Absolute Choice

At dusk, the sky above Steel City was dyed red. A youth was jumping and running around side ways, across the criss-crossing steel roads. His motion looked like a funny crab, and at times when he rubbed shoulders with passers-by, they would give a teasing smile, while others were rendered speechless.

The youth’s lateral jumps and movement speed were very fast. His running speed was considerably faster than normal people running at full speed. Every time he leaped, a white mist would appear beneath his feet. The frequency at which he jumped was not fast, and every distance he traversed with a leap was not too far, but for some reason, every time he leaped, it gave people a feeling that the road beneath him had shortened. Just as you thought he was pretending to walk like a crab to tease a laugh from passers-by, the youth would suddenly disappear from your vision.

The youth jumped laterally for an unknown period of time before he finally stopped at an intersection. He cocked his head and vexed for a moment. He walked to an intersection and stood there, as though he was waiting for something or someone.

“This King’s Crab Steps is destined to be an existence to stun the world!”

The youth was naturally Shi Xiaobai. At this moment, he had stopped at an intersection and beamed while looking up at the sky.

When Shi Xiaobai earned 100,000 cash from the [Annihilation] rookies, the fiery voice sounded in his mind. “Congratulations on earning D-level reward: ‘Grasped Basics’ D Class flash motion movement technique, [Crab Steps].”

The moment the fiery voice was done, Shi Xiaobai felt a headache. It was as though many things were squeezed into his brain. By the time the pain disappeared, Shi Xiaobai was surprised to realize that he had grasped the Crab Steps the voice mentioned.

Not long after Hisith’s game ended, the rookies dispersed. Shi Xiaobai had spoken to Lingcun and Ye Jiaquan, and also probed them for information regarding Crab Steps.

According to Lingcun, any offensive skill, defensive skill or movement technique that exceeded F Class was extremely difficult to grasp. It required a long period of study and practice in order to reach the “Grasped Basics” realm. Furthermore, movement techniques were divided into “motion”, “evasion”, as well as a combination of the two, “flash motion”. Crab Steps was a D Class flash motion movement technique, but it looked somewhat funny, so few people cultivated it.

Shi Xiaobai was slightly depressed, but he reluctantly accepted the reward Crab Steps. However, on the way back, Shi Xiaobai could not resist trying out Crab Steps. When he began, he found that he could not stop!

“King of Crabs, a step to traverse a thousand miles. Two steps to cross the heavens. Three steps to transcend life and death! Wahaha!”

Shi Xiaobai let out a boisterous laugh, giving a girl, who walked past, a fright. She thought he was mad and, while holding up her skirt, she quickly ran off with fluttering footsteps.

Shi Xiaobai noticed this and refused to give up on this passer-by he had waited so long for. He began using Crab Steps and laterally jumped in a humorous manner and appeared in front of the girl.

Although his actions looked ridiculous, his speed was redoubtable.

…

…

By the time Shi Xiaobai returned to Riko’s apartment, it was already dark.

The lights were not switched on, proving that Riko had yet to return. Shi Xiaobai twitched his mouth and felt somewhat unhappy.

“Where’s This King exclusive chef? Where are you!?”

Shi Xiaobai looked up and shouted. Although he did not spend much time with Riko, he had tasted Riko’s cooking twice. The delicious taste was still fresh in his mind, so he was particularly longing for Violent Girl, especially when he ate a mouthful of overcooked instant noodles.

Shi Xiaobai hastily finished his dinner with instant noodles and ham, as well as a few slices of cold bread. Then, he eagerly rushed to the living room. On the living room’s wall, there was a forty inch LCD panel that made Shi Xiaobai’s eyes shimmer.

The remote control was similar to that of Earth’s. Shi Xiaobai immediately found the power switch, and pressing it, the LCD TV lit up. At the same time, a serious but depressive sounding female voice came from the television.

“Yet another meteor has landed. This is already the 123rd meteor ever since this meteor shower began. Oh, curses! When will this calamity end!?”

The television screen flickered, and a stunning scene appeared. The camera was slowly moving as it revealed ruined walls and collapsed buildings, a disaster scene filled with devastation on the ground. The picture would occasionally show blood and corpses, but very quickly, people in specific uniforms would stretcher out the corpses as well as the injured.

“Heavens, another meteor is coming!”

The female broadcaster’s sorrowful voice sounded once again. The television footage immediately moved to the sky, and there, in the night sky, a blob of light that looked extremely hot, rushed to the ground. The footage was taken from afar, but when the blob of light landed, it immediately turned huge. The scene shown on television was stirring.

After the blob of light hit the ground, an explosion happened. A huge crater appeared as dust rose up, causing the footage to turn fuzzy. When the dust cleared, it revealed what the light blob was.

It was a steel carapace. When it stood up, it was a gigantic bug, bigger than a building. The bug had scissors shaped silver horns on its head. The camera gave the bug’s green eyes a close up shot. There were numerous white worms squirming in its eyes which looked nauseating.

“Phew, this meteor is just an F Class Astral Calamity Beast—Astral Steel Giant Beetle. Nearby Heroes have already arrived. This meteor shouldn’t cause much damage.”

The female broadcaster seemed to slightly relax. Following that, there was a switch in scenes. The television’s image flashed a few times before fixing on a monster about five storeys tall. The monster had three heads, and the middle head was that of a lion, while the right head was a dragon’s head that kept spewing out hot flames. The left head was a goat’s head whose eyes flashed a cold beam. It had lion claws for its forelimbs and ox hooves for its hindlimbs. On it’s back were a pair of bat wings. A huge tail ended with a mouth filled with razor teeth.

“It’s a Chimera! Heavens, a B Class Astral Calamity Beast, Chimera. This kind of monster needs a Hero at A Class and above to battle it! Wait, it seems like someone is battling the Chimera!?”

The female broadcaster acutely noticed a strange aberration with the Chimera in the fixed frame. The moment she finished speaking, the camera swung a half circle before coming in front of the Chimera. Below the Chimera, in the midst of the flames spewing out from the dragon head, a green barrier was protecting someone.

The lens zoomed in, and the person’s appearance was revealed. He was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit. The man’s face was scrunched up as sweat dripped profusely down his face. Shi Xiaobai was sharp to realize that the green barrier was very similar to Psionic Shield. It looked like a green Psionic Barrier, but the man’s barrier was flashing, as if it was melting under the flames.

The Chimera’s goat head was staring intently at the middle-aged man. Its cold eyes seemed to lock onto the man, preventing the man from escaping. He could only use his Psionic Barrier to withstand the Chimera’s flame.

But clearly, the man was quickly losing Psionic Power.

“This is [Eventide]’s C Class Hero, Mr Zeng Ziming. His Psionic Barrier is about to give up soon. Heavens, someone save him!” The tone in the female broadcaster’s voice turned anxious.

Shi Xiaobai turned anxious as well. The blackish-red flames looked extremely hot. If the Barrier shattered, his body would not be able to withstand it.

At this moment, the Chimera’s lion head suddenly opened its mouth slowly. A lion like roar sounded like an explosion, as a violent wind blew at the middle-aged man. Dust and debris flew up, and with an indignant grunt, the man’s barrier shattered. His body was consumed by the blackish-red flames.

After the flames burned for several seconds, the dragon head slowly closed its mouth. The flames gradually extinguished and the middle-aged man’s figure still remained on screen, but there were no flesh or bones left, only crisp ashes. The C Class Hero, Zeng Ziming, turned to ashes under the Chimera’s flames.

The female broadcaster turned silent. The repressive atmosphere from the television reached deep into Shi Xiaobai’s heart. It made him breathe with great difficulty.

Following that, the camera seemed to slowly move. Every step of the Chimera caused the surroundings to tremble. Its tiger roars, the goat bleating and dragon roar was issued from the three heads, becoming the only sound that existed on screen.

The female broadcaster was silent. The camera also moved away from the Chimera’s body, but the screen was still showing the ruined scene of the city the Chimera had ravaged. She and everyone else seemed to be waiting for something or someone.

“Coming!” The female broadcaster’s cold voice suddenly sounded. The voice was filled with hatred and anger.

At the same moment, the cameras pulled away, and far into the distance, a beam of light flew across the cameras, like a shooting rocket.

The camera zoomed in. Zoom, zoom, zoom… The flying rocket-like object finally revealed its true appearance. It was a person.

A flapping white cape, a yellow tight suit and a bald head that reflected light. Those were this person’s most obvious characteristics. The camera suddenly moved forward to fixate on the person’s eyes. His eyes occupied the entire screen, and the look in his eyes was sharper than a blade, colder than snow.

“He’s here, our most beloved Hero, One-Pun man is here!”

The female broadcaster used all her strength to say those words out loud, as though she was trying to conceal the choking in her voice.