Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 190 Unfortunately
In fact, just as Xu Si often said, which is a common saying in the world of supernatural beings: since ancient times, when the strength is similar, the struggle between supernatural beings is all about "strength in numbers". The two sides fight back and forth, and it is nothing more than the side with more people winning.

Although there will always be people in every era who manage to break this pattern, such as the emergence of figures like Xiang Yu and Li Yuanba, but...

Overall, this pattern works most of the time.

Now, with Biyou Village facing off against Na Du Tong and Ma Xianhong against the temporary workers, and since no extraordinary heroes or eccentrics have emerged, the momentum and outcome of their struggle will naturally conform to the principle of "strength in numbers."

Unfortunately, although the people of Biyou Village were fighting on their own territory and had a large number of men, the quality of their troops was relatively poor. They were also caught off guard by Na Dutong's nighttime raid, losing the initiative, and were subsequently divided and forced into a passive "fighting against overwhelming odds" situation...

Now, only Village Chief Ma remains, fighting alone.

Even more unfortunately, although the experts from Na Du Tong walked a tightrope all night, none of them were captured by Bi You Village, and then two members of Quanxing came seeking revenge...

Currently, in the battle against Village Chief Ma, the ratio of personnel is a staggering 1:4. This doesn't even include the numbers of Hei Guan, Wang Ye, and Lao Meng.

Therefore, it is not difficult to see that Ma Xianhong's current situation is not optimistic.

Fortunately, his [Divine Craftsmanship Refinement] technique had reached a state of complete mastery, so dealing with it for the time being was not a problem. As for Old Ma himself, he also wanted to use the [Instant Refinement] technique to sneak up on a few more people.

He had previously relied on the hardness of his black armor and the 'insurance' provided by his protective magic weapon to engage in close combat with Hei Guan and Feng Baobao for several rounds. Although he did not gain the upper hand, he was not injured either.

Through brief physical contact during close combat, he quickly adapted the black-clad clothes and Feng Baobao's knife to his own use, and launched a deadly surprise attack on the two men.

Of course, Feng Baobao was quick-witted and Hei Guan was even more experienced. The village chief's 'fatal' surprise attack was actually not fatal. It only brought a little bit of trouble to the Na Du Tong gang.

At that very moment, in front of the workshop in Biyou Village, Ma Xianhong made the most reasonable response to the enemies who were attacking again.

He swung out the Okamoto 001, the dining knife that Feng Baobao had used for many years, which he had previously stolen and forged, and aimed it at Xiao Zizai's head at extremely high speed.

Xiao Zizai had been a monk before, but he wasn't stupid or foolish. He took a step and dodged to the right.

But just as the flying knife passed Xiao Zizai's side, it was caught in the hook of Ma Xianhong's finger, and like Jia Zhengliang's Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, it turned ninety degrees, swayed for a moment, and then stabbed straight at the back of Wang Zhenqiu's head from the side and behind.

Fortunately, Wang Zhenqiu's attention was also sharp. He raised the hand holding the "golden cudgel" to the side, revealing one end of the cudgel. Then, the golden cudgel suddenly lengthened like lightning, directly sending "Okamoto 001" flying.

Ma Xianhong snorted coldly, then summoned the knife back into his hand. He unleashed two powerful slashes, causing the blade to repel the two people in front of him. He then quickly leaped up, found a spot, and regrouped.

After catching his breath, Ma Xianhong noticed a disadvantage. His use of the [Instant Refinement] technique had indeed slowed the relentless, tidal wave of attacks from the Na Du Tong group…

Correspondingly, each of the opposing side also became vigilant, and the chances of relying on magical artifacts to launch a quick surprise attack, defeat the enemy, and achieve merit have almost plummeted.

However, with the opposing force outnumbering them and no longer pushing too hard, things became unfavorable for Ma Xianhong.

As the saying goes, prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat. If Ma Xianhong's defensive counterattacks fail to reduce the number of players, then he will inevitably be worn down and killed.

Having thought of this, Ma Xianhong knew what to do.

One against four is too difficult. If it were one against two, there might still be a chance. Now he can only use all his old partners, which he has been refining for many years, to suppress the opponent's 'numbers'.

"All-in" is a form of wisdom.

As soon as Old Ma devised his plan, he activated the magical artifact fluttering beside him. The Six Harmonies Pearl flew straight up, intending to separate Wang Zhenqiu and Xiao Zizai. He wanted to deal with that old guy, Xia Liuqing, the "Fierce Fellow".

At the same time, he opened and closed the [Devouring Pouch] at his waist, spitting out four or five Ruhua-shaped items, each carrying an unidentified box, and rushed towards Xia Liuqing.

As it rushed towards the box, dense black gusts of wind rose up. Upon closer inspection, the black gusts were actually formed by swarms of flying insects buzzing, each carrying a sharp steel ball.

Ma Xianhong's plan was excellent. Although each of those flying insects could only be shot once, which was a bit of a waste to use on an old man, it was also the easiest way to get the kill.

With a series of crackling sounds, the flying insects in the insect box began shooting spikes at Xia Liuqing.

But that "fierce actor" wasn't stupid either. Seeing that he had become the MT, he immediately switched to a defensive stance, wildly waving his double whips to send the steel balls flying. The sound of them colliding was actually like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.

Then look at the [Six Harmony Pearls] flying towards Wang Zhenqiu and Xiao Zizai. The single-sided crimson barrier had barely risen five meters high when it was cleaved in two by a long-hidden military knife. All six pearls shattered and fell to the ground.

When Ma Xianhong saw the military knife swing, his heart skipped a beat. He had no idea that even in his predicament, there were still experts lying in ambush.

The one who came to help with the military knife was none other than Bear Grylls, a foreign friend invited by Xia Liuqing.

Of course, "Bear Grylls" is just his stage name; the foreigner's real name is Barron Grylls.

A little over a month ago, Baron, as a trainee of Quanxing, fought with Feng Baobao in Longhu Mountain. Now, the two of them have become 'teammates in the boss battle'.

Baron was wearing a dark military short-sleeved shirt, special forces pants, and boots. Seeing that all six beads had been broken, he smiled and said to Ma Xianhong, "I have been observing this battle for a long time and found that attacks against you are really not very effective. It would be better to deal with your magical items first."

It can only be said that Baron's method of concealing his aura was truly masterful. He hid himself for a long time, and even when he swung that slash, Ma Xianhong did not notice anything.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong gritted his teeth and remained silent, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

He felt that there were far too many experts coming to Biyou Village.

But he didn't have much time to be shocked. In the blink of an eye, Feng Baobao, Xiao Zizai, Balun, Xia Liuqing, and Wang Zhenqiu had formed a five-sided encirclement and attacked. Taking advantage of Lao Ma's shock and distraction, they rushed forward.

They all knew that Village Chief Ma possessed a protective magic weapon, and none of them intended to hold back. Judging by their imposing manner, they looked like a group of rough and tumble heroes, ready to beat Ma Xianhong into a bloody pulp.

However, which of the inheritors of the Eight Extraordinary Skills is weak?

Old Ma slightly shifted his neck, scanned the area left and right with his naked eye, and then his Qi exploded, refining the 'Okamoto 001' once again.

bass!
In an instant, Feng Baobao's former dining knife, "Okamoto 001," transformed into a renowned sword, its blade gleaming and radiating a mysterious light.

After gripping his knife tightly, Ma Xianhong sneered, then suddenly bent down and unleashed a powerful, spinning slash. Accompanying his dance-like movement was a crescent-shaped blade of light several meters high, slashing in all directions.

Although the sword energy generated by this magical artifact inevitably loses some of its "sword intent," the sword itself is strong enough that its light is no weaker than that wielded by a master swordsman, forcing those who come to surround and attack to avoid its sharp edge.

Taking advantage of the enemy's retreat, Ma Xianhong unleashed the full power of the Devouring Beast, replenishing all the Qi it had previously absorbed into his Black Armor and transferring it to himself. "Ughhhhhh!"

With a roar from Old Ma, all the magical treasures around him lit up, and his aura began to rise steadily.

------

In the room where Ma Xianhong was setting up the furnace, Zhang Chulan watched the battle outside, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

The reason was simple: the fighting skills of the group outside were simply too 'fierce'. So fierce that he even believed he wouldn't have the right to make a move on his own.

Even Wang Zhenqiu, who was actually the youngest, used all sorts of strange and unorthodox methods to trick Lao Ma several times.

In Master Bilian's own eyes, if the intensity of his "literary duel" with Zhang Lingyu at the Luotian Grand Ceremony was 1, then the intensity of the battle between those guys outside was 5.

Ma Xianhong, as expected of the inheritor of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, withstood the encirclement and pursuit for more than a dozen rounds without showing any signs of weakness.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Just as Zhang Chulan was sighing inwardly, a voice suddenly came, startling him.

When he turned around, he found that the voice belonged to Liu Ke. The 'big shot' was hiding inside the house, talking to him from an angle that couldn't be seen from the outside.

Seeing that it was him, Zhang Chulan felt relieved and truthfully said, "It's nothing, I just feel that the people outside are too strong."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke took out a can of Coca-Cola from his pouch and tossed it to the other person, saying, "Why are you thinking about that? Which of them hasn't been cultivating for longer than you?"

"After defeating Zhang Lingyu fair and square, your talent has been proven at the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. Among people under the age of thirty, you may not be the strongest, but you are definitely not weak either."

"All you lack is time."

"Have a drink. I saw you were working hard taking apart the house, so have some sugar to replenish your energy."

Zhang Chulan swallowed hard, then opened the can of cola and drank it all in one gulp.

After drinking a full can of soda, he did feel a bit better, so he asked in confusion, "By the way... can the sugar-free version also replenish energy?"

Seeing Liu Ke scratching his head and laughing awkwardly, Zhang Chulan knew what was going on, so he casually changed the subject and asked, "Old Ma is almost gone, aren't you going to help him?"

Liu Ke shook his head and said, "No rush, we can hold on for a few more minutes. Once the clarinet arrives, Old Ma will probably be at a disadvantage."

"But if we really want to make him despair, we'll need Master Wang to do it."

"A double blow, both physical and mental..."

At this point, he hesitated for a moment and added, "If... I mean if you show up again, I reckon Old Ma will really be furious."

After hearing this, Zhang Chulan showed a very helpless expression and said, "Damn, forget it then!"

"If you've already 'guaranteed to win,' why should I put in so much effort? Just throw a few matches, make a token effort, why ruin the relationship?"

"If you want to 'use' Lao Ma, then use him. Why make me the bad guy again? The waters are too murky. I'd rather not get involved anymore."

Liu Ke couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and said, "What are you talking about? I can do everything that Lao Ma can now, it's not that I want to use him."

"Isn't this giving you a chance to do a good deed?"

Zhang Chulan couldn't help but scoff and say, "What kind of good thing is this? Heh, never mind, I won't complain."

"Xiao Ke, we're practically brothers, so just tell me the truth, I won't tell anyone else."

"You went to great lengths to protect Lao Ma, but you can't even use him yourself. What was the point? Was it really just for those patients?"

Liu Ke smiled and said, "Why not? Sometimes, the reason is that simple..."

Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Check your phone."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan took out his Redmi phone and discovered that Liu Ke had sent him two screenshots via WeChat.

It appeared to be a news image from Tencent News, along with the comments section below. But upon closer inspection, he frowned.

Seeing his expression, Liu Ke knew the other man understood. He then patted him on the shoulder and said, "This so-called organization is just a fictional 'story.' The 'medicine' here is said to cure all diseases, but it is also something illusory."

"But... this netizen doesn't know that. He genuinely believes that the 'panacea' appearing in these fabricated news stories is real."

"Considering his response, doesn't he seem a little pathetic...?"

At this point, Liu Ke changed his tone and said in a slightly more relaxed manner, "Actually, it's nothing."

"These two pictures are just from a Baidu Tieba forum called 'Hell Jokes,' which I found online. Maybe they're fake? Or maybe they're just jokes?"

But a few moments later, he said, "I really hope this picture is fake, or that the person who replied is playing with abstract concepts."

"But my intuition tells me that this person is telling the truth."

"What's worse, I actually have the ability to check whether this netizen is joking."

"Later, I looked it up and found the news, the reply, and the person."

At this point, Liu Ke's expression became more serious, and he continued, "The person in the picture really does have cancer; it's in its late stage, and he's about to die."

(End of this chapter)