Flying all the way, Yu Xian returned to the sky above the massive mountain outside the battlefield that Gong Qian had shattered.
On the ground, Zhang Shou and Gong Qian were staring blankly at each other. Yu Xian descended from the air, looking at the two with curiosity.
"Salty Fish, you're finally back! Talk some sense into her—she actually wants to go and make a mess of things," Zhang Shou immediately said upon Yu Xian's return.
Gong Qian retorted obstinately, "What do you mean 'make a mess of things'? I wouldn't get close; I just wanted to see if I could smash the cage open from the outside."
"That is indeed an idea," Yu Xian nodded, then glanced at Zhang Shou to see what he would say.
Zhang Shou frowned. "What if she gets poisoned again?"
Yesterday was unquestionably the most exhausting day of his life, even more exhausting than dying in the vegetable market back then.
Because of detoxifying Gong Qian, Touch of Healing drained his energy especially fast, forcing him to replenish it continuously. That single afternoon had been busier than that entire day.
Although Deimos was currently locked in hand-to-hand combat with Jin Dajun and could not break away, Zhang Shou had just climbed to a high vantage point and seen Deimos use its tail for ranged attacks. He truly did not want to detoxify Gong Qian again.
"Both of you have a point, but I have an idea that might be worth a try," Yu Xian said with a faint smile.
On his way back, he had simulated many uses for his new abilities in his mind. The simplest was shuttling between different bubbles himself, but in truth, there were many ingenious maneuvers that could be applied in battle.
For example, a throwing knife shot into one bubble could teleport out of another bubble, thereby changing the angle of fire.
One could even coordinate multiple bubbles with the silver thread formed from Silver Blood to create an unpredictable guillotine.
Yu Xian reached out his hand, and bubbles formed one after another in rapid succession. Then, he moved the bubbles into the sky, arranging them in a ring around Deimos's cage.
He created yet another bubble, looked at Gong Qian, and smiled. "Now pick up a rock and try throwing it into this bubble with all your might."
Though puzzled, Gong Qian still picked up a rock and hurled it hard into the bubble.
Boom!
A sonic boom rang out as the rock instantly flew into the bubble, followed by a loud crash from the distance.
Both Zhang Shou and Gong Qian froze, then scrambled to higher ground to look toward the source of the sound. Inside the cage created by Deimos, a huge crater had appeared on the ground.
"Lacking experience on the first try, the aim wasn't very accurate. Let's do it again!" Yu Xian said with a smile.
Zhang Shou exclaimed in astonishment, "Salty Fish, your bubbles can even do this? That's insane!"
"Spatial abilities are rare across the whole country, and an ability like his has truly never been seen before. If headquarters finds out, his ranking will definitely climb even higher," Gong Qian nodded.
When she woke up this morning, having nothing to do, she had checked the information on new members of the Evil-Slaying Squad on her phone, which gave her an understanding of both Yu Xian and Zhang Shou.
This was an authorization restricted to captain rank and above.
Next, Yu Xian and Gong Qian continued their cooperation, incessantly hurling rocks into the cage. From missing eight out of ten throws at first, it gradually improved until nine out of ten could hit Deimos.
However, Deimos couldn't be bothered with such minor harassment.
Its battle with Jin Dajun had grown fiercely deadlocked; it simply had no spare energy to defend against Gong Qian's attacks.
Of course, more importantly, Gong Qian's attacks were merely thrown rocks. No matter how immense her strength was, the material of the rocks limited the power of her attacks. At most, those rocks pelted Deimos with a slight sting; they could not inflict real harm.
"What a pity. I should have prepared some throwing weapons," Gong Qian said with a hint of disappointment as she picked up another rock.
Yu Xian picked up a rock and held it in his palm. Suddenly, he flipped his hand over; the rock vanished from his right hand and appeared in his left. Practicing back and forth continuously, he smiled. "No rush, I have another idea, but I still need to practice a bit more."
He had discovered that the teleportation capability of his new bubbles could adjust its position according to his thoughts.
For example, with the rock Gong Qian had thrown earlier, the first one emerged right at the center of the bubble; because Deimos was not directly targeted within the bubble's trajectory, it had missed.
Later, Yu Xian deliberately adjusted it so the rocks no longer emerged solely from the center; they could shift within the interior, teleporting out from various positions on the bubble.
Because of this adjustment, an idea came to mind, but he needed to become more proficient to be sure of it.
The two worked together, continuously attacking Deimos. Finally, after half an hour of practice, Yu Xian could manipulate the rocks to emerge from any position within the bubbles, achieving a one hundred percent hit rate.
"All right, everything is ready!"
Yu Xian dispersed the two bubbles in his hands and created a large number of smaller bubbles, each only the size of Gong Qian's fist. He controlled these bubbles, sending them inside Deimos's cage.
Though ordinary people could not escape Deimos's Demon Cage, fist-sized objects could pass freely through its mesh.
A swarm of bubbles hovered within the cage. Although Deimos noticed them, pinned down by Jin Dajun, it had no spare energy to destroy them—nor did it believe these bubbles could pose any threat to itself.
"Captain Gong Qian, step into the bubble in front of you and punch with all your might. As for what comes next, just leave it to me!" Yu Xian said to Gong Qian.
Gong Qian had been throwing rocks into the bubble in front of her all along, so the moment Yu Xian spoke, she instantly understood what he intended to do.
"All right, I'll hit it hard!" Gong Qian grinned and stepped into the bubble.
Inside the Demon Cage, Jin Dajun struck Deimos in the face with a punch, and Deimos similarly slammed a fist into Jin Dajun's abdomen. Then, just as Deimos tried to lash Jin Dajun with its tail, a bubble suddenly drifted up close.
Boom!
A small fist suddenly punched out from the small bubble, slamming heavily against Deimos's cheek.
Taking a punch to the cheek, Deimos's eyes instantly rolled back. This painful sensation—it was all too familiar.
That brat isn't dead yet?!
Before it could react, another bubble pressed close, and Gong Qian drove a punch into its jaw.
Because the first punch had already dazed Deimos, the second sent it flying straight into the air. In midair, another bubble approached, and Gong Qian's punch slammed it down to the ground.
A bubble was already waiting on the ground, and another punch sent it flying outward again.
Crack!
Under the bombardment of tens of thousands of tons of immense force, cracks instantly appeared along Deimos's spine.
Then it took another punch to the top of its head, its cranium cracking on the spot with the crisp ring reserved for a good, solid skull.
Everything happened at blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, Deimos was bounced around like a sandbag by the teamwork of Gong Qian and Yu Xian. From start to finish, let alone counterattacking, it didn't even have a chance to think.
Knowing Deimos's tail carried lethal venom, the bubbles deliberately avoided the tail, targeting only Deimos's head, abdomen, arms, and other areas.
Gong Qian's strength was overwhelming. Pelted by her colossal force, Deimos's eyes rolled white and its brain buzzed continuously, leaving it completely stripped of the ability to think.
About a minute later, Deimos's massive body crashed heavily to the ground.
"Great opportunity!"
Seeing this opening, Jin Dajun immediately lunged forward.
Straddling Deimos, he unleashed a wild barrage of hammers into its abdomen, causing Deimos's body to shudder violently as blood spouted continuously from its mouth.
Yet neither Gong Qian nor Jin Dajun let up; instead, they continued their relentless onslaught.
Resolved not to stop until they pounded Deimos into meat paste, each punch was heavier than the last, and each punch was delivered with even greater fury.
Chapter 49