Chapter 188 - 187: If Only Physics Didn’t Exist Either

[-12]...

And right now, his hands were trembling slightly. Blood was still slowly dripping from the torn web of his right hand.

Too bad physics still existed; for every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction.

He had prepared to take some of the blowback, but the drop in his Life Value showed the force was far greater than he'd expected...

'I need to work on my technique.'

He equipped an activation crystal to heal his wound.

'After all, I've never wielded a two-hundred-pound greatsword before. I'll need to practice controlling its power whenever I get the chance.'

But it was no big deal. Killing the Giant-Armed Zombie had just added 10 points to his Life Value, which now stood at [1638/1650].

It was just like the weapons Lin Fan had forged for everyone else. They might have been a bit too much for their current strength, but as long as they kept getting stronger, it wouldn't be long before they mastered that power.

In the same way, this greatsword he couldn't yet wield with ease would serve as a constant signpost for him. ℴℴ𝘮

A reminder that he wasn't strong enough yet—and that he could become stronger still.

"Whoa!!! Big Bro! You killed it in one hit! Where'd that ugly-looking blade go?"

Chu Zhaozhao rushed over and began rummaging through Lin Fan's pockets, her wide eyes blinking up at him as she yelled in his ear,

"What is this ability? Weapon summoning? Bring it out again, let me see it..."

"It's not a blade, it's a sword!"

Lin Fan lightly tapped her on the head and casually wiped the blood from his hand on her clothes. They had gotten splattered with blood clearing the building anyway.

He then pointed toward the corpse.

"You go get the crystal from it, and then I'll show you..."

"Okay!"

Chu Zhaozhao gestured, and her longsword flew into her hand. She then ran happily toward the Giant-Armed Zombie's corpse.

"Is your hand okay...?"

Su Qing came over as well, taking Lin Fan's right hand and rubbing it gently.

"As long as no bones are broken, you'll be fine. I can't believe you came up with such a massive sword..."

Meanwhile, Xu Qian stood a short distance away, watching them with a look of pure envy.

"I found it, Big Bro! Where's the sword?"

Chu Zhaozhao held up a small, bloody hand, clutching a diamond-shaped crystal.

Lin Fan took the crystal and gestured for her to move.

Zhaozhao got the hint and immediately jumped aside, clearing an open space in front of Lin Fan.

"Here!"

At Lin Fan's command, the greatsword reappeared in mid-air before him.

Just as it started to fall, an invisible force caught it and held it aloft.

"Whoa! It's heavy... but a little lighter than that dumpster..."

Chu Zhaozhao's brow furrowed. She could feel the weight of the objects she controlled and couldn't help but comment.

She was right, too. The dumpster weighed at least three or four hundred pounds, making it twice as heavy as the greatsword.

Seeing this made Lin Fan extremely envious of Zhaozhao's ability. 'If it were her,' he thought, 'she could have just released the greatsword after the impact and avoided injury from the recoil entirely.'

"You should save your energy. We have to continue clearing the building in a minute!"

Seeing that her five Flying Swords weren't enough for her and she now wanted this greatsword too, Lin Fan remarked wryly,

"Why don't I just strap this to your waist, and you can lug it around..."

"Hmph... fine."

She slowly lowered the greatsword to the ground and gripped the hilt with both hands.

"Sister Qing, you try it too..."

"Huh?"

Su Qing looked at the greatsword, which was taller and wider than she was, her face a mask of doubt.

"Why don't you try lifting it with just your hands first, without using your power..."

"Oh, good point. I'll try..."

Chu Zhaozhao released her telekinetic control, gently laid the greatsword flat on the ground, and gripped the hilt tightly with both hands.

"Hya! Ugh—"

You could tell she was using every ounce of her strength. Her normally fair face instantly flushed beet-red, and the veins on her forehead bulged.

"It's... lifting! Ah..."

The tip of the greatsword barely left the ground before it fell back down with a thud.

"If you can't lift it, there's no point in me even trying..."

Su Qing waved her hand dismissively, intimidated by the greatsword's terrifying size.

Zhaozhao used her power to gently lower the greatsword, rubbing her arms while pestering Su Qing.

"Oh, come on, Sister Qing, just try it! Please, just give it a try..."

"Alright, alright..."

Su Qing couldn't stand up to Zhaozhao's relentless pestering. Besides, she was genuinely curious to try Lin Fan's weapon. She handed her shield to Zhaozhao, walked up to the greatsword, and gripped the hilt with both hands...

"Hmph!"

With a low grunt, Su Qing's face also flushed red, and veins bulged on her skin, just like Zhaozhao's.

But unlike Zhaozhao, she was actually, slowly, lifting the greatsword!

"Woah!"

Zhaozhao's eyes went wide with surprise. Even Su Qing herself stared in disbelief at the greatsword she was slowly raising.

Ultimately, she couldn't lift it completely, but she had already demonstrated far more strength than Zhaozhao. Even Lin Fan was watching her with surprise.

They had each gained 6 Life Value from killing the Giant-Armed Zombie. But even so, Su Qing's was only 282, while Chu Zhaozhao's was 321. Yet Su Qing's physical strength was clearly much greater...

"Xu Qian, you try it too..."

Lin Fan turned to the 220-point Xu Qian and pointed at the greatsword.

"Me...?"

Xu Qian pointed at himself in disbelief. His hearing had recovered slightly thanks to his increased Life Value, but he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. After looking at the other two for confirmation, he slowly walked over.

"Alright."

Copying Su Qing's stance, he gripped the hilt with both hands.

"Hnngh!"

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as his arms trembled violently. But the greatsword's blade merely wobbled on the ground twice, never leaving it.

"I can't lift it..." he said, looking at Lin Fan with a dejected expression.

"Don't worry about it,"

Lin Fan patted him on the shoulder.

"I was just running an experiment. You're still dozens of zombies' worth of strength behind them, so it's normal that you can't lift it..."

Lin Fan was just trying to console him. In reality, the gap was closer to a hundred zombies.

But this was enough to prove a point. He and Chu Zhaozhao were in the same tier. She could barely lift it, while Xu Qian, who was a hundred Life Value behind her, couldn't budge it at all.

'So what was the deal with Su Qing...?'

Chu Zhaozhao and Xu Qian squatted beside the greatsword, examining what it was made of. Su Qing, looking equally puzzled by her own strength, turned her gaze to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan's eyes swept over everyone's health bars...

'Only Su Qing has no energy bar...'

At first, Lin Fan had thought it was because Su Qing had no special talent and could only get stronger by slowly building her constitution through increasing her Life Value. But now...

'This might just be her real talent.'

"Sister Qing... try this. Give that tree a chop."

At Lin Fan's command, a ferocious great axe, glinting with a metallic luster, appeared in his hands.

"Whoa! Big Bro, you have more stuff!"

Chu Zhaozhao instantly leaped up and started rummaging through Lin Fan's pockets again.

"Get off, get off. Behave yourself and I'll make you a new weapon later..."

"Okay, okay!"

...

Su Qing hesitantly took the axe with both hands. The moment she gripped it, her arms sank violently from the weight!

This was the 130-pound battle-axe Lin Fan had custom-made for Wang Yuanhua, tailored for his 420 Life Value and hulking frame.

But from the looks of it, Su Qing could handle it too...

Su Qing stood her ground, gripping the axe with both hands and feeling its immense weight.

The handle was thick; clearly, Lin Fan hadn't made this for her. He had obviously brought it out to test her strength.

She could feel it. This axe was six or seven times heavier than her old spear, but its center of gravity was perfectly balanced just below the head. It was strenuous to hold, but far more manageable than the greatsword.

A thrill of excitement ran through her. It was the first time she'd ever held such a heavy weapon, and she couldn't help but imagine herself splitting a Mutated Zombie in two with a single swing, just like Lin Fan.

She took a deep breath.

"Hya!"

With a low cry, she stepped forward. Her seemingly slender waist suddenly coiled with power, like an elegant but taut recurve bow, driving her shoulders and arms forward. She channeled her entire body's strength into the axe and swung it viciously at a poor, unsuspecting pagoda tree nearby.

WHOOSH—

THWACK!

A whistle cut through the air, followed by a dull thud. The entire tree shuddered from the immense force as the axe blade, without resistance, buried itself deep into the trunk at an angle!

The recoil jarred Su Qing so hard that her hands flew open, and she stumbled half a step back.

Her arms were trembling slightly and her face was a little pale, but a flicker of excitement glinted in her eyes.

"I... I can wield a weapon this heavy..."

She looked at her hands in disbelief, then at the axe embedded in the tree trunk, as if she had never realized her own body possessed such power.

She had always seen herself as a support—directing the team, helping Zhaozhao out. But the deep, dull thud of the axe burying itself in the tree had also shattered the shackles she'd placed on herself.