Chapter 16: How Could It Be Possible? [Part One]

Luffy turned and ran toward his home, darting swiftly between the branches, and soon arrived. Once inside, he immediately poured ten vials of body-tempering liquid into a basin, then dropped the colorful crystal into it. To his amazement, the crystal melted quickly—it truly was extraordinary.

Without hesitation, Luffy drank the entire basin of the new body-tempering liquid. The warm rush surged from his stomach through every vein, filling him with a blissful sensation, as if he were floating beyond the mortal realm. He sat cross-legged on his bed, channeling the Dragon Emperor’s Sovereign Technique, his whole body surrounded by a faint golden radiance. Suddenly, his body grew hot, as if enveloped in flames. A dragon’s roar echoed within him, and it felt as though he’d broken through a barrier, all energies flowing swiftly through his being.

In an instant, Luffy’s strength soared from a hundredfold human force to a hundred and tenfold. Tenfold increase—only then did the surge subside, with five percent of the energy transforming into dragon essence circulating within him. The Dragon Emperor’s Sovereign Technique advanced yet again.

Luffy was elated.

Beside him, the Little Dragon Maiden watched with curiosity. This master was truly remarkable—so sacred and commanding. Her beautiful eyes widened in fascination.

On the third day, dawn was just breaking. Luffy rose from his bed, his body covered in impurities. He went to the bathroom, showered, changed his clothes, and left, not wanting to linger any longer.

He drove out of the village. Along the way, many zombies lunged at him, only to be knocked aside. Returning to the school, he found the gates tightly shut. Some zombies tried to climb in, but Luffy dispatched them with a single sword strike, extracting their crystal cores.

He opened the gate, drove in, closed it, and parked in front of the teaching building. Luffy realized that the body-tempering liquid was now useless for his current second-tier level.

The enhanced Dragon Blood pills were also ineffective. He could only wait for the system to unlock second-tier elixirs. His Red Fire Sword, too, was only first-tier. Once the others arrived and they hunted another wave of zombies, he would head to Jiuzhou City.

Now that he had crystal cores, he could exchange them for a second-tier sword. Luffy intended to give the Red Fire Sword to Zeng Hongsen.

Luffy headed upstairs, the first to arrive at the school—no one else was there yet.

“Master, what are you doing here in such a remote place? Are you planning to have children with me?” The Little Dragon Maiden suddenly appeared at Luffy’s side.

“You’re invisible now—don’t just appear and vanish out of nowhere, you’ll scare people. And stay invisible, enough of that nonsense. Wait until I marry Qin Bailin, then we’ll talk. For now, stay hidden and behave,” Luffy replied, speechless at her lack of shame.

“Oh, alright. I can be your concubine,” she said, then disappeared, leaving the space much quieter.

Soon, Suning Xue entered the school, and Luffy saw her from the corridor. Before long, the rest of the group returned—over twenty in total. Finally, Zeng Hongsen staggered in, wounded all over.

“Boss, Zeng Weixin and his sister were taken by a notorious thug outside the school,” Zeng Hongsen reported angrily.

“Thugs outside the school?” Luffy frowned.

“Yes, most of them have first-tier strength—tenfold human force. One has over thirtyfold, and another has twentyfold. There were too many; I couldn’t defeat them. They just now took Zeng Weixin and his sister Zeng Shuna,” Zeng Hongsen said, furious.

“All right, come with me. I’m preparing to clear out the last wave of zombies, then head to Jiuzhou City. Since someone’s courting death, we’ll deal with them before clearing the zombies. Now that you’ve all returned, from now on, we’re brothers. We’ll hunt zombies together, earn crystal cores together, and grow stronger together,” Luffy said seriously, tossing the Red Fire Sword to Zeng Hongsen. “This sword is yours—you’ve been the most obedient. As long as everyone remains loyal, I’ll reward you with such treasures. Let’s go—time to save them.”

“Yes!” everyone replied respectfully.

Following Luffy, the group headed outside. Zombies that approached were swiftly slain. With Luffy leading, they were unstoppable, killing over two hundred zombies en route to a bar.

“They’re inside. Damn it, there were too many—I couldn’t take them alone,” Zeng Hongsen said angrily.

“Let’s go in,” Luffy ordered.

Everyone charged in, with Zeng Hongsen at the front.

“You… even brought reinforcements!” A bald man sat drinking, with Zeng Weixin and his sister bound on the floor beside him. Several men approached, joining the bald man to confront Zeng Hongsen’s group.

“Well, you’ve got guts, bringing so many. We’re not weak either—come out!” the bald man sneered. More than ten shirtless men emerged, arrogant and aggressive. Nearby, several iron cages held naked women, all pale and hopeless.

“You bastard, you’re courting death—such cruelty!” Zeng Hongsen roared, furious. “Let our people go and we’ll leave immediately.”

“Hah… leave? You don’t even ask if our boss will let you go. This kid offended us and must die for it. His sister will become our slave,” the bald man said arrogantly, pulling a machete.

Zeng Hongsen and his group raised guns and crossbows, facing off with the bald man’s faction.

“Hah, this isn’t over,” the bald man sneered as another dozen people entered.

“You dare betray the boss?” Zeng Hongsen recognized them as former classmates who’d fought side by side, now siding with the bald man.

“We want better things, a good life. We don’t want to die in the apocalypse—following Boss Bald is the best choice,” a female teacher declared.

“Bring our boss out,” the bald man said with a smirk.

A young man stepped out—it was Zhang Rishan. Zeng Hongsen’s pupils contracted.

“Hah, I now possess sixtyfold human strength. Even your boss isn’t a match for me. If you don’t want to die, kneel!” Zhang Rishan descended from upstairs, settling confidently in a lounge chair.

“Who gave you the courage to touch my people?” Luffy strode in from the back, hands clasped behind him, exuding powerful presence.

Zhang Rishan looked up, and his pupils shrank sharply.

“Second-tier—how is that possible? Ninetyfold human force? How can that be?” Zhang Rishan stared at Luffy’s display of power, his eyes wide in disbelief. “I… I was wrong.”