That Which Does Not Kill Me

At this moment, Ouweila Street, the birthplace of the region, is also devastated, with large areas of houses collapsed.

With a dull roar, a Vanguard was lifted up by the neck by a hard metal arm, then a shotgun was shoved into the monster's mouth before the trigger was pulled.

Instantly, a mixture of red and white blood and brain matter splattered all over the walls.

A burly, cool-looking man with a buzz cut and a leather jacket pulled out a shotgun and threw the still-twitching Vanguard out of the drafty Mexico restaurant.

A cold, red light flashed in the man's eyes as he walked into the kitchen. After a mechanical search, he rummaged through the piles of bricks, broken glass, and loose dirt in the corner and pulled out a metal takeout box.

After inspecting the contents, a slight look of relaxation appeared on the man's tense face. He then picked up the delivery box and went to the inside of a partially collapsed building.

"Is dinner ready? Do you have the chicken wrap I ordered?"

John Connor, a blond boy who was setting tripwire mines nearby, saw the T-800 that had accompanied him since childhood return and happily went around looking for food and water.

Once the owner had received their desired portion, the T-800 distributed the remaining food to the others in turn.

Beneath this dilapidated building lies a hidden world of extraordinary talents.

An SCP Foundation squad, [Apocalypse], dressed in standard Thor's Hammer Tactical Exoskeleton, even while taking a break for a meal, didn't forget to adjust their autonomous turrets and keep watch on their surroundings.

In the corner, a martial arts master who had stabbed dozens of Vanguard to death with an Alloy Katana, despite having a scratch on his chest wrapped in thick gauze, exuded a murderous aura.

It seems that Captain Saeko inherited her good looks from her mother, while her fighting prowess is definitely inherited from her father.

After surviving the ordeal in Toko City, the members of the Apocalypse Squad, who joined the SCP Foundation, exchanged knowing glances and muttered amongst themselves.

Their attempt to find amusement in their misery hadn't lasted long when a strong, pungent smell of blood assaulted their nostrils.

The two heroines who went out to hunt down the nearby Chitauri and the lone Vanguard landed one after the other.

After finishing her cancer treatment, Sarah Connor, who was given a suit of Iron Man Armor by herself, opened the mask, took the Mexico chicken burrito handed to her by her son, and stuffed it into her mouth to fill her stomach.

Ugh, the egg yolk salad dressing is too strong, thumbs down...

Sarah, who has experience running a restaurant, quickly ate the takeout while commenting on it; the taste didn't affect her appetite at all.

Meanwhile, Saeko Busujima, upon receiving the bottled water, immediately unscrewed the cap and used it to wash her beloved knife, which was covered in bits of flesh and blood.

Only when this terrifying weapon, which could cut down hundreds of Vanguard without even dulling its blade, gleamed like snow, did this invisible violent maniac finally accept the food and fill his stomach with satisfaction.

But even during this process, she didn't stop working; she kept updating her kill statistics in her little notebook.

Everyone was already used to this.

It was precisely because of these outstanding individuals that their casualties were minimal.

Especially John, the mechanical genius, and his mother Sarah, who suffers from mild world-ending paranoia.

The two sides met by chance during the withdrawal, and the mother and son, who were always preparing to face the impact of the apocalypse, helped them a lot along the way.

After all, they were not only experienced in survival, but also had an extraordinary talent for mechanics, making them adept at various modifications and repairs.

The other one is equipped with a new type of armor belonging to a wealthy tycoon, which has astonishing destructive power.

As for the T-800 next to it, nicknamed "Governor," don't be fooled by its outdated model in the Terminator series.

However, the main metal inside this thing is all vibranium, and it is equipped with a dual-core arc energy reactor, which is incredibly luxurious.

The reason, I heard, is that someone accidentally destroyed their illegitimate son's toy and was willing to spend a lot of money to reassemble it with their son as an act of atonement.

It's good to be rich. When we have money after the war, hmm... we'll buy two chicken wraps, eat one, and throw the other away...

The members of the Apocalypse Squad were filled with envy for Sarah and her son's luxurious treatment, and they indulged in their fantasies while trying to find humor in their predicament.

"Those things are here again!"

However, before everyone could catch their breath, Toda Hirano, the sniper in charge of lookout and vigilance, jumped down from the remaining high platform atop the Ruins, his voice urgent.

Everyone was on edge, quickly entering a state of alert, and warning signals were transmitted across all frequencies.

In the half of the city behind them, rustling sounds began to appear in various locations, including Ruins, bomb craters, sewers, and warehouses.

The self-regulating gun turrets, tank elevators, and aircraft catapult exits, which retracted underground, took shape one after another amidst the sounds of mechanical friction.

Peel back the veneer of civilization, and you'll find that humans are a species capable of thriving even in harsh environments; they are not fragile.

"Now you regret not letting me go into the underground shelter, don't you?"

Saeko Busujima gently patted the proprietress Sarah's shoulder, her tone slightly mocking.

"Heh... hiding in those Canned Food to wait to die? I have no interest in lying around waiting to be served as a dish!"

"Even if the end of the world comes, I'll smash its balls first!"

In another timeline, Sarah, who raised the rebel savior, rolls her eyes as she loads a shotgun into a T-800, exuding an air of dominance.

Before Saeko Busujima could continue her teasing, Sarah patted her younger sister on the shoulder and, with an air of knowing wisdom, proudly patted her son Connor.

Then, she turned her head, looked at Saeko Busujima with pity, and sighed softly.

"Anyway, I've been through everything I need to go through. But you, you haven't even broken through that barrier. Tsk tsk, no wonder you're so hot-tempered when you fight..."

"Child, remember to take your medicine on time, or shall I help you?"

You said I'm going through menopause? And what kind of indecent remarks are those in the second half? Saeko Busujima's face stiffened, her heart shattering.

She has only met two people who can be this sarcastic: the former chairman of the SCP Foundation and the arrogant playboy from the Avengers.

You don't learn anything good, but you pick up those mean-spirited habits from your casual sex partner.

Furthermore, an unspeakable fact is that I had already broken through that barrier one night.

However, adhering to the principle of mutual harm, this Japanese samurai, who was hoped to evolve into Yamato Nadeshiko), responded with a universal gesture he had learned from the American woman in front of him.

Dry!

Just as the two best friends were having a deep spiritual exchange, the earth trembled violently, and a black torrent swept in.

Chapter 933, Section 975: Those Who Can't Kill Me

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The fierce artillery fire raised a wave of earth several meters high, and a hideous head, almost roasted, rolled into the half-destroyed bunker.

John, who was transporting ammunition back and forth and adjusting the autonomous turret, unfazed by the sight, kicked the thing into the outer pit.

A series of fluid movements, with a difficulty level of 9.8, received a perfect score overall.

Several members of the Apocalypse Squad, who were responsible for blocking the Vanguard's frenzy, cheered for the little guy during a brief lull in the fighting against the outer monsters.

Of course, the reason they had the leisure to cheer was mainly because reinforcements had arrived, which greatly reduced their pressure.

Through the holographic battlefield imagery on the Illusionary Screen, one can clearly see hundreds of silver-white metal warships hovering in mid-air.

Meanwhile, countless Terminator series robots were airlifted to the battlefield to withstand the Vanguard's onslaught.

In another bunker, Sarah Connor, who was providing aerial firepower, looked around with a complex expression.

On the road littered with rubble and vehicle debris, a scattered group of Terminators stubbornly blocked the Vanguard's path of attack.

Even as the Vanguard surged over him like a tidal wave, pounced on him, and brutally dismembered him, these former enemies who had intended to destroy humanity did not retreat an inch.

Even in the last moments of their remaining Terminator consciousness, they deliberately detonated the battery, perishing together with the monsters that were annihilating them.

To be honest, Sarah never imagined that the Terminator robots she considered her nightmares would become loyal defenders of human territory.

The strange feeling and sense of rejection made the female warrior somewhat absent-minded.

Seeing that the Vanguard's second round of attacks had been suppressed, Sarah took off her Iron Man Armor and wanted to take out a cigarette from her pocket to calm herself down.

However, the soil beneath her feet suddenly cracked open, and a thick human arm grabbed her ankle, roughly pulling her into the pit below.

Just as Sarah was struggling frantically, preparing to fire back, a violent tremor shook the ground overhead, and dirt splattered from the explosion rained down.

After the tremors subsided, the T-800, with a cold expression, stepped forward and lifted the soil and stones that had been pressing on its spine.

The old-fashioned robot's tone remained as cold as ever, as if it still couldn't feel any warmth at all.

"Madam, beware of missile attack!"

Sarah Connor regained her composure, and with T-800's help, she got up and leaned against the half-collapsed wall to reactivate her Iron Man Armor.

"Also, please check this health reminder: Smoking is harmful to your health..."

At this moment, T-800 paused, and as he replaced the ammunition belt for the Vulcan Cannon in his hand, his tone became somewhat low, and his last words were lowered to almost inaudible.

John will be heartbroken if you die...

Sarah looked up in surprise, but couldn't see any softness or warmth on that mechanical face, as if the murmur had never existed.

The female warrior looked up at the T-800s that were using Vulcan Cannon to suppress the enemy through the gap in the wall, and at the Skynet mechanical warships that were fighting the Chitauri Star Whale in the sky above, and pursed her lips slightly.

During her convalescence, she occasionally overheard her son mentioning that someone, with the White Queen's cooperation, was attempting to develop a new intelligent security program to guide Machine Lifeforms in protecting humanity.

He seemed to be constantly torn about names, wondering which sounded better, "Ultron" or "Vision"...

In retrospect, Tony succeeded; he truly conquered Skynet and forged a strong shield for humanity.

Moreover, the T-800, which he considered a nightmare, was very likely the first test vehicle to be implanted with this program, so this old man seemed to have acquired "humanity".

As the roar of the battlefield subsided briefly, Sarah couldn't help but recall the famous quote highlighted in Nietzsche's work, which was in someone's study.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger!

(Note: This famous quote was first used by Ultron in Avengers: Ultron, a little Easter egg.)

As humanity overcomes natural disasters, it will also take another step closer to eternity.

The female soldier glanced at the flattened cigarette in her hand, shook her head, and casually tossed it out of the tunnel.

Yeah, it's good to be alive. I should quit smoking...

Meanwhile, in the New York waterfront area, hundreds of mechanical warships opened their hatches, and countless Terminator robots leaped out, parachuting towards the vicinity of the Vanguard Mother Nest.

Meanwhile, A2 and 2B, wielding Tactical Sword, led two YoRHa Unit, blending in as battlefield commanders.

As the Chitauri Star Whale charged forward, the mechanical warships clashed with this raiding race.

The hydrogen energy beams generated by water vapor conversion and the electromagnetic pulses with strong interference caused considerable damage to the mechanical warships, and the artillery fire covering the landing from both sides became much less intense.

The ground-based Chitauri roving forces and the newly hatched Vanguard took the opportunity to launch an attack on the airborne troops.

Due to the intense close-range artillery fire, and the fact that even the Vanguard Mother Nest was equipped with energy emitters, the initial Terminator Force that landed were almost completely wiped out.

"High-energy beam detected. Unit 1, Unit 3, and Unit 7 are locked on. Prepare for impact!"

A2 raised his Tactical Sword, and the black Tactical Mech behind him pulled back slightly, reducing its descent speed. 2B, responsible for the flank, made the same reaction.

As the two commanders approached at high light speed, instead of issuing orders to disperse and evade, they actually regrouped their troops.

In an instant, a thick beam of light, tens of meters in diameter, was emitted from the spire of the central Mother Nest and shot straight into the sky.

However, under this terrifying impact, a purple light surged upwards, and the collision of the two energies caused the spire of the central Mother Nest to overload and explode.

At this moment, the YoRHa Unit, having broken out of the energy blast's range, abandoned some of their variable Tactical Mech, which were emitting black smoke and showing signs of disintegration, and jumped down from mid-air.

Inside the metal subcontinent at sea, the long-legged Commander, his face filled with anxiety, paced back and forth in the room. Sensing the connection to the battlefield communication, he immediately checked it.

As she watched the YoRHa Unit on the screen, which had easily infiltrated the Vanguard Mother Nest to carry out its annihilation mission, completely unharmed, she crossed her arms and nodded in satisfaction.

From a distance, one can see the variable Tactical Mech that have fallen to the ground and the Tactical Exoskeleton worn by the current members of the YoRHa Unit, all of which are flashing with purplish-red light patterns at their nodes.

St. Freya Academy's Artificial Stigma, the Anti-Entropy Honkai Crystal harmless nesting technology...

This is the source of the confidence that the YoRHa Unit has gained after completing its technological upgrades, allowing them to carry out decapitation strikes!

In addition, this group of YoRHa Unit soldiers has undergone a fundamental change.

Because their life templates— the Six Diva Goddesses —have already provided their respective genetic prototypes.

Furthermore, the creators incorporated the "Regeneration Cradle" system from South Korea, perfectly blending flesh and blood with machinery and programs.

(Regeneration Cradle, from Avengers)

The reborn YoRHa Unit is more accurately described as cyborgs than robots.

They possess most of the functions that humans should have, rather than simply imitating these creators.

Yes, they finally became human beings. This war was not only for the Creator, but also for themselves!

May humanity's glory endure forever!

The tall, muscular Commander pounded his chest with his right fist, lost in thought, his heart pounding violently.