One against a Thousand

The misty night of the Jiangnan water towns was enough to intoxicate anyone, but the night in Nanjing always carried a bone-chilling coldness that raised goosebumps. No one wanted to stay; they only wanted to flee at once.

News of the Ghost Army facing the Japanese special forces had long spread throughout China, and many people wanted to witness the battle with their own eyes. But beneath the bayonets of the Japanese soldiers, Nanjing had long since become deserted. The silent empty city seemed all the more bleak.

Standing atop Nanjing’s ancient city wall, which had endured for over a thousand years, Zhang Xuan’s clothes snapped in the faintly cold evening breeze, making him especially conspicuous within the tranquil city.

"Is that Zhang Xuan?" In a teahouse in Nanjing, a young man sat upright on a long bench. His gaze pierced the deep darkness and settled on the figure atop the distant city wall, his eyes carrying a trace of disdain.

Beside the young man, a bald middle-aged man stood obediently to one side. Hearing the question, he hurriedly answered, "Young Master, that is Zhang Xuan."

The young man frowned slightly, lifted a cup of tea, and took a small sip. Somewhat surprised, he asked, "Where is the Ghost Army?"

"Young Master, I’m afraid he came alone," the bald middle-aged man explained quietly. "Other than Zhang Xuan, who has some ability, everyone else in the Ghost Army is just an ordinary person. There would be no point in them coming."

"So Zhang Xuan is a smart man after all?!" The young man sneered, the mockery on his face deepening.

At that moment, shadowy figures began emerging from every corner of Nanjing. In the blink of an eye, they gathered below the city wall. At their head stood Sunfire, Yoshida Shiro, wearing a sun god mask.

Flames surged all over Yoshida Shiro’s body as he lightly flew up and landed atop the wall. He said mockingly, "Did you come here to die?"

"You’re the one who came here to die!" Zhang Xuan gave a cold snort and attacked without hesitation. Teleportation, combined with the energy he had absorbed from the entire army’s weapons before coming here, made his opening strike extraordinary.

Sunfire was immensely experienced in battle. He reacted instantly, gathering the flames rolling across his body into a shield of fire that blocked Zhang Xuan’s incoming fist.

Watching the flaming shield draw closer, Zhang Xuan showed no intention of evading. His right fist crashed into it in an instant.

To Yoshida Shiro’s surprise, the flaming shield failed to stop Zhang Xuan’s attack. His bowl-sized fist shattered the shield and struck Yoshida Shiro’s shoulder. The immense impact made Yoshida Shiro roar in agony as he vented the searing pain in his body.

After absorbing Yoshida Shiro’s flames, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a swelling sensation. He knew this signified that his energy absorption had reached its limit. Before coming here, he had absorbed the energy from every weapon in the entire army. Now that he had absorbed Yoshida Shiro’s incomparably powerful flames as well, the energy within him was nearly saturated.

Zhang Xuan activated Teleportation and instantly appeared beneath the city wall, amid the Japanese mutants. He lightly stamped his right foot, sending the vast energy within his body outward through that step like a raging tide. Under his control, it slowly surged toward the Japanese mutants around him.

After a series of explosions and cries, nearly half of the Japanese mutant battalion, close to a thousand strong, was crippled. More than half of the rest had suffered injuries of varying severity, while one or two particularly unlucky ones died outright.

Seeing Zhang Xuan abandon him to slaughter his subordinates, Yoshida Shiro’s fury blazed even hotter. Forgetting all about their agreement, he charged forward. The flames around his body gradually shifted from orange-yellow to pale blue, clearly becoming even more powerful.

When Zhang Xuan saw Yoshida Shiro charging at him, he was delighted rather than alarmed. Though his previous strike had been imposing, it had also drained all the energy within him. He was in urgent need of energy, and Yoshida Shiro had arrived at just the right moment.

Flames and flesh collided violently. There were no scattering sparks and no anguished cries, only a faint exclamation of surprise.

"How are you completely unharmed?" Zhang Xuan sneered. The energy in his body formed into a spear in his hand, stabbing toward Yoshida Shiro with the force to pierce the air.

Though Yoshida Shiro found it strange that Zhang Xuan had suffered no harm, his movements did not slow in the slightest. He actually fought Zhang Xuan, who had inherited Logan’s true teachings, to a standstill.

As Zhang Xuan and Yoshida Shiro fought fiercely without either gaining the upper hand, the surrounding Japanese mutants also came to their senses. They began madly unleashing their attacks on Zhang Xuan—pure energy attacks, as well as powerful physical strikes relying on speed. Yet without exception, Zhang Xuan blocked them all and, almost miraculously, absorbed every bit of that energy.

Swelling. After absorbing too much energy, Zhang Xuan felt it again. He immediately activated Teleportation and vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was before an exceptionally tall Japanese mutant. He lightly tapped the man’s back with his index finger, transmitting immense energy into the tall mutant’s body.

With a bang, the towering Japanese mutant exploded. The immense energy tore his body into piece after piece, scattering them in every direction.

In the distant teahouse, the young man and the bald middle-aged man remained as calm as fishermen sitting on their platforms, leisurely watching the spectacle. Yet when they saw Zhang Xuan unleash one ultimate move after another, their hearts inexplicably tightened. The mockery on the young man’s face gradually vanished, replaced by solemn gravity. "So powerful!"

"Young Master, perhaps we should return!" Having witnessed the formidable strength Zhang Xuan displayed, the bald middle-aged man became somewhat worried. Turning to the young man, he cautiously said, "Once your divine art is complete, Young Master, we can come out again and slaughter them all."

The young man quickly shook his head and said excitedly, "Wouldn’t this be more interesting? If I spend all day with a bunch of fools, I’m afraid I’ll become a fool too!"

"But, Young Master…" The bald middle-aged man wanted to continue persuading him, but the young man cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Stay here. I’ll go meet them."

Beneath the ancient city wall, Zhang Xuan continuously absorbed and released energy, aided by Teleportation’s formidable ability to move instantly. Yoshida Shiro and his mutant battalion suffered enormous losses.

There was clearly only one opponent, yet even now, he seemed completely unscathed. His spirits remained high throughout. On their side, however, more than two hundred mutants had been taken out by Zhang Xuan alone, and none of those remaining were uninjured.

"You can absorb energy?" Yoshida Shiro was no fool. After fighting for so long, he had naturally noticed Zhang Xuan’s abnormality.

Zhang Xuan chuckled. Flames nearly identical to those surrounding Yoshida Shiro suddenly erupted from his body. Through his repeated contact with Yoshida Shiro, Zhang Xuan had long since successfully copied his ability.

Watching Zhang Xuan transform into "Sunfire" as well, Yoshida Shiro was utterly dumbfounded and had no idea what to say.

The young man, who had just arrived and was preparing to join the battle, also abruptly stopped in his tracks. He stood outside the battlefield, his face filled with shock.

P.S. Scorpion humbly asks for recommendations and tips.