"I'm still a virgin!" Covered in blood, Gao Yang stood amidst the sea of corpses, his declaration both tragic and fiercely defiant.
Qing Ling, gripping her blade nearby, frowned slightly, wondering if Gao Yang had lost his mind like Fatso.
"Hahahaha…" Officer Huang burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting the life-or-death situation they were in.
"What?!" A voice erupted from the pile of "beastly罗汉" outside. "What did you say…? Say it again…!"
Gao Yang's heart leaped—Wang Zikai's alive!
He shouted again, louder this time: "I'm still a virgin!"
"RAAAAAAAAH—!" The small mountain of piled-up beasts exploded outward.
Wang Zikai, drenched in blood, stood at his full beastified height of two meters. He gripped the heads of two beasts in his hands like they were nothing more than ragged cloth. With a sickening crunch, he crushed their skulls and hurled their bodies aside, sending other beasts flying.
He strode toward the house. The remaining seven or eight beasts lunged at him, but they were no match. He dismantled them with brutal efficiency—one even got torn in half by his bare hands. Drenched in gore, he looked like a demon reborn in blood.
His chest heaved slightly as he stepped over the river of corpses and stopped in front of Gao Yang, glaring down at him with blood-streaked eyes. "You… really? Still a virgin?"
"Yes." Gao Yang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I KNEW IT!" Wang Zikai flailed his arms in excitement. "I knew you bastard wouldn't lose your virginity before me! Hahahaha! We really are blood brothers—!"
"CRASH—!" A beast smashed through the roof, landing inside the house.
"Look out—!" Qing Ling moved lightning-fast, swinging her blade—but the enemy was quicker. Its tail lashed out horizontally, striking her waist and sending her flying out the door.
"Qing Ling!"
Gao Yang's shout was cut short as he finally got a clear look at the beast inside—a Rampager, one of the Wrath-class.
This Rampager was nothing like "Auntie He" from before. It was young, fully beastified. Aside from its vaguely humanoid face, its body was that of a massive, crouching lizard, covered in dark red scales as hard as armor. If it stood upright, it would likely tower over even Wang Zikai.
After flinging Qing Ling away, it didn't hesitate. Its powerful hind legs bent, gathering force in an instant before launching straight at Gao Yang.
At the last second, Wang Zikai instinctively shoved Gao Yang aside, saving him. The Rampager slammed into Wang Zikai's torso instead, its twin forearm claws crossing like blades and piercing clean through his thick bronze hide.
"AGHHH! You little shit…!" Veins bulged across Wang Zikai's body as he took the full brunt of the impact.
The Rampager didn't stop. It kept pushing, forcing Wang Zikai backward until he smashed into the wall, cracking it. The entire structure groaned, on the verge of collapse.
The Rampager tried to yank its claws free to finish the fight, but Wang Zikai wasn't going down easy. He wrapped his arms around the beast's underarms, locking it in place.
Blood bubbled from Wang Zikai's mouth, his abdomen impaled, his face twisted in pain—yet he grinned. "Cheating… ambushing… no honor… you better… be careful!!"
"RAAAAAH!" With a final surge of strength, Wang Zikai wrenched the Rampager's arms apart. A sickening snap echoed as bone shattered, followed by the wet rip of flesh tearing. The beast's arms were ripped clean off.
"SCREEE—!" The Rampager staggered back, blood gushing from its stumps.
"DIE!" Gao Yang charged, plunging his dagger into the beast's gut and tackling it to the ground. They wrestled, the Rampager's tail coiling around Gao Yang's wrists despite its missing arms. It bared its fangs, lunging for his throat—
"THWACK!" A rusted fire axe split its face open.
Not Officer Huang—Fatso.
Tears and blood streaked his chubby face, his hands trembling as he raised the axe again. "DIE!"
"DIE!" A third chop.
"DIE!" A fourth.
"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE—!"
Gao Yang lost count. By the time Fatso stopped, the Rampager's head was pulp. Its tail loosened, going slack around Gao Yang's arms.
Fatso raised the axe again, but Officer Huang, limping from a wounded leg, grabbed his wrist. "Enough. It's over."
The axe clattered to the ground. Fatso turned and hugged Officer Huang, sobbing. "I'm alive… I didn't die… I didn't die…"
"Yeah. We made it." Officer Huang patted his back gently, like comforting a child after a fall.
Gao Yang shoved the Rampager's corpse aside and stumbled toward Wang Zikai.
The beast's severed arms were like giant nails, pinning Wang Zikai to the wall. His beast form was fading, his body shrinking back to human—frail, small, blood frothing at his lips, his eyes bloodshot. His hands clutched his abdomen, where a gruesome red ruin gaped.
"Bro… this ain't right…" Wang Zikai's voice was fading. "I think… I'm gonna bite it…"
"NO! You'll be fine!" Gao Yang's hands hovered uselessly. He wanted to pull the arms out but feared it'd only hasten his death.
"Tch… screwed up big time…" Wang Zikai grinned weakly, almost childlike. "So lame… had the MC script… still blew it…"
"Shut up! You're not dying!" Gao Yang's hands shook. He turned and roared at Fatso: "STOP CRYING AND HEAL HIM!"
Fatso snapped out of it, wiping his face with his sleeve before scrambling over. He dropped to his knees, examining the wounds.
"Yang-ge! These arms… gotta pull 'em out!"
"He's lost too much blood already!"
"I know! But if we don't, I can't heal him! We gotta gamble!" Fatso gritted his teeth. "Yang-ge, call it!"
Wang Zikai's head lolled, his face paper-white. He was unconscious.
"PULL!" Gao Yang snarled.
Officer Huang moved in. "Gao Yang, hold him down. Fatso and I will yank the arms free."
The three braced themselves. "Three… two… one—"
"SCHLUCK—!" The arms tore free. Blood sprayed across their faces and clothes.
"PLUG IT! NOW!" Gao Yang yelled.
Fatso slammed his hands over the two gaping holes in Wang Zikai's waist. "HEAL!"
A green glow flickered weakly in Fatso's palms. Blood seeped relentlessly through his stubby fingers.
"What's wrong?!" Gao Yang's voice was frantic. "FOCUS!"
"I'M TRYING!" Fatso squeezed his eyes shut. "HEAL! HEAL!"
Wang Zikai's pallor turned from white to gray. The blood flow slowed—not because the wounds were closing, but because there was almost nothing left inside.
His chest barely moved. Gao Yang couldn't bring himself to check for a pulse.
"I'm sorry…" Fatso's face crumpled like fermented dough. He broke down again. "I tried… I really tried…"
"KEEP GOING!" Gao Yang roared. "DON'T STOP! HE'S STILL ALIVE!"
Officer Huang reached out, resting a hand on Gao Yang's shoulder. "Gao Yang… let him go."
Gao Yang shook him off. He knew what was coming. He didn't want to hear it. But Officer Huang said it anyway, his voice exhausted and heavy.
"He's gone."