Once, I wanted to be a good person

Five minutes later.

Fang Ze looked at the trees that were still collapsing behind him, his expression slightly somber.....

'Is it really me they're after?'

Fang Ze was somewhat worried.

His worry stemmed not only from the relentless enemy behind him but also from... why could the enemy always find him with unerring accuracy every time?

He had already changed directions many times.

But it was no use.

The other party could still follow right behind him accurately.

Considering the three-person team from yesterday, if Fang Ze couldn't guess that someone had put a tracker on him, then he would be a fool.

"When did it happen?!"

"Was it there when I was my original self?"

"Or was it during the time with the Special Case Team?"

While inwardly cursing the organization's lingering presence, Fang Ze was also contemplating his strategy.

Given the scale of the opponent's pursuit, they were most likely an Awakener.

Having experienced his last failure, the organization must have sent him because they were sure he could not cope.

And seeing how unguarded the other party was, they probably didn't intend to play any conspiracies or tricks but rather planned to rely on raw strength to crush him openly.

So, if he wanted to have a chance at survival, he might only succeed by catching them by surprise....

As for how to catch them by surprise....

Thinking this, Fang Ze calculated the distance and observed the terrain, then he let the two Shadow Warriors stop.

Next, he threw away his luggage and bundle, carrying the two steel-made spears on his back, and quickly made his way toward the depths of the forest.

Behind him, the two Shadow Warriors slowly merged into the shadows of the surrounding trees...

Two minutes later, Fang Ze finally saw the "beast" that had been tirelessly pursuing him.

It was a Tree Person who looked to be over ten meters tall.

It had a dense canopy, thick branches, and roots like hundreds of pythons.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The moment he saw it, Fang Ze almost thought it wasn't a pursuer but a Disaster Creature he had inadvertently provoked.

But on closer inspection, Fang Ze's gaze couldn't help but sharpen. He suddenly realized.... the Tree Person in front of him was very similar to the ones used by the murderers in the annihilation case.

Sure enough, as he was examining it, a man dressed entirely in green, with a green shirt, green pants, and green shoes, jumped down from the tree canopy.

Seeing the man's face, which was identical to the one in the images, Fang Ze immediately recognized him as the criminal suspect code-named "Ranger" from the Investigation Bureau. That is.... his teammate.

Thinking of this, Fang Ze tentatively asked, "Teammate?"

Upon hearing Fang Ze's voice, the man clearly paused for a moment, then sneered, echoing Fang Ze's words, "Teammate?"

"What are you thinking?"

"You're just a Periphery Member tasked with recording the target's behavior and leading the way."

"Do you think you have the right to be my teammate?"

Fang Ze:...

Fang Ze felt this person truly knew nothing about conversation.

Just like his taste....

While Fang Ze was thinking this, the other man spoke up, "Alright. I don't have much time."

"Now, are you going to come with me willingly, or do I have to beat you down and take you with me?"

Hearing the other man's words, Fang Ze quietly asked, "Where am I supposed to go with you?"

The [Ranger] replied, "You don't need to know that."

Fang Ze, "Then how could I dare to go with you?"

He was planning to stall for time and simultaneously probe the man's true capabilities.

But the [Ranger] obviously had no intention of giving him the chance.

Seeing that Fang Ze was not keen to accompany him, the man kicked off the ground and landed back on the Giant Tree Person, then he immediately ordered, "Attack!"

Following his command, the Giant Tree Person also roared and lunged forward, its roots shooting out like giant snakes, coiling towards Fang Ze.

Fang Ze sprang up, turning in midair, and hurriedly fled.

The Giant Tree Person kept snapping at his heels and relentlessly tried to entangle Fang Ze with its countless roots.

Fang Ze, while weaving between the trees to keep ahead, used his iron spears to block the attacks, barely maintaining a stalemate.

As Fang Ze was exhausting himself, the [Ranger] stood with his arms crossed, perched atop the Giant Tree Person's canopy, looking down at Fang Ze as if a deity observing an ant.

"I didn't expect, in just a few days since we last met, you'd also become an Awakener?"

"However, even amongst Awakeners, there are levels."

"Like you, naturally Awakened without any training, are at the very bottom of the food chain. Forget about me; even a mid-tier Awakener could crush you with a flick of their finger."

Listening to the [Ranger]'s taunts, Fang Ze remained silent.

Despite his unwillingness to accept it, he indeed found that he had no ability to fight back under the assault of the Giant Tree Person.

Originally he thought having gained an Awakening Ability, and after "borrowing" 30 days of cultivation effect from the Credit World to get a foothold in Martial Arts, he should be strong now.

But faced with such a powerful Awakener, he realized he couldn't resist at all!

'This won't do, I need to find a way!' 'I must think of something!'

And just as Fang Ze was thinking of a way to break the situation, the ranger wasn't idle either.

With a "whoosh," he blew a whistle.

In an instant, the Giant Tree Person's movement came to a halt.

Fang Ze was momentarily startled. Before he could react,

he saw the towering Giant Tree Person suddenly leap up, its two massive vine arms clasped together, raised, and then slammed down!

The sky was obscured by the enormous black shadow, and in that moment, Fang Ze felt the breath of death.

He let out a loud "Ah!" as his muscles tensed, and then he fiercely flung himself to the side!

A thunderous "Boom!" resounded, and dust flew everywhere, shaking the ground like an earthquake!

When Fang Ze turned back in alarm, he found that the spot he had just been standing in now bore a massive crater!

Everything in the pit, whether rocks, trees, or grass, was completely obliterated...

"Drip..." A bead of sweat slowly trickled down Fang Ze's forehead.

Strong. Too strong!

Although he didn't know exactly what level of Awakener the man before him was, Fang Ze knew that the other was definitely far stronger than himself.

He was no match for him now!

To beat him, he must use his "High-Interest Loan" ability!

Moreover, even with the "High-Interest Loan" ability, maybe... he only had one chance to attack!

The other party would definitely not give him a second chance!

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With this thought, he got up and started to run away, all the while quickly formulating a plan...

...

The ranger didn't pay much mind to Fang Ze's evasion of the first attack.

After all, from the probing just now, he had roughly gauged Fang Ze's strength.

An Awakener with preliminary training.

He might stand a chance against an ordinary person, or a common martial artist, but against himself, Fang Ze couldn't even breach his defenses.

As for Fang Ze's Awakening Ability, according to the information from Lord Golden Fox, it should be a transfer type, essentially an ability for escaping.

That was even less to be feared.

The huge gap in strength made him feel like he was playing cat and mouse with Fang Ze.

So, looking at Fang Ze's figure, he smacked his lips and blew another whistle, signaling for the Giant Tree Person to chase after him...

During his escape, Fang Ze finally settled on a plan.

However, the plan was a bit bold; a slight mistake, and he might not see the sun tomorrow.

So, his heart went "Thump, thump, thump" as he ran, constantly turning his head to look at the Giant Tree Person chasing him, then with a thought,

In a moment.

Two Shadow Warriors suddenly leapt from the tree canopies on both sides of the Giant Tree Person.

Those two Shadow Warriors, huge in stature and looking formidable, seemed like infants before the Giant Tree Person, totally ineffective as if attempting to stop a vehicle with outstretched arms.

But even with the clear gap in strength, they still held their black clubs high and recklessly smashed them down towards the ranger on top of the Giant Tree Person's head.

The black clubs, with a "whoosh" of wind sound, powerfully descended.

The ranger, as if not seeing them at all, kept his gaze fixed on Fang Ze as if he didn't care in the slightest.

Indeed, he didn't.

With just a "thud, thud!" the Shadow Warriors' clubs hit the ranger, having no effect at all, not even damaging his clothes.

Even though he had anticipated this, Fang Ze's pupils still contracted slightly upon witnessing the shocking scene.

At that moment, the ranger snorted coldly, his body shook without any other visible action, and the abdomens of the two Shadow Warriors violently contracted before they were blasted away like cannonballs.

Luckily the Shadow Warriors didn't take much damage; they flipped over, landed in the shadows of the trees on either side, and then vanished...

The ranger didn't concern himself with the Shadow Warriors going back into hiding; he looked down at Fang Ze and mockingly said, "Although I don't know where you bought these Shadow Warriors from,"

"But, didn't the person who sold them to you tell you that they are the weakest Disaster Creatures?"

"Forget about me, even a junior Awakener who has undergone half a year's training and can form Law Defense on their body surface would find their attacks completely ineffective."

"And you dare to dream of using them to turn the tables? That's simply laughable. Heh heh heh..."

Seeing the scene before him and hearing his mockery, Fang Ze's hand gripping the iron spear was dripping with sweat.

He didn't respond, just gritted his teeth and continued to run at full speed, trying to encourage himself.

'It's okay... that was just a probe, just a probe.'

As he thought this, the ranger smiled and said, "Seems like I should make you understand the difference between us."

With that, he spread his arms, and his body shimmered with green light; after a moment, he took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully.

It was clearly just an ordinary breath, but when breathed out, it turned into white mist.

The mist swept across the forest like wind.

In just an instant, dozens of towering trees shook their canopies and uprooted themselves.

The ground beneath Fang Ze became unstable, the land fractured and crumbled.

Roots writhed continuously beneath the soil.

When he finally fled the area and looked back... forty or fifty Giant Tree People, just like the first one, stood like an army behind him, eyeing him menacingly...

Then they all leapt together, their fists raised high, like a group of heavily armored giants, and with an alarming shadow, they smashed down toward Fang Ze!