Chapter 102: The Alpha Ape
The ground shook as they thundered forward, each step like a drumbeat of doom. Their claws gleamed, their snarls splitting the air.
The first one leapt, its massive frame blotting out the sky, fangs bared to attack and rip off their heads—
Ling Yu moved.
Her dagger flashed in a clean arc, embedding into the ape’s exposed throat. Blood fountained, hot and thick, spraying across her pale skin. The beast crashed to the ground, thrashing.
Before it stilled, she was already moving again, blade carving another.
Behind her, Xian Yu gasped, his healing threads flaring desperately as her skin split, her muscles tore, then mended instantly beneath his frantic light.
"Faster," she murmured, her tone calm even as claws raked across her arm. "Don’t hesitate. If I fall, we all fall."
Her words snapped him into focus. His eyes widened, then narrowed, his healing surging sharper, steadier.
Don’t think. Just heal. Heal her, and she’ll handle the rest.
Chaos erupted.
The scavengers screamed, weapons clanging uselessly against thick hides. Two were grabbed, crushed beneath massive fists before they could even swing. Blood sprayed, bones cracked.
"Hold the line!" Shen Ming shouted, his voice almost breaking. His sword, gleaming with the sponsor’s blessing, slashed at an ape’s arm, but the blade skittered off iron-like skin, leaving only a shallow wound.
The beast roared, swiping back, sending Shen Ming staggering.
His sponsor’s voice thundered in his ear, but still, his movements faltered, his perfect composure cracking.
On the other hand, Ling Yu was different.
She was like a merciless efficiency incarnate. Each movement was precise, a predator among beasts. Her dagger sliced the monster’s tendons, pierced their throats, and gouged their eyes out. She didn’t waste a single strike.
When one claw tore into her back, she didn’t flinch, only surged forward harder, letting Xian Yu’s frantic healing stitch the wound as she gutted the ape before her.
Blood slicked her arms and dripped from her chin. Her smile was cold, and the pair of ink black eyes gleamed with dark joy.
The divine chat exploded.
[Unknown Cosmic Deity shouts in excitement.]
[YES! Rip them apart! This is the Ling Yu I chose!]
[Unknown Cosmic Deity has sponsored the Streamer with 500 coins.]
[Ares’ eyes are gleaming with joy.]
["Hahaha! Beautiful slaughter! Your fists drip with glory!"]
[Asclepius reluctantly nods at the Streamer.]
["At least the boy is learning. His healing is improving under pressure."]
[Fluffy squealed: "Master is amazing! Kill the stinky monkeys!"]
Xian Yu’s body shook with effort. Sweat poured down his pale face, his hands trembling from the constant outpouring of power.
But he didn’t stop.
Every time her skin split, he healed it. Every time her blood flowed, he replenished.
And slowly, something shifted in his chest.
The whispers of mockery from his old life, the laughter, the sneers at his beauty, at this moment, they all faded in the background.
Now, here, Ling Yu trusted him and depended on him. And so he would not fail.
But there was a problem.
If he were to run out of the mana residing in his body, he wouldn’t be able to heal her anymore.
If they want to reserve his power, then Ling Yu needs to finish the fight a bit faster.
By the time the apes began to falter, seven of them lay broken at Ling Yu’s feet, their blood soaking the ground. The remaining howled, circling warily, rage and fear warring in their yellow eyes.
Shen Ming’s sword dripped shallow blood, his face pale with strain. His men were battered, three dead, two more badly injured.
But Ling Yu stood tall, blood-slick and smiling, her aura a storm of ruthless dominance.
And beside her, Xian Yu swayed, but his glow never faltered.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
The tertiary apes lay scattered, their corpses twitching in spasms of dying rage. Yet Ling Yu’s gaze stayed sharp, scanning the battlefield even as her blade dripped with dark blood.
It wasn’t over.
A thunderous roar split the air, loud enough to rattle bones. The remaining shelves and broken walls of the ruined supermarket toppled like children’s toys as a hulking figure burst through them.
The Alpha Ape.
It was massive, easily five meters tall, muscles knotted like tree trunks, fur darker than night, streaked with glowing crimson veins. Its eyes gleamed with intelligence, unlike the mindless thrashing of its lesser kin. And when it opened its maw, jagged fangs gleamed like swords.
The survivors froze. Several stumbled back, dropping their weapons entirely. Even Shen Ming’s confident mask faltered a bit.
But Ling Yu’s eyes lit with predatory fire.
[System Alert: Boss Encounter Detected.
Monster Classification: Alpha Ape (Tertiary Elite).
Estimated Danger: Lethal.
Recommended Party Size: 3 elite combatants minimum.
Loot Potential: High.]
Fluffy’s fur bristled, its body puffed up like a snowball. It had an expression that looked like it was saying that, although it was afraid, if the monster dared to touch Ling Yu, it would bite the ape’s butt and fight to the death. But Ling Yu patted its head as she said, "It’s alright. This monster won’t be able to do anything to me."
Looks like it was about time she used the thing that she bought before coming here. Ling Yu took Fluffy down from her shoulder as she opened the chain of her bag, saying it with a calm expression, "Get inside. I can’t protect you and fight at the same time."
Even though her space wasn’t suitable for living beings, there were high-grade products in the system shop that could be used to carry living things. And the backpack she had bought, just in case, was one of those.
"Rather, you should be a good boy and go inside. I’ll take you out as soon as the fight ends."
The divine sponsor chuckled.
[Hehehe... now this is a test worthy of you. Show me, little Queen. Will you burn your pawn to protect him, or will you crush this beast with your own hands?]