Act.16 Levitate

Foreword:

No matter what you achieve, your life is your gift.

--Ernest Miller Hemingway

[Part 1: Facing Imminent Disaster]

A dark shadow flashed by, and the remaining four soldiers inside the room were all startled.

Jiang Xueming's short knife flashed coldly as he slashed open the three points of the sling and disarmed the gun.

The moment he obtained the weapon, the nameless Death God regained his divine power once more.

[Muzzle down!]

The ghost in the VENOM shouted a simple and easy-to-understand command, "Point your gun low to be on guard. "Xue Ming and the ghost were almost of the same mind; they were of one mind and body, completely synchronized. The moment they seized the enemy soldier's weapon, the butt of the gun was against the shoulder, the muzzle was lowered, and the field of vision in front of the upper arm was good!

Intense gunfire erupted in the cramped bathroom. Originally, the Kyoraku Special Squad six men entered the room in two groups to search the area, but the moment Xue Ming obtained his weapon, the tide turned and it was his turn.

The soldier in the flank covering team responsible for covering the rear had his chest armor shattered by two shots. His arms twitched and his gun barrels trembled uncontrollably. His fingers accidentally fired the wrong shot, and the bullet he instinctively returned fire shot towards the ceiling. In the instant he lost his balance, Xue Ming finished him off with a shot that shattered his skull, turning him into a puddle of mud.

Before the body fell, Xue Ming stepped forward and hooked the enemy soldier's magazine, holding his gun low and alert with one hand. At the same time, the enemy in the bathroom made a countermeasure. The soldier at the back of the search team slammed the door shut—to give his comrades in front of him some time to react; they had to turn their guns around and readjust their firing range.

Gunshots rang out again!

Sharp metal shards exploded from the keyhole of the door lock. Amin didn't aim deliberately; he simply used one hand to shoot through the door, four bullets piercing the lock and the enemy soldier's waist and abdomen, creating fist-sized holes. Full-power bullets struck the same spot on the armor one after another—his hand was unnaturally steady.

Amin kicked open the bathroom door, the latch warped and cracked, and the pine door panel slammed into the soldier's face. Before he could retaliate, Amin raised his rifle, took aim horizontally, and the bullet pierced through the door, shattering the enemy soldier's head. Milky white blood bloomed like a white rose on the mirror of the washbasin.

There were three other enemy soldiers inside the room. From the moment Jiang Xueming fired the shot, less than three seconds had passed—the nameless man's killing efficiency was simply too high, and his movements were too fast.

The Kyoraku Special Squad were of good quality. They set up their firing lines immediately after the attack, and the remaining soldiers also deployed in a three-field-of-fire formation, one in front, two behind, and one in the middle and lower. One of them had just pulled out a defensive grenade, ready to fight to the death.

The electronic prosthetic eye, aligned with the iron sights at three points, quickly zoomed in. The soldiers had originally intended to use a near-far advantage, as they were positioned at a firing angle to the side of the gate. If the anonymous soldier were to enter directly, they would inevitably see the enemy's weapon before their lines of fire converged; the enemy's gun barrel would enter their field of vision before the bullets.

--But the nameless warriors clearly understood CQB better than these androids.

Xue Ming ran almost to the location of the living room TV, quickly and quietly circled halfway around it, getting more than eight meters away from the bathroom, going from the left side of the bathroom door to the right side.

The rifle spat out angry flames; Xue Ming hadn't even seen the enemy before he opened fire!

The bullet shattered the bathroom wall; the rubble and hot fragments bounced and deflected, instantly crushing the enemy's fighting spirit and defensive formation.

The ferocious ricocheting technique left the Kyoraku Special Squad unable to retaliate. The defensive grenades exploded in the narrow space of the bathroom before they could be thrown, causing the entire building to tremble.

In a total combat time of about ten seconds, Jiang Xueming took away six more lives.

He removed the empty magazine, violently yanked the scorching hot magazine catcher, and the metal box flew out of the room window, landing in front of the Hayabusa. The Hayabusa was so angry that it was practically fuming – its core engine was overloaded, and scalding steam was billowing from its face!

The MiniGun's bullets flew in a near-continuous line, spewing flames from the magazine's exit window, instantly shattering the wall and sending fragments flying everywhere.

Once again, a dark figure broke through the rubble and red bricks from the side wall. Without hesitation, Hayabusa drew his gun and opened fire, trying to smash the dark figure!

"Don't even think about escaping!"

The prosthetic eye's thermal imaging showed a bright signal bursting out from a hole in the building, just like the nameless man's tried-and-true method of breaking through walls to teleport. The enemy's spirit was indestructible, but it couldn't be effective every time—the spirit also became fatigued and exhausted along with the spiritual essence.

The relentless heavy firepower tore the dark figure to shreds. Hayabusa finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how fast the enemy was, could they be faster than a bullet?

"Hahahaha! Die!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

The Hayabusa laughed wildly, switching from thermal imaging mode to optical detection. The scope magnified repeatedly, and the corpse, which had been shattered into pieces by the MiniGun, wouldn't fall off no matter what.

He deliberately preserved the head, wanting the nameless warrior to die more slowly; otherwise, how could he collect data? How could he turn this wretched rat into his electronic pet?

But as the head rose and fell amidst the whirlwind of MiniGun bullets, Hayabusa felt a surge of intense fear.

That wasn't Jiang Xueming's face, but rather a typical member of the Kyoraku Special Squad.

That guy threw out a corpse! As bait, as...

His reasoning and logic almost collapsed, and he fell from heaven to hell.

Gunshots whistled from the window of a first-floor room.

--The moment Xue Ming finished reloading, he had already crossed three flights of stairs and reached the same height as the Hayabusa.

The bullet shattered the window and flew towards the MiniGun.

A 7.62x51mm NATO full-power round penetrated the barrel of the Scar-H and pierced the MiniGun's feed motor.

With his right arm machine gun misfiring, Hayabusa swiftly pulled his left arm back, ready to tear his opponent apart with another sharp sword.

The relentless barrage of bullets was like a fierce whip of light, its firepower shifting from the third floor to the first, tearing apart the exterior walls and ventilation ducts along its path, cracking water pipes, and shattering the flower-covered stone platform.

But it could never reach the nameless man's iron armor, the moment Xue Ming emptied his magazine—

--The barrel of the six-barreled rapid-fire machine gun had turned into red-hot scrap metal, and the rifle bullets struck it crookedly, making it look like a sunflower.

The Hayabusa was still relentless, its continuous firing causing the MiniGun's bullets to scatter like petals from a fairy's sky, penetrating the outer wall of the barrel. However, due to the short gas travel, the bullets were drawn off by the distorted rifling and went nowhere.

Xue Ming kicked open the door, changed to his third magazine, and with the field of fire clear, he began his killing spree.

As the gun was aimed at the Hayabusa head, the moment the bullet was fired, the exoskeleton of the massive giant's skull snapped shut, covering the entire head!

The bullet bounced off the sloping armor without penetrating it, leaving no trace of the metal. It only left a deep dent in the asphalt, following its angle of deflection. It felt like the incredible power of a sword bursting forth from a fantasy novel, leaving the thick asphalt with the marks of the bullet's piercing.

If you were to send a bullet into this giant's eye, his solid skull would act like the armor of a tank, scattering the bullet back and forth inside his brain, killing him in one fell swoop.

However, Hayabusa had clearly learned his lesson. The two elite soldiers, Yezhong and Yoguang, had been killed countless times by the Nameless One using this method. The Armory had also equipped him with a helmet for strict protection.

But the gunfire didn't stop; it became even more terrifying and horrifying than before!

The helmet not only blocked deadly bullets, but also obstructed most of the Hayabusa's field of vision, allowing it to observe the external environment only through the drone's view and the prosthetic's camera.

He didn't know what damage his body had suffered. The electronic eyes on his shoulders, and the view from the high-altitude drone, his body was suppressed by firepower, trembling and shaking.

Xue Ming wielded his rifle, precisely striking the giant's armor joints, aiming to attack the soft armor while avoiding the outer armor, thus incapacitating the enemy. He also had four magazines on his waist—

--These 120 bullets became a nightmare for the Kyoraku Special Squad.

With such a clear field of fire, the teams that were originally carrying out search missions in various buildings were now moving out of the buildings and onto the streets or balconies to support Hayabusa.

For Xue Ming, it was like returning to his familiar firing range.

--As 02 in the VENOM organization said.

In that instant, any target that appeared on this street, even a passing mosquito, would be shot twice by Jiang Xueming, and any drone that flew too low would be reduced to fragments.

Three groups of nine people filed out of the first-floor room. The vanguards, who had just stepped out of the door, collapsed as if their skulls had been ripped apart by a sickle!

At the second-floor window, experienced soldiers stood a short distance from the windowsill, clutching anti-tank rocket launchers shaped like iron fists. The flash of light had barely appeared when the warhead mercilessly shattered the rocket's detonation fuse, and the gushing molten metal claimed their lives.

The 120-shot hellish fireworks display has ended.

With Jiang Xueming at the center of the fan, within a clear field of fire extending 270 degrees in front and 75 degrees upward, there was no living thing within a 50-meter radius.

Fifty-five members of the Kyoraku Special Squad would be mercilessly shot in the head the moment they dared to show their heads in this alley.

Xue Ming suffered severe muscle strain in both arms and shoulders; he was practically a mechanical being with an automatic lock-on mechanism—his firing speed matched his movement speed perfectly.

--During these six years of battles, in the state of spiritual and physical unity with Fragrant Dream, he could use his spirit to stabilize his physical body. Fragrant Dream and Xue Ming could control their guns and move at the same time, thus performing this terrifying shooting technique.

There were also soldiers hiding in their bunkers who hadn't immediately come out to cover their officers; they were trembling with fear, almost scared out of their wits.

The security center will provide these soldiers with prosthetic eyes for basic aiming assistance and will use hormones to soothe their minds, which will help them maintain some of their fighting will.

However, when faced with nameless warriors and the threat of death, witnessing their comrades' heads explode and being killed instantly in the heat of battle, these soldiers' fighting spirit completely collapsed. Many of them logged off on the spot, found a suitable bed, hid in the bathroom, or under the bed, wanting to return to their warm and happy Extreme Bliss Space.

Time did not defeat the Ming De War King.

--At least for Jiang Xueming, at the age of thirty, he had more strength and less agility than at twenty-three, which was just right to tame the recoil of the 7.62*51Nato.

Fragrant Dream emanated from her body; she hugged the rifle and pulled out the magazine, but there was no more ammunition.

Xue Ming took out the electrolyte solvent and plunged it into the VENOM mechanism in his right arm. The soreness in his waist, back, shoulders, and neck, as well as the hidden injuries from the strain on his arm bones, were relieved at that moment.

The silent 02 finally snapped out of his shock. Even the ghost hadn't expected Jiang Xueming to unleash such terrifying combat power. Like a sentry gun controlled by an electronic program, he immediately adjusted his firing line the instant he killed the enemy, wasting no firepower. He was almost multitasking, locking onto most of the targets in his field of fire, arranging the attack sequence from the far left to the far right of the field of fire—simple and reasonable.

It held back for a long time, but still couldn't help but blurt out something.

[7.62*51 NATO rifle ammunition, more suitable for the physique of Japanese babies!]

Jiang Xueming grinned, as if he had finally relaxed from the highly intense and stressful environment. To be honest, he had grown quite fond of this talkative Artificial Intelligence; he would call it Second Brother for now.

"You're right! Second brother! Hahahaha!"

Unable to find a new magazine, Fragrant Dream picked up the executioner's high-frequency weapon.

The execution sword requires DNA to unlock, but the C60 on the blade should be able to cut through the Hayabusa's skin.

Now only Hayabusa and Jiang Xueming remain on the market street.

[What did I say? You liked this joke?]

Jiang Xueming raised his sword to meet the enemy. Just as the Little Blue bottle on his right arm fell, unlike his usual calm and indifferent demeanor, a bright smile appeared on his face, like a sunny and cheerful young man.

"No, it's the previous sentence—about the strange things that happened to us siblings."

"You said that Bailu and the Big Sister seem to have a natural love for killing; they feel pleasure just from smashing the enemy's head."

For a fleeting moment, I also felt that joy.

"That's true."

I enjoy it.

"This is part of my life, and it's where my talent lies."

[OhHoly Shi]

[Part ② - Small or Large?]

Hayabusa discarded his wrecked firearms, his joints cracking and popping. Under the onslaught of rifle bullets, his supple artificial muscles could absorb some of the impact, but the nameless man concentrated his fire on the vulnerable joints of his hips and ribs, and the accumulated damage could even crack bones.

--It's terrifying, horrifying, for this guy to get his hands on a gun!

Hayabusa was covered in sweat, and when his mask was opened, his face was revealed, showing the tense expression of someone facing imminent death!

With just eight meters to go, only two quick sprints are needed to initiate close combat.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath. He pulled two carbon fiber rods from his waist, and as the electric charge climbed up the rods, Hayabusa could still see the terrifying demon king's steady sword-wielding stance.

The V-shaped helmet obscured the guy's face, the safety indicator light turned from orange to red, and wisps of white mist emanated from the steel cables and copper wires, carrying the strong pheromones of evaporating sweat.

Hayabusa could smell this scent and felt an indescribable chill from the pheromones. Before even engaging in combat, he felt his face being violated, as if something was tearing him apart!

What terrifying Inspiration Pressure that must have been!

From neck to skull, it felt like a cold, hard iron bar was about to be embedded into my head!

It hurts! It hurts so much! It's so painful!

His arms trembled, as if ice had entered his nasopharynx and tonsils, causing his eye pressure to spike along with his blood pressure. Just absorbing the spiritual pressure transmitted through his pheromones had already caused physical damage to this bionic avatar!

The electric baton is a training tool used by the Hayabusa, designed to subdue disobedient individuals. It is very effective against high-frequency weapons. However, at this moment, the execution sword in Jiang Xueming's hand is not electrified—because his DNA cannot unlock this lock, he does not know how to use it.

"Stinky rat!" A heart-wrenching roar erupted from the giant's throat as he tried to intimidate and reawaken his stiff limbs.

Adrenaline surged through his body, and he lunged at the nameless War King!

Fragrant Dream stomped forward with a powerful kick! It shattered the hard armor of the Hayabusa crotch skirt, tearing a gap of more than twenty centimeters along with the soft armor!

It seemed that Hayabusa still had something to say, but all his words were killed by that fierce, soul-powerful groin kick!

[Just looking at me makes me feel pain; your silence is deafening.]

The giant, over three meters tall, looked like a city wall in front of Xue Ming!

The core power of Fragrant Dream, exceeding three tons, kicked the 800-kilogram strongman so hard that his legs left the ground, his arms went limp, and the exoskeleton armor on his spine exploded in a burst of flames. The MCFC fuel cell stack also exploded!

The execution sword pierced the groin tear of the Hayabusa!

Xue Ming followed Hun Wei's advance, stabbing and slashing, raising his sword to slash upwards, like a piece of beef on a cutting board, cutting open the belly and sternum along the gaps in the solid outer armor, the execution sword staining the artificial blood a pure white.

Blood gushed from Hayabusa's mouth as he slumped back to the ground, the executioner's sword striking his iron jaw, a bone more flexible than C60, just as it cleaved his belly open.

He gripped the execution sword tightly, the electric baton rolling to the side, refusing to let go no matter what.

The fuel cell stack has gone on strike; he is about to die from power loss and return to Extreme Bliss Space to undergo a self-education program, savoring this defeat.

Before Xue Ming could even draw his sword and begin the slash, a blinding light erupted from the core engine of the Hayabusa sword's chest cavity. It was the giant instructor's VENOM core; a powerful electric current activated the execution sword's electronic program—

--The pulsed energy flow induced by nanomechanics impacted Xue Ming's VENOM mechanism.

The Hayabusa roared weakly, its eyes already blinded by blood loss. After its exoskeleton was paralyzed, its communication with the security center was also cut off, and it could only shout loudly at the drone.

"Execute the ascension procedure! Security center! I'm going to seal this demon in Extreme Bliss Space!"

Xue Ming's arm went numb from the powerful energy pulse, and he stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance after releasing the sword hilt.

He stared in surprise at his arm, a tingling sensation washing over him, but he had no idea what was happening.

"Second brother, what did he do to us?"

[This guy hacked into your VENOM system using a high-frequency weapon; it's a simple, direct physical connection, and it works very well.]

"Then what?!"

[Hayabusa is a classical human educator and an official of Shinto City. Don't be so nervous; he's absolutely green and harmless—he doesn't carry any viruses.]

"What was that [Ascension Program] thing just now?"

[Every citizen of Shinto City can enter Extreme Bliss Space through the VENOM mechanism; this process is called Ascension.]

Xue Ming felt a strong wave of drowsiness wash over him. His brain was frantically secreting melatonin, his eyelids were drooping, and his rapidly fading mental energy prevented Fragrant Dream from maintaining its form. His soul power also retreated back into his physical body.

He wants to take you to Extreme Bliss Space, put you to sleep, and seal away this demon within you.

Xue Ming covered his head, staggered, and plopped down next to a market stall.

"What do I do?!"

[I recommend you activate the managed service, handing over your physical body to me. My Liman Hypothesis will take over the control of your body, just like having a secondary account to boost your account, understand? I will continue to carry out missions for you, rendezvous with Bu Liuxing, and continue gathering intelligence until you wake up.]

"Good!"

Jiang Xueming had no other choice; falling asleep in this environment would be tantamount to death.

His head tilted to the side, and he lost power at the same time as the Hayabusa.

The mighty giant is dead, but he will return.

Jiang Xueming's body twitched a few times.

--When E9·h8·02 opened its eyes again, it was the first time it observed this wonderful world through the host's physical body.

He lifted his helmet, took a deep breath of the air from the Little Kanto region, then raised his right arm and stared at the VENOM's factory stamp.

"Fragrant Dream!"

Soul Might arrived as summoned. The steel-clad cat looked at the Artificial Intelligence with wary eyes and intense distrust. "You... you're not plotting something bad behind my back, are you?!"

The second brother squinted and smiled, and the VENOM mechanical stamp on his arm changed. The LCDD liquid crystal font was upside down. When Xue Ming held up his right arm and looked directly at it, it was E98h02, but it looked very different to Fragrant Dream.

--It became 204863.