Female Mechanical Cyborg

In the park.

Several members of the Public Security Team drew their guns and opened fire on the Heretic Cultist, aiming every shot at his heart and head.

In no time, they had riddled the Heretic Cultist with bullets as he transformed into a Giant Mutant Rat.

Yet, though he was covered in bullet holes, the Heretic Cultist merely fell to the ground and lay still. His body continued to mutate.

They fired several more sniper rounds, even blowing his head apart, but he kept on mutating.

"Jiangbei West Road, city park. A Heretic Cultist is transforming into a Giant Mutant Rat. Ordinary firearms can't inflict fatal injuries!"

"Initial assessment: he's fused with the Rat King Gene!"

"We can't handle this! Requesting support from a Mechanical Cyborg!"

Seeing that they couldn't deal with the situation, the Public Security Team captain immediately contacted the city's Public Security headquarters and requested support from a Mechanical Cyborg.

"Captain, he's getting up!" one of the officers shouted.

The Heretic Cultist, who had been sprawled motionless on the ground just moments ago, had somehow gotten to his feet.

More and more Giant Mutant Rat traits appeared on his body. Long, slender whiskers sprouted from his snout, his mouth grew long and pointed, and his face became covered in fur. He had become a Ratman, walking upright.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Hold him off!"

"Keep shooting! Hold that beast back!"

"We just need to hold him off for two minutes. Then the Mechanical Cyborg will arrive!"

"Stop it! Don't let it leave the park!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Following the captain's orders, several officers retreated while firing, using suppressive fire to stop the Ratman from leaving the park.

Outside the park.

Hearing the Public Security Team captain's words from inside the park, Lin Zichen didn't even bother with the car. He scooped Shen Qinghan up from the back seat and sprinted away.

The situation had turned far more serious than he'd imagined. They had to get out of there, fast.

[You are sprinting at full speed while carrying a load. Vitality +4, speed and endurance +2, body coordination +2, running speed +2, running technique +2]

[You sprinted at full speed while carrying a load for 1,000 meters. Vitality +400, speed and endurance +200, body coordination +200, running speed +200, running technique +200]

In just over a minute,

Lin Zichen had carried Shen Qinghan more than a thousand meters, putting them well away from the dangerous park.

He had only run a thousand meters, but the intensity had been so high that he was exhausted. He braced his hands on his knees and panted.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghan immediately ran into the convenience store nearby, bought a bottle of sports drink, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to him so he could take a drink and catch his breath.

Lin Zichen took the drink but didn't immediately drink it. He was still panting.

He hadn't caught his breath yet; he couldn't get the drink down.

"Ah, no, Xiao Chen! We left the Ghost Shadow Squid meat in the bike basket!"

Shen Qinghan suddenly remembered, and her face filled with worry.

Hearing this, Lin Zichen felt a pang of heartache.

His first instinct was to go back for it, but reason quickly stopped him from doing something so foolish.

The park was still dangerous. Going back rashly could easily lead to an accident.

He had to wait and see.

As long as they stayed safe, he could assess the situation and decide whether to go back for the Ghost Shadow Squid meat.

Just then, a loud roar suddenly came from the sky.

It sounded like a large-engine motorcycle roaring past at full throttle. The noise made their ears ring and their eardrums ache.

Lin Zichen followed the sound and looked up.

It was a Mechanical Cyborg!

But it flashed past in an instant, flying hundreds of meters away before he could make out its appearance.

Still, he could guess who it was. It had to be the support the Public Security Team captain had just requested.

With a Mechanical Cyborg on the scene, they should be safe.

With that in mind, Lin Zichen decided to go back and retrieve the Ghost Shadow Squid meat.

He turned to Shen Qinghan and said,

"Wait here for me. I'll go back to the park for the Ghost Shadow Squid meat. I'll be back soon."

"I'm coming too!"

"I'll be faster on my own."

"All right, then. Be careful on the way, and come back soon."

"Mm."

Lin Zichen said no more. He quickly turned and ran toward the park.

This time, since he wasn't carrying Shen Qinghan, he made it back to the park entrance in less than a minute.

A thick haze of purple-blue smoke filled the park. From inside, he could hear the fierce sounds of a fight.

Lin Zichen ignored it, quickly ran to the bicycle, stopped, and opened the basket to take out the Ghost Shadow Squid meat.

As soon as he picked it up, he caught a faint whiff of rot.

He sniffed again. The smell was coming from the bag holding the Ghost Shadow Squid meat.

Lin Zichen immediately had a bad feeling.

With a growing sense of unease, he opened the bag and looked at the meat inside.

To his dismay, it had already spoiled. There were clear signs of decay.

It was over!

The meat hadn't been immune to spoiling after its Life Origin was devoured. Its decay had only been delayed!

What was he supposed to do now?

How was he supposed to explain this to his parents?

Lin Zichen was deeply troubled.

Just then, the sounds of fighting from the park grew even fiercer.

A sharp cry rang out, sounding like a mix between a rat and a human.

The next moment, a slender figure shot up through the dense purple-blue smoke, hovering high in the air with the help of the powerful Anti-Airflow Propulsion Device beneath her feet.

Lin Zichen looked up. A female Mechanical Cyborg came into view.

Her chest was flat, made entirely of alloy, with a circular glowing area in the center that looked like an Energy Pump.

Judging by her Alloy Equipment, she looked stronger than the male Mechanical Cyborg he'd encountered in an alley when he was in elementary school.

Suddenly, the Energy Pump on the female Mechanical Cyborg's chest flashed with an extremely dazzling light.

The next instant!

A terrifying beam of energy shot out from the Energy Pump, blasting toward the ground below!

Then came a thunderous boom!

The park, which had been pitch-black, was suddenly lit up over a wide area.

A moment later, the light faded.

The park, which had still been filled with noise, fell completely silent.

All that remained was a faint smell of burning.

Lin Zichen stood rooted to the spot, stunned by the scene before him.

This female Mechanical Cyborg could even fire a Laser Cannon?

Shanhai City was only a small prefecture-level city. Did it really have Mechanical Cyborgs this advanced?

The power of that Laser Cannon looked terrifying.

It was hard to imagine how far a living creature's flesh and blood would have to evolve to withstand a Laser Cannon like that... Lin Zichen's thoughts wandered.

Meanwhile, smoke rose from the chest of the female Mechanical Cyborg high above, and the area around it had gone black.

It was clear just how scorching the beam of energy she had released had been.

After confirming that the Ratman below had died, the female Mechanical Cyborg didn't linger. She turned and flew away.

Lin Zichen watched her leave, his thoughts churning.

He had his superior physical fitness, far beyond that of his peers, only because he trained hard every day.

But Mechanical Cyborgs didn't have to do anything. They only needed to install powerful Alloy Equipment to gain astonishing destructive power.

It was hard not to envy such strength gained in an instant.

Just as Lin Zichen was thinking about all this, the Public Security Team captain and the others emerged from nearby and jogged into the park to clear the area.

Seeing them, Lin Zichen hesitated, then followed them inside.

He wanted to see just how much damage the female Mechanical Cyborg's Laser Cannon had caused.