Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

On the other side, a massive white figure smashed through a building's glass facade, ripping across its interior and bursting onto the street, hurtling towards a speeding vehicle.

Before the shattered debris even began to rain down, the Imperator had closed in on the vehicle, mere moments from a direct collision.

As the car teetered on the brink of becoming scrap metal under the Imperator's impossible speed, a figure leaped from its roof, a lone mantis daring to block a chariot's path.

Then, the mantis flipped the chariot.

Shu, airborne, delivered a ferocious kick to the Imperator's face. In an instant, the Imperator was sent flying back even faster than it had arrived, crashing back into the building.

"Awesome!" Inside the car, Li Sushang, clutching her sword, her slightly chubby face pressed against the window, cheered.

He's a total war god!

Seeing Shu's successful attack, Li Sushang couldn't help but cheer, hugging her sword tightly.

So you're this strong!!

Landing back on the car roof, Shu took a few deep breaths, quickly assessing the [Expectation] within him.

This was the third attack he'd intercepted. The [Expectation] consumed in these three attacks alone had already reached his previous limit.

In other words, without that sudden surge of [Expectation], Shu would have already been at his limit.

Whoever you are, stranger who gave me [Expectation], I have to thank you!

Expressing his gratitude internally, Shu looked up and saw the Imperator emerging from the wreckage of the building. He couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it, not even a scratch after a kick like that?! Are you made of freaking rubber?!" Shu cursed as he reluctantly gathered his strength again.

The [Expectation] he was currently using came from Otto's [Wish], but the first time hadn't. The Imperator's initial ambush was too swift, too sudden, catching even Fu Hua off guard.

Only Kallen and Shu had barely reacted, but Kallen, unlike Kiana, wasn't sure how to trigger Shu's abilities.

So Shu had relied on that strange [Wish] again.

[From ********: Protect Taixu Martial Hall].

Thankfully, Li Sushang had been constantly thinking about Taixu Martial Hall; otherwise, Shu might have died from "lack of ingredients" right then and there!

Just imagining the car being hit by the Imperator without warning, turning into a flattened pancake along with everyone and everything inside, sent shivers down Shu's spine.

"How is it? Damage report?" From the driver's seat, Otto kept his eyes glued to the road ahead. The engine roared, the speedometer needle pinned at its maximum.

"Not much effect. This thing's defense is insane." Shu stared intently at the spot where he'd kicked the Imperator, then yelled back.

On the Imperator's face, where he'd just kicked it, there were some minuscule cracks, but they were so small that even he had to look closely to find them.

The awkward situation was this: Shu, now brimming with [Expectation], could totally pin down the Imperator and… tickle it to death.

He couldn't break through its defenses! Shu had no way to penetrate its armor!

The [Expectation] required to one-shot the Imperator was readily available, but the consumption would be close to Shu's current output limit.

That would be such a waste! Why expend everything when there were more efficient ways to take it down?

Shu figured that with a dozen or so hits like the one just now, he could probably finish off the Imperator, consuming less than a quarter of his [Expectation].

Every bit saved counted! Shu didn't want to revert to being a powerless, useless nobody again.

Not for a single second!

But…

Shu's gaze fell on a familiar-looking sign, and his heart sank.

He'd been here before. Otto had chosen the same route Shu had taken when arriving, claiming it was the only road clear enough for this kind of high-speed chase.

Traffic in Shanghai City center was usually insane, yet this road was strangely empty.

As if it had been deliberately cleared right before the Honkai struck.

Maybe there was a big exhibition or performance here… Otto remembered a large venue on this road.

Actually, Otto hadn't intended to take this route initially, precisely because of that potential exhibition venue.

Imagine a packed venue right before the Honkai hit…

Tens of thousands of zombie Deadmen… maybe even dozens, or hundreds… Otto wasn't confident he could handle that many.

But now, he had no choice.

There was already that special Honkai Beast. Surely the zombies couldn't be faster than the car?

But Shu was thinking about the shelter nearby.

He'd just speculated last night that Kiana and the others would be moving the survivors this morning…

Wasn't this a direct collision course?!

The thought made Shu want to punch the Imperator into oblivion right then and there.

Keep the Imperator away from the shelter. That was Shu's current objective.

"Otto, any ideas on how to quickly take down this Imperator?" Shu focused. None of the abilities he'd derived from his power could inflict significant damage with low consumption.

"How about a nuke? Need a tutorial?" Otto chuckled, speaking to Shu in a perfectly serious tone.

He even mimicked a thoughtful expression.

"You're a bit too extreme…" Shu's eye twitched. He leaped up again, this time delivering an uppercut that sent the Imperator soaring.

"Besides weapons of mass destruction, I can't think of anything that can quickly end this." Otto sighed. "For a swift victory, you either need overwhelming firepower or a single, decisive blow to a vital point. Perhaps… you could try something sharp?"

Sharp? Like, stab it with a needle?

Shu scoffed internally, but the reality wasn't far off.

If he had a needle that could pierce its defenses and reach its core, the problem would be solved.

But did he have to imagine and create that needle too?

Wait, he could influence existing matter, couldn't he?

Shu's eyes lit up. He half-knelt on the car roof, reaching down to the window, and called out to Li Sushang inside.

"Sushang, lend me your sword."

"Huh? What for?" Li Sushang, startled, quickly rolled down the window. A gust of wind rushed in. Bracing against it, she handed the sword out.

Shu took the sword, looking up at the Imperator.

"I'll show you what real swordsmanship looks like!"