Flames erupted from the Fusion's body.
Su Li didn't possess Zhao Haoyang's "Indestructible Bronze Body," so he dared not let the flames touch him. He began to retreat while raising his left thumb, pointing it at the newly appeared flames.
A blood-red light materialized on his left thumb. The Blood Ring emerged, radiating a blinding crimson glow.
"Blood Crystal Cannon," activated.
The Fusion sensed the stench of death. Amidst the unquenchable flames and high-voltage electric shocks, it hastily conjured an Ice Shield.
The Ice Shield solidified in an instant. The red beam shooting from Su Li's left thumb struck the shield.
Silently, a massive circular hole appeared in the center of the Ice Shield. The red light pierced through the giant shield, then swept across the Fusion's upper body.
Including its head, the entire upper half vanished abruptly, leaving only the lower half standing there, the wound at the abdomen forming a slight arc.
Everything happened in an instant and ended just as quickly. The entire scene froze in tension.
Su Li acted as if he had done something trivial. The Blood Ring on his left thumb quietly disappeared. A Spirit Source flew out from the Fusion's remaining lower body, sinking into his forehead and vanishing.
"Level 8 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 98/130"
Reading the message in his mind, not bad—killing this complete Fusion yielded ten Spirit Sources.
That was two more than killing a Level 9 Alpha Beast.
Unfortunately, slaying this Fusion granted neither a special ability nor a Spirit Source equipment.
The dense horde of high-level undead all around froze in shock at the Fusion's sudden death, then retreated like a receding tide.
With the complete Fusion dead, their morale shattered, and they lost the will to attack, immediately withdrawing.
Su Li ignored their retreat. He turned to walk back toward Wang Shixian but noticed everyone staring at him in a daze, as if looking at a monster.
Su Li understood that his instant kill of the Fusion had caught it off guard. He had fully grasped its abilities, while it knew nothing about him. The "Blood Crystal Cannon" was too powerful for the hastily formed Ice Shield to withstand.
But to the onlookers, it seemed entirely different.
This humanoid monster had crushed Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu, two big shots, and even Zhao Haoyang from the Eastern Tower had been nearly beaten to death by it. Yet Su Li, who had suddenly stepped in, killed it in one move—what kind of strength was that?
The crowd's gazes at Su Li shifted from gratitude and excitement to fear, as if beholding an incomprehensibly powerful being.
People always fear what they cannot understand.
Such power truly defied everyone's comprehension.
Wang Shixian's beautiful eyes sparkled with amazement. She hadn't expected that stumbling upon this man and bringing him back would yield such a formidable figure. Not only was he far beyond Wang Xu of Financial City, but even Zhao Haodong, the second-in-command of the Eastern Tower, paled in comparison.
Jiang Xiaodong was the first to react. Ignoring his injuries, he hurried forward a few steps and bowed respectfully. "My name is Jiang Xiaodong. May I ask how to address you?"
He didn't know Su Li. Seeing him emerge from the Financial City group, he didn't seem like one of them. If Financial City had someone like this, Wang Xu wouldn't be the leader.
Su Li smiled politely at the leader of Maple View Center Tower. "My name is Su Li."
Jiang Xiaodong said with deep gratitude, "If it weren't for you, Brother Su, none of us would have survived today. You've saved us all."
Su Li replied, "No need to be so polite, Brother Jiang. It was just a small effort."
At that moment, Wang Xu, supported by Xiaoya, approached and bowed respectfully as well. "I'm Wang Xu, and this is my girlfriend, Li Xiaoya. We're from the Financial City Center Tower. May I ask where you come from, Brother Su?"
He knew Su Li wasn't from Financial City or Maple View Center Tower, nor did he seem like someone from the Eastern Tower. That left only one possibility: he was from elsewhere.
Wang Shixian, Qin Xin, and You Zhenghao excitedly gathered around.
You Zhenghao and the others looked at Su Li with astonishment.
They had initially thought they were saving Su Li from danger, feeling proud of it. Now they realized Su Li was so powerful that he didn't need their help at all.
Wang Shixian had long suspected Su Li was no ordinary person—owning a Spirit Source weapon and taming a giant turtle as a mount made him anything but simple. But in her imagination, Su Li's limit was close to Wang Xu's. She never expected him to be this strong.
After the initial shock and excitement, the surrounding crowd swarmed over, expressing their gratitude in a flurry of voices.
"Su Li, no, Brother Su, you're incredible!" You Zhenghao beamed, acting as if he were already close to Su Li, and announced loudly, "Brother Su is our friend, invited here by us to watch the battle. Right, Qin Xin, Shixian?"
Qin Xin nodded, smiling on the surface but feeling a pang of loss inside.
He was a competitive person at heart, only respecting Wang Xu in Financial City. He hadn't expected this sudden Su Li to steal everyone's thunder. Earlier, when Wang Shixian took Su Li ahead on the giant turtle, he'd felt displeased. Now seeing Su Li's prowess, his resentment grew, but he hid it, not daring to show it.
Wang Shixian smiled brightly but shot You Zhenghao a playful glare. "You're acting like you're afraid no one will know." Then she turned to Wang Xu. "Oh, by the way, boss, Su Li is from the Shimao Building. We met on the way, hit it off, and I brought him to watch your duel. I didn't ask your permission first—you won't blame me for acting on my own, will you?"
Wang Xu grinned. "How could I? It's fate. Otherwise, none of us would be alive today. Brother Su saved us all—we can't thank him enough. Why would I blame you? Hey, Jiang Xiaodong, it's noon now. Everyone's probably hungry. How about we go to my Financial City? The food might not be fancy, but I've got good liquor. It's a small token of gratitude."
As he spoke, he looked at Su Li with sincerity.
Jiang Xiaodong shot Wang Xu a glare. "Why your Financial City? Isn't my Maple View Center Tower just as good?"
Wang Xu retorted, "You have to argue about this too? Can't you see it's closer to Financial City?" Then he turned to Li Xiaoya beside him. "Xiaoya, go back first. Tell the kitchen to prepare a lavish lunch today—bring out whatever good stuff we have, got it?"
"Sure." Li Xiaoya agreed readily, then turned and left with a few people from Financial City.
"Brother Su, no rush. Let them go ahead and prepare. We can take our time heading back." Wang Xu smiled, breaking out in a cold sweat from his injuries, which he'd been enduring.
Jiang Xiaodong chuckled. "Fine, I won't argue with you this time. Old Lu, take the others back to Maple View Center Tower. Wang Xu's hosting lunch, but dinner's on me at my place. Get back and prepare, understand?"
"Got it, boss." Old Lu, a steady man in his thirties, began leading the Maple View Center Tower group away.
Jiang Xiaodong himself stayed. Despite their bickering, he and Wang Xu had always been close, so he wouldn't miss out on lunch.
Su Li was amused. Before he could refuse, they'd already arranged his lunch and dinner.
"Su Li, don't you dare say no." Wang Shixian tugged at his arm, already starting to pout, afraid he'd decline.
Su Li wanted to connect with these people. He could sense that Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong were straightforward and worth befriending.
But people's hearts were hard to gauge. Feelings aside, entering Financial City alone for a meal felt risky. While they likely meant no harm, he couldn't ignore the possibility of treachery.
If there was a trap, going alone would leave him vulnerable. One mistake could cost him his life—he had to be cautious.
Su Li smiled. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'll have to pass on the meal. I have some business to attend to later and need to leave—there's no time. But I live nearby now. When I'm free, I'll definitely come visit you all. And of course, you're welcome to drop by my place."
He now had a rough idea of Financial City and Maple View Center Tower's capabilities, having seen Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong's strength. But merging these two buildings into the Golden Eagle Alliance wouldn't be easy, especially not now. It had to be gradual, especially with the Eastern Tower lurking nearby.
He still didn't know much about the Eastern Tower.
Thinking of it reminded him of Zhao Haoyang. He looked toward where Zhao Haoyang had been thrown and noticed he was gone.
"Huh? Where's Brother Zhao?"
At Su Li's mention, Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong remembered Zhao Haoyang and looked around.
Everyone had crowded around Su Li, forgetting about him.
"He left quietly on his own just now," a young man around twenty nearby said.
"That Zhao Haoyang, leaving without a word." Wang Xu frowned slightly.
Jiang Xiaodong snorted. "He probably felt embarrassed and slunk away."