if a scratch from my claws would turn them into zombies. Fortunately, they did not struggle in my arms. Soon, I had brought everyone up to the rooftop, dozens of meters high, safely away from the hunter’s attack. I loosened my grip and set them down on the rooftop, where ordinary zombies could no longer harm them, while I dealt with the two hunters.

On the rooftop, no one spoke, because they simply didn’t know how to face what I had become, something no longer human.

Looking at the changing expressions on Qimeng’s little face, I sighed deeply and was about to jump off the rooftop, but Shen Wei grabbed the hem of my shirt, her eyes full of tears as she pleaded, “Tiankuang, please, save my parents! I’m begging you!”

I nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I will.” With that, I leaped from the rooftop, several stories high. The wind howled past my ears, and the scenery blurred before my eyes as I plummeted. I could clearly feel gravity pulling me downward faster and faster. In those brief seconds in the air, my mind was filled with thoughts of Qimeng-her every expression and smile, that night, and that long, deep kiss that had touched my heart, once as hard as iron. But inside, I felt a deep turmoil. “Ah-!” I roared, a sound no longer human, more like a wild beast-no, a monster.

“Boom-!”

My feet hit the ground with a tremendous impact, sending up a cloud of dust as the solid concrete caved in and cracked like a spider’s web! The entire small square fell silent at my thunderous arrival. The zombies began to tremble; these usually fearless, frenzied creatures were afraid! The three hunters also quieted-not so much out of calm, but more from an instinctive fear. Their innate senses warned them that I was a dangerous foe.

I stood quietly, surveying the small square. Shen Fei and Shen Wei’s mother, protected by about a dozen guards, leaned against a small car. Shen Wei’s mother looked unharmed, but Shen Fei’s face was pale, a trace of blood on his lip. Yet, he was smiling, looking at my hands with a mix of great relief and excitement! I knew he was aware of many things.

At this moment, I must make a quick decision, as maintaining this state is extremely draining. Even though my physical strength has nearly doubled, I can only sustain this mode for six minutes, just a minute longer than when I first started.

I let out a long howl and charged at the hunter, already severely wounded by Shen Fei, with my claws flashing coldly in the air. After all, who doesn’t like squeezing a soft target…

However, the hunter had evidently regained its sight. Though instinctively fearful of me, the beast’s savage nature and bloodthirsty instincts would instantly overcome any semblance of fear once attacked. To a hunter, the fight is to the death against any creature that dares to challenge it! The deep, bone-exposing wound on the hunter’s head inflicted by Shen Fei was slowly healing due to its rapid metabolism. Just a few more fresh humans, and the wound would be as good as new.

The hunter’s eyes, large as lanterns, fixed intently on me as I charged head-on, and it saw me as the perfect remedy to replenish its blood.

“Whoosh-!”

The hunter’s claws, gleaming coldly, sliced through the air as it swiped directly at me. Although having claws didn’t cause me any discomfort, this was my first time fighting in this form. After all, I’d used hands for eighteen years, and these claws for only a few seconds. So even after dodging the hunter’s initial attack, I didn’t immediately counterattack.

Just then, a familiar sense of danger surged within me again. I heard a faint sound of something cutting through the air from behind. A quick glance out of the corner of my eye revealed that the other two hunters were closing in as well!

Claws-the hunter’s gleaming claws-were slashing through the air, aiming straight for my head! It was too late to dodge; death seemed so close. But I wouldn’t accept it so easily. Was I to die as mere food for a hunter?

No! Absolutely not!

Strength surged from somewhere deep inside me, perhaps the instinct to survive. With all my might, I caught the hunter’s powerful strike with my left claw. That sense of brutality returned, and what I held in my hand was no longer the hunter’s hard, sinewy limb, but a fragile twig! I squeezed tightly.

“Crunch…”

That was the sound of bones breaking. The stark white bone jutted from its purplish-pink skin! Its virus-addled mind couldn’t comprehend how what should have been its meek prey had shattered its strongest claw!

The hunter let out a wail and wildly struck at me with its other claw, while the other two seized the opportunity to attack as well! I merely tilted my head slightly to dodge the frenzied attack, then grabbed its already broken arm and leaped onto the hunter’s back. This move not only helped me avoid the other two hunters’ claws but also allowed me to completely break the right arm of the current hunter!

Green blood pulsed from the severed limb of the hunter’s arm, and a sinister scent invaded my senses!

My left hand clamped down on the hunter’s face, squeezing inward with all my might-tighter and tighter! I wanted to crush its skull. However, I underestimated how tough the hunter’s head had become. Despite my relentless grip, which could easily turn marble into dust, I only managed to carve four deep, bone-revealing gashes with my claws. Meanwhile, the other two hunters, seeing their companion injured, seized the chance to attack, swinging their massive claws at me. I quickly abandoned the broken arm, using the back of the hunter beneath me to push off and leap high into the air. The two hunters tried to pull back, but it was too late.

“Thud-! Thud-!” Two dull thuds echoed as the hunter with the broken arm was knocked aside by its companions’ massive blows. Its back was shredded by their sharp steel claws, exposing bone, and its spine seemed heavily damaged. It struggled briefly but couldn’t rise, eventually lying motionless on the ground. Using their own attack against them-my favorite tactic.

As the hunter was hurled away, I used the momentum to leap high into the air, spreading my arms wide and extending my sharp steel claws that glinted coldly in the sunlight. I dove quickly through the gap between the two standing hunters.

“Slash-!”

As I passed between them, my claws left four deep, bloody marks on each of their faces. I landed steadily on the ground. During those few seconds in the air, an idea occurred to me, though I wasn’t entirely sure of it. Still, I decided to give it a shot! In the instant I hit the ground, I propelled myself like a cannonball toward the hunter struggling on the ground, landing a powerful clawed strike on its back. “Roar-!” The hunter bellowed in pain and fury, but my decisive blow shattered its spine completely. It was utterly unable to fight back!

“Assimilation!” I shouted, directing my consciousness to command the black tendrils, now flashing like electricity, to emerge from my arms and pierce into the hunter’s body. I quickly began to absorb it, and the strength I had lost earlier began to restore at an incredible speed. This time, the process was exponentially faster; in just three or four seconds, the hunter was completely absorbed, leaving nothing but a puddle of green liquid. It didn’t even have a chance to resist.

Everyone present was stunned. My powerful entrance had already seemed beyond human, and my claws were unimaginable. Yet now, in less than a minute, I had eliminated a hunter they saw as immensely powerful, and in such an incredible way!

However, there were two exceptions: Shen Fei and another individual on the Shen Family rooftop. After absorbing the hunter, I found that my previously depleted energy was fully restored, and my strength seemed even greater than before. I bowed my head, savoring this empowering sensation.

“Roar-Roar-!”

The remaining two hunters were utterly furious. They didn’t care about their companion’s disappearance; instead, they were enraged by the wounds on their faces. Only the blood of the insolent human who dared challenge them could quell their anger!

One of the hunters leaped high into the air, pouncing towards me. When it was less than a meter away, it raised its right claw, intending to pierce my skull with it. The force of its sharp claw was immense, distorting the very air with its power. But as the main character, I couldn’t let it succeed, especially now that my strength had increased considerably.

I slightly tilted my head and easily dodged this lethal strike! Unfortunately, I was still a fraction too slow, and my face was grazed with three bloody scratches.

“You’ve got some nerve messing up my face!” As the saying goes, you don’t hit a person in the face. Yet here it was, ruining mine. Time to play dirty!

I grabbed the hunter’s arm, which hadn’t yet retracted, and used the momentum to leap up, aiming my sharp steel claws at the hunter’s lantern-sized eyes (classic self-defense moves: throat grab, groin kick, eye poke…). Sensing the danger, the hunter quickly closed its eyes, trying to use its strongest defense-the eyelids-to block my attack. Had it been an ordinary weapon, it wouldn’t even penetrate the hunter’s skin, much less cause any real damage. But these were my sharp claws, nearly ignoring the hunter’s formidable defenses.

“Thud-!”

As expected, my steel claws pierced through the hunter’s eyelids, blinding it! The hunter howled in pain, and losing its sight only made its attacks more frenzied. Now, without its keenest sense, the hunter flailed blindly, its claws striking wildly in all directions, even hitting itself. With its vision gone, I could narrowly dodge its erratic attacks, causing it to inflict more injuries upon itself.

“What if I try absorbing again…?” The thought suddenly surfaced in my mind. Absorbing another hunter might make me even stronger.

I acted on impulse, and the black tendrils, like electric shadows, extended from my arms again, plunging into the hunter’s skin. But this time, I was unable to absorb it. Had I reached some sort of saturation point? If I can’t absorb it, I’ll finish it off directly!

The idea flashed by, and I immediately retracted the black tendrils. Just as I was about to attack again, using its eyes as an entry point to destroy its brain with my claws, the other hunter swung its claw at me. I tried to pull away, but my claw was trapped in the blinded hunter’s skull!

I twisted my body as much as I could, barely dodging the incoming claw, but the joint of the hunter collided hard against my right side, snapping my ribs with a distinct crack, sending me flying. The hunter’s attack didn’t stop there!

Now, relying on an uncanny sensory ability, the blinded hunter lashed out its claw towards me. In mid-air, I attempted to adjust my body to avoid this lethal strike, but the intense pain in my chest caused me to spit a mouthful of blood! The sharp claws closed in relentlessly-was this the end for me?

No, my will to survive kicked in, activating my defensive instincts. I quickly reached out with both hands and caught the hunter’s wrist. Yet the hunter’s force was overwhelming; I couldn’t stop its advancing claw. My lung-was pierced!

“Cough… cough…”

I struggled to breathe as blood flooded from my trachea, clogging my chest cavity. Pain! Suffocation! The unbearable agony was about to make me lose consciousness, and my raging emotions reached their peak!

“Tiankuang!” Qimeng’s heart-wrenching scream came from the Shen Family rooftop. Seeing her devastated face made my heart ache even more!

I have to survive, survive, survive!!

As my head tilted back, my pupils turned red in an instant. A powerful aura erupted from my body like a shockwave, sweeping across the small square. The zombies began to howl in fear and slowly retreated from the Shen Family premises.

My steel claws still gripped the hunter’s arm, but they started to squeeze tighter and tighter. “Crunch-!” The hunter’s arm was crushed under my immense grip, with even the bones shattering completely! Despite its furious roars and frantic thrashing, it couldn’t break free from my grasp.

“Snap-!” I forcibly broke the hunter’s arm in two, letting it drop lightly to the ground. Ignoring the pain tearing through my wound, I pulled out the remaining steel claw embedded in me and tossed the half-severed arm aside. Now, the two hunters, robbed of their fighting spirit by my aura, were no longer ruthless killers, but trembling lambs awaiting slaughter-prey on my cutting board!

“Bastard,” I growled, my body responding immediately, moving at more than twice my previous speed. In an instant, I was behind the two hunters, leaving only a blur in my wake. They seemed completely oblivious to my change in position, standing still like ancient statues.

Facing away from them, I wasn’t scared. Instead, I turned my head slightly, sneering again, “Bastard.”

As the word left my lips, the hunters’ limbs split into pieces with a crackling sound, collapsing to the ground in fragments. All that remained were their bare torsos, writhing on the ground-a grotesque sight.

I suddenly roared towards the sky, “I am the-king!”