Chapter 22: Conflict

Amidst the ruins, Han Ning struggled to push aside the debris pinning him down. A sharp, searing pain radiated from his left arm, causing his vision to blacken.

Gritting his teeth, he used his functioning right hand to cast [Rejuvenation]. A faint green glow enveloped the wound, which was deep enough to expose bone, barely managing to staunch the bleeding.

"Thank goodness... for the Tree Skin protection; otherwise, that monster would have severed my entire arm."

Han Ning recalled the terrifying power of the giant lizard; it was simply not something he could withstand in his current state. With the protection of Tree Skin and the blood-clotting effect of Rejuvenation, he had only sustained minor external injuries and remained capable of fighting.

However, Han Ning did not strike immediately.

Leaning against a cold shelf, he gasped for breath, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. Chen Yan and Lu Minghu were dodging clumsily under the giant lizard's onslaught. Liu Feng and Zhou Wan stood slightly further back, desperately trying to help the two in front maneuver. It looked like a heated battle, but in reality, the four of them were merely scurrying like rats, with no room to counterattack.

This monster... they could not defeat it!

"We can't win, we absolutely can't win! I'll cover you—Minghu, take Han Ning and retreat quickly!"

Liu Feng, in the thick of the fray, realized the situation. Watching the blood-soaked Chen Yan, he promptly used his ability to shift a large wooden board, temporarily blocking the giant lizard’s line of sight.

The two in the front seized the opportunity and, under Liu Feng's cover, pulled back from the front line. As they passed Han Ning, Chen Yan didn't even look back, bolting toward the mall exit. Lu Minghu hesitated for a second, then gritted his teeth and dragged the heavily injured Han Ning out of the rubble.

Liu Feng repeatedly used his telekinesis, tossing various obstacles in their path to block the pursuit. Meanwhile, Zhou Wan fired arrows to harass the giant lizard’s eyes. The five of them fought and retreated simultaneously; thanks to the monster’s relatively slow speed, they managed to escape the abandoned mall in a sorry state.

Fearing the giant lizard might charge at them, they did not linger, wading through the floodwater and swimming as fast as they could toward their residential complex.

...

Back at their relatively safe apartment stronghold, the atmosphere dropped to freezing. Han Ning let Zhou Wan bandage his wounds, his eyes fixed coldly on Chen Yan as he spoke.

"There was absolutely nothing under your feet. Why did you fall at such a critical moment?"

The monster’s target hadn't been Chen Yan at all, and since Chen Yan had been on the side of the creature, he hadn't taken any action whatsoever. His primary duty was to use his sturdy physique to help his teammates draw fire.

Chen Yan couldn't bring himself to meet Han Ning’s gaze. Breathing heavily, he defended himself, "That monster is too fierce! I... I was stunned by fear and didn't have time to help you..."

"Didn't have time? I suspect you never had any intention of helping at all."

"What do you mean by that?!" Chen Yan jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. "Didn't we end up saving you in the end?!"

"Saving me?"

Han Ning’s tone became unnervingly calm. "Are you the one who saved me, you piece of trash? Didn't you tuck your tail and run away first, just like a dog?"

Hearing Han Ning’s blunt insult, Chen Yan’s face turned gloomy. "Don't you dare frame me! Who could have reacted in that situation? Do you think you’re the only one pulling your weight? When I was standing at the front..."

"I'm framing you? Say that again, I dare you."

Han Ning narrowed his eyes. Before Chen Yan could finish, a thick, dark green vine shot out from his hand with explosive speed.

"Watch out!"

The other four present saw this and their expressions shifted drastically. Liu Feng’s eyes flashed with fluorescence as he reached toward the vine; Lu Minghu leaped up to strike at it; Zhou Wan stood to the side, watching coldly.

Chen Yan finally showed a hint of panic, hurriedly dodging to the side. Under the interference of Liu Feng and Lu Minghu, the vine’s trajectory shifted slightly, but it still struck Chen Yan with undiminished force.

*Thwack!*

The tip of the dark green vine pierced directly into Chen Yan’s left shoulder. Drops of blood splattered from the vine’s thorns. Chen Yan twisted his face in pain, grabbing the vine and struggling with all his might to rip it out. Meanwhile, the other three blocked Han Ning, preventing him from attacking again.

"That's enough, Han Ning. For my sake, spare his life." Liu Feng looked straight into Han Ning’s eyes, a hint of pleading in his gaze.

Han Ning let out a cold snort and dissipated the vine. After two seconds of silence, Liu Feng continued, "Old Chen, apologize to Han Ning. It was indeed your fault earlier."

"Who the hell is he? If we hadn't transmigrated here, I could have just called a few brothers to beat this guy to death," Chen Yan said, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He looked at the request as if it were a joke, his gloomy face filled with defiance. "I’ll say it straight: from now on, it’s either him or me. Feng-ge, make your choice!"

"You!" Liu Feng’s expression contorted. He looked at Han Ning, then at Chen Yan, about to speak, when Han Ning suddenly cut in:

"Don't bother choosing. I’m quitting the team."

"We are not of the same mind; there is no point in working together. Leveling up? Heh... you guys can do it yourselves."

He saw the hesitation in Liu Feng. Chen Yan was clearly the one pulling dirty tricks, yet Liu Feng was actually hesitating.

He didn't look back as he turned and left. Liu Feng did not stop him, watching as Han Ning departed. Only when Han Ning’s figure had completely disappeared from the room did Liu Feng frown and say, "Han Ning is just hot-headed right now. I’ll go find him later and apologize personally."

"His strength is immense. Without him, our team's hunting efficiency will take a major hit."

Chen Yan sneered, "Why bother chasing after him? Sure, our efficiency dropped, but without him, we can keep more of the energy for ourselves."

"Besides, our strength has improved quite a bit these past few days. Hunting some smaller alligator lizards shouldn't be a problem."

...

The cold security door locked behind him with a *click*, completely muffling the faint sounds of arguing and the heavy rain echoing in the corridor.

Inside room 803, only the monotonous sound of raindrops hitting the glass remained, along with the "rustle" of scales scraping against the floor as Xuebing crawled about.

"Hiss?"

Xuebing seemed to sense its master's gloomy mood. It crept to Han Ning’s feet and gently nudged his calf with its cold head.

Han Ning walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"Liu Feng and Chen Yan clearly knew each other before the transmigration. With that idiot Chen Yan’s personality, staying with them would only lead to trouble sooner or later."

"Chen Yan..."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling anger. If not for the Tree Skin, he would have been dead or at least critically injured.

This wasn't over!

If the other two hadn't intervened, and out of respect for Liu Feng, he would have killed Chen Yan on the spot. But he wasn't confident in taking on four awakened ones at once.

Anger couldn't solve the problem. Han Ning gradually calmed down.

Without the team, he would have to hunt alone. The efficiency would certainly not be as high as before, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

He still had Xuebing.

Han Ning’s gaze fell on the little creature at his feet. After days of frantic feeding and energy nourishment, Xuebing’s body had grown to nearly a meter in length, and its gray-white scales had become increasingly thick and hard. Most importantly, through the soul contract, Xuebing was absolutely loyal to him.

"Without them, I can still survive on my own. And... who’s to say it won't be even better?"