Believe in Science

Kitahara Shin collapsed.

My head was throbbing with pain, and my remaining willpower barely allowed me to retain the ability to think.

His eyes were bloodshot as he tried to roar, but the words that came out of his throat were incoherent, shattering the man's usually cold and stern face.

Fear, dread, trembling.

Out-of-control emotions were uncontrollably and frantically kneading his will.

It's as if they've been doing useless work for the past ten years. The Living Doll isn't even present; its power, merely residing in the mist, is enough to rout them.

Even though he believed he had undergone enough trials and transformations, Kitahara Shin, as an ordinary human, was still so weak and powerless in the face of such power.

It was like an attack from another level and dimension; the rules of the game were different between the two.

But... but... but...

He gritted his teeth and suppressed his last shred of reason.

But we absolutely cannot give up like this.

That man cannot be left to fight alone again.

We cannot let Lord Kanbara face that despair alone again.

Kitahara Shin struggled to pull the pistol from his pocket.

Judging by its appearance alone, it looks like a toy, and is quite small.

This is a pocket-sized pistol with its power deliberately reduced; it was custom-made for him.

Having experienced the same humiliation ten years ago, Kitahara Shin naturally understood that simply honing one's will and body was not enough to withstand Living Doll, so he came up with a method.

But just like Kambara Shuichi said, he's an idiot.

A fool can only think of foolish methods.

Kitahara Shin's hand, gripping the gun, trembled uncontrollably. He barely aimed before pulling the trigger without hesitation.

Using pain to break free from the emotional control of the Living Doll was the only method he could think of.

It cannot attack the torso outside of the limbs. Its internal secretions are acidic or alkaline, and if absorbed directly into the bloodstream, it will quickly lead to death from poisoning.

If the liver is hit, the person will die from blood loss.

If the stomach is hit, death will result from acidosis.

Of the four limbs, the hands are needed to use weapons to maintain combat effectiveness, so sacrificing the legs, which maintain mobility, is the best choice.

You must not hit a major artery, or you will bleed to death.

You can't just attack the flesh directly, otherwise the pain will be followed by a period of numbness.

To hit the bone, you need to be able to target the bone itself, as the nerves are most sensitive to this and the bone is the most painful part to be attacked.

Whether he would be in so much pain that he couldn't fight was no longer a consideration for him.

The deafening roar nearly ripped eardrums, and with a large amount of crimson blood splattering out, Kitahara Shin successfully avoided the carotid artery; the bullet struck the leg bone squarely. He had barely aimed, and the result was as if even the gods were making way for this man's determination.

But only Kitahara Shin himself understood that this was the result of countless hours of practice he had done in front of mannequins, just like an idiot.

The excruciating pain that exploded in my nerves was so penetrating that it tore apart all my emotions.

Because it's a specially designed pistol, its power is just enough to cause a bone fracture.

The bullet successfully embedded itself in flesh and bone.

Kitahara Shin's mind went blank for a moment. When he came to his senses, the fog could no longer affect his emotions. The man was stunned, and then the corners of his lips curled into an upward arc. His expression, twisted with pain, made the smile look particularly ferocious and terrifying.

"Ha... hahaha..." He laughed, a harsh laugh strained from his hoarse throat, yet he was genuinely delighted.

"Humans aren't things that can be easily controlled, you damned doll."

The man, who had just risked his life to overcome what seemed like an insurmountable obstacle ten years ago, muttered to himself as he climbed to the side and picked up his rifle again.

Since this method worked for him, there was no reason it wouldn't work for others. He endured the pain, held down his colleague who was writhing beside him, and pulled the trigger of his pistol at his leg.

"You idiot, stop sleeping!" Kitahara Shin gasped and gritted his teeth, his grip on the other man aggravating the wound on his leg, causing intense pain that made him pale.

"Damn it!" These were the first words the man uttered after regaining his senses.

It must be said that although it was an unreliable and reckless act, it was surprisingly effective, and the other party did indeed successfully break free from the control of the Living Doll.

Taking another pistol from his pocket and shoving it into his hand, Kitahara Shin shared his experience. "This pistol is specially made. Crawl over there and shoot each of the others in the leg, but be careful not to hit the major artery. It's best to hit the bone and crack it, that way it'll be enough to provoke them and get rid of that bastard doll."

The man took the pistol dumbfounded. He glanced at the blood gushing from his thigh and felt the bullet lodged in his bone. For a moment, he couldn't help but admire the other man's marksmanship.

But in the blink of an eye, he was bewildered by the enormous amount of information in front of him.

"Mr. Kitahara, is this considered a supernatural event?"

Kitahara Shin patted the man's still somewhat dazed head forcefully and explained impatiently:

"Shut up and do as I say. You've been a mercenary for so many years, you should be well-informed. This situation is clearly due to someone releasing some strange nerve gas. Don't jump to conclusions about supernatural events. Are you a chuunibyou? Show some action worthy of this salary!"

"Yes!" Overwhelmed by the other party's powerful aura, Kitahara Shin overlooked the fact that he had let slip about the Living Doll, and his mind was not yet fully clear. After responding subconsciously, the man chose to carry out Kitahara Shin's order.

Of all of Kambara Shuichi's subordinates, only Kitahara Shin chose to stay after seeing the Living Doll.

The other subordinates in front of him were mercenaries whom Kambara Shuichi had hired at great expense after he explained in advance that the mortality rate was extremely high.

Therefore, without extra time to explain, Kitahara Shin chose to deal with the situation for now.

"Boom boom boom!" The muffled roars kept exploding in his ears. Kitahara Shin looked in the direction, and through the increasingly hazy fog, he saw many figures like emotionless puppets lying on the second line of landmines.

They are villagers.

Their strength became extraordinary; they tore through the barbed wire with their bare hands as easily as tearing open a sheet of paper.

But that's not the scariest part. The electric fences in prisons are usually placed on the top of the wall to prevent prisoners from climbing over the walls to escape. As long as you don't touch the fence with your own hands, you won't get shocked.

Kambara Shuichi's defense line was far more extravagant. He had a function designed so that if a part of the barbed wire was destroyed, a current far exceeding that of a normal high-voltage power grid would connect the entire defense line.

In the instant the villagers tore apart the barbed wire, voltage would pass through their bodies, generating instantaneous high heat from the electrical current, causing internal burns.

The voltage will then continue to ionize and oxidize the negative ions in the body's internal cells.

Soon after, the organs lose function, leading to death.

The most deadly aspect is that the electric current flows through the heart; once the human heart is destroyed, death occurs instantly.

But in the end, everyone was safe and sound.

They indifferently tore through the electric fence, stepped on landmines, and even after their feet were blown off, they got up and continued forward.

Honkai Energy has altered the villagers' bodies; each of them is now on the verge of becoming Zombie, with their hearts and bodies having been greatly enhanced in terms of endurance and strength.

In fact, the vast majority of them did not qualify to become Zombie; the result of such forced physical enhancement would only be an even more tragic death.

But at this moment, in front of Kitahara Shin and the mercenaries, these villagers undoubtedly challenged their values once again.

Are you kidding me? Do you think this is Plants vs. Zombies?

"Mr. Kitahara, is this a zombie?!" The man, who had been holding his colleague's hand to prepare to fire, froze, turning his head and asking in confusion.

"Idiot! I've already told you, as a battle-hardened, knowledgeable mercenary, don't easily believe in supernatural events! Trust in science. The situation before us is clearly that the enemy has used advanced cyborgs to break through our defenses."

"But I've never heard of this technology before," the man retorted.

"So this further proves that their technology can't be that far ahead of the rest of the world, and that the cyborgs must still have some kind of flaw, which means we still have a certain chance of winning." Kitahara Shin sneered confidently.

"Stop babbling and start shooting them awake!"

Kitahara Shin roared at him.

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the man no longer hesitated and pulled the trigger.

To their surprise, the other person continued to roll around on the ground, unable to break free of their control.

"Looks like this method isn't entirely effective. Hurry up and continue! Wake up as many as you can! If you don't want to die in battle, you'd better act fast! I'll hold off these cyborgs for now!"

The man nodded in response, dragging his injured leg as he struggled to carry out the order.

Regardless of whether Kitahara Shin's words are true or false, having more combat troops is the key at present.

At this moment, Kitahara Shin's vision was already blurry, and the blood loss and the energy expended from breaking free from the control of the Living Doll made it difficult for him to speak.

Only intense pain could energize him, but the excruciating pain was also a negative factor.

But the man immediately picked up the rifle and pulled the trigger.

It's just playing Plants vs. Zombies, right?

Just be a pea shooter for once.

The recoil made the man, who was half-slumped on the ground, even paler. Such recoil would normally be nothing more than child's play, but now it was consuming his already limited and precious energy.

The bullets pierced through the bodies of the several figures in front of them, the immense kinetic energy propelling them directly to the ground, rendering them immobile for a moment.

The man calmly changed the magazine and burst into laughter.

His magazine-changing movements and shooting accuracy were incredibly steady, the result of countless hours of practice.

However, Kitahara Shin's vision gradually blurred; no matter how strong his will was, his body still had its limits.

Even if a man desperately clings to his body with his willpower, refusing to give up the fight, it is still the same.

But as the saying goes, push your limits right here!

The fighting cannot stop.

The man changed the magazine with one hand in 1.5 seconds and then pulled the trigger.

The Peashooter won't stop attacking until it gets eaten by a zombie, right?

Kitahara Shin was also like that.