Oddity Headache

On December 24th, Li Ming arrived in Jackson, Mississippi, with a ticket provided by Tesla. However, by the time he arrived, it was already the morning of the next day.

Following the map given by Tesla, Li Ming spent an hour locating the last branch base of the H&K Company.

Originally, they hadn't planned to deal with this branch base so soon, intending to handle it properly after Christmas. But the remaining people in H&K weren't fools. After a brief discussion, they decided to make their move on Christmas Eve, as both the Guard and their watchers would be lax due to the holiday.

This final H&K branch base naturally gathered the company's last remaining strength: twenty Zhu Yan Mechs, thirty Vermillion Bird Mechs, and a host of firepower. They had actually managed to push the Guard almost out of the city.

The Guard couldn't hold the line. It was only when Anti-Entropy sent ten Titans and ten Tianqiong Sentinel-Guardians that a defensive line was established, suppressing the enemy from within. However, the H&K forces, feeling they had lost their last hope, resorted to self-destruction attacks.

The self-destruction of thirty Vermillion Bird Mechs, combined with the coverage of flame fields, further increased the battle losses for the Titan troops. By the time Li Ming arrived nearby, ten Tianqiong Sentinel-Guardians were all but gone, with only one left standing precariously. The ten Titans had already entered overload states due to the attrition from twenty Zhu Yan Mechs.

One overloaded Titan Mech was even concentrated-fired and exploded while performing a Doomsday Assault, its mech and pilot utterly annihilated. Of the ten Titan Mechs, only two remained, covering the Guard's retreat.

However, the H&K side also suffered losses. All Vermillion Bird Mechs were destroyed, leaving only fifteen Zhu Yan Mechs, and their ammunition was completely depleted.

Standing on the rooftop of a tall building in the distance, Li Ming was dressed in a black hooded tracksuit, with a small black waist bag slung at his side. A cold smile played on his lips, and a flash of red light flickered in his eyes. Suddenly, the door leading to the rooftop was thrown open. The building's cleaner saw Li Ming standing by the railing and shouted, "You damn idiot, who let you up here? It's dangerous over there, damn it, shit!"

The cleaner swore repeatedly, rushing towards Li Ming without hesitation. But Li Ming merely glanced at him, took a crimson diamond-shaped mask from his waist bag, put it on, and leaped off the building.

"He... he jumped?"

The cleaner, leaning over the railing, only saw a crimson streak of light flash by, jumping from one building to the wall of another. Looking closely, he realized it was a person. "Oh, shit, is that the Flame Demon of Alahato come to life?"

Li Ming paid no mind to what the cleaner was thinking. His heart was as fiery and explosive as the color of the [Candlelight Armor: First Light] he was wearing.

"Inch Punch · Azure Dragon Emerging from Water · Soaring Qilin!"

With a downward kick, accompanied by a crimson streak of light, he brought down immense force, stomping an overloaded Zhu Yan Mech into the ground. The kick seemed to carry terrifying heat, piercing through the overloaded energy shield and the thick armor of the cockpit.

Even so, Li Ming managed to blow up this Zhu Yan Mech with a single kick.

While it might have been a case of Li Ming finishing off weakened enemies, it also proved that Li Ming had improved significantly.

After kicking the Zhu Yan Mech to pieces, Li Ming didn't stay to absorb the aftermath of its explosion. Instead, with a Vermillion Bird Treading Clouds, he vanished from the spot.

The battlefield was now like a red phantom had infiltrated it. Crimson streaks of light constantly changed direction. Every time a crimson streak of light passed through a Zhu Yan Mech, that mech would suddenly explode on the spot.

The H&K personnel, who had been cheering at the sight of their newfound hope, were plunged into despair in the next moment. This all happened within ten minutes. Although the Zhu Yan Mechs could lock onto Li Ming's moving figure, whenever they concentrated fire, Li Ming would push another Zhu Yan Mech to block the incoming shells. He would then absorb only a portion of the blast wave before using an Inch Punch · Vermillion Bird Treading Clouds · Red Sparrow Chasing the Sun to dash towards another Zhu Yan Mech.

His fist pierced through the last Zhu Yan Mech's cockpit, impaling the pilot's chest along with it. Blood flowed down the armor on Li Ming's hand, but he merely flicked it away and paid it no further attention.

Orange and white boxing bracers, diamond-shaped and streamlined, with slender, glowing white, heavy armor. The elbow-mounted thrusters were inlaid with two micro-reactors. Stained with a bit of blood, they looked even more ferocious and terrifying. The smooth faceplate reflected the burning flames.

[White Star Exorcist Kai]

A dangerous environmental protection glove developed by ME Company. Its precise mechanical structure allows operators to work safely in high-temperature, underwater, and even vacuum environments. However, as protective gear, the elbow armor design of these gloves is somewhat bulky, raising questions about their true purpose. After modifications by Welt Yang and Tesla, these bracers have been completely transformed into close-combat killing weapons.

Four-star, Level 30, Attack 172, Critical 20

[Spiral Jet Stream]: Energy Cost: 12, Cooldown: 14 seconds. Generates an updraft around the user, dealing 450% of attack power as physical damage and launching enemies into the air.

These bracers were a gift from Tesla, who helped manufacture them after Li Ming joined [Alahato], and Welt Yang, who helped modify them. Unlike the Protective Bracers from Changming City, these bracers are recognized by the system and can be stored within it. This is Li Ming's second four-star weapon. After obtaining the White Star Exorcist Kai, Li Ming immediately maxed out its level and star rating. With these bracers, Li Ming's mission efficiency over the past three months has increased dramatically.

He no longer needed to use his bare fists to smash through stubborn armor and could even effectively destroy the Zhu Yan Mech's overloaded energy shields and armor.

With [White Star Exorcist Kai], Mom would no longer worry about me not being able to dismantle mechs with my bare hands!

The diamond-shaped mask was to conceal Li Ming's face and ensure he could breathe normally in certain environments.

Li Ming had tested it. With a full-power combo of Inch Punches, even an ordinary Titan in overload state would struggle to withstand his attack. As for defensive mechs like the Tianqiong Sentinel-Guardian, they couldn't survive his Avalanche, Heaven Render, and Thunderclap combo.

After clearing the battlefield, Li Ming directly chose to loot the system. His backpack, including the recent haul, now contained:

Weapons: [Moon God's Protection], [White Star Exorcist Kai]

Stigmata: None

Materials: [Consumables]: None

[Basic Materials]: Gemini Soul Crystal * 60, Reconstruction Mold: Ability * 1, Advanced Learning Chip * 485, Soul Crystal * 134, Advanced Learning Chip * 160, Gemini Soul Fragment * 214, Basic Learning Chip * 320, Soul Fragment * 3400

[Synthesis Materials]: Micro Reactor * 60, Fluid Alloy Block * 66, Anti-Entropy Imaginary Core * 20, Phase Transfer Mirror * 38

[Event]: Honkai Impact 3rd Part 1 Commemorative Album * 1

Fragments: [Armor]: None

[Equipment]: None

[Armed Doll]: None

[Amplification Core]: None

Most of the spoils were acquired over the past three months from clearing out H&K Company, all thanks to the selfless contributions of our old friends, the Zhu Yan Mechs and Vermillion Bird Mechs.

Thanks to nature's bounty, and thanks for the blessings of Immortal Crimson Kite!

After eliminating all the Zhu Yan Mechs, Li Ming prepared to leave. He hadn't figured out how he would get back yet. If he returned too late, Himeko might ignore him for several days. No, she definitely would ignore him for several days.

As Li Ming was lost in thought, the remaining H&K personnel, seemingly unable to accept that their great advantage had been so easily destroyed by Li Ming, raised their assault rifles and opened fire on him. The Guard, who had been about to cooperate with the remaining two Titan Mechs and the Tianqiong Sentinel-Guardian to apprehend these insurgents, were taken aback.

But the moment the gunfire erupted, everything changed. Bullets struck the surface of the [Candlelight Armor: First Light], creating dazzling sparks. The brass slugs left dents on the fluid alloy armor, which immediately restored themselves.

Some bullets hit the mask on Li Ming's head, leaving a few craters. However, Li Ming tilted his head, turned, and with a Vermillion Bird Treading Clouds, crossed ten meters to land in the middle of the H&K group. The White Star Exorcist Kai's surface glowed white, and the reactors on its arms gathered energy, with the thrusters erupting with a torrent of violent airflow in an instant.

It sent the entire group flying. Some couldn't withstand the violent airflow and were torn apart, while those who managed to hold on weren't much better off. After sending everyone flying, Li Ming decisively unleashed a rapid-fire Inch Punch · Thunderclap towards the sky.

Energy bullets engulfed the individuals. As the violent wind gradually subsided, a rain of blood fell from the sky. Li Ming, however, remained unfazed, standing in the blood rain with an unsettling calm, even seeming to enjoy it.

After seeing this scene, everyone else, whether from H&K or the Guard, dared not make a sound, fearing that Li Ming would notice them. They only dared to speak after Li Ming had left. Some of them went mad on the spot after being apprehended.

Li Ming swiftly departed from his location. Due to his continuous actions over the past three months, day and night, and the fact that all H&K company branches were located in bustling areas, Li Ming's appearances during this period were inevitably captured by the media.

Especially when Li Ming dealt with the H&K company sub-base in Florida, some unknown genius even zoomed in for a close-up shot, directly posting a high-definition 3D photo on the forum, which led to Li Ming now being known as the "Flame Demon."

He had left in a hurry just now because he was afraid the media would rush over. If he were surrounded in this free area, they might not let him go.

He landed in a deserted courtyard and used a sprinkler to clean himself. Water poured down from his hood, carrying blood and eventually flowing into the lawn.

After a quick clean-up, Li Ming left the area. Staying too long would make him easy to discover, and it would be troublesome for the family living there.

After circling around more than half of the city, Li Ming finally deactivated his "Candlelight Armor: First Light," took off his hood, and wiped away the faint bloodstains on a few bullet holes. He didn't pay much attention to it after a quick wipe with a tissue.

"Sigh, I'll have to get this hood repaired again. It's always something. If only I could learn Brother Chrono's skills and make masks effortlessly, then I could be a shameless man! Hiss, they sure shot accurately. My head hurts again!" Compared to other damage, the damage to his hood bothered Li Ming more. He put the hood into his shoulder bag, clutching the spot where he had been hit by bullets.

Although the hood had some bulletproof capabilities, it wasn't like armor. It was made of ordinary memory alloy, and with the small amount of head armor from "Candlelight Armor: First Light," the hood was able to withstand the impact. The kinetic energy from that burst of gunfire had only caused Li Ming some shock and a headache, the real reason for his headache was something else.

In fact, Li Ming wasn't this decisive during his first mission; he was even a bit disgusted. He couldn't say he was soft-hearted when acting, but he was definitely not decisive.

Especially when his "Candlelight Armor: First Light" had just broken through, and he couldn't control his strength, he punched straight through a person's abdomen. Without the mask to cover him, blood and fragments splattered directly onto Li Ming's face.

The strong, pungent smell made Li Ming vomit on the spot. He even lost his appetite for the next three days, feeling nauseous at the sight of raw meat, fishy smells, and anything red like blood, and even experiencing headaches.

That's why he was given this mask back then. However, at some point, Li Ming had inexplicably adapted to this feeling. Except for the headache, all other symptoms disappeared. He even felt a sense of emotional detachment, a detachment as if it had nothing to do with him.

After discovering this situation, Tesla and Welt had Li Ming suspend his missions for a week for continuous examination. They could only conclude that it was an emotional apathy disorder caused by excessive stimulation. It didn't affect people he was familiar with; it was particularly severe when Li Ming was on missions. After examination by professional psychologists, they could only offer counseling and supplementary medication.

Afterward, Li Ming was equipped with a sedative for every mission. After sending an email to confirm mission completion via his mobile phone, Li Ming took out the equipped sedative from its special packaging.

The semi-transparent sedative reflected Li Ming's dark red short hair and his eyes, which glowed faintly red beneath his hair. After injecting the sedative into his right wrist, where the faint red markings were almost invisible, he leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths. The headache sensation only slightly subsided. Li Ming found it strange why the headache wasn't as noticeable when he was wearing "Candlelight Armor: First Light."

Beep beep!

An email notification arrived on Li Ming's mobile phone. It was Tesla's reply, along with a plane ticket.

"Phew, phew, a midnight flight, phew, I should be able to make it!"

Checking the time, it was just past 10:20 AM. He hailed a taxi with the change he had on him and headed straight for the airport.