Chapter Fifteen: Fierce Battle and Forging the Belt

“Number Three, be advised—the target is fleeing toward the woods. You and Number Five move to intercept ahead. Capture the target alive at all costs.”

“Roger, Number Three. Moving to flank—ah—!”

“What’s going on, Number Three? Respond, respond!”

Bang!

A boot came down, crushing the radio. Lin Xiao reached out and unbuckled the unconscious Number Three’s belt, depositing it into his inventory. He’d been short on materials for crafting a belt, and these men had arrived just in time.

In a night so dark one couldn’t see their own hand, even with night vision goggles, their fields of vision were limited, riddled with blind spots. Against regular people, this was enough—but against someone like himself, gifted with extraordinary powers, they were hopelessly outmatched.

He melted away into the forest, lowering himself and gliding silently toward the next pursuer.

With magical enhancement, his eyes rivaled any night vision goggles—no, surpassed them. He saw without blind spots, like a feline predator stalking the night, darkness meaning nothing to him.

The next pursuer had heard his comrade’s cry and grew alert, cradling a tranquilizer rifle and sweeping his gaze through the gloom, searching for the attacker lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, a patch of brush rustled. The man whirled, firing a tranquilizer round at the sound—but nothing moved. No one was there.

“Damn it, I’ve been tricked.”

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a shadow flashed from the rear flank, moving with impossible speed—like a panther, leaping six or seven meters in an instant, appearing at his side.

A hand, rigid as a blade, sliced through the darkness and struck his neck with crushing force, as though bludgeoned with a bat. His vision went black, his head lolled, and he collapsed unconscious.

“Sorry, your physicality might match mine, but you lack supernatural power—and powerful skills. So lie here quietly and enjoy the cool earth,” Lin Xiao chuckled. He repeated the process, unbuckling the man’s belt and taking his weapon.

With two pursuers down, the remainder scattered like startled birds, regrouping in haste. During their attempt to rendezvous, Lin Xiao seized the opportunity, using his Soaring Leap skill to dispatch another.

Only two pursuers remained.

They stood back to back, weapons trained outward, night vision goggles sweeping a full circle—each covering 180 degrees, forming a seamless 360-degree field of view as they searched the woods, though their confidence was badly shaken.

They’d thought capturing a high schooler was overkill, sending five special forces operatives. Now they realized this was no ordinary student, but a threat on par with the world’s top mercenaries.

He moved with ghostly agility, struck cleanly and decisively, a master of stealth and ambush. Even twice their numbers might not tip the balance in their favor.

Lin Xiao watched from behind a tree, peering out now and then. Their defense was tight, and they were armed. If only he knew how to shoot—this would’ve been far easier.

“Seems I’ll have to practice my marksmanship. More skills never hurt.”

With that thought, he suddenly darted out, hurling the weapon in his hand. Hurled with all his strength, the three- or four-kilogram rifle whistled through the air and struck one pursuer squarely.

The man howled in pain, dropping his own weapon. His partner reacted instantly, turning to fire.

Charge Slash!

The moment he threw the rifle, Lin Xiao launched a Charge Slash, timing it perfectly to break their line of sight. In a blink, he crossed the six meters, landing a heavy punch on the man still reeling from pain.

The blow sent blood streaming from his nose, and as the other turned, Lin Xiao spun around his first victim and appeared behind the second, hammering him in the back of the head.

He noticed keenly that, since gaining extraordinary power, not only had his strength and stamina increased, but his reflexes and mental agility had improved dramatically.

Before, even with this strength, he’d have lacked the nerve and the precise control.

These pursuers were surely special forces, their physicality on par with his own. What set him apart—and let him take them down so easily—was his supernatural advantage.

The first man, blood gushing from his nose, howled and clutched his face, still trying to reach his gun when a heavy blow landed on the back of his head, pitching him forward into the dirt.

Lin Xiao had no intention of interrogating them; he already knew they were sent by the lab. It hardly mattered what they said. These men were skilled and experienced—no need to risk a reversal and become the butt of some cosmic joke.

After unbuckling their belts, he hurried back to his house, threw open the car door, and jumped inside. Without a word, he started the engine. Just as Joyce was about to ask, Lin Xiao pointed toward the woods.

“When I went to take a leak, I saw a monster—no face, skin bright red. We can’t stay here any longer.”

A chill ran through Joyce. That monster again—it hadn’t burned up in the fire, but was lurking near her home. The thought terrified her, but also sparked hope: perhaps Will was still alive.

“Jonathan, did you hear Will’s voice?”

She leaned into the back of the car, dreading a negative answer.

Lin Xiao hesitated deliberately before replying, “I think I heard something, but I couldn’t make it out. Now that you mention it, it did sound a bit like Will.”

Joyce’s joy was overwhelming. Wonderful—truly wonderful. Will was still alive.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would try to reach Will again and bring him home.

Seeing her relief, Lin Xiao relaxed as well. At last, she could set her worries aside.

He himself couldn’t afford to wait. Tomorrow he would contact Number Eleven, confirm Will’s location, infiltrate the Hawkins Laboratory, venture into the Upside Down once more, and rescue them.

Driving into the town, he found a small motel and rented two rooms. Joyce, nearly penniless, could barely cover the cost; in the end, Lin Xiao rifled through the car and scraped together enough cash.

Joyce, a mere supermarket cashier, lived on a meager wage. Even with Jonathan working odd jobs to help, they barely scraped by. Any calamity pushed them into crisis.

Now, with their house burned down, rebuilding or buying a new one was utterly impossible for Joyce.

Lin Xiao felt a twinge of guilt. But to defeat the Demon King, he’d had no choice. Once the threat was gone, things would improve for Will and Barbara.

In his own room, Lin Xiao summoned the system interface. It was time to forge a belt—another piece of equipment.

He navigated to the belt equipment list. The lowest tier, a cowhide belt, was now within reach.

It required three pieces of cowhide and a bit of alloy steel—all materials he’d just acquired. He had enough enchanting supplies as well, lacking only one vial of magical solvent.

He placed three strips of confiscated cowhide and some alloy steel into the forge. The system deducted the materials automatically—a convenient feature.

He confirmed his selection, consuming five units of source energy. A new belt gleamed into existence.

He then purchased magical solvent from the shop, and on the enchanting table, placed the new belt, an enchantment orb, and a lower-grade elemental crystal. Spending another five units of source energy, he completed the process—a grandly enchanted belt emerged:

Pursuer’s Cowhide Belt:
Armor Type: Leather
Slot: Waist
Required Level: 1
Grade: Common
Weight: 0.8 kg
Durability: 20/20
Physical Defense: +8
Carrying Capacity Increase: +3 kg
Special Effects: +5 Stamina, +0.5% MP Recovery Rate