Chapter 23: Isn't it perfectly normal for a Qi Refiner to use spells?

Once the team member named Cole had departed, the top floor fell into an immediate, heavy silence.

Danika signaled with a gesture, and the remaining three operatives began to retreat slowly. Reality was not a horror film; with the situation currently unclear, the Public Security Bureau agents would never blindly push forward.

Unfortunately, the commotion the group had made upon reaching the floor had already drawn the attention of an unknown creature.

*Click, click—!*

The sound of rapid, scuttling movement suddenly echoed through the deep corridor. In everyone’s optical scanners, a massive, deep-red silhouette suddenly appeared, large enough to nearly fill the entire height of the hallway.

Seeing this, Li Ang’s expression tightened, and he immediately entered the state of "Inverse Life."

The Public Security Bureau agents beside him did not hesitate for a second, drawing their weapons and opening fire.

*Bang, bang, bang—!*

Sparks flew blindingly in the corridor, yet the insect remained completely unharmed. It was then that Li Ang noticed a pair of cold, rigid elytra on the creature's back; they were the very things deflecting the bullets.

There was no time to ponder why Public Security Bureau agents were still using primitive kinetic weapons in the interstellar age. Li Ang took a large stride and charged toward the creature.

However, another figure was faster than him.

The high heels on Danika’s feet did not hinder her speed in the slightest. With a rhythmic *click-clack* of her footsteps, she reached the front of the unknown creature in just two strides.

"Screee!"

The creature opened its hideous mandibles and let out a piercing shriek. The next moment, its sickle-like limbs flashed with a chilling light as they slashed toward Danika.

The tall woman dodged the attack—which would have surely bisected an ordinary person—with a graceful side-step, immediately following up with a side-kick that sent the massive creature stumbling to the side.

Even though the attack had landed, there was no sign of satisfaction on Danika’s face. She furrowed her brows slightly and muttered, "The defensive capabilities of this new breed are this high?"

One had to understand that, usually, the insects she faced would meet only one fate against such a strike: death.

Just as Danika was feeling perplexed, the creature regained its footing and lunged at her with its massive body. At that moment, a pale, slender palm slammed directly onto the creature’s head, forcing it to tilt backward.

It was Li Ang.

He exhaled softly, then stepped forward to deliver another punch.

*Thud—!*

A dull impact blended with a sharp, ear-piercing screech, and the creature was sent flying backward for several meters, out of control.

Seeing this, Danika did not choose to pursue. She stood where she was and said, "Your strength is not bad. Assist me in collecting more combat data from now on."

She had tentatively acknowledged Li Ang’s combat prowess. Although his ability currently appeared to be nothing more than basic physical enhancement, the numerical values were quite impressive.

What Danika did not know, however, was that Li Ang’s physical power was not solely due to the "Threefold Inverse Life." With the bonuses from multiple professions, his physical strength attribute had now reached 2.5. While not an exponential growth, it was already far beyond that of an ordinary person.

"Understood."

Facing Danika’s request, Li Ang nodded slightly in agreement. As a prisoner temporarily conscripted, he naturally followed whatever his employer commanded.

Receiving his response, Danika loosened her tie and instantly crossed the distance, rushing toward the creature. Her long right leg lashed out toward the insect with the sound of whistling wind.

Faced with such a powerful, heavy strike, even a creature without intelligence would not choose to take it head-on. As it flapped its elytra, its massive body flew backward.

But it overlooked one thing: the narrow corridor did not allow for such maneuvers.

Before it could fully escape Danika’s attack, a pale-skinned figure appeared, slamming a fist into its exposed underbelly.

Flicking the blood from his hand, Li Ang said calmly to Danika, "The defense on its abdomen is quite poor, but..."

"Its blood seems to be slightly corrosive."

Feeling a faint burning sensation on his right hand, he could not help but frown slightly.

"I see," Danika curled the corner of her lips. "Thank you for your cooperation."

With that, she darted out like a gust of wind, her long legs launching a torrential storm of attacks against the insect. It was only then that Li Ang noticed Danika was wearing black silk stockings under her pants, paired with red-bottomed black high heels...

*Quite a contrast.* A somewhat mischievous thought flashed through his mind.

Elsewhere, Danika was far less relaxed internally than she appeared on the surface. The strength of this new, special breed had exceeded her expectations. Even though she could handle two or three more of them with ease, one must remember that the Zerg’s greatest trait was their numbers.

Even if special breeds were rare, that was only relative to the total size of the swarm.

*No wonder the defense system was breached. The question is, where did they get the template for these insects?*

The birth of a new insect breed could not possibly happen out of thin air; they weren't those Greenskins with the power of "Ork Logic."

She pondered the issue, not realizing that she and the insect had reached the end of the corridor. Li Ang, following behind her, noticed something wrong—he caught a faint, lingering scent of sulfur amidst the smell of blood.

Immediately afterward, he saw a red glow emanating from a dormitory room beside the tall woman.

"Watch out on the left!"

Hearing his voice, Danika instinctively looked to her left, only to see a red glow suddenly ignite within the pitch-black, open-doored dormitory.

*There’s another new breed!?*

She immediately tried to shake off the giant insect in front of her, whose presence had already diminished, to retreat. But how could the creature watch its prey escape the trap it had long been planning?

The massive insect flapped its elytra frantically, lunging at Danika as if crazed, its sharp limbs flashing with chilling light under the red glow.

The next moment, the temperature in the narrow corridor climbed sharply, and a glob of crimson, viscous liquid flew out from the dormitory toward Danika.

Seeing this, the three team members cried out, "Captain!?"

As she was about to be hit, Danika’s expression remained unchanged, a flash of scarlet light flickering in her pupils.

However, before she could use her trump card, a thick wall made of cement stood between her and the crimson liquid.

"Gen-style: Earth Wall."

It was Li Ang. He could no longer hide his "Qimen Dunjia" at a time like this; after all, the benefit of saving Danika far outweighed the need for concealment.

The moment he realized something was wrong, he had already moved to the "Gen" position relative to the massive creature. Fortunately, the buildings in this technical talent relocation zone still used reinforced concrete similar to what he had known before his transmigration; otherwise, his "Gen-style" technique might not have been executable.

*Hiss—!*

Amidst the fine sound of sizzling, the cement wall was instantly corroded away by more than half.