Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 2066 - 2129: Wounded Phantom

"We have to move now!" Li Yifei whispered. Xu Shanshan nodded, and soon five giant one-horned lizards gathered under the tree, coming from who knows where, each of them equally huge.

If it were just these creatures, Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan wouldn’t have to worry too much. Though they could climb trees, the two of them could easily knock them down from above. Even if they rammed with their horns, another round of collisions would still be useless.

However, the feeling of being watched unnerved Li Yifei, along with the quickly moving shadow, which was why he decided to leave.

Gripping his sword, Li Yifei tightened his backpack and said to Xu Shanshan, "I’ll go down first to divert them. You follow after. Don’t act recklessly; we’re not fighting these creatures. Just run away."

Xu Shanshan pressed her lips together and nodded, "Okay, be careful, darling!"

A minute later, Li Yifei leaped, landing more than ten meters away in an open space. As he jumped down, the lizards quickly noticed him, turned their bodies, and thrust their long horns toward him.

Upon landing, Li Yifei didn’t stop for a moment. He bent his knees upon touching the ground and then sprang up, leaping far away. His movements were something the giant one-horned lizards couldn’t keep up with. With a few jumps, Li Yifei darted a long distance away, leading the lizards away in pursuit.

Xu Shanshan also gripped her sword, selecting a spot to jump down. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind behind her. She turned quickly and saw the same shadow rushing over.

Anger surged in Xu Shanshan’s eyes. This thing was playing tricks and scaring people from behind. She raised her sword and thrust it toward the approaching shadow.

A Blue Glow flashed, and a burst of sword energy shot out. However, the shadow was not foolish, recognizing the power of the Sword Aura, it didn’t take it head-on, though it also didn’t evade completely. It traced an arc in midair and immediately continued its charge toward Xu Shanshan.

Xu Shanshan retracted her sword and thrust again, but her speed couldn’t match that of the shadow. It dodged each time, seemingly toying with her, circling her without attacking, its figure darting rapidly as if it could appear behind her in the blink of an eye.

With it entangling her, Xu Shanshan couldn’t jump down. She worried that during her descent, the shadow would attack her.

Li Yifei ran over a hundred meters in one go, actually in less than ten seconds. The lizards, also fast, thundered as they ran, roaring hungrily. Li Yifei glanced back and saw Xu Shanshan still on the tree and shouted, "Get ready to jump!"

Now wasn’t the time to jump. Xu Shanshan couldn’t even spare a glance back at Li Yifei, as she saw another shadow charging towards her, although still dozens of meters away. With the shadow’s speed, it could reach her almost instantly.

With the whistling wind, Xu Shanshan felt unprecedented caution. She was now trapped between two shadows. These two seemed to be hunting, patient and in no rush to attack. Instead, they seemed to be toying with her.

Li Yifei shook off the lumbering lizards, circled back, and at a distance of several dozen meters, he felt his scalp tingle. Not only did he see a shadow in front of Xu Shanshan, but also in the back, and, beyond, a pair of green eyes, emitting an eerie glow, made him realize the source of the feeling of being watched.

"Shanshan, jump now, I’ll catch you." Li Yifei ran to the base of the tree, urging Xu Shanshan to jump. Any further delay and those pesky lizards would be back upon them.

Just then, a rumbling echoed from behind Li Yifei. Obviously, those creatures realized they were tricked and were charging back.

Hearing Li Yifei’s shout, Xu Shanshan hurriedly swung her sword, forcing the shadow retreating from her front. Seizing on that moment of retreat, Xu Shanshan leaped, using the power in her legs to accelerate her descent. She trusted Li Yifei completely, so when he said to jump, she jumped, confident he’d handle those shadows.

Sure enough, as Xu Shanshan bent her knees and leapt, Li Yifei also sprang up, stepping onto the tree to propel himself into the air. Quickly, he reached mid-air, swinging his sword while rapidly tossing several black streaks from his other hand—steel nails from his backpack, a skill he excelled at.

The steel nails flew out, not that Li Yifei expected them to hit those fast-moving shadows, but that didn’t mean they were useless. The nails forced the two shadows, who were about to pursue Xu Shanshan, to evade. As they sidestepped, Li Yifei caught Xu Shanshan, and as they landed, he exclaimed, "Go!"

Xu Shanshan instinctively moved to run in their pre-planned direction, but Li Yifei grabbed her, saying, "Don’t go that way, it’s dangerous. Go this way."

"But that way leads into the forest..." Xu Shanshan said.

Grabbing her hand, Li Yifei led her forward. The two of them charged towards the pack of one-horned lizards that he had previously diverted and who were now rushing back.

"Don’t fight them head-on, we’ll push through!" Li Yifei shouted, as the True Qi erupted, the sword in his hand suddenly surged with over half a meter of Sword Aura. A flash of sword energy headed toward the charging giant lizard, leaving a scar on the lizard’s head under Li Yifei’s full force.

These creatures aren’t invulnerable but are quite tough to deal with, and at the same time, Li Yifei hadn’t aimed for the creature’s weak spot.

Xu Shanshan performed the same move, a Blue Glow flashed, carving a ghostly line in the air and slashed another giant lizard, also slowing down its pouncing momentum.

The two of them darted and weaved through the herd of giant lizards. Although appearing fierce, these cumbersome beasts couldn’t harm Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan at all. When the two executed their movement techniques, the lizards could only grasp at air.

Unable to proceed as originally planned, there was no choice but to venture further in. Inside lay the unknown and danger, but outside...those green eyes were watching from behind. With Li Yifei’s level of skill, even meeting those eyes briefly filled him with a sense of peril.

As a result, in the dark forest, Li Yifei decided to flee.

Xu Shanshan led the way, with Li Yifei following. Their movements were extremely swift, quickly covering several hundred meters.

"Watch out!" Xu Shanshan turned back briefly, seeing two shadows hovering behind Li Yifei that she didn’t know had appeared. It was the same shadow from before. Noticing it, Xu Shanshan hurriedly raised her sword to strike, while Li Yifei tumbled forward at her call.

The rush of wind swept by, and Li Yifei’s clothes tore with a ripping sound from the shadow’s swipe, spilling the contents of his backpack. Xu Shanshan’s sword arrived just in time to drive away the attacking shadow.

Lying on the ground, Li Yifei didn’t pause. He smoothly flipped up and thrust his sword again. Just now, he barely dodged one shadow, but another still lurked behind as the second shadow pounced when Li Yifei fell.

Li Yifei’s sword clashed with the shadow, emitting the Sound of Gold and Stone. He felt a powerful force transmitted through the blade to his arm.

Li Yifei’s breath caught. The impact was akin to a full-force strike from a top expert.

Fortunately, the sword he wielded was sturdy and did not break. Li Yifei quickly noticed a trace of liquid on the sword tip, slightly dark and bluish—indicating he wounded the shadow.

"It’s injured," Li Yifei alerted Xu Shanshan.

"Good!" Xu Shanshan nodded in response, staying vigilant of their surroundings as the rumbling behind loomed closer. Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan had no choice but to continue running inward.

However, his backpack was torn, scattering most of its contents, which were mostly food items. Unfortunately, this was no time to lament the loss.

Along the way, those two shadows continued to attack stealthily, but Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan remained on guard. They had gained some experience from dealing with such elusive ambushes, avoiding the earlier mess. Once they entered a red forest, the shadows ceased pursuing them. Likewise, the green eyes that filled Li Yifei’s heart with dread had disappeared, along with the fear sensation.

"Phew! Let’s rest for a moment; we’ve temporarily lost them." Li Yifei pointed to a fallen log, suggesting Xu Shanshan sit and rest while he examined his backpack, finding much of its contents missing except for some at the bottom. Li Yifei smirked wistfully, secure the remaining items with a strap to prevent further loss.

Xu Shanshan didn’t rest. Instead, she stayed alert and inspected the perimeter thoroughly before sitting down with Li Yifei.

This forest was red—the trees, leaves, and even the ground covered with red foliage, exuding an eerie vibe in the darkness. Knowing the island’s temperament, this place should not be safe, so Li Yifei remained vigilant.

However, navigating by night wasn’t advisable, especially in such a hazardous area. It’s best to find a place to halt and wait until daylight to continue.

Since nothing was happening for the moment, Li Yifei decided to take a short break and suggested to Xu Shanshan, "You rest first, I’ll keep watch. I’ve had enough rest already. Please, don’t refuse. Listen to me, we need to be in our best condition for whatever may come tomorrow."

With that, Xu Shanshan couldn’t refuse. Nodding, she put down her backpack, kept her sword within reach for immediate retaliation, and sat cross-legged, gradually closing her eyes to meditate and adjust her breath.