Death Race

The rough texture of the inner wall of the cold concrete pipe pressed against his back, the coarse particles causing a stinging friction through his thin clothes.

Lin Xiao curled up in absolute darkness like a stone sculpture, his breathing suppressed to a near standstill.

Each heartbeat was heavy and slow, like a war drum muffled in the depths of his chest. The sound of blood rushing against his eardrums was amplified infinitely in the dead silence.

[Source Energy Points: -0.069 (Moderately Overdrawn)]

The azure light screen in his mind flickered dimly due to the overdraft. The core's pulse had a subtle sluggishness, and each rotation tugged at a hollowness deep within his soul, accompanied by a needle-like sting.

Yet, its "vision" was like the most acute compound eye, piercing through the thick darkness and steel barriers, locking onto the direction of the ventilation shaft to the southeast.

[Warning! Target has infiltrated! Codename: Viper (Threat Level: Extremely High)!]

[Target Status: Stealth Level 97.8%, Energy Fluctuation Converged to Limit (Suspected Special Stealth Technique), Movement Pattern: Ultra-Low Friction Ground Slide (Serpentine), Speed: Stable, Direction: Core Area!]

[Weapon Scan: Dual Alloy Daggers (Model: Viper's Kiss-3), Blade Edge Detected Residual Compound Neurotoxin (Potent Paralytic + Hemolytic)... Threat Assessment: Lethal!]

The cold warning echoed like a death knell in the depths of his consciousness.

There were no footsteps, no breathing, not even the sound of fabric cutting through the air!

Only the modifier's scan, transcending senses, outlined a deadly silhouette "flowing" silently in the darkness!

That palpable, viscous, cold killing intent, like a venomous snake, had already coiled around Lin Xiao's neck from dozens of meters away!

It's here! The real viper! More insidious and deadly than anticipated!

Lin Xiao's muscles tensed to their absolute limit in an instant, then relaxed like an over-compressed spring.

Sweat trickled silently from his temples, dampening his sideburns.

The wound on his right shoulder and back throbbed faintly with the heightened tension, as if reminding him of the price he paid for narrowly escaping death last time.

Can't move! Absolutely cannot make the first move!

To hunt a viper, the only chance of victory is to wait for it to enter the trap, to wait for it to bare its fangs!

The Viper's movement trajectory was like precise navigation, avoiding the sharp metal fragments scattered on the ground, bypassing puddles of oil and water that might make a sound. It slid towards the base of the massive stamping machine, the area Lin Xiao had designated as a trap, with a fluidity and silence that defied common physics!

Now!

Lin Xiao's will was like a red-hot steel needle, piercing fiercely into that azure light screen!

"Detonate! Base Trap! Target: Support Point C!"

[Command Received! Source Energy Points Deducted: 0.03 (Preset Trap Activated)!]

[Source Energy Points: -0.069 - 0.03 = -0.099!]

[Trap Triggered!]

Bzzzz!

A more intense wave of dizziness and soul-tearing sensation washed over him!

But in the real world, the change was even more horrifying!

The moment the Viper's phantom-like figure slid into the shadows beneath the stamping machine's base—

Crack! Boom—!

A terrifying, teeth-grinding crack, like rotting wood snapping mixed with steel cables breaking, erupted from the southwest corner of the base!

Support Point C, its metal fatigue accumulation rate forcibly amplified by the modifier, instantly reached its failure threshold under the slight pressure of the Viper's body weight!

RUMBLE!!!

The stamping machine base, weighing several tons, tilted and collapsed violently towards the southwest, like a giant beast with its legs severed!

Massive metal blocks, carrying terrifying weight and speed, crashed down fiercely!

Kicking up a sky full of dust and debris!

The smoke and dust instantly filled the air!

"Hmm?" A faint, muffled groan, laced with surprise and anger, sounded within the dust!

It worked! Lin Xiao's heart tightened!

But immediately, the modifier's alarm blared like ice water poured over him!

[Warning! Target Evasion Successful! Speed Loss 15%! Minor Abrasion on Right Arm! Threat Not Eliminated!]

[Target Locked Onto Host Position! Direct Assault Imminent!]

Damn it! This viper's reaction and speed are terrifying!

It actually managed to evade a fatal blow at the last second!

Before the dust had even settled, a black stream of light, darker and faster than the dust, like a death arrow tearing through the night, ignored the obscuring obstacles and shot towards Lin Xiao's hiding spot in the concrete pipe with bone-chilling killing intent! Its speed was so fast it only left a blurry afterimage on his retina!

So fast! Far exceeding the speed limit of a One-Star Martial Artist!

Its strength was clearly approaching that of a two-star!

Lin Xiao's pupils constricted sharply! Every hair on his body stood on end!

A fatal sense of crisis shot through his entire body like high-voltage electricity!

Without hesitation, he sprang from the concrete pipe like a coiled spring released to its maximum tension!

He rolled backward to the side with all his might!

Chiiing—!

The instant his body left the pipe!

A chilling, silent flash of cold light, carrying a pungent, sweet, and fishy odor, like a viper's fangs, grazed the spot where he had just been curled up!

The alloy dagger plunged deep into the concrete pipe wall, emitting a dull thwack!

Hard concrete was pierced as easily as tofu!

The dark green venom clinging to the tip of the dagger hissed and sizzled at the edge of the breach!

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Lin Xiao's back! It was a near thing!

He didn't have time to feel the fear!

While still rolling, his left hand's five fingers spread open, and he fiercely grabbed at the abandoned oil drum (D) marked with a corrosion symbol not far away!

His will, like a burning meteor, slammed into the azure light screen once more!

"Detonate! Poison Fog! Target: Oil Drum D!"

[Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.02 (Preset trap activated)!]
[Source Energy Points: -0.099 - 0.02 = -0.119!]
[Trap triggered!]

Boom—!

Oil Drum D jolted violently!

The drum itself didn't explode, but the connection point of its lid let out a groan under immense pressure!

A thick, acrid, and foul-smelling yellow-green smoke, like a spewing poisonous spring, erupted from the lid's seams and the tiny cracks deliberately enlarged by the modifier!

It instantly spread, engulfing several meters of the surrounding space!

"Hiss…" An inhaled sound of anger and disgust came from within the smoke and poison fog!

Clearly, this sudden, highly irritating, and corrosive unknown poison fog had caught the usually stealthy Viper off guard!

His forward momentum visibly faltered!

An opportunity! Lin Xiao used the momentum of his roll to powerfully push off the ground with his feet!

The True Qi from the Surging Waves Art erupted without reservation!

His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging desperately towards the factory's depths, towards the complex area piled high with discarded machinery and oil drums!

Each step landed on scattered metal fragments and oil slicks, creating ear-piercing sounds, but he couldn't afford to care! Escape! Create distance!

"Trying to run?" From within the poison fog, Viper's hoarse, chilling, and extremely cold growl, like metal grinding against metal, echoed!

It was filled with the fury of being toyed with!

A black silhouette violently tore through the yellow-green poison fog, pursuing him like a persistent shadow!

Although his speed was affected by the poison fog and the earlier graze, it was still astonishingly fast!

The distance between them was rapidly closing!

Lin Xiao could even feel the icy killing intent and the faint whistle of the dagger cutting through the air behind him!

He abruptly made a sharp turn, crashing into a stack of heavily rusted, empty oil drums!

Clatter—!

The oil drums toppled, rolling and smashing towards the pursuing black silhouette, attempting to create an obstacle!

Viper's figure weaved left and right like a phantom, easily evading the rolling drums, his speed barely diminishing!

The cold dagger in his hand was raised again, aiming directly for Lin Xiao's back!

"Above me! The steel beam! Break it for me!"

Lin Xiao's soul was in his mouth! His will let out a final roar of desperation!

This was his last preset kill move, and the one that consumed the most energy!

[Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.04 (Preset trap activated)!]
[Source Energy Points: -0.119 - 0.04 = -0.159!]
[Trap triggered! Warning! Core stability rapidly declining!]

Boom—!!!

A searing pain, like his soul being ripped apart, and a profound sense of emptiness instantly engulfed Lin Xiao!

His vision abruptly darkened, the edges of his sight instantly flooded with dense, bloody garbled code!

A sweet, metallic taste surged up his throat, but he desperately suppressed it!

His body swayed violently, almost falling!

In the real world, just as the Viper's short dagger was about to touch Lin Xiao's back clothing—

Above his head, the massive I-beam, whose rust and metal fatigue had been amplified to the critical point by the modifier, at connection point A, finally let out an unbearable, scalp-numbing groan!

Crack! Boom—!

The thick bolts snapped instantly! The rusted steel frame tore apart like rotten wood!

Rumble—!

The massive steel beam, weighing several thousand pounds, like a collapsing mountain, carrying destructive weight and unparalleled impact force, with a terrifying shriek that tore through the air, smashed down towards the two people fighting below!

The momentum was even more terrifying than last time!

"You bastard!" For the first time, the Viper's sinister voice showed obvious shock and panic!

This was a complete mutual destruction tactic!

He could no longer bother assassinating Lin Xiao; the instinct for self-preservation instantly overwhelmed everything else!

He forcibly twisted his body, crossed his short daggers to protect his head, and his legs erupted with astonishing power, launching him wildly backward like a cannonball!

Boom—!

The giant I-beam smashed heavily onto the spot where the Viper had just stood!

The concrete floor cracked and collapsed like paper!

Crushed stones shot out like bullets!

A violent shockwave, mixed with swirling dust and rust, swept out like a tsunami!

Pfft!

Although Lin Xiao had dodged in advance, he was too close and was still violently swept by the powerful shockwave on his back!

The already cracked wound felt a tearing pain again. His throat sweetened, and a mouthful of blood, which he could no longer suppress, gushed out!

His body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a pile of twisted metal scraps more than ten meters away with a dull thud!

The smoke and dust obscured everything!

"Cough... urgh..." Lin Xiao struggled to lift his head from the pile of metal, his mouth filled with the taste of blood, his back burning with pain, and his vision blurring.

Deep within his soul, the feeling of depletion brought by [-0.159] surged like a cold tide, impacting his precarious consciousness.

The azure light screen in his mind had dimmed to its extreme. The core's pulsation was weak and rapid, like a candle in the wind!

Along the edges of those light silver patterns, fine black cracks reappeared!

The price was huge! But... was it successful?

[Warning! Target life signs present! Energy fluctuations severe! Threat level: High! Location: Edge of falling steel beam! Condition: Minor injury! Rage level: MAX!]

The cold warning sound was like a death knell!

In the swirling smoke, a figure covered in dust, looking somewhat disheveled, slowly stood up from the edge of the collapsed pit!

The alloy short dagger in his hand still gleamed with a cold, chilling light. Beneath the hood, his pair of emerald green eyes were now burning with a rage that could incinerate everything, like a demon crawling from hell, locking onto Lin Xiao struggling in the ruins!

"You... little... bastard!" The Viper's voice was distorted by extreme anger, hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against bone, "I'm gonna... peel you... layer by layer!"

He took a step forward, and the碎石 beneath his feet instantly turned to powder!

Although his speed was slightly unstable due to the minor injury and anger, his killing intent was more condensed and crazier than before!

Like a tangible ice pick, it fiercely stabbed towards Lin Xiao!

Run! I must run! Fighting head-on is a dead end!

The instinct for survival overwhelmed the intense pain and depletion!

Lin Xiao bit his tongue sharply. The intense pain instantly cleared his groggy consciousness a little!

He endured the pain of his entire body falling apart, using his hands and feet, and desperately crawled out of the pile of metal, scrambling towards a narrow ventilation pipe opening deep in the factory, half-covered by a huge piece of debris!

That was his last escape route, leading to the complex, maze-like old city district behind the factory!

"You can't escape!" The Viper's roar was like a persistent maggot, chasing him with ferocious killing intent!

The cold light of the short dagger flickered in the smoke, getting closer and closer to Lin Xiao's back!

Lin Xiao unleashed his final burst of strength, like a moth flying into a flame, and lunged towards the dark ventilation opening!

Just as his upper body entered the pipe!

Ch-!

A bone-chilling, piercing pain suddenly came from the outside of his right calf!

The Viper's short dagger, like a venomous snake's fangs, had finally caught up to him!

Although Lin Xiao's lunging motion avoided a vital spot, the sharp blade still deeply cut through his flesh!

Dark green poison instantly invaded through the wound!

"Ugh!" Lin Xiao let out a suppressed cry of pain, feeling his entire right leg instantly numb, as if it were filled with lead!

A searing, burning pain and a cold numbness spread rapidly upwards from the wound!

Poison!

He endured the piercing agony and the rapidly spreading paralysis, using his left leg and both hands to desperately climb forward within the narrow, greasy pipe!

The pipe was filled with the heavy scent of rust and mildew, and sharp metal edges continuously scraped against his body, leaving bloody streaks!

Behind him, from outside the ventilation shaft, came the Viper's enraged roars and the piercing sound of metal being violently hacked!

It was too large to fit through and was frantically destroying the pipe's entrance!

Faster! Go faster!

Lin Xiao's consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind, tormented by pain, numbness, and exhaustion.

The light screen in his mind pulsed weakly, its core's beat intermittent.

He was solely sustained by a tenacious will to survive!

The pipe seemed endless!

The destructive sounds behind him grew closer!

The numbness in his right leg had already spread to his thigh!

Just as Lin Xiao was about to despair—

Ahead! A faint light, like a distant star, appeared!

An exit!

The flame of hope ignited instantly!

Lin Xiao unleashed his last remaining strength, roaring like a wounded beast, using his hands and feet to scramble madly towards that glimmer of light!

Crash!

He violently smashed through a rotten wooden board blocking the exit, tumbling out of the pipe like a cannonball!

The cold night wind and air thick with the stench of garbage and decay flooded his nostrils!

Before him lay a maze of interwoven, narrow, filthy back alleys in the old city, piled high with trash and discarded waste!

A labyrinth of darkness!

"Bastard! Let's see where you run now!"

Behind him, the deafening roar of the ventilation pipe being completely torn apart echoed!

The Viper's fiendish figure, radiating berserk killing intent, lunged out from the breach!

Lin Xiao had no time to orient himself. Enduring the paralyzing poison in his right leg and the bone-shattering pain throughout his body, he dragged his almost numb right leg and scrambled desperately into the darkest, most complex corner of the alley, fleeing for his life!

With every step, his numb right leg felt like it was dragging a thousand pounds, the burning sensation of the poison tearing at his nerves!

The number [Source Energy Points: -0.159] flickered dimly in his mind, like a death knell.

Behind him, the Viper's cold, chilling presence, like a viper's flicking tongue, clung to him like a maggot on a bone, locking onto him, drawing ever closer!

A race against death! Unfolding in this labyrinth of garbage, darkness, and despair!