Chapter 542: Incurable
Yuan Kongye’s vision had grown so blurry that she could no longer make out Zhang Yi’s silhouette.
Her headache worsened, and an overwhelming sense of danger gripped her heart.
"Zhang Yi, what did you do to me?! Answer me!"
From a distance, Zhang Yi watched her, surprisingly calm.
This kind of superhuman backlash was incurable—once it took effect, it would only spiral further out of control.
"Why don’t you take a guess?" He grinned.
There was no way he’d let her figure out the truth.
His carefully laid plan was finally bearing fruit, but he wasn’t about to get careless now.
She was convinced that at some point, he had used an ability on her, something that was now wreaking havoc on her body.
"Arrogant fool!" she spat coldly.
A brilliant white light erupted from her body, enveloping her completely.
This was her ability—Blessing, capable of healing any injury or illness.
But this time, the moment she activated it, something unexpected happened.
Her symptoms didn’t fade.
In fact, the more she pushed her power, the worse she felt—her vision blurred further, and her headache intensified.
"Kh… Khh… cough cough!"
A sharp pain seized her chest, and suddenly, she was coughing violently.
Now’s the time to strike!
Zhang Yi had no intention of giving her even a moment’s respite.
Only a dead enemy was a safe enemy.
Once more, his strongest attack surged toward her!
Sensing the immense threat, Yuan Kongye barely managed to counter with Oblivion.
She blocked the attack—but her body had deteriorated even further.
"Cough… cough… cough!"
From afar, the injured survivors watched in stunned silence.
They had noticed Yuan Kongye suddenly weakening, coughing uncontrollably.
But what confused them the most—was that Zhang Yi hadn’t done anything visible.
Those who knew him well were even more bewildered.
Zhang Yi was a spatial-type Superhuman—he had no ability related to poison or curses.
Besides, poisoning an Epsilon-level Superhuman in the middle of a battle was practically impossible.
Then, realization dawned on Baili Changqing.
"It’s the Captain’s ability."
Not just him—everyone from the Investigation Team understood.
Tianhai City’s Superhumans might not know about Bian Junwu’s ability flaws, but they did.
Meng Siyu muttered, "She absorbed the Captain’s ability… and with it, she also inherited its side effects."
"But… was this Zhang Yi’s plan from the start? Or just a coincidence?"
She turned to Baili Changqing, her eyes full of disbelief.
Was it a coincidence?
If this had been Zhang Yi’s intention all along, then that meant—he had manipulated Bian Junwu from the very beginning.
From inside his sleeping bag, the weakened Wu Di swore weakly, "That bastard… he actually used us!"
"No," Baili Changqing replied calmly.
"Given the situation back then, that was the only way to ensure our survival. I think the Captain knew Zhang Yi was using him, but he still went through with it."
He watched the battlefield, growing more and more impressed with Zhang Yi.
"But to orchestrate something of this scale… that’s just insane. Even we were just pieces on his board."
Though being used left a bitter taste, Baili Changqing couldn’t help but respect Zhang Yi’s cunning and strategic brilliance.
Wu Di grumbled, "Brilliant, my ass! That bastard, I swear, one day I’m gonna—cough cough cough…"
His body was too weak to even finish his threat before nearly passing out.
Meng Siyu patted him reassuringly. "Alright, let’s just focus on staying alive for now."
With Yuan Kongye visibly deteriorating, hope ignited in everyone’s hearts.
For the first time, they saw a chance at survival.
Because only if Zhang Yi defeated Yuan Kongye—could they live.
And they all knew it.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi continued to eat, replenishing his energy while maintaining a long-range battle against her.
Yuan Kongye’s body was failing. Her vision was fading. Every move felt wrong.
Zhang Yi stopped using Divine Power.
It was too energy-draining. Even though he could replenish his strength by eating, he couldn’t afford to waste resources carelessly.
After all, he needed to maintain his full combat strength until the battle was truly over.
Because once Yuan Kongye fell…
Every other Superhuman on the battlefield would come after her Core.
An Epsilon-level Superhuman Core.
Zhang Yi knew that if he wanted to claim it, he had to stay strong until the very end.
So, he switched tactics—
He pulled out Bian Junwu’s modified pistol and loaded it with Origin Bullets.
This gun was larger than an ordinary handgun, with an extended barrel.
The black bullets that fired from it carried a destructive force unlike any conventional ammunition.
Against normal people or objects, it wasn’t that different from an ordinary bullet.
But against Superhumans—its effects were devastating.
Even in Qi Guangming’s hands, it would have done some damage to Yuan Kongye.
And in Zhang Yi’s hands?
Using spatial teleportation, Zhang Yi dodged her attacks while taking advantage of her weakened state to fire precise shots.
Each Origin Bullet carried a power that couldn’t be ignored.
Yuan Kongye could have dodged them.
She could have used telekinesis to move at high speed and escape the gunfire.
But at first—she refused to dodge.
Because the moment she started dodging, it would mean she was losing.
As someone who believed herself to be a god, that was unacceptable.
So instead, she chose to block the bullets with sheer force.
But doing so drained her energy even faster.
And the side effects of Bian Junwu’s ability worsened.
By the time she realized the danger, it was too late.
If she stopped using her abilities, Zhang Yi would kill her instantly.
And if she kept using them, her own body would destroy her.
Not to mention—the other Superhumans were already watching, waiting for their chance to strike once she fell.
"Am I… really going to lose?"
For the first time, that thought crossed her mind.
She didn’t want to believe it.
She and Zheng Yixian had planned for this day for so long.
She had absorbed the powers of dozens of Superhumans—including top-tier ones like Bian Junwu.
She had believed herself unstoppable, convinced that no one in Tianhai City could withstand even a single attack from her.
He had pushed her to the brink.
In terms of raw attack power, Zhang Yi wasn’t even a real threat to her.
Even Divine Power, though strong, had a limited range—if she had wanted to escape, he wouldn’t have been able to stop her.
But his defense was overwhelming.
And even as an Epsilon-level Superhuman…
She couldn’t break through it.