On the Ark.

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The author's rant: I was just complaining about how unlucky this year has been last night, and then I woke up this morning to find out that Kobe is gone...

I really don't know what to say. I've got terrible diarrhea again from eating bad food, and I feel like I'm about to collapse. This year's Lunar New Year has been truly... I hope all the bad luck in 2020 is concentrated at the beginning of the year, and that it doesn't last the whole year like this!

I need to go to the hospital for a checkup and ask for leave.

As the title says, I need to go to the hospital for a check-up tonight. I have a low-grade fever and gastritis, but no cough. I don't know if it's pneumonia, but I hope it isn't.

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Chapter 494 Froststar VS Copper Hammer (First Update)

When Frostnova made her move, Copperhammer realized that this woman's strength was on a completely different level from the others. The chill from the frost pierced his flesh, reaching his very marrow; for a moment, he even felt he was about to freeze to death. Fortunately, this sense of crisis also awakened the fighting instincts that had long been dormant in his blood. As if reactivated, he roared, smashed the ice with his hammer, and then quickly retreated.

And indeed, his intuition proved correct, for the next second, several icicles shot up from the ground and pierced the spot where he had just stood. Had he not released his restraints in time, he would have been pierced through by these icicles.

What an amazing warlock!

Copperhammer, having taken several steps back, squinted at Frostnova. This was the first time he had seen a caster like Frostnova; he had never seen anyone use Originium Arts like this before. In his mind, most casters hid behind heavily armored or guard units, using ranged Originium Arts attacks, such as conjuring fireballs—the power varied, but they were always fragile. Once Frostnova got close, there was only one outcome: death.

As for a warlock like Frostnova, who combines offense with defense and control, this is truly the first time I've seen one like her.

“Alright, I admit I underestimated you a bit.” Copper Hammer slowly straightened up. “You are indeed a very powerful person. I have never seen a sorcerer like you before, especially a woman. Here’s what we’ll do: tell me your name, and after I kill you, I can erect a monument for you to commemorate this battle.”

Froststar didn't speak, so Afu answered for her.

"You're dreaming," Afu said coldly. "A guy like you..."

"Hey, shut up." Copper Hammer shut Afu up with one sentence. "If it weren't for the woman next to you protecting you, you would have been dead a minute ago."

"You!" Afu really couldn't refute it, because he knew very well how big the gap was between his strength and Copper Hammer's strength. If Frost Star hadn't been here, Copper Hammer wouldn't have had much trouble killing him.

"Enough, Afu." Seeing Afu getting the short end of the stick, Froststar walked forward again. "There's no need to waste your breath. Just leave. I'll take care of things here."

"Leave?" Afu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and became anxious. "Big sister, your health absolutely cannot..."

“It’s possible.” While Copperhammer was observing Frostnova, Frostnova was also observing him. Copperhammer’s actions just now confirmed one thing for her, so she slowly said, “He is a member of the Ursus army specifically used to hunt warlocks. My attacks cannot deal 100% damage to him. To defeat him, I have to go all out.”

Froststar's words surprised Copperhammer.

"You even know my role in the army, that's quite impressive," Copper Hammer said. "Did you hear all this from others? Or do you know people in the military? Could you be a traitor like me?"

Copper Hammer's words made Frostnova's eyes grow even colder.

"Shut up." Frostnova raised her hand, and the temperature in the bar dropped again, as if the whole world was being dragged into an abyss. Even the members of the Yeti Squad were finding it hard to bear. In the cold, Frostnova slowly said, "You have no right to talk about Dad."

"Big sister!" Afu wanted to say something, but when he saw Froststar's eyes, he knew he couldn't stop her anymore. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Then be careful, we'll wait for you outside."

With that, he led the Yeti squad out of the bar.

So only Froststar, Copperhammer, and Copperhammer's subordinates, who had been frozen into ice sculptures, remained in the bar.

The temperature continues to drop.

At this point, Copperhammer's smile vanished. He had initially thought that Frostnova had ordered the Yeti squad to retreat because she knew his strength and felt she couldn't defeat him, so Frostnova stayed behind alone to cover their retreat. But now he knew that wasn't the case. The reason Frostnova had ordered the Yeti squad to retreat was because their presence would only limit her power!

Frostnova, who was just a second away from killing Copperhammer, hadn't even used her true strength yet.

Copper Hammer felt danger once again, a danger that made the hairs on his entire body stand on end.

We can't let this drag on.

Copper Hammer thought to himself that if the temperature continued to drop, his fighting ability would be frozen by the frost. So he slowly lowered his body, let out a low growl, and his muscles began to slowly undulate. At the same time, his body gradually grew larger, and his skin became incredibly hot. The frost would turn into water vapor the moment it touched his body. This made Copper Hammer look like a wild beast shrouded in white mist, making "sizzling" sounds.

"Come on," Copper Hammer said, "You wretched woman, I'll smash you into mincemeat!"

His voice was completely unrecognizable, muffled like the low growl of a wild beast.

Then he shouldered his warhammer and charged fiercely toward Frostnova.

Froststar frowned deeply, raised her hand, and countless icicles shot towards the bronze hammer.

But in his berserk state, Copper Hammer swung his hammer with just one hand, smashing all the ice shards into fragments and closing in on Frostnova in an instant. Seeing this, Frostnova had no choice but to draw her sword, but instead of confronting Copper Hammer head-on, she plunged it directly into the ground.

"Are you erecting a monument to yourself?!" Copper Hammer laughed loudly. By this time, he had already rushed up to Frostnova and was within attack range, so he did not hesitate and swung his hammer to smash Frostnova's head.

Froststar remained unmoved.

Just as the copper hammer was about to strike Froststar's head, an even more powerful blast of cold air surged from the spot where the sword had pierced her, instantly engulfing the copper hammer. The immense impact propelled the copper hammer back more than ten meters, first slamming it against the ceiling before it crashed heavily to the ground.

The rampaging body shrank back to its normal state.

All of this happened so fast that Copper Hammer himself hadn't even had time to react before he went from being a "God of War" to a "chick."

"What the hell is this power?" After spitting out two mouthfuls of blood, Copper Hammer struggled to get up and was then stunned by the scene before him.

Because the entire bar was frozen.

Like an ice cave.

Froststar stood in the very center of the ice cave, like an invincible queen, coldly watching Copperhammer.

"It's over," Frostnova said calmly.

At that moment, Copper Hammer finally felt fear.

Because Froststar's power is simply beyond the reach of ordinary people!

"No, no!" Copper Hammer suddenly retreated.

Froststar slowly took a step forward, but the next second, she knelt down on the ground, clutching her chest tightly, her face pale.

……

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Author's BB: It's alive...

Chapter 495 Orca Descends from the Sky! (Second Update) (3K)

Frostnova's strength terrified Copperhammer, while Copperhammer's strength also surprised Frostnova.

It wasn't out of fear. In fact, since Frostnova mastered her current Originium Arts, she had participated in numerous battles with the Reunion Movement, clashing with the Ursus regular army countless times without ever suffering a defeat or being at a disadvantage. However, this immense power came with powerful side effects. Her Originium Arts were many times stronger than ordinary ones, and the burden her body bore when using them was far greater than that of other Infected.

In just a few years, she progressed from a moderately infected person to a severely infected one. By the time she realized this, the Originium crystals growing from her body had doubled her weight, making even daily life difficult. It was then that she gradually transitioned from a frontline combatant to a second-line role, taking on command duties.

However, given the current size of Reunion and the Yeti Squad, they are far from being able to develop smoothly simply by having Frostnova in command. After a portion of the Yeti Squad was taken away by Mephisto and never returned, Frostnova realized that she couldn't just stand by and watch. If she didn't do something, she would never be able to fulfill the promise she made to her people.

Therefore, even though her body was already broken and battered, Frostnova was determined to finish what she needed to do before she completely collapsed.

For example, if she could kill this guy in front of her and give the Yeti Squad a place to stay, Frostnova slowly stood up again, while simultaneously activating the Originium particles within her body to lower the surrounding temperature once more.

However, her weakness was still seen through by Copper Hammer.

"I see..." Copper Hammer struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled again. "You woman, you're almost done for, aren't you? I've heard that infected people eventually die from crystallization self-destruction. What, do you want to blow me up with your own self-destruction?"

Froststar stared coldly at Copper Hammer, then drew her sword from the ice and walked towards Copper Hammer again.

She could sense that Copper Hammer's strength had recovered considerably, and she knew she had missed the best opportunity to kill him. But that didn't matter. Even though her body was nearing its limit, she could still kill Copper Hammer countless times in this state. However, Copper Hammer also understood this, understood the vast difference in strength between himself and Frostnova. A direct confrontation was absolutely out of the question. His most important task now was…

Copper Hammer picked up his warhammer again, then exerted force, smashing through the wall behind him, and tried to escape.

Froststar had anticipated Copperhammer's move, so she propelled the frost towards him. The instant Copperhammer disappeared into the wall, the frost "grabbed" his warhammer, instantly freezing it. Copperhammer was shocked and immediately abandoned his warhammer, continuing to run inside. However, the frost was far too fast, and Froststar "grabbed" him once more.

Just as Froststar was about to finish off Copperhammer, Copperhammer roared, "Don't move! Or I'll twist this brat's head off!"

Froststar's brows furrowed slightly.

A few seconds later, Copper Hammer, whose leg was frozen, limped out, holding a boy who had been frozen unconscious hostage—it was Aesop.

“You’re here for the Infected, aren’t you?” Copperhammer glared at Frostnova. “Then let me tell you, this brat’s relative is an Infected. He’s here to work for his Infected relative. If you’re still going to attack me, I guarantee I can twist this brat’s head off before you kill me. Don’t doubt my threat; I’m serious.”

When Copperhammer uttered those words, he was utterly uncertain, unsure if Frostnova would stop for this complete stranger. However, it was a last resort. Having witnessed Frostnova's power, he realized he was no match and could only flee. But he hadn't expected that even as a member of the Emperor's personal guard, he couldn't escape. In his final moments, he desperately grasped at every opportunity he could.

Then they caught Aesop, who was working in the kitchen and had been frozen unconscious by the cold.

Using an ordinary person to threaten a monstrous infected seemed like a risky proposition for Copperhammer, but being forced to the brink, he had no other choice. However, he hadn't anticipated that upon seeing Aesop in his arms, Frostnova would remain silent for a moment, then actually lower her raised hand, and the chill gradually dissipated from her body.

Copper Hammer was overjoyed.

It actually worked!

This monstrous woman actually stopped for this little brat?!

How foolish.

Froststar gazed at Copperhammer and said slowly, "Release that child. This is our battle."

Copper Hammer revealed a ferocious grin: "Do you think that's possible?"

“I’m not negotiating with you,” Frostnova said. “If you’re not willing to let go, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

“Whether I let go or not, you’re going to kill me,” Copper Hammer said. “But if I don’t let go, at least I can take someone down with me. So, do you want to see this little brat go to hell with a villain like me?”

Froststar fell silent once again.

She knew that her most important task now was to kill Copperhammer outright. Aesop's life was actually none of her business, nor was it any of the Yeti Squad's. Rather, Aesop had become an obstacle to her and the Yeti Squad's progress, and eliminating that obstacle was the most important thing a leader should do at this point.

but……

Froststar gazed at the unconscious Aesop.

Should she really kill this innocent child? This underage child has already given everything for his family, should he really die like this? If she should kill him just because he is in her way, then how is she any different from those infected who kill indiscriminately for their own benefit? And what right does she have to criticize Mephisto?

Thinking this, the cold air surrounding the copper hammer receded a little.

Copper Hammer noticed this as well, and his smile grew even brighter.

“Very good, very good.” Copper Hammer nodded and said, “You are indeed different from ordinary infected people. How about this? I won’t threaten you anymore, it’s pointless. I’ll use this brat’s life to exchange for my own, is that alright? You came to me because you want Sap Town, right? Then I can leave, I can leave here forever, and I will never bother you again, as long as you let me leave… What do you think?”

Frostnova didn't want to let Copperhammer leave. This was a place she had painstakingly found for the Yeti team, and she didn't want to see any potential threats. An enemy like Copperhammer was nothing to worry about if she was still alive, but if she died, no one would be able to deal with him.

So she didn't speak immediately, but remained silent.

This silence made Copperhammer uneasy, and he shouted, "Isn't this a good deal? One life for one life. As soon as I leave this bar, I'll put this brat down immediately. I won't go back on my word. Isn't that enough?"

Frostnova remained silent, pondering a way to break the deadlock, trying to figure out how to keep the bronze hammer here forever without harming Aesop...

puff.

Froststar suddenly clutched her chest and then knelt down on the ground once again.