"Annoying bug." The invisible blonde chef cursed under her breath, clutching another kitchen knife as she sprinted toward Dr. Mei. Eyes should have been the softest part of the human body, yet this bug's eye had made her hand throb from the impact. He was probably some Fire Moth warrior.
Other than marveling that fate worked in mysterious ways, all he could do was see how long this one-thousandth Herrscher, whom Kevin had subdued barehanded in the story, could hold Kevin back. He was going to retreat.
Fire Moth's cybersecurity system was riddled with holes in Qin Su's eyes. Fire Moth was not fighting against any national power; all they needed to guard against were certain ill-intentioned individuals or groups. Moreover, Herrschers had shown no interest in Fire Moth's "online privacy" so far. This had led Fire Moth to neglect network security.
Though this T-800 lay on the ground, its dulled single eye staring at the ceiling, Qin Su could use the networked surveillance cameras to find an opportunity to escape. Around the corner to the right of the front counter was the back kitchen, and Qin Su had fallen at the kitchen's front entrance, a blind spot from the dining hall. As long as Kevin began fighting the Herrscher, he could slip away.
Fortunately, his other eye had not been destroyed. Otherwise, this T-800 would have needed the surveillance cameras to provide vision, consuming more precious processing power.
Hearing Qin Su's scream, Kevin turned around at once. Seeing him sprawled on the floor, his mouth wide open and a knife embedded in his eye socket, Kevin immediately rose to his feet. He spread his arms to shield Mei behind him, his blue eyes instantly sharpening as though they would lock onto even the slightest change.
The restaurant instantly descended into chaos. The customers fled madly outside, while the nearby checkpoint also noticed something amiss. Armored vehicle engines rumbled.
"Kevin, don't act rashly. There are many innocent civilians around you right now," Dr. Mei reminded him. Even though Kevin had made no move to draw Heavenly Fire, Dr. Mei still had to warn him.
Kevin nodded and listened closely to the sounds around him. Though he did not know who had killed Qin Su, the rapid footsteps drawing closer warned him that the enemy was invisible. The chef charged straight at Dr. Mei behind Kevin, thrusting both kitchen knives forward.
In the end, she lacked combat experience. She had nowhere to hide in Kevin's eyes. With one reach, he seized the chef by the throat, then slammed her heavily to the ground. Her face and figure, previously concealed by refracted light, were exposed one by one.
Kevin remained calm, but he also sensed that something was wrong. "She is undoubtedly a Herrscher, but I have never seen such a weak Herrscher."
Dr. Mei was equally puzzled. A Herrscher that could be subdued with one hand was simply unheard of, yet it had truly happened. She sighed softly. It would be wonderful if this Herrscher really were that weak, but she knew that was merely wishful thinking. Herrschers would only grow stronger. If a Herrscher's combat abilities were weak, then one had to be careful—she might possess an extremely bizarre power.
She glanced at the restrained "Herrscher" and said to Kevin, "Transfer her to the base. I'm very interested in her."
The chef smiled faintly. For some reason, her body suddenly went limp and weak. Her head, which had been raised high, drooped down. Her chest, which had been heaving violently with her breaths, gradually calmed until it stopped.
"She committed suicide."
"Is that so? What a pity." Dr. Mei sighed.
Dr. Mei turned around. "Then, let's hold a funeral for your new friend..." There was nothing where Qin Su had fallen. Dr. Mei narrowed her eyes. "Kevin..."
"What is it, Mei?" Kevin looked at Mei. As his gaze swept over the spot, he too was clearly stunned.
"It seems this new friend of yours is not a normal person."
Outside the restaurant, an armored vehicle arrived belatedly. Its door opened, and an adjutant ran out, panting as he handed a stack of reports to Mei.
"Dr. Mei, reports of Herrscher attacks have come in from multiple cities!"
Dr. Mei adjusted her glasses, which reflected white light. "It seems there is more than one Herrscher this time."
"Kevin, take Heavenly Fire. Prioritize eliminating the Herrschers. John Connor can be dealt with afterward."
"What strange luck. I ran into a Herrscher while having a meal." The T-800 entered a backstreet alley through the restaurant's rear door. He pulled the kitchen knife from his forehead, sparks bursting from the back of his head. He tossed the knife into a green trash bin, then looked around. There was not the slightest movement.
He took a lighter from his trench coat pocket. With a click, blue flames spurted from it. He held the flame to the wound in his right eye, and scorched biological tissue continuously fell away. He squeezed his eyelids together with his hand, and the severed tissue fused under the heat. Then the T-800 took out a pair of black sunglasses from his trench coat pocket and put them on.
Under the cover of night, the T-800 continuously wove through streets and alleys. After putting enough distance between himself and the restaurant, it was already nine in the evening—the start of curfew. To evacuate, the T-800 had to wait for the transport helicopter. In fact, a helicopter cost less than a T-800, especially since this one had been stolen. Furthermore, with Herrschers appearing, helicopters flew over important cities at all times. Using a helicopter to evacuate was not a foolish choice.
"Kevin, have you dealt with the Herrscher that appeared in the city?" Mei's voice came through the radio. Kevin moved through the night, leaping between high-rises as though flying. His destination was the western district, where a Honkai Beast invasion had been reported.
"Temporarily dealt with." Kevin's eyes searched the edge of the city for his prey like a hawk's.
But the sudden roar of helicopter engines made him look up toward the distant horizon. It appeared to be a military helicopter. With a Fusion Warrior's powerful eyesight, Kevin could even see the number painted on its fuselage.
"CH-9061," he murmured.
At that moment, his shoulder-mounted radio crackled. "Kevin, there's something wrong with that helicopter. Its identification number is correct, but the unit it belongs to is clearing Honkai Beasts in North Africa." Kevin had ** on him. Whenever Kevin encountered a powerful enemy, there was often an observer behind him who could remain clear-headed while those involved could not.
"Understood," Kevin answered quietly, then started toward the city's tallest landmark. He sprinted upward along the glass wall of the building's exterior. Just as he was about to reach the rooftop, a figure flew toward the clouds. When Kevin tried to jump onto the roof, the helicopter used gravity to perform an extremely dangerous maneuver, rapidly pulling away from him. Even with a Fusion Warrior's mobility, it was impossible for him to leap over and grab the helicopter.
Qin Su gripped a hook beneath the helicopter's belly with one hand. He waved at Kevin and said, "Goodbye, Kevin. Talking with you has been quite an interesting experience."
"Is that so?" Kevin held a Heavenly Fire Twin Pistol in each hand.
"I also found talking with you quite interesting." The Heavenly Fire Twin Pistols in his hands merged, and an overwhelmingly imposing greatsword appeared in his grasp. Kevin held the sword with both hands as blazing flames erupted from its blade. This was Fire of Heaven's Judgment in its An-Utu form.
Blazing flames rapidly propelled Kevin toward Qin Su. The Heavenly Fire Greatsword pierced straight through the lower armor beneath the helicopter's belly and became lodged under the cabin. Kevin faced Qin Su and extended his other hand toward him.
"Then keep me company a little longer."
The golden-red greatsword blasted scorching red flames backward. The blade cut through steel like mud, splitting the fuselage in two. Flames spewed from the engines as it fell toward the nearby woods like a meteor streaking across the sky.
The aircraft broke apart spectacularly in midair amid sparks, rolled several times across the ground, and finally came to rest beneath a hill. Kevin stood up and casually brushed the dust and a few blades of grass from his clothes.
"Kevin, do you know?" Qin Su stood before Kevin.
"..."
Holding the Heavenly Fire Greatsword, Kevin raised his head and quietly listened to Qin Su, because he knew Qin Su had nowhere left to run.
A violent heat wave swept over Kevin. Sunlight shining through the night swallowed the entire hill. The surrounding trees were snapped by the powerful shockwave, half their trunks falling to the ground. The entire outskirts became as bright as day, while a small mushroom cloud slowly rose with the airflow.
He had been played.
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