Chapter 153
The hard work during this long, cold winter has finally borne fruit.
Josie clearly felt the invisible barrier within her body being breached by the surging energy.
Her shapeshifting ability has successfully advanced to level three!
It has more acute perception, faster deformation speed, longer maintenance time, and can even simulate more subtle changes.
After realizing this, Shen Han became even more insatiable in clinging to her in bed.
But after the upgrade, Qiao Xi became much more difficult to deal with. Several nights, Chen Han kept pestering her, and in the end, she packed up her things and kicked him out...
Just before the stronghold was in the midst of its intensive preparations for relocation, several uninvited guests appeared, travel-worn, outside the stronghold's security perimeter.
It is Xu Linchuan, Zhou Ye, and Gu Yuan.
The three of them looked travel-worn and had lost their usual elegance and purity, but Su Qianqian was nowhere to be seen.
Gu Yuan couldn't bear it and couldn't help but say to Xu Linchuan, "Brother Chuan, are you really going to throw her away? What if she dies..."
Xu Linchuan's face was terribly gloomy, his eyes bloodshot, and his voice hoarse yet filled with a deep-seated hatred: "Throw her away? I didn't kill her with my own hands, that's only because we grew up together! If it weren't for her sowing discord, how could Xixi have..."
He clenched his fists tightly, unable to continue speaking, tormented only by endless regret and pain.
"What if Josie is still alive?" Zhou Ye wanted to say something more.
"No matter what, Su Qianqian deserves to die!" Xu Linchuan interrupted rudely. "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have lost Xixi."
Before they could finish speaking, two familiar figures suddenly came into view around the corner ahead!
Shen Han was pinning Qiao Xi against the mottled wall, one arm around her slender waist and the other cupping her cheek, passionately kissing her.
Instead of resisting, Qiao Xi tilted her head back slightly, wrapped her arms naturally around Shen Han's neck, and even responded somewhat awkwardly.
She ignored him for almost a week, but when Shen Han came back to her, she softened a little.
The winter sun slanted down on them, outlining their intimate silhouettes; the handsome man and beautiful woman created a picturesque scene.
Xu Linchuan's steps froze instantly.
He felt as if he had been struck by an invisible thunderbolt, his mind went completely blank!
He rubbed his eyes hard, then opened them again.
It's not a hallucination! It really is his XiXi!
His girlfriend, whom he cherished and had been searching for so long, was now being held tightly in the arms of another man and kissed passionately!
"Let her go!"
A heart-wrenching roar, filled with pain, anger, and disbelief, like the howl of a wounded beast, suddenly exploded out.
Xu Linchuan rushed over like a madman, his eyes bloodshot, his supernatural abilities going berserk instantly. A giant fist of fire, condensing all his anger and despair, slammed into Shen Han's back without reservation and with ferocity.
Shen Han reacted extremely quickly!
The instant the flames engulfed him, he grabbed Josie's waist and spun around sharply, shielding her behind him.
At the same time, a thick, viscous dark energy, seemingly capable of devouring light, surged out of his body like a living thing!
The black mist instantly wrapped around Xu Linchuan's hands, feet, and neck, forcefully choking his forward momentum.
The raging fiery fist vanished silently into the black mist, like a candle being extinguished.
Xu Linchuan felt a cold, slippery, and intensely corrosive force tightly binding all his joints and disrupting his supernatural abilities, rendering him unable to move and even making it difficult to breathe.
He struggled desperately, making a "hoarse" sound in his throat. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Qiao Xi, who was being protected behind Shen Han. He stretched out his arm towards her with difficulty, his eyes filled with pain, pleading, and resentful questioning.
Qiao Xi peeked out from behind Shen Han, her face showing no panic, but rather an almost cruel calm, and even... a hint of indifference as if she were watching a good show.
She watched Xu Linchuan struggle futilely like a moth trapped in a spider web, her eyes cold, without uttering a word.
Zhou Ye and Gu Yuan were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
As they watched Xu Linchuan struggle in pain, and then looked at Qiao Xi's indifferent expression, a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts.
"Xi Xi!" Zhou Ye shouted urgently, "After you disappeared, Lin Chuan searched for you like a madman. He really cares about you, you must make him release Lin Chuan."
“Yes, Xixi. Linchuan chased Su Qianqian away, and he’s been regretting not catching you sooner!” Gu Yuan quickly chimed in.
Upon hearing this, Josie's lips curled into a faint, cold smile, devoid of any warmth, only filled with deep sarcasm: "Care? Regret?"
Her voice was clear and crisp, yet sharp as an ice pick, “He’s not crazy yet, is he? He looks quite energetic.”
Upon hearing these words, Xu Linchuan's body stiffened abruptly, his struggling movements halting for a moment. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes was utterly crushed by unbelievable pain and despair.
He stared intently at Josie, as if he were seeing her for the first time.
Qiao Xi knew all too well what Xu Linchuan was thinking at that moment.
From his perspective, they were still deeply in love when she disappeared without warning. He must have been tormented day and night, repeatedly reliving every moment they spent together, believing that he had never done anything to wrong her, and attributing her disappearance to an accident or Su Qianqian's provocation.
He came back filled with regret and anticipation, only to find her in the arms of another man, and even so cold to him.
But who knows that she once had deep feelings for Xu Linchuan, which were gradually worn down by the despair and pain she felt when surrounded by zombies?
Who understands her?
Seeing that Qiao Xi remained unmoved, and that Xu Linchuan's face was turning purple from suffocation, Zhou Ye and Gu Yuan exchanged a glance, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in their eyes.
"Attack! Save Linchuan!"
Zhou Ye let out a low roar, his figure instantly transforming into a blurry shadow as he attempted to bypass Shen Han and pounce on Qiao Xi.
His "shadow travel" ability is much less effective in the shadows during the day, making his figure appear somewhat sluggish.
Gu Yuan roared, his muscles bulged instantly, and his skin turned a rock-like grayish-white. Like a human tank, he swung his huge fist, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slammed it hard into Shen Han's back!
Shen Han was attacked from all sides, simultaneously controlling the shadow that bound Xu Linchuan and dealing with the siege of two third-tier ability users, which greatly increased the pressure on him.
His eyes narrowed, and he had to divert his attention to control part of the black mist to form a barrier to block Gu Yuan's giant fist, while at the same time dodging Zhou Ye's dagger that stabbed out from the shadows.
As soon as the binding force loosened, Xu Linchuan seized the opportunity, let out a roar, and forcibly broke free of some of the restraints.
His eyes burned with madness and pain as he rushed toward Josie without regard for anything else.
Upon noticing this, Shen Han immediately repelled the other two and turned to approach Qiao Xi.
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