Chapter 87: Battle of Courage

Xiao Yu felt a pang of fear. If he hadn’t used the Psychology Expert ability to give himself pre-emptive psychological suggestions—biting his tongue every ten seconds as a safeguard—the pain wouldn’t have snapped him out of the hypnosis. 

What would have been the outcome? 

Certain death!

He had thought that having the system’s abilities and a stronger psychological foundation than his opponent would allow him to crush others without restraint. But no, theoretical knowledge and practical ability were two entirely different things. It was too real!

And to think he had just been scared by a pair of shoes—can you believe it?

Xiao Yu’s expression turned strange as he looked at Zhang Shi, who was retreating.

“Impossible!” Zhang Shi, retreating frantically, was shocked and terrified, disbelief written all over his face. “How did you break the hypnosis?!”

“Why is it impossible?” Xiao Yu stepped forward, sneering as he charged at his opponent. “So what if you’re a hypnosis master?”

He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but in his heart, he thought, ‘Damn it!’

The opponent was not just the hypnosis expert indicated in the files but a genuine hypnosis master. 

All the doubts were resolved. The five victims were all controlled by Zhang Shi using hypnosis and drugs. Only a master hypnotist could make people break their psychological defenses and harm themselves. 

“No!” Zhang Shi, who was retreating, suddenly raised his leg and stamped his foot.

“Damn!”

Xiao Yu, his scalp tingling, instinctively twisted his body, changed direction and sidestepped.

Bang! Gunfire erupted.

A bullet whizzed past him, narrowly missing.

Sweating from the near miss, Xiao Yu lunged forward again, his palm aimed at Zhang Shi’s neck, who seemed crazed. A flash of cold light, a thin silver streak, darted toward Xiao Yu’s abdomen.

‘Does this guy’s skill have no cooldown?’

Cursing internally, Xiao Yu retracted his arm and dodged once more. As he did, he caught a clear glimpse of the silver glint.

A scalpel!

Zhang Shi was a university professor of psychology, from the medical department. As a doctor, it made sense for him to have access to a scalpel. This thought flashed through Xiao Yu’s mind as he lifted his leg and aimed a whip kick at Zhang Shi’s head.

A shocking scene unfolded.

Xiao Yu’s leg was blocked by a pair of arms.

Blocked? Really?

The other party was a professor, a cultured person. Weren’t educated people supposed to despise crude fighters?

Xiao Yu’s worldview collapsed as he cursed internally, ‘Damn, he knows how to fight!’

He had a gun, a high IQ, precise calculations, knew hypnosis, and could fight.

Having lived two lifetimes, it was the first time Xiao Yu encountered such a formidable criminal. Everything was telling him it was time to refresh his outlook on life. 

“Want to catch me?” Zhang Shi, holding a scalpel, looked ferocious. “Dream on!”

Instead of retreating, he advanced, stabbing at Xiao Yu with the scalpel.

‘Damn it,’ Xiao Yu dodged and swung his arms out. One hand grabbed the knife-wielding wrist while the other punched Zhang Shi in the face.

No matter how much Zhang Shi knew about fighting, he was no match for Xiao Yu, who had a cheat ability.

Crack! The wrist bone dislocated, and the scalpel fell.

Zhang Shi, thrown backward by the punch with a broken nose spurting blood, screamed, “Go to hell!”

An unspeakable horror rose in Xiao Yu’s heart. It felt like looking up while washing his face and seeing a ghostly figure in the mirror. The sensation made his spine chill and his scalp tingle.

‘No, he lured me here on purpose. He has two shoes, two guns!’

Bang!

Severe pain erupted in Xiao Yu’s thigh, causing his body to tilt and lose balance. 

As he fell, his mind was still racing. In his previous life, apart from his brains, he was physically weak, so getting hit by a bullet was somewhat understandable.

In this life, with the added advantage of a cheat, aren’t you supposed to learn from your mistakes, you dignified transmigrator?

Snap!

The fallen body was supported by an arm, and a cold, piercing light flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes. With a powerful push, his uninjured leg kicked off the ground, propelling him into Zhang Shi’s arms.

Bang! Crack!

Xiao Yu’s elbow struck Zhang Shi’s ribs.

“Ah!”

A wretched howl erupted from Zhang Shi, who bent over in pain.

But it wasn’t over.

A bloodstained leg lifted, and the knee struck the bent Zhang Shi in the face. Blood splattered as Zhang Shi’s head jerked back from another knee strike.

Still not done.

Just as Zhang Shi’s head was raised, it was seized by a pair of hands. With a quick motion, Xiao Yu’s other knee slammed into Zhang Shi’s face again.

As he landed, Xiao Yu coldly watched Zhang Shi collapse to the ground like a ragdoll, the icy light in his eyes slowly fading. But his gaze quickly shifted to Zhang Shi’s uninjured hand, and his pupils contracted.

In that hand, unbeknownst to him, was an MP5 player.

Soothing music, with its pleasant melody, began to play leisurely.

Sleeping Elf!

Xiao Yu was shocked, a chill running down his spine. He never thought that a person could be so ruthless, plotting even when unconscious.

Two figures appeared behind Xiao Yu, rushing over like vengeful spirits. After forty minutes of tracking, a fight with eight people, and a battle of wits and will with Zhang Shi, Xiao Yu’s stamina had reached its limit.

This was Zhang Shi’s final plan. Even as he passed out, a smile remained on his blood-covered face.

Was he smiling proudly?

“But have you forgotten? I was also buying time,” Xiao Yu smiled, looking at the unconscious Zhang Shi, and spat out one word, “Idiot!”

Two gunshots rang out. The two figures who were about to pounce on Xiao Yu were hit in the thigh. They fell down.

Those were two students. The students Xiao Yu had initially knocked down. After being attacked, some people fall into a coma, but depending on their constitution, some wake up quickly.

As a master hypnotist, Zhang Shi was very adept at using music to control others.

The music played, and the two awake students were hypnotized once again. Attacking the exhausted Xiao Yu, this seemed like a fatal situation.

But Wang Dong and the National Security personnel finally arrived.

In the end, Xiao Yu won.

Was he proud?

No, Xiao Yu felt no pride, only a lingering fear. He had a system, experience from a previous life, and a high IQ. Compared to ordinary people, he was much stronger. Even so, he was almost defeated by Zhang Shi.

This highlighted just how terrifying his opponent was, especially in terms of calculations and intelligence.

Xiao Yu recalled a famous saying from the internet in his previous life: “Kill the gods with a mortal body, give the god a health bar, and I’ll show you how to deplete it!”

This was Zhang Shi. A ruthless, insane, and terrifying criminal.

Case closed!