Dancing with Death

In the Ash Zone System's assessment, Watanabe Munen was more human than technological weapon.

On the one hand, this weakened Martial Artists Do Not Die from Gunfire.

On the other, it gave Rapid Nourishment room to work!

After all, Rapid Nourishment could only be used on living beings.

It made no sense for Watanabe Munen to count as human for Martial Artists Do Not Die from Gunfire, only to count as a technological weapon for Rapid Nourishment.

Just as Xia Lin could not dodge Watanabe Munen's laser,

Watanabe Munen could not dodge Rapid Nourishment either!

As the light of Rapid Nourishment sank into Watanabe Munen's face, a drastic change began!

Watanabe Munen was a level-eight mechanical fighter, and his boss was a level-eight mechanic.

His degree of mechanical modification was absurdly high. More than ninety percent of his body had been replaced with metal components.

Yet since the Ash Zone System considered Watanabe Munen human, that meant he still retained some human attributes.

His brain, for instance.

Rapid Nourishment could not fatten his brain.

It only made the human half of Watanabe Munen's face swell rapidly.

In fact, however, that was not the limit of Rapid Nourishment's power!

The sudden surge of fat began squeezing the mechanical structures in the other half of his face and his neck.

Just as weeds could force their way through hard soil and even rock, the power of life was sometimes insignificant, but at other times immensely strong.

And the thing precision machinery feared most was the misalignment of its internal components.

A single loose screw could have disastrous consequences!

The sudden growth of fat threw the perfect divine machine into disarray, even briefly severing the connection between Watanabe Munen's human brain and his body.

The Overload Heavy Punch grazed Xia Lin's cheek, tearing his ear apart before slamming into the wall behind him.

Xia Lin watched Watanabe Munen retreat rapidly, his body twitching as azure light flickered across its surface.

[Efficient Troubleshooting (A-rank skill): Active skill, mechanical fighter class skill. Costs 5 Spirit to remove all negative statuses. Skill cooldown: 10 minutes.]

[Superpower Barrier (A-rank skill): Active skill, mechanical fighter class skill. Costs 10 Spirit to grant immunity to all negative statuses for 5 minutes. Cooldown: one day.]

[Body Reconstruction (A-rank skill): Active skill, mechanical fighter class skill. Costs 10 Spirit to rapidly repair bodily malfunctions. Skill cooldown: 10 minutes.]

[Overload State (A-rank skill): Active skill, mechanical fighter class skill. Costs 20 Spirit to enhance bodily performance and greatly increase the effects of all mechanical fighter class skills. Skill duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: half an hour.]

Even though Xia Lin did not know what Watanabe Munen's skills did, he could tell from the wildly flashing energy circuits how urgent Watanabe Munen felt.

He was Suzuki Shinto's right-hand man, yet he had been trapped in the Life-and-Death Arena by a nobody like Xia Lin.

He had to finish Xia Lin off as quickly as possible, break out of the Life-and-Death Arena, and return to help immediately!

There would be no probing or prolonged fighting.

Unleash all his skills and firepower to end the fight as quickly as possible—that was Watanabe Munen's logic!

But just as Watanabe Munen activated his skills, Xia Lin's right hand had already reached the medicine pouch on his back.

Thanks to Aoluosi's medicine pouch... the medicines inside were still intact.

Xia Lin pulled two medicines out of it.

One was Extreme-Speed Healing.

The other was Angel of Death.

Xia Lin savagely plunged both needles into his artery.

Icy liquid rushed into his blood vessels, and veins bulged across Xia Lin's face!

His injured arm healed at a speed that defied reason. Without even needing to be set, the broken bones rejoined under the medicine's effect.

But compared to Extreme-Speed Healing, Angel of Death's effects were stronger and fiercer!

It was as if a volcano had erupted inside Xia Lin!

Xia Lin felt that what flowed through his veins was no longer blood, but magma!

Violent power surged through him, making Xia Lin roar.

The pain of every cell being torn apart, and the strength of doubled attributes!

That was the magic of Angel of Death!

[You have gained a buff: Angel of Death.]

The medicine's effect actually counted as a buff too.

[Unstable Mutation activated. Angel of Death has mutated into: White Angel.]

[White Angel (S-rank temporary effect): All attributes increase by 50 points, and the healing of injuries accelerates. Duration: half an hour.]

"Reject the mutation!"

Fifty points to all attributes was not as strong as doubling them. The choice was obvious.

And the next notification was the real highlight!

[You have injected the Angel of Death medicine and gained three high-risk debuffs!]

[You have gained a buff: Shortened Lifespan.]

[Shortened Lifespan: Your lifespan has been reduced to 100 days.]

This time, Xia Lin understood what "high-risk" meant...

It would take your life, no two ways about it!

[Unstable Mutation activated. Shortened Lifespan has mutated into: Sudden Death!]

[Sudden Death (SS-rank negative status): You will suddenly drop dead within one day.]

Xia Lin: Fuck!

"Reject the mutation!"

[You have gained a buff: Eightfold Personality.]

[Eightfold Personality: Your mind has split into eight distinct personalities.]

[Unstable Mutation activated. Eightfold Personality has mutated into: Mental Resistance.]

[Mental Resistance (A-rank temporary effect): You gain a degree of mental resistance, which can weaken the effects of mental and soul-based abilities. This effect lasts for the entire duration of your stay in the Ash Zone.]

"Keep the mutation!"

[You have gained a buff: Gene Collapse.]

[Gene Collapse: You will die from gene collapse within ten days.]

[Unstable Mutation activated. Gene Collapse has mutated into: Complete Form Lifeform!]

[Complete Form Lifeform (SSS-rank temporary effect): Your genes have been perfectly recombined! All your attributes increase by 50 points, your five senses are greatly enhanced, and you gain powerful combat instincts and learning ability. Your injury healing speed, abnormal status resistance, bodily flexibility, ability to withstand blows, and more are comprehensively improved. You can greatly adjust your body shape and appearance, and the power of some of your skills increases! This effect lasts for the entire duration of your stay in the Ash Zone!]

Angel of Death + Unstable Mutation.

Dancing with death, wagering against the grim reaper!

"Hahahaha!"

His wild laughter exploded!

Unstable Mutation had delivered as reliably as ever!

As Xia Lin's talent, who else would it favor if not Xia Lin!?

At the edge of the Life-and-Death Arena,

Xia Lin slowly straightened his back.

A continuous series of cracks and pops came from inside Xia Lin's body, eerie and terrifying.

Amid the strange sounds, Xia Lin rapidly grew taller, reaching 1.9 meters.

His features became more refined and more defined.

Even his formerly somewhat scrawny frame gradually filled out, becoming a lean, muscular form with sharply defined contours but no bulkiness!

A Complete Form Lifeform was bound to have a perfect appearance!

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the power bursting forth from within him.

[Strength: 131 + (131 + 50)]

[Constitution: 131 + (131 + 50)]

[Agility: 131 + (131 + 50)]

[Spirit: 135 + (135 + 50)]

[Temporary attributes are shown in parentheses.]

Xia Lin's voice slowly rang out in the Life-and-Death Arena.

"Don't rush. Next comes phase two."