《Stellar Remnant: City Rebellion》

Chapter 10: Zhao Hu’s Back? This Time, It’s My Turn to Strike!

In the training room of the Rust Iron Club, pale blue Starcore energy rippled constantly. Lin Feng focused on controlling the claw form of his right hand. After Su Xiaoxiao’s harsh guidance over the past few days, his energy control had become more stable. The claw no longer went out of control as before. The tips of the claws sliced through the air with a faint whoosh, leaving three consistent, precise scratches on the old metal training post.

“Barely passing.” Su Xiaoxiao leaned against the wall, fiddling with an energy scanner, her tone as sharp as ever. “Your energy sync is stable at 58%, six points higher than yesterday, but your speed is still too slow. In a real fight, you wouldn’t even touch the edge of someone’s clothing.”

Lin Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead without arguing. He knew she was right. Over the past few days, he had trained from dawn to dusk, mastering energy guidance, stabilizing forms, and combat techniques step by step. He could clearly feel the change in himself—no longer the bullied weakling of the Rust Belt, the Starcore energy surging inside gave him the confidence to protect both himself and the Rust Iron Club.

“Xiaoxiao, can’t you go easy on Lin Feng?” Uncle Tie walked in with two cans of energy drink, handing one to Lin Feng. “He’s improving fast. Just a few days and he can already stabilize the Iron Claw form at Mortal stage. His talent is far beyond ordinary people.”

Su Xiaoxiao snorted. “Talent alone isn’t enough; strict training is essential. The Alliance won’t go easy on anyone just because they’re talented.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small metal device, about the size of a palm, tossing it to Lin Feng. “This is a micro energy amplifier. In critical moments, it boosts your energy output by 10%. Don’t lose it.”

Lin Feng caught it carefully, a warm feeling filling his chest. He nodded seriously. “Thanks.” Over these days, he had learned Su Xiaoxiao’s temperament—tough on the outside, yet willing to help at the right time.

Suddenly, the training room door was kicked open. A loud, arrogant voice rang through the base:

“Lin Feng! You useless trash, get out here!”

Lin Feng, Uncle Tie, and Su Xiaoxiao exchanged glances, all feeling a chill. That voice—they knew it all too well. Zhao Hu.

The three of them hurried out of the training room and saw Zhao Hu standing at the entrance of the Rust Iron Club’s base with four followers. All were clad in worn-out mech suits, wielding energy batons, eyes scanning the area with vicious intent. The other members of the club gathered around, tense but unwilling to back down, weapons gripped tightly.

“Zhao Hu, you’ve got some nerve, breaking into our base!” Uncle Tie stepped forward, Starcore energy flowing around him, ready to transform into his Steel Bear form.

Zhao Hu laughed coldly, ignoring Uncle Tie entirely. “Rust Iron Club? Just a bunch of weaklings hiding in a corner. I’m not here for them; I’m here for Lin Feng!” His gaze locked onto Lin Feng, full of hatred and greed. “I didn’t expect a loser like you to survive, and even join this club. Seems like you really awakened a mutant gene that day at the abandoned energy station.”

It turned out Zhao Hu’s squad hadn’t left after being defeated by Lin Feng. They had watched from nearby, discovering that Lin Feng had been rescued by a mysterious man. Greed filled their hearts—they thought if they could capture Lin Feng and sell his mutant gene to the Starcore Alliance, they could earn a fortune. For days, they tracked him until they finally found the Rust Iron Club’s base.

“Looking for me?” Lin Feng stepped forward, placing himself between Uncle Tie, Su Xiaoxiao, and Zhao Hu. Starcore energy swirled around his right hand, fingers curling into a clenched fist, ready to summon the Iron Claw form.

“Yeah, for revenge!” Zhao Hu sneered, pointing at his mech. “You hurt me that day. Now, give me your mutant gene, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, I’ll flatten this base and sell all of you to the Alliance as test subjects!”

“Dream on!” Lin Feng’s eyes turned icy. “I beat you before, and I can beat you again!”

“Ha! You?” Zhao Hu laughed, as if hearing the funniest joke. “A newbie like you dares to talk back? Last time you were lucky. Let’s see how lucky you are today!” His Starcore energy flared, his mech glowing with a pale red light. His arms transformed into massive energy blades as he charged at Lin Feng.

“Lin Feng, watch out! Zhao Hu’s a mid-stage Mortal! His energy blades are deadly!” Uncle Tie shouted, stepping forward to assist.

“No, Uncle Tie!” Lin Feng blocked him. “This is between him and me. I’ll handle it!” Concentrating, pale blue Starcore energy enveloped his right hand, forming a solid Iron Claw. The tips glimmered with cold light.

Instead of blocking Zhao Hu’s attack head-on, Lin Feng remembered Su Xiaoxiao’s lessons. He shifted his steps, dodging the energy blades. Each strike crashed into the ground with a “boom,” gouging deep trenches into the floor.

“Oh? You’ve got some skill, dodging my attack?” Zhao Hu’s eyes flickered with surprise before turning more vicious. “But dodging once, twice—can you dodge forever?” He swung the blades faster, cutting off Lin Feng’s retreat.

Lin Feng remained calm, observing Zhao Hu’s attack rhythm. He noticed the strikes were powerful but slow, and each attack left a brief energy lag. This was his opening.

As Zhao Hu swung again, Lin Feng accelerated, leaping like a panther. The Iron Claw struck Zhao Hu’s mech joint, tearing through the alloy shell and severing the internal circuits. The energy blades dimmed instantly. Zhao Hu stared in disbelief. “Impossible! How can your claw be so strong?”