Thirteen Hundred Shots

Symphony of Myriad Phenomena was not, in fact, his weapon to begin with.

It had once belonged to his senior, Yang Zheng.

This was a retired piece of equipment from that senior, yet it had once accompanied him in creating a staggering combat record.

At this moment, Chen Jin cast aside all distracting thoughts, his focus reaching a peak as he channeled his mental energy into the twin guns.

What was the record that Brother Zheng set back in the day? A thought flashed through his mind. It seems to have been... thirteen hundred shots in a limit-break burst, no cooldown, no jamming?

Then... let's see if I can do it.

The challenge began!

The muzzles roared incessantly, and the metal storm formed by the bullets not only engulfed the high platform but also poured down toward the swarm of mechs attempting to surge up from below.

The scorching air currents and the incredibly dense sonic booms erupting from the barrels instantly shattered the rain within a radius of several dozen paces around him.

Centered on him, a waterless domain filled with gunpowder smoke and fire was formed.

The falling rain was pulverized into misty vapor by the violent energy before it could even land, diffusing outward and refracting into eerie, brilliant colors under the last light of the setting sun, forming streaks of neon.

...Five hundred shots!

The three executioner Xuanhu on the high platform had been riddled with holes and completely destroyed, with parts constantly flying off.

...Eight hundred shots!

The mechs attempting to charge from below were temporarily suppressed beneath the stairs by the fierce firepower, and the few leading mechs were blasted to pieces, crashing to the ground.

...One thousand one hundred shots!

The barrels of Symphony of Myriad Phenomena had become scorching hot, even faintly glowing a dark red, while complex runes flowed frantically across them, threatening to overload and disintegrate at any moment.

The muscles in Chen Jin's arms were tearing under the high-frequency vibration, only to be rapidly repaired by the power of the Flesh of Vision.

The sound of gunfire had completely merged into a single, continuous, sharp, high-pitched tone.

One thousand three hundred shots!!!

The moment this number was reached in Chen Jin's heart, the gunfire stopped abruptly.

Thin wisps of blue smoke curled from the muzzles of the twin guns, which were so hot they caused the surrounding air to distort.

The rain-free domain around him vanished rapidly, and the surrounding water mist fell back under the influence of gravity.

The high platform was a mess, covered in bullet holes and metal fragments.

Only Chen Jin, Nuonuo, and Wang Wu remained standing among those present.

Meanwhile, in a hidden location within the city.

Shark Person Princess Cen Qing, who had been sensing the situation on the battlefield through the rain, suddenly let out a muffled groan of pain and clutched her eyes!

Two trails of blood-tears seeped from between her fingers.

"Ugh...!" She stumbled, steadying herself only by leaning against the wall.

"Princess?!" the maid beside her exclaimed in alarm.

"The Rain-Cloth Technique... has been broken!" Cen Qing's voice trembled. "Such tyrannical power... such terrifying tremors... the rain-curtain perception of Langya City... has been completely shredded! I... I cannot sense what is happening there anymore!"

She gasped for air, slowly lowering her hands, her originally alluring eyes now harboring a trace of regret.

The final blurred image transmitted by the rain—the firelight soaring into the sky, the sonic booms shattering the rain curtain, the violent power that had nearly cleared a patch of the world—was deeply branded into her mind.

That man who called himself Chen Jin... the power he displayed completely exceeded her expectations.

Had she... made the wrong choice?

Was it truly wise to make an enemy of him, and even secretly push the situation to this point?

Forcing Symphony of Myriad Phenomena to erupt with a terrifying burst of thirteen hundred shots had brought about a severe overdraft of his mental energy.

He felt as if his brain had been thrown into a blender, his heartbeat pounding against his swollen temples, bringing waves of nauseating dizziness.

Those mechanical constructs had all been reduced to wreckage, and even that chattering puppet had long since been blasted into scattered wood and parts in the violent storm of bullets, unable to make another sound.

However, the crisis had not been resolved.

The curfew drums had sounded, and the law-power of Qin Law was condensing in the air.

A terrifying pressure that chilled the spine descended suddenly, about to deliver a punishment capable of tearing the soul apart—this time, it would likely be far more than just three lashes.

Chen Jin gritted his teeth, attempting to focus his scattered spirit to resist, but the intense headache made it nearly impossible to think, and even standing had become extremely difficult.

Just then, the soldier Ji, who had been kneeling to the side, suddenly stood up abruptly.

He extended a finger, pointed at the barely steady Chen Jin, and proclaimed loudly:

"The Law states: The people are protected by the soldier, and the soldier's actions bear the responsibility!" His voice invoked the power of the rules. "We four—Wang Wu, Ju, Ji, and the daughter of Wang Wu—have all been protected by this person's power tonight, and thus have survived! Therefore, the various punishments we should have endured—the penalty for the night curfew, the crime of unauthorized use of weapons, and the sin of destroying public property—according to the Law, shall all be imposed upon the body of this protector!"

"Ji! Are you fucking insane?!" Wang Wu, who was nearby, heard this and his eyes nearly split, struggling to get up and pounce on him! This was nothing short of ungratefulness and kicking someone while they were down!

However, Ji had not yet finished speaking.

"Indeed!"

"Though this man holds no official rank, his conduct is peerless in courage, sacrificing himself to shield his comrades; his strength shatters the wicked and restores peace to the land! Such deeds are upright and honorable, truly worthy of the title 'Great Man'!"

"Therefore, it is said: Rites do not extend to the commoners, and punishments do not reach the scholar-officials! Since he is a 'Great Man,' he shall be spared the humiliation of the lash."

"Hum--!"

The moment his voice fell, the power of punishment gathering above the high platform seemed to be twisted by an incredibly cunning force.

Although the suffocating pressure did not dissipate entirely, the lethal penalty certainly did not descend immediately.

Wang Wu, Nuonuo, and even Chen Jin all felt this bizarre shift and were momentarily stunned.

Ji whipped his head around, shouting urgently at the still-dazed Wang Wu and Ju: "What are you standing there for! My method only plays with word games to exploit a loophole in the laws; it won't fool them for long! Hurry up and carry him! Run toward the city gates! My wife is waiting outside to receive us!"

Wang Wu snapped out of his trance, not bothering to ask questions as he hoisted the nearly unconscious Chen Jin onto his back. Ju also struggled to his feet and hoisted Nuonuo; despite the pain racking his body, he knew this was a race against death.

As Wang Wu quickly checked Chen Jin's condition to ensure he was secure, he couldn't help but mutter to Ji: "Good grief... I never would have guessed! You've been hiding your true colors! You're actually a disciple of the Legalist School? My little squad has truly been hiding dragons and crouching tigers!"

"Good heavens, are you a pig? Do you think a 'Great Man' and a 'scholar-official' are the same thing? 'Punishments do not reach the scholar-officials' is a tenet of the Zhou Rites; the Legalist School upholds that [the law does not fawn on the noble, and the measuring line does not bend for the crooked]."

Ji retorted irritably: "I am from the School of Names! We specialize in using silver tongues to hoodwink people! Stop the chatter! Run!"

[School of Names]

One of the Hundred Schools of Thought, specializing in the debate of "names" and "realities," represented by Gongsun Long's "a white horse is not a horse" and Hui Shi's "uniting the different." They excel at using bizarre logic to challenge common sense, delving deep into the gaps between language and thought.

After the Qin unification, the Legalist School, which advocated absolute authority and pragmatism, became mainstream. The School of Names, which explored abstract concepts and questioned the certainty of language, was heavily suppressed for its tendency to "confuse the hearts of the people" and "shake the foundations of legal principles," forcing most of its successors into hiding.