Chapter 32

Even the cheetah himself was stunned.

He looked at the scratches on his arm in disbelief. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had bled.

Not only did he not injure the other party at all, but he was even lightly cut by the knife. Before he took action, he had never expected this result.

The cheetah turned his head in anger, only to see the black-haired boy slightly turned his body after standing still.

The pair of misty blue eyes were not far away, the eyelashes drooped slightly, the irises slowly moved to face him, looking down at him condescendingly, without any emotion in their eyes.

There was no anger, no fear, and not even a trace of pride.

It was as if he was looking at just a bunch of insignificant garbage.

The cheetah's muscles, which had been accumulating strength, softened uncontrollably, and for some reason, it felt a chill deep in its bones.

However, the next second, Xia Zuo's fist interrupted his thoughts.

The brown-haired boy just glanced at his friend, as if he was sure that he was not the one injured. He passed by Xizel and accelerated at that moment. His dazzling golden eyes were filled with overwhelming murderous intent.

His whole body seemed to be burning, but he didn't want to care at all. He was filled with endless self-blame, fear and anger.

He just didn't arrive.

And this man was just a little bit away from killing César.

No, can’t, forgive!!

The strong wind created by the fist reached the cheetah's unprotected eyes in an instant.

"How dare you hurt César in front of me—"

First punch.

“Go to hell!!!”

The second punch.

The fists hit Cheetah's body faster and harder, and he had no way to react. He couldn't even concentrate on using his talent.

...At the very beginning, he clearly had the opportunity to avoid it and even fight back.

Why did he hesitate?

The severe pain in the body continued to come, but it could not offset the growing chill in Cheetah's heart.

——At the moment he was knocked to the ground, he caught a glimpse of the black-haired boy behind Xia Zuo again.

He placed one hand in the pocket of his uniform pants and nonchalantly flipped the blood-stained silver blade with the other. Looking up, he saw a face that was mostly blocked, with the eyes covered, and only the curved corners of the lips could be vaguely seen.

Behind everyone, he smiled softly and without emotion.

It was as if he was sitting in the stands, watching this ridiculous farce with a playful yet calm manner.

"Xia Zuo." Xizel tilted his head, and the earring on his left ear swayed.

He smiled and said, "I remember that you haven't killed anyone for a long time, right?"

Xia Zuo's talent is "Priest".

But who stipulates that a pastor must not be stained with blood?

For their beliefs and for their gods, they can wage wars, wrap themselves in scarlet, and sing hymns on thousands of bones.

"Bang!!!"

The figure, whose shape could no longer be seen, was smashed out with a bang, stirring up dust and leaving a long, terrifying trail of blood.

The courtyard was silent.

No one could have imagined that Cheetah had no power to fight back at the hands of these two people.

And even...

Even Xia Zuo was completely enraged, but the black-haired boy, who was identified as the target, still had no emotion in his eyes.

He simply raised his lips and revealed a gentle and calm smile - that was all.

"Anyone else wants to try?" Xia Zuo said word by word, his beast-like golden eyes sweeping over the people who had been watching the fun. "I'm happy to accompany you, but if anyone wants to attack my friend——"

The boy's words suddenly became more aggressive.

"—that's his end."

When he met Xizel in the third-level prison in Baixiang District, he promised him that he would protect him well.

As long as he was alive, he would never let anyone hurt Xizel in front of him.

"Stop." Suddenly, someone pressed his shoulder: "It's time to calm down, Xia Zuo."

Ursula silently guided Xia Zuo's emotions towards fear and confusion - she was unable to guide positive emotions - in order to relatively reduce his anger and murderous intent.

After all, no matter what, Xia Zuo's ability belongs to the bright side. Long-term negative emotions are not good for improving his abilities.

This is fundamentally the same as why people with talents that lean towards the light side always have more positive and optimistic personalities.

The black-haired boy's voice was so calm, as calm as a plate of ice water, instantly covering up his emotions.

"...Okay, Caesar." Xia Zuo was still unhappy: "He wanted to kill you! If you hadn't reacted quickly, you would have been dead!"

...And, if he hadn't subconsciously wanted to find where César was, Cheetah wouldn't have followed his gaze to find him.

Thinking of this, he became even more depressed.

The black-haired boy blinked his eyes: "Okay, don't worry. Even if you die, I won't die."

Xia Zuo: "...?"

Why does this sound a little strange?

"Besides..." Cesar walked towards the quiet shade of the trees, stretching out his voice and speaking softly as he walked: "From the beginning to the end, did you feel that Ursula was panicking?"

Xia Zuo was stunned for a moment.

Yes.

Compared to himself, Ursula, César's irrational and staunch supporter, hadn't said a word from the beginning until now, except for telling him that César was present.

Ursula said expressionlessly, "How could such a brainless fool possibly hurt Caesar?"

She said quietly, "Besides, I just left him with a breath under your hands."

Xia Zuo's eyes widened: "Why? Caesar said he could kill him?"

Could it be that today's Ursula was replaced by someone?

"Another name for death is rest."

The little girl's voice became colder and colder. Xia Zuo, who was with her at the moment, even felt that black air was coming out from beside him.

She said sinisterly, "He doesn't even deserve the right to rest in peace. I will break his bones, sever his meridians, and tear his muscles apart..."

Xia Zuo listened to Ursula's increasingly restrictive mumbling: "..."

Suddenly I felt that I had been too lenient.

Xizel narrowed his eyes and said gently, "Well, remember to protect yourself when you play."

Xia Zuo hesitated to speak: "..."

Although you are very gentle, is it really feasible to teach children in this way?

However, he was only hesitant for a moment, and soon recovered to his previous state with his strong self-healing ability. He asked excitedly: "Xize, how did you manage to avoid him? It's amazing!"

Xizel: "Because my dodge points are maxed out."

Xia Zuo's eyes widened: "Ah?"

The black-haired boy blinked and smiled a little: "Yeah, just kidding."

"I've been observing him ever since he confronted you," the black-haired boy said casually, "observing his habitual movements, his attack methods, and his speed range."

"Then from the moment you look at me, start calculating and start dodging."

"It's not that my speed and reaction are fast enough, but I had roughly guessed how he would act before he made a move."

Although he didn't quite understand how terrifying this concept was, Xia Zuo's eyes lit up: "Wow, that's amazing!"

"If it were me, I would have to rely on intuition and instinct." Xia Zuo scratched his head. "It always feels like you, Caesar, can always remain absolutely calm. I just can't do that."

"That's a good thing." Xizel said with a smile, "After all, if you can't get your emotions under control, how can you explode?"

Xia Zuo, who didn't quite understand, said: "...Xize, please, can you explain it a little bit?"

Xizel raised his eyebrows slightly: "Don't you feel that your physical fitness has improved? For example, you can fight better than before?"

"It seems... yes?" Xia Zuo said in shock. "At the time, I thought it was just an illusion caused by being too anxious, or that the cheetah's combat effectiveness had dropped due to a lack of concentration."

Xizel: "..."

never mind.

It's not the first day I've known that there's always something wrong with this guy's brain.

Cesar maintained a calm smile.

He turned to ask Ursula: "You followed Xia Zuo, did you hear anything?"

"Yes," Ursula said in a calm tone, "All prisoners showed malice when they saw Xia Zuo, but the malice of a few was particularly strong, mixed with murderous intent."

"Do they still have Cheetah or McCann in their hearts?" César chuckled.

"Yeah. They're thinking about how to get rid of Xia Zuo for McKen. Others want to use Cheetah to test Xia Zuo's strength."

Ursula: "After today, the topic of Xia Zuo's combat power being higher than Cheetah and even about to kill Cheetah will become a new hot topic."

In comparison, the little episode where César dodged the cheetah's attack seemed like a matter of luck and was not worth mentioning at all.

"Then I'm afraid you'll be able to see Macon tonight."

Xizel smiled gently and said, "Don't be afraid. If he wants to attack you, just let Ursula hang him on the roof with her tentacles."

Ursula: "Fun ovo."

Xia Zuo: "..."

Although it was very touching, it seemed to have a different kind of cruelty.

"If you don't do this, it will be difficult for you to beat him." Xizel shook his head, his eyes calm: "McKen's ability is not in the same league as Cheetah."

The reason why Cheetah can have such a status is, firstly, that he is a veteran and physically strong, and secondly, that he has talents that can directly affect his own body.

But compared with Xia Zuo or McKen, this kind of talent is not good enough in terms of rarity and development.

"McKen, a B-rank, second-order talent holder, whose talent is 'Still Life Manipulation'."

In the information Gary gave him, McCann's talent was clearly recorded.

"He can use the touch of his hands to cause any static object he touches to stretch and deform, allowing him to attack or defend at will. The range is a radius of twenty meters centered on him."

"The ability will only expire when his hands are separated from the object or when he reaches his limit."

Even clothing can unexpectedly become his weapon.

But it's just cloth after all, so its lethality is weaker, and it's not something McKen is good at using.

The black-haired boy said calmly:

"The safest way to deal with him is to prevent him from getting access to anything before he makes a move."

Since Mikan can touch still objects and use them as weapons, all Ursula has to do is wrap him in a cocoon. It's simple and effective.