I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 620
Immediately afterwards, Lin collapsed into a pool of blood.
Kiana, with a sudden burst of strength, rushed forward and hugged him like a madwoman. Her hands trembled as she lifted his trench coat, and the horrifying sight that greeted her made her brain shut down.
Empty.
There was a hole near the man's chest and abdomen, as if that part of his flesh had been hollowed out. The gruesome, charred wound emitted a nauseating smell of cooked meat. All the internal organs in the wound had vanished, leaving only the organs near the wound that were not completely destroyed, still wriggling laboriously, radiating the last bit of life force before death.
On the hand lying in a pool of blood, the old-fashioned watch was worn, its second hand stopped at twelve.
She looked back at the spot where she had been standing, at the black hole, and then back in the direction from which the gunshot had come. On a distant high-rise building, a hooded woman holstered her gun, a beauty mark on her chin giving her a silent, mocking look before turning and leaving.
Kiana knelt on the ground, stunned, clutching her convulsing, growing cold body. She abandoned all thought, simply replaying the moment the man pulled her away without hesitation.
Lin saved her.
At that moment, he didn't think about killing her; instead, he pulled her away.
Then, a sniper bullet pierced his body.
She killed him.
The words Lin had spoken to her, and the scenes of their time together over the past few days, flooded back like a tidal wave, tearing at her mind and dispelling the little warmth she had left.
"But there are no 'what ifs.' The Honkai didn't give them a chance, and neither did I."
"My past has been a series of choices where I had no choice at all."
The girl removed the man's mask. His eyes were closed, his face pale, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before he was gone.
"Ah..."
She couldn't even utter a mournful cry or a roar.
The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Forty-One - Hidden Hatred
"Hmm..."
It felt like there was a fire burning in my chest and abdomen.
It wasn't a burning pain, but rather the cold wind blowing in, which felt like fueling a fire.
His soul seemed mismatched with his body; a sense of sluggishness and unfamiliarity dominated most of his nerves, making him unable to control his body.
"Cough cough..."
The dried blood clot was coughed up from his throat. Lin struggled to open his eyelids, but the world through his slits was so blurry.
He sensed a lot of people making a commotion not far away, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. It was as if countless bells were ringing in his ears at the same time, making his already throbbing head feel even heavier.
What happens...
Oh right... his chest and abdomen... are injured...
Lin weakly turned his head to look at the large hole in his chest and abdomen. He could feel his life force decreasing. If it weren't for his extraordinary physique, excessive blood loss, and the fact that many of his internal organs had been smashed into a pulp, he would probably have died long ago.
There's still... some Honkai Energy left...
He channeled his remaining Herrscher Authority and Honkai Energy into self-healing. Although it was impossible to cure his wounds, it allowed Lin to barely move. He tried to stand up while vomiting large amounts of blood.
Lin braced himself with his hands on the ground and then tried to move his legs.
"..."
However, his feet remained completely still.
His spine was also shattered, and now he can't even stand up, let alone move his lower body.
Lin gasped for breath, suppressing the dizziness that was rising within him. Then, he grabbed the ground with both hands and dragged himself toward the edge of the rooftop.
Sky City was brightly lit and noisier than any previous night. He realized that something had happened in Sky City, and that the attack on him and Kiana was definitely related to what had happened.
What exactly happened...?
His hands gripped the railing, leaving bloody handprints. At that moment, he noticed that his watch was missing from his wrist, but he didn't pay attention to it. Instead, he looked down at the street with difficulty.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
The mechanical jungle moved through the city. Lin, panting and feeling the burning heat in his respiratory tract, looked at the Titans, which there were more of them than ever before, and tried to sort out his chaotic mind.
... Was it more than one cadre who entered Sky City?
This was a possibility that suddenly came to Lin's mind.
The World Serpent was originally planning to complete the experiment next week, which means that even without Rita, the Eos could create Honkai disaster that would cover the entire Sky City. This method could not be found within Sky City, so it could only have come from outside Sky City.
Therefore, there is only one possibility: other cadres will come to Sky City with Honkai Energy generators capable of creating Honkai disaster, and Night Owl is just a cadre temporarily deployed to strengthen defenses due to Lin's presence.
This explains why the World Serpent did not lift the blockade on Sky City even after the plan failed.
At the same time, Lin caught a glimpse of a light out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw a silver-haired girl rushing towards the location of the signal tower amidst a hail of bullets.
It seems... there's no way I can rest...
Lin clenched his teeth, which were now smeared with blood, then moved his body, climbed over the railing, and fell towards the Titans below.
Neither the residents of Sky City who were praying, nor Kiana, Mei, Rita, and the others who were fighting the World Serpent to stop the experiment, noticed that a bright meteor was streaking across the sky and flying at high speed toward Sky City.
"Bass!"
Raven stumbled back a few steps with some difficulty, but before she could readjust her attack stance, the silver-haired girl in front of her delivered a flying kick to both of her arms, sending her flying off the roof. She had to flip over in mid-air and grab the edge of one of the balconies to steady herself.
"Bang!"
The bullets seemed to have eyes, piercing her body and forcing the Raven to flee.
"Hmph, Herrscher of the Void, I didn't expect you to be so energetic even after being infected with the HSN-B46 serum. It seems I underestimated you." Raven maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but in reality, she was extremely shocked.
Her mission was to stall Kiana so that the experiment could be completed successfully. So at the very beginning of the fight, she used the HSN-B46 serum that Jackal had given her to prevent Kiana from using Honkai Energy. She herself was unaffected by the antidote. She thought that without Honkai Energy, Kiana would at most be an ordinary person who could fight, but she didn't expect that she would not be able to gain any advantage at all.
In fact, Kiana seemed to be very familiar with her fighting style, and all her ruthless sneak attacks failed, gradually putting her at a disadvantage.
Kiana, clutching her injured shoulder, took a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "It's just that there's no Honkai Energy... I'm used to it. Aren't you used to fighting someone who can't even kill a chicken?"
On the silver-haired girl's left wrist was an old-fashioned watch, and the chains around her neck that had originally sealed off Honkai Energy had been broken free.
However, the person who most wanted her to break free of her chains was no longer there.
"Let's save our boasting for when we win."
Raven snorted and attacked Kiana again.
Night Owl was currently fighting Rita. Based on her understanding of Night Owl, she knew that he couldn't possibly be a match for the maid in a direct confrontation, but he still had the ability to stall for time. However, she was also worried about someone else.
"Whoosh—crack—"
A blade flashing with electricity slashed from behind Raven like thunder across the night sky. Raven reacted swiftly, ducking to avoid the blade. The light of the blade severed a few strands of her hair, and she coldly stared at the purple-haired girl who had landed beside Kiana.
People really do spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain; you deal with one, and another one comes along.
"Kiana, are you alright?" Mei asked Kiana beside her while keeping a wary eye on the sinister woman in front of her.
"Yes, I'm fine, Mei." Kiana's eyes showed a hint of fatigue, but she concealed it, pointing her pistol at Raven. "We must stop them from using the signal tower to cause Honkai disaster."
"Let's deal with the one blocking the way first."
As soon as she spoke, Mei's expression turned serious. She and Kiana pointed their weapons at Raven side by side, and Raven laughed for no apparent reason.
The Raven laughed with utter contempt, a genuine contempt for the two men's attitudes and even their identities.
Two Herrscher, now righteously declaring they will stop her for the sake of humanity?
In particular, the Herrscher of the Void...
A hidden hatred burned in the Raven's wine-red snake eyes.
"Then let's see if you have the ability!"
The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Forty-Two - To You Fifty Thousand Years Ago
"Bass----"
The emerald green mechanical hounds darted through the night, much like the Hound of Tindalos in the Cthulhu Mythos, relentlessly pursuing its prey and tearing it apart without hesitation.
A fully armed and dashing maid crouched on a damaged telephone pole, holding a giant scythe upside down. Behind her were shattered and severed Titan Mech. Her wine-red eyes sharp and quietly searched her surroundings, trying to find the man who had used optical camouflage to hide.
The opponent's direct combat ability is not strong, but his ability to hide and ambush is exceptional. Even with the use of Shadow Iron Hounds's biological scanning device, they were unable to catch him, and now they are locked in a stalemate in this area.
Even though the nearby mech forces had been wiped out, they still couldn't find him. It seems that he has other ways of hiding besides optical camouflage.
"Your subordinates are all wiped out~" Rita chuckled, stroking the blade of her scythe. A chilling aura covered the blade in frost as she spoke to the empty surroundings. "Is this all the World Serpent's executives are capable of? Compared to them, Miss Xiola is more to my liking~"
The owl, hidden in the shadows, watched Rita, who was verbally provoking him, unmoved. He glanced at the approaching Shadow Iron Hounds and pondered his next move.
The opponent was wary of the HSN-B46 serum, so he couldn't use the serum to render Rita powerless like Raven. Moreover, Rita's combat abilities far exceeded expectations; she truly deserves to be Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie.
This is really troublesome... Raven and Jackal are also busy with their own missions and can't help him. If he continues to entangle with Rita, he will only die. So he is considering whether to retreat.
After all, Night Owl wasn't interested in the World Serpent's so-called plan, nor did he feel any sense of belonging to the World Serpent. Unlike that crazy and brainless Jackal, he scoffed at the idea of "upholding the dignity of the World Serpent."
Of course, at least we have to pretend...
"Bass!"
"Thump!"
After the smoke cleared, Night Owl quickly retreated, throwing several stun grenades that landed on the ground to hinder the Shadow Iron Hounds that had found him.
How was this discovered?
Night Owl didn't understand how he had been exposed, but the armored maid, who seemed almost like a ghost to him, had already appeared nearby and was chasing after him. Thinking about why was completely pointless; he should focus on how to survive the pursuit of the S-rank Valkyrie.
His robotic arm ejected a cylinder, which he grabbed and threw at Rita. Rita didn't even flinch, simply using her Shadow Iron Hounds to block it in front of her.
"Whoosh!"
But the cylinder that looked like a bomb was not a bomb at all. The moment it made contact with the Shadow Iron Hounds, it popped out an electric net that enveloped the hound.
Rita glanced at the immobilized Shadow Iron Hounds. As a companion device to the Shadow Iron armor, it was clearly impossible for it to be destroyed by a single electric net, so there must be something else inside that cylinder.
However, it didn't matter anymore, because she had already caught Night Owl.
"Whoosh!"
As Night Owl was fleeing, he suddenly felt a weight behind him. His cloak was being grabbed by someone whose strength far surpassed that of this cyborg, and he was instantly dragged back.
"Cough..." Night Owl held his breath. Without hesitation, he grabbed Rita's hand and turned her over. A "moonlight" flashed across his forehead, slicing the wall beside him like tofu.
If it gets late at night, his engine oil will be spilled all over the floor.
"Oh?" Rita was a little surprised that Night Owl had dodged her attack. She then let go of his hand and kicked him in the chest!
"Bang!"
"Cyborgs?"
Rita initially thought that Night Owl had only modified his arm into a mechanical one, but after she kicked him, sparks flashed from his chest, indicating that he had undergone extensive body modifications.
No wonder we couldn't find him with the Shadow Iron Hounds at first; they must have installed an anti-scanning system inside him. It was only after Rita took over the hounds' monitors that we were able to find him.
"Ha... Valkyrie of Schicksal, although you seem to be having a great time hunting me, I must remind you that time is running out." Night Owl leaned against the wall, panting heavily, as he watched Rita slowly approach.
Rita smiled slightly upon hearing this, her lips curving upwards in a way that was both incredibly beautiful and dangerously menacing. "It won't take long to deal with you first."
"That really is... overestimating me."
Rita's expression changed, and she gripped the scythe, slashing at the night owl. But when the sharp blade sliced through the man's neck, no blood spurted out; instead, it slowly dissipated into the air.
Projection?
Did the optical camouflage activate in mid-air and leave a projection when it was kicked away...?
There was no sign of Night Owl around anymore; he had achieved his goal of stalling for time. Rita was indeed more worried about the World Serpent's experiment. She turned around and cleaved the electric net on the ground, which was ensnared by Shadow Iron Hounds, and prepared to head to the signal tower to support Kiana.
But just as she was about to leave, something on the ground caught her attention.
"..."
Rita bent down and picked up a necklace from the ground. Its azure color emitted a faint glow in the darkness.
"Huff... huff..."
Lin dragged his weak lower body into the cockpit of the standard Titan Mech.
To ensure that the pilots would not be completely trapped in the cockpit, all the self-contained mechs are equipped with an emergency switch on the outside that allows them to manually open the cockpit. Lin had already figured out the World Serpent's Titan Mech last time, so before even the pilot of this Titan could react, his cockpit door was opened, and he was thrown out of the cockpit by Lin.