Chapter 61: Battle
Chapter 61: Battle
“No way out?!”
This was a relatively narrow space. Not far off, behind the factory building, stood a four-story brick-and-concrete structure, probably the factory’s original office. Its doors and windows were sealed shut. Under the Fire Escape Staircase of its steel framework, several broken crates were piled up.
The exit on the left was blocked by a massive shipping container. This place was a complete dead end.
“So… who exactly are you? And why are you tracking me?”
A calm voice sounded behind the stalker. As the mysterious stalker turned his head, he froze, finding Fang Jing standing right behind him.
“Tch! Found me already?”
“Your stalking skills are terrible. Try paying a little more attention.”
Fang Jing pulled a metal pipe from somewhere. He weighed it in his hand, finding the heft suitable.
“Alright. Let’s have a proper talk.”
“…Haha!”
Seeing his exposure complete, the stalker made no effort to hide it. He took off his hat.
“It’s you… Fujiwara.”
Fang Jing hadn’t originally suspected Fujiwara. He’d heard Fujiwara had gone missing. He just hadn’t expected this man to turn up after him.
“By the way… What happened to your face?”
He looked at Fujiwara’s face with curiosity. The right half was completely rotted away, only the left side preserved its original appearance.
“Heh heh heh… I finally waited for this day.”
Fujiwara’s eyes were cloudy, seeming slightly unhinged. His gaze locked fiercely onto Fang Jing, making Fang Jing unsure what Fujiwara really wanted.
“Whatever… Doesn’t matter what he wants. None of my business.”
Fang Jing flexed his wrist, intending to teach this guy a lesson. He suspected that Tsutsuga, that thug, might have sent someone after him, and Fujiwara likely had a connection.
Getting provoked repeatedly like this was pushing his limits of patience.
“Hah… haha…”
A dark red light flashed in Fujiwara’s eyes. With a grotesque motion, he twisted his neck. Bones cracked loudly inside him. The next instant, his body lurched forward.
Swoosh!
Like a fierce gust of wind, Fujiwara’s body sprang off the ground. Even Fang Jing’s vision blurred. Fujiwara moved with unnatural speed, appearing directly before him, launching a simple hook punch.
“So fast!”
He blinked in slight surprise, but quickly regained his composure, a cold smile curling his lips. Suddenly, he flicked his wrist. The pipe swung like a Wooden Sword, striking down in an overhead slash.
Crack!
The wind-like strike landed squarely on his opponent’s shoulder.
“But your movements are too wide. Even an idiot could see that attack coming.”
Fujiwara felt his shoulder go numb, as if his whole shoulder blade had been split open by the blow. Next, Fang Jing stepped forward, twisting the pipe backhand. It traced a beautiful arc, the end precisely smashing into his knee.
Agony wrung a sharp “Ah!” from Fujiwara. With a loud Thump!, his knees hit the ground hard. The force of the blow sent him crashing down onto them.
“No… Impossible.”
“I can’t lose to trash like this. Not in studies, not in sports, not even in a fight… I won’t lose to garbage like him.”
“I’ll tear him apart, shred him, eat his flesh…”
Perhaps at the very beginning, even Fujiwara hadn’t realized the small envy he held for Nishizuka Tsukasa. Otherwise, it was merely resentment towards his top-student, know-it-all attitude – a mild jealousy common among normal people. But now, this ember of envy ignited something deep inside him. His pupils turned pitch black, only a flicker of eerie red light visible within.
He crouched low, knees bending. His limbs splayed out like a beast supporting its torso. A primitive, savage aura began radiating from his body. Fang Jing detected the seeds of danger immediately. He noticed Fujiwara arching his back, much like a cat. His mouth stretched unnaturally wide, splitting nearly to his ears. Rows of sharp, dense teeth glinted within.
This bizarre transformation put Fang Jing on high alert. Just then, Fujiwara shot forward. His massive, savage jaws gaped wide, aiming to bite Fang Jing’s neck. Luckily, Fang Jing held the metal pipe. He simply raised it to block the snapping jaws.
Crunch! Fujiwara’s teeth clamped down on the pipe. Powerful jaw muscles and sharp teeth worked together, snapping the pipe clean in two.
Thump!
Unruffled, Fang Jing raised one knee sharply, jamming it into Fujiwara’s stomach. At the same moment, he leaped backwards several steps.
“He bit through it?!”
This was metal, after all. Even if it looked cheap and rusty, it was still iron. That bite force was terrifying.
(Fujiwara… What exactly happened to you? What twisted you into… this?)
He looked down at Fujiwara. The man crawled on all fours, low to the ground, easing sideways – his form subtly morphing. The fingers on his hands lengthened and sharpened into beast-like claws. His spine emitted continuous crack-crack sounds.
…Yes, his limbs and spine were twisting, mutating into some warped, sinister creature. Fang Jing realized it suddenly. At some unknown moment, Fujiwara’s eyes glaring back at him glowed with a feral red light.
It wasn’t a look of hatred or loathing. Only naked animal hunger remained, a predatory gaze sizing him up as prey. A rough, burning tongue slid out from Fujiwara’s gaping maw, licking up and down hungrily. Like a beast catching the scent of blood, his stare grew ravenous, positively drooling over Fang Jing as a delicious piece of meat.
They faced each other, barely tens of meters apart. Fujiwara grew stranger and more alien by the moment. A foul stench clung to him.
The rank, raw smell of a wild animal in the woods. Grunts, gurgles…
A deep rumble came from his throat, choked and strangling, releasing odd, guttural noises.
“Truly a surprise!”
Fang Jing’s expression turned serious briefly. He glanced at the broken pipe in his hand. Then, his face completely shifted. The next instant, his lips, even his eyes, curled upwards in a smile.
Thud. He casually tossed aside the two useless pieces of broken pipe.
“Than weapons like pipes… or Wooden Swords… I prefer fighting barehanded.”
Ferocious fighting spirit surged like internal pressure within him. This energy boiled over, spilling outwards just as he sprang into motion.
With a low chuckle, fists clenched but empty, he strode fearlessly towards Fujiwara.
Hissss!
A rasping sound escaped Fujiwara’s throat. Then he shot forward, a black lightning bolt pouncing in for the kill.
He’s coming!
“HAAH!”
Fang Jing exhaled sharply. With eyes blazing like flames, he tracked the oncoming strike.
You’re fast?
I’m faster!
The sense of danger, like flames licking his skin, sharpened his every nerve. In that split second, his fist tore through the air. The space ahead seemed to splinter apart before it, releasing a faint pop.