Ch. 36
Chapter 36: The Battle Is About To Begin
【Go tell them, the operation continues—target: Terminal Signal Tower.】
Jiang Nan handed the notepad to Liu Yuqing, who had just woken up.
"Got it, Boss. I'll go notify Wang Meng and the others right away."
Liu Yuqing replied with a smile.
Buzz!
The tablet on the main control panel lit up, and Liu Yuqing's voice came through.
"Wang Meng, the Boss is up. Orders are for all personnel to proceed to the Terminal Signal Tower immediately."
"Roger that!"
Wang Meng gave an OK gesture.
Then he floored the accelerator, and the RV surged toward the valley shrouded in curtains of rain.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the cab was lively.
Wang Meng drove with one hand while sneaking a sideways glance at Guo Shuai in the passenger seat, grinning slyly.
"Heh heh, Guo Shuai, I heard what you were saying earlier…"
"So you're telling me there's an old grandpa living in your 'eye' now?"
"Cough, cough—"
Guo Shuai had been mid-sip of water and nearly choked.
As a seasoned driver with years of experience and plenty of late-night dormitory chat sessions under his belt, he instantly caught Wang Meng's subtext.
He laughed and shot back with mock irritation.
"Wang-bro, you'd better be talking about the 'eye,' or I'm gonna be real mad at you!"
"Hahahaha!"
The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing—the kind of shared amusement that only men who 'get it' understand.
However,
Fit Albert, parasitizing Guo Shuai's left eye, was completely lost.
"What eye?"
"What are you two talking about? Are you discussing me—the Divine One?"
Albert's aged voice was thick with confusion.
"Go away, go away, go away."
Guo Shuai dismissed him with contempt in his mind.
"When young people are talking, old men don't butt in. Go sit at the kids' table—that's where you belong, not here."
"You!!"
Hearing such an outrageous response, Albert was instantly displeased.
"Hmph, you little brat. If you don't want to explain, fine. Who are you trying to impress?"
Having been snapped at and feeling he'd come out worse, he grew irritable and began making snide, passive-aggressive remarks to rile Guo Shuai up.
"Hmph, that so-called Boss of yours—only giving the order to move out now. He must have been scared."
"A whole night has passed and only now does he dare make a move."
"The way I see it, once you're halfway up the mountain later, he'll definitely find some excuse to turn tail and run."
But before Guo Shuai could even fire back—
Screech!
The sound of hard brakes rang out.
The RV came to a smooth stop at the halfway point up the mountain, a few hundred meters from the school at the summit.
"Why did we stop?"
Guo Shuai was puzzled.
Wang Meng pointed at the control screen. "Boss said to stop here."
"See?! What did I tell you?!"
Albert turned smug instantly, his voice shooting up several octaves.
"Haha! Called it, didn't I?! He stopped!"
"Next he'll turn around and run! I knew it—he's a coward!"
"Shut up!"
Guo Shuai roared in his mind. "The Boss is no coward! Stop with your snide remarks!"
"Hmph. Facts speak louder than words."
Albert sneered. "Kid, you can't handle the truth."
"How about a bet?"
"If I'm wrong—if your big brother actually dares to go up there and clash head-on with that monster and wins—"
"I'll tell you my real, hidden ace ability that I've never revealed to anyone!"
"You don't actually think I'm limited to just 'Automated Combat' and 'Panel Analysis,' do you?"
Hearing that, Guo Shuai's heart stirred.
‘So this old thing really has been holding back a trump card!’
"And if you win?" Guo Shuai countered.
"If I win, you leave him. From this point on, you take orders from me!"
Albert finally revealed his true intention.
Guo Shuai didn't hesitate for even a second. His answer came instantly in his mind.
"Deal!"
"I have ten thousand percent confidence in the Boss! Get ready to lose the shirt off your back!"
"But…"
Guo Shuai pivoted. "How do you prove you won't welch on the bet when the time comes?"
"After all, you've got a track record. So I need a reason to trust you."
"Insolence!"
Albert snapped. "That was different! My disguise was for survival!"
"I never intended to expose myself. I just happened to run into a lunatic like you."
"But I can tell you now—our souls are already bound. We rise and fall together!"
"I have no reason to deceive you over something like this!"
Guo Shuai thought it over. Back when they were ambushed on the mountain, this fellow really had been the first to save him.
The logic held.
"Fine. Then it's settled."
Guo Shuai smirked coldly. "I'll make sure you see just how poor your judgment really is."
"Likewise! Hmph!"
……
In the RV's living area, inside the cramped onboard bathroom.
Jiang Nan knew nothing of the bet being made outside. At that moment he was crouched on the toilet lid, his expression grave.
The reason he'd stopped the RV halfway up the mountain was because the vehicle was plated with the Watcher's Cursed Hide.
That was the aura of an S-Grade Boss.
If he drove straight up, the monster hiding in the rain would very likely refuse to show itself.
To kill a monster, the source of intimidation had to be moved far enough away.
And on top of that, he needed to add some 'seasoning' to himself.
Jiang Nan looked at the newly acquired A-Grade Word Spirit on his system panel, the corner of his mouth curving upward.
‘With Hundred-Ton Sovereign in play, the monster's vaunted speed and evasion—the things it supposedly prides itself on—will cease to exist.’
‘But…’
‘Better to be safe.’
Jiang Nan drew a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and pressed his right palm flat against the floor.
Then he murmured quietly.
"This courtyard runs deep and heavy—halt."
Buzz!
The air warped slightly. The 1st gravity layer was laid down.
6 characters consumed.
Jiang Nan didn't stop. He continued the incantation.
"This courtyard runs deep and heavy—halt."
2nd layer…
"This courtyard runs deep and heavy…"
3rd layer…
……
He chanted it 7 consecutive times!
A total of 42 characters consumed!
Watching the balance shrink stung a little, but this was a life-saving killing move.
Worth it!
‘7 stacked layers—that's 7 layers of life-saving armor.’
‘I refuse to believe that rain pouring from every direction can withstand this.’
Jiang Nan stood up, straightened his clothes, and pushed open the bathroom door.
He typed on the main control panel and sent the message.
【Guo Shuai, come down with me.】
【If that monster doesn't die in the first instant, have that 'roadside eye' of yours record its panel information.】
"Yes! Boss!"
Guo Shuai's voice came through immediately. "Should I bring a gun?"
Jiang Nan replied. 【No need.】
A gun?
In front of Hundred-Ton Sovereign, a gun was nothing but a fire poker.
After all, referencing the earlier Word Spirit·Silence as a benchmark, bullets also counted as a form of killing intent.
【Wang Meng, watch the vehicle. Be ready to provide backup at any time.】
【Chen Tong, all of you stay in the RV.】
After those brief arrangements, Jiang Nan pushed open the vehicle door and stepped out into the howling storm.
"Safe travels!"
The 3 women and Wang Meng called out from behind him.
……
Halfway up the mountain, in the curtain of rain.
The moment he stepped out of the vehicle, the rain soaked Jiang Nan's black hair.
Guo Shuai followed right behind, gripping the rusty cleaver tightly in both hands as he quick-stepped up to Jiang Nan's front.
"Boss, let me walk ahead!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
In his mind, Albert switched into commentary mode. "The man hasn't even said a word and you're volunteering to be a human shield? Are you actually an idiot?"
Guo Shuai ignored him and kept his gaze scanning their surroundings with sharp wariness.
Jiang Nan looked at Guo Shuai standing in front of him and gave a small internal nod.
‘This guy's not bad.’
But he didn't write a notepad message. He couldn't—not right now.
He simply extended his hand and pointed at his own back.
The meaning was obvious: get behind me.
Walk up front? That was just throwing your life away.
His Abyss Court Heavy Domain was centered on himself. If Guo Shuai strayed too far, he'd just get one-shot by the monster instead.
"Huh? Oh, oh!"
Guo Shuai didn't fully understand, but his defining trait was obedience. He quickly shuffled back behind Jiang Nan.
"……"
Albert stared at the back of the man walking ahead, and fell completely silent.
It couldn't make sense of it.
"Where does this kid get his confidence?"
"He's nothing but an ordinary human. No armor. No weapon. Not even a flicker of ability fluctuation."
"And yet he's sauntering up to provoke that monster like he owns the place?"
"Is he tired of living?"
Driven by sheer curiosity, Albert couldn't help itself. It quietly activated the scanning function.
【Analyzing target…】
【Target: Human Male】
【HP: 100%】
【Ability: None】
【Combat Rating: D+】
【……】
"What the—?!"
Albert cried out loud inside Guo Shuai's mind.
"D+?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"Yesterday's scan showed E-. In the space of a single day, he's jumped 2 full tiers?!"
Albert was stunned.
What kind of growth rate was this?
Even a rocket didn't move this fast!
"Did I make a mistake earlier?"
"No! There must be some high-level shielding item on this man! He's playing the pig to eat the tiger!"
Hearing Albert's outcry, Guo Shuai was secretly delighted inside, but on the surface he erupted.
"You old geezer! Who told you to scan the Boss without permission?! That's disrespectful to the Boss!!"
"I'm reporting you!"
With that, Guo Shuai relayed the whole thing to Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan just waved a hand, signaling it didn't matter.
‘If it truly had killing intent, it would probably have been crushed to powder by now.’
"Cough, cough… my apologies."
In a rare moment, Albert didn't double down. "I did act without authorization."
"Your Boss… is indeed no simple figure."
"That completely unbothered attitude of his means he definitely has a trump card."
"Yet I still don't believe he can win."
Albert's tone turned serious.
"I haven't seen that monster's true form, but I can sense it—it's powerful, with immense potential."
"Even though it was born not long ago, its strength is growing at a terrifying rate."
"Even at my peak, I would have to treat it with caution."
"There's still time to turn back now!"
Guo Shuai let out a cold snort and didn't listen at all.
Five minutes later.
The two of them finally reached the mountaintop.
Before them stood that eerie school, the Humvee, and bones scattered across the ground.
Rainwater washed over the earth, diluting the bloodstains into spreading blurs.
Jiang Nan walked forward with both hands in his pockets, expression completely calm—as though strolling through his own backyard.
Guo Shuai swallowed hard and kept close behind.
"Hey! Kid!"
Albert began to waver.
He had expected Jiang Nan to have some kind of plan or make a move in advance. Instead, the man was just walking straight in without a care!
"I'm serious! It's not too late to leave now!"
"This man is too reckless! He's walking up there with zero preparation? This is just throwing his life away!"
"You and I are going to die!!"
Guo Shuai clenched his teeth and pressed the tip of the cleaver directly against his left eyeball.
"Shut up!"
"If you dare try to take over my body and run again, we die here together!"
"And didn't you say you don't lie? Forgot that already?"
"Call yourself the Divine One—more like a coward if you ask me!"
"You lunatic!! You're insulting me again—I was only trying to warn you out of kindness!"
Albert raged back.
"Fine! Since you've decided not to leave, then today the Divine One will stake everything alongside you!"
"But if your Boss fails, from then on your body listens to me!!"
"Relax! That day will never come!"
Guo Shuai roared in his mind. "The Boss is absolutely incapable of losing!!"
Right in the middle of their argument.
Within the curtain of rain stretching across the sky.
A single seemingly ordinary raindrop at the school gate suddenly broke from its trajectory.
Then a 2nd drop, a 3rd…
Countless drops of rain began refracting into strange, eerie light—and they surged toward the man with both hands in his pockets…
At extreme speed!