Chapter 117
Chapter 117: A Great Battle Against The Chief of Orthopedics
Meanwhile, on the 19th floor.
Guo Shuai and the others were locked in a standoff with Chen Daozi.
The atmosphere was razor-sharp.
"Who are you people? Let her go now, or don't blame me for what happens next!"
Guo Shuai extended one hand, airflow churning in his palm, ready to unleash Wind Force Heavy Pressure at any moment.
"Right! What happens next?!"
Quanquan chimed in from the side.
Because just moments ago, Chen Daozi had taken Ye Yilin—the closest person to him—hostage.
"Friend, relax~ I just want to ask for directions. Who told you to draw your gun the moment you saw me?"
"I had no choice, really."
Chen Daozi grinned roguishly, a dagger pressed against Ye Yilin's neck.
Ye Yilin didn't dare breathe.
She could feel the blade's edge pressing tight against her skin.
One slight movement, and it would slice her open instantly!
Not far away, Cao Hua's face darkened as he kicked a handgun onto the floor.
That was the weapon Shi Zhongshan had given Ye Yilin for self-defense.
When they'd rounded the corner and run into Chen Daozi earlier, Ye Yilin had been so on edge that she'd instinctively drawn the gun.
One look was all it took—this seasoned veteran had disarmed her in an instant.
Guo Shuai ground his teeth. He knew his side was in the wrong here.
His Danger Perception hadn't triggered, which meant the other party genuinely had no killing intent.
But the atmosphere had already hardened into this, and he didn't dare let his guard down rashly.
At this deadlocked moment, Shi Zhongshan stepped forward to play peacemaker.
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"We're all human beings—in a place like this, we're all on the same side!"
"What's there to fight about!"
Shi Zhongshan spread his arms wide between both parties, urging them anxiously.
"We can't turn on each other! That old ghost is definitely coming back!"
"Oh? Old ghost?"
Chen Daozi raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested. "Sir, could you describe what it looks like?"
Shi Zhongshan swallowed and answered immediately.
"It wears a white lab coat, walks hunched over, and carries a chainsaw in its hands!"
At those words, Chen Daozi and Cao Hua exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
Then Chen Daozi flicked his wrist and sheathed his dagger.
He pushed Ye Yilin toward Guo Shuai.
Faced with a woman stumbling toward him, Guo Shuai didn't spare her a glance.
He executed the Sigma Sidestep, sliding smoothly half a meter to the side.
"Ah!"
Ye Yilin lost her balance, stumbled, and face-planted straight onto the floor.
"Oh my goodness, dear lady! Are you alright!"
Liu Rui snapped back to his senses and rushed over to help her up.
"Who exactly are you people?"
Guo Shuai ignored Ye Yilin, his gaze fixed hard on the 2 across from him as he pressed the question.
Chen Daozi dusted off his hands and laughed.
"Friend, that choice you made just now satisfied me greatly, so I'll answer you first."
"We're from the Card Players' Association. We fell for a trick by the Director's Faction and ended up on this floor."
"Now it's your turn."
Guo Shuai nodded and lowered his hand.
"This is the 19th floor."
"Those people are companions of Silk-Stocking Desperado, and I…am here looking for my boss."
"Your boss?"
Cao Hua gave a puzzled look, sizing up this unfamiliar young man.
His mind drifted to another stranger who had come to this hospital.
"You're a companion of the Revolver God?"
"Yes. You know my boss?"
Guo Shuai shot back.
At that, Cao Hua's face instantly darkened, his mouth twitching furiously.
‘Know him? That's putting it lightly.’
‘My original thumb was gone because of that man!’
But Cao Hua was a smart person. He knew this was absolutely not the time to dredge up old grievances and pick a fight.
He squeezed out a single word: "Yes."
Chen Daozi's eyes darted about, and he immediately seized the opening—throwing his arm around Guo Shuai's shoulders with the familiarity of an old friend.
"Friend! As they say, it's no coincidence that we've ended up under the same roof!"
"What a stroke of luck!"
"Your boss and I hit it off the moment we met—he told me himself not long ago to wait for him!"
As he spoke, Chen Daozi produced a hard drive from his pocket like a magic trick and pressed it into Guo Shuai's hand.
"This is the map expansion hard drive for the northern sector—consider it a gift for our first meeting!"
"Oh?!"
Guo Shuai's face immediately lit up.
He couldn't be bothered to sort out whether this guy's smooth talking was true or false.
What mattered was that something valuable had landed firmly in his hands.
Besides, with his boss absent, one more powerful combatant meant one more guarantee of survival.
Cao Hua seized the moment to pull Chen Daozi aside, lowering his voice.
"Daozi, you're just handing over the hard drive like that? Isn't that a bit rash?"
Chen Daozi waved him off without a care.
"Ah, that drive isn't much use to us anyway."
"Better to use it to build some goodwill—ease the tension a little."
"After all…that old ghost with the chainsaw is no pushover."
Cao Hua nodded in complete agreement.
And at the very moment he nodded—
Boom! Boom boom boom!!!
A thundering set of footsteps rang out from not far away!
Everyone's heads snapped around in unison.
They looked toward the enormous hole smashed through the wall.
Through the black mist, a hunched silhouette was dragging a chainsaw, bearing down on them!
And the wounds the poison had burned into its body had fully healed!
The Chief of Orthopedics had returned!
"Watch out!"
Guo Shuai bellowed and drew the Pig-Slaughtering Knife from his waist!
The Eye of Calamity activated instantly!
"Cao Sir, get them away from here!"
"This old monster is going berserk—if it comes to blows, I can't protect you!"
Chen Daozi also dropped his carefree grin. He flipped his hands, gripping a dagger in each.
"Daozi, be careful!"
Cao Hua knew that staying behind would only make him a burden. He immediately waved to Shi Zhongshan. "Go! Now!"
"Those who can't fight—take the others and come with me!"
Shi Zhongshan nodded and signaled Ye Yilin and Liu Rui to hurry up and follow.
Ye Yilin had barely taken 2 steps when she looked back at Quanquan, who was still standing where it had been.
Though the little one looked like a small monster, all throughout their journey it had been as well-behaved as an ordinary child.
"Quanquan, come here quickly! Come with your sister!"
Ye Yilin waved to it urgently.
But Quanquan shook its head. "No. Quanquan wants to stay with Daddy!"
Staring at the chainsaw-wielding killer right in front of them, Ye Yilin stamped her foot in anxiety.
At that moment, Guo Shuai spoke coldly without turning around.
"Go. Don't worry about Quanquan."
"Because this little thing…"
"…might be fiercer than the two of us combined!"
"Hm?"
Chen Daozi caught those words and gave the small creature beside him a startled glance.
It was only now that he suddenly realized—
‘This thing isn't human at all!’
He'd assumed it was a kid wearing a mask!
Hearing Guo Shuai's words, Ye Yilin had no more doubts—she'd known for a long time that Quanquan wasn't human.
She left behind a "take care of yourselves" and followed Cao Hua and the others away without looking back.
In an instant, only Guo Shuai, Chen Daozi, and Quanquan remained in the corridor, facing this S-Grade Cursed Creature!
"ROAR!"
The Chief of Orthopedics let out an inhuman howl, raised the chainsaw with both hands, and brought it crashing down straight at Guo Shuai!
If it touched any part of the body—even the faintest graze of skin—
The limb would be forcibly dismantled and separated in an instant!
Facing this certain-death strike, Guo Shuai showed not a hint of panic.
Automated Combat Sequence!
Guo Shuai's body instantly twisted in defiance of physical inertia.
By a hair's breadth, he executed a perfect sliding lunge right beneath the spinning teeth.
The whirring blade even clipped a strand of hair from his forehead—but failed to harm him by a single scratch!
"Old thing, let me cool you down a bit!"
Guo Shuai, having slid to the side, struck out with a reverse palm.
Wind Force Heavy Pressure!
Bang!
A miniature hurricane slammed into the Chief of Orthopedics' back.
The crushing weight made the Chief of Orthopedics stumble, its forward momentum forcibly cut short.
"Now's the chance!"
A sharp gleam blazed in Chen Daozi's eyes.
After being made a fool of by the Joker last time, he had reflected hard on his failings—and at the cost of 300 days, had forged a pair of acceleration shoes.
Now the faint glow on the shoes flashed, and Chen Daozi's speed instantly surged tenfold!
He closed the distance to the Chief of Orthopedics' back in an instant.
His prized S-Grade ability, Accumulation of Ten Thousand Days, erupted at full power!
Pinched between his fingers were 2 daggers—each one charged by him with 200 days' worth of temporal force!
"Die! You piece of trash!"
Chen Daozi's hands blurred into afterimages, the blades on the verge of piercing the Chief of Orthopedics' back!
But in the next second, its upper body suddenly rotated 180 degrees!
It swung the chainsaw straight at him!
It was obvious—it knew who posed the greater threat!
"Damn it!"
Chen Daozi toe-tapped the ground and exploded backward!
The next second—
Whoosh!
The chainsaw passed so close it nearly grazed his nose!
The windblast from the spinning teeth left a bloody gash across Chen Daozi's face!
"That was close…"
Cold sweat poured down Chen Daozi.
If not for those acceleration shoes, that last strike would have gutted him open.
But the Chief of Orthopedics gave him no chance to catch his breath!
The chainsaw swept sideways, aiming straight for Chen Daozi's waist!
"Take my blade!"
A battle cry rang out from the side!
Slash!
The Pig-Slaughtering Knife drove into the Chief of Orthopedics' back!
That soul-lashing pain clearly made the Chief of Orthopedics' movements seize up for a beat!
"Right now!"
Guo Shuai unleashed his full movement technique!
His entire body became a blur as he charged forward, driving the Pig-Slaughtering Knife straight into the Chief of Orthopedics' back once more!
But—
The Chief of Orthopedics didn't even turn its head. Its other withered hand swept backward!
"Watch out!"
The warning had barely left Chen Daozi's lips when Guo Shuai sensed a wave of danger crash over him!
The Eye of Calamity seized his body instantly, forcing him to change direction.
A desperate sideways roll—barely enough to escape that hand!
Szzzt!
Guo Shuai looked down. Where the hem of his clothes had been grazed, the fabric instantly dissolved into countless tiny fibers!
If that hand had made contact with his actual body…
"What the hell kind of ability is this?!"
"Dismantlement."
Chen Daozi landed a short distance away, his expression grave.
"Anything it touches gets forcibly broken down into components."
The Chief of Orthopedics turned and looked at Guo Shuai—as though this little insect that could dodge beneath its hands had piqued its interest.
"Inter…esting…skeleton…"
It pulled the chainsaw back again. This time, its target was Guo Shuai!
Bzzzz!!!
The chainsaw came down with a shriek!
Guo Shuai's eyes instantly lost focus!
The Eye of Calamity took full control!
‘Lean back!’
‘Tilt sideways!’
‘Roll!’
‘Slide!’
Each movement scraped past the teeth with a margin of no more than 1 centimeter!
But the Chief of Orthopedics' attacks grew faster and faster!
Its arms seemed tireless, the chainsaw swinging in an airtight storm!
"Kid! You won't last much longer at this rate!"
Albert roared inside his mind.
"Your physical stats have been weakened to Grade F!"
"At this level of high-intensity evasion, you can hold out 30 more seconds at most!"
Guo Shuai gritted his teeth. He already knew.
But at this most critical moment—
Bang!!!
A small figure slammed hard into the Chief of Orthopedics!
It was Quanquan!
Its tiny fist crashed into the Chief of Orthopedics' side—and sent the S-Grade Cursed Creature staggering back 3 full steps!
"Don't…bully…Daddy!!!"
Quanquan swung its small fists and roared.
For the first time, an expression of fury appeared on that target-shaped face.
The Chief of Orthopedics steadied itself and looked down at this tiny figure.
A flash of bewilderment passed through its eyes.
‘This one…’
‘It's clearly just a small thing—so why…?’
"ROAR!"
The Chief of Orthopedics had no time to think. The chainsaw rose again, bearing down straight at Quanquan!
"Quanquan! Dodge!"
Guo Shuai screamed in alarm.
But Quanquan didn't dodge.
It just tilted its head, watching the chainsaw draw closer and closer—then—
Extended a small hand and grabbed the teeth!
Zzzt zzzt zzzt!!!
Sparks flew everywhere!
The chainsaw spun madly, but inside Quanquan's tiny grip, it couldn't budge at all!
"This…"
Chen Daozi stared, jaw dropping.
‘That's an attack from an S-Grade Cursed Creature!’
‘The chainsaw that dismembered people with even the faintest graze!’
‘This little monster…grabbed it bare-handed?!’
Quanquan looked up at the Chief of Orthopedics.
"This…is too noisy."
It said—then wrenched with full force!
Crack!
The chainsaw chain snapped clean in half right down the middle!
"What?!"
The Chief of Orthopedics' expression showed shock for the very first time!
It stared in disbelief at the ruined chainsaw in its hand.
Then looked again at this tiny creature standing less than a meter tall!
‘How is this possible?!’
"While it's distracted!"
Chen Daozi reacted fastest!
He toe-tapped the ground and shot forward instantly!
2 daggers carved 2 arcs of light through the air, driving straight for the Chief of Orthopedics' neck!
Thud!
The daggers plunged in!
200 days' worth of power erupted instantly!
"AARRGHH!!!"
The Chief of Orthopedics let out a howl of agony!
But it was S-Grade after all!
Through the blinding pain, it whipped around, swiping a hand at Chen Daozi!
Chen Daozi's acceleration shoes fired at full power, launching his whole body backward through the air!
But the fingertips still grazed his shin!
Szzzt!
Chen Daozi looked down—the outer leg of his pants and a layer of flesh vanished in an instant!
Blood welled up!
"Damn…almost finished me off."
He clenched his teeth and landed, holding back the searing pain.
The Chief of Orthopedics moved to give chase—but its body seized up!
It looked down!
The Pig-Slaughtering Knife was buried in its lower back!
That soul-piercing agony locked its movements down once more!
"Got you."
Guo Shuai stood 3 meters behind it, frozen in a throwing stance.
His entire body was nearly spent, but his lips curved into a smile.
"Wind Force…Heavy Pressure!!!"
He wrung out every last drop of strength in his body and swept his hand!
BOOM!!!
The already-immobilized Chief of Orthopedics was crushed down onto one knee!
"Quanquan!!!"
Guo Shuai roared!
"Got it! Daddy!"
Quanquan shot forward in a single bound, its small fist raised high—then—
Slammed down!
Bang!!!
The punch landed squarely on the Chief of Orthopedics' chest!
The sound of cracking ribs rang out clearly!
Bang!!!
Second punch!
Half its chest caved in!
Bang!!!
Third punch!
The Chief of Orthopedics' entire body was driven into the floor!
The ground around it fractured into a deep crater several meters wide!
"Cough…cough cough…"
The Chief of Orthopedics lay at the bottom of the pit, not a single part of it left intact.
Its clouded old eyes stared fixedly at Quanquan. Its mouth opened, as though it wanted to say something.
But in the end, it said nothing.
Quanquan had already lifted its foot and planted it on the Chief of Orthopedics' face.
"Go~die~now~"
It announced in a soft, babyish voice.
"……"
The Chief of Orthopedics didn't move again.
Not dead—gravely wounded and unconscious.
The aura from its body had weakened to the point of being nearly imperceptible.
But the vitality of an S-Grade Cursed Creature was terrifyingly tenacious. Injuries of this degree were not enough to kill it.
"Hah…hah…"
Guo Shuai dropped onto the floor, breathing in great gulps.
The Pig-Slaughtering Knife was still buried in the Chief of Orthopedics' body—he had no strength to pull it out yet.
Chen Daozi limped over.
He looked at the half-dead old ghost in the pit, then at Quanquan standing triumphantly on its face, and his expression turned complicated.
"Your son…he's really…"
He thought for a long time and couldn't find the right word.
"Haha."
"Pretty impressive, right? That's my…"
Guo Shuai grinned—but the words cut off abruptly.
Because at the far end of the corridor…
A person suddenly appeared.
A person with 2 heads…